Can someone help me convert elliptical distance to real distance?

The LED screen on my elliptical doesn't work, but even when it did it didn't tell me the distance in miles I would have traveled had I taken the same amount of steps on a treadmill. 

So if I can do the elliptical at a moderate pace (probably a little quicker than a jog if I was on a treadmill) for 60 minutes without getting too winded how many miles do you think that would be if I was to run it on a treadmill?  I know that this could vary greatly, but I'm just looking for guesses. 

You should run a mile outdoors at the effort level you normally go on the elliptcal and time it.  Then use that time to convert your workout to miles.

I know I could do that.  Too bad its 8 degrees here and no signs of warmer weather for a few months.  And I don't really feel ilke waiting that long : )

Without anything to benchmark against, I'm not sure how you would estimate it.  Maybe someone that uses an elliptical regularly can will give you some feedback.

Well, here's the thing.  I prefer to run outside and enjoy entering 5K and 10K races on occassion.  But now its winter and I use an elliptical and want to make sure that I'm not losing my ability to run distances.  It may sound like a stupid question.  I was just lokoing fro some guesses.  In the summer I can run about 7 miles without any extra training or conditioning.

on my eliptical...  Level 5 for 15 minutes is about 1.5 miles.  So for 60 minutes... maybe 6 miles...  Good luck...

I would agree with randy12, and guess somewhere around 1 mile per 10 minutes.... or maybe a little more, depending on how hard/fast you go.  At home, the elliptical's at my gym are about like that; at school, the machines are different and I can go "farther" in the same amount of time.  Today I went 65 minutes, 9.11 miles, for instance.  But I go pretty hard (I don't get winded, per se, but I can definately tell I'm working hard based on how tired I am when I'm done).  So, I'd say a 1 mile per 10 minutes at a minimum, but if you're going at a good, hard pace, add some extra.  Another thing to think about is the resistance of the machine.  I think if you add more resistance, but keep up the pace, it'll be more "distance" because you work harder...?  I'm not sure, really, but just...things to think about.  :)  Good luck!

From my own personal experience I can tell you resistance level between 5 and 8 doing approximately 140 to 155 strides per minute nets me about 2.25 miles in 28 minutes...  Not sure if this will help you or not but it would kind of give you something to compare it against maybe...  Hope it helps

 

Chad

 

I don't know if there's any way to get an accurate run distance from an elliptical distance.  The elliptical I use in the gym has me at 7 minute miles for a very easy HR.  I wish I could run that fast!

Best thing would be to use HR zones so you can get a comparable effort level.  You might also consider keeping your cadence at around 90 left footstrikes per minute for an experience more like a run... although on some ellipticals this can be a little hard.  You'll still have to transition back to running slowly because the elliptical doesn't really give you the impact that running does - so your muscles won't be used to it any longer.

Personally I just dress in layers and head outside for the most part.

My sister and I were talking about this. Her elliptical coverts to miles and she says its usually around 2200 steps or so that equals a mile.

I think the problem is that, although they seem similar, it's a different kind of experience and it's not really appropriate to compare them. I mean, the elliptical has none of the impact that running does, so no matter how far you go, you aren't keeping up the muscles in your legs that protect the joints from the constant impact. So if your main goal is to keep up your distance running endurance, well, you are going to have to continue to run. Think of it instead as a way to keep your VO2 level (oxygen absorption and cardiovascular level) up.

I enjoy the elliptical as a change of pace, but I never count it as even close to a treadmill run. Generally I think of 10 minutes = 1 mile, but never more.

First you need to know the stride length of your elliptical. I use one that has adjustable stride, 12, 15, or 18 inches. I usually set mine on the 18 inches but the other lengths emphasis slightly different muscle areas. Once you know the stride length, there's a chart you can follow at  www.walk4life.com/customerservice  

that will convert steps taken to miles based on your stride length. my 18 inch stride takes 3158 steps to make a mile.  The website has a calculater that will compute this for you, just input your steps and your stride length and there you have it.