Well, the doc SAID I was allowed to do incline treadmill work.
Seriously, I am beyond thrilled right now. I went to the gym and walked for 50 minutes on the treadmill. 5-minute warmup, then 40 minutes at 3.0 to 3.6mph with a 15% incline, then a 5-minute cooldown. I was able to get the heart rate up above 160, averaged 140, and burned over 500 calories per my HRM. To compare that with a recent pre-surgery workout, on 8/31 I did a 45-minute run at recovery pace for me (9:44 per mile). Average HR was 137 and I burned 482 calories. So it looks like I can get very similar aerobic benefits as recovery-paced runs--maybe a little better if I stay on the high end of that speed range. Next time I go, I'll just stay at 3.5 or 3.6mph the whole time, I think. It's not the same as being able to work in speed work and long runs, but it's a ton better than what I thought I'd be able to do.
polarpersonaltrainer.com