Forums >Running 101>Aqua Running?
Interval Junkie --Nobby
Anyone have experience with incorporating "Water Running" or "Deep Water Running" (sometimes called Hydro-therapy) in their regular marathon training? My coach recommends this as a way to log miles with minimal risk of injury.
For those who have no idea what I'm talking about: a video.
I hopped in the pool yesterday for 95minutes to try it out. While it's hard to figure out distance, I think my breathing indicated a 9:30min/mile. Maybe I'm fooling myself. I was breathing through my nose most of the time since my mouth was at water-level unless I inhaled deeply. The whole experience was pretty miserable and not at all like running. I wouldn't do it at all except I'm trying to be a good student.
Can anyone relate experiences with this sort of thing? Are they "true miles" or should they be counted as "half-miles"? etc?
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A lot of pools have dense foam belts, usually in various sizes. Strap one around yourself so that you stay slightly higher in the water.
I aqua-jogged when I was injured last year and didn't think much of it. Go hard enough and you can get a decent pulse lift, and the motion is the closest to running you'll get from among the cross-training options ... but when I finished, it just never really felt like I'd run.
Given a choice, I'd cycle or maybe use the elliptical as an aerobic supplement.
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I haven't ever done it. It should have the benefit of providing a cardio workout while working the same muscles as running, though not necessarily the same proportional level of effort for each muscle group that running would provide. But one thing that is really quite different from running and everything else is the actual impact. It has a big effect on how running feels to your muscles, and that will be missing, so the entire workout should feel quite different even if most of its effects are similar.
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My wife swears by it. Both for herself and in classes that she teaches.
With the belts, hand-held resistance bells or paddles, tethers (to provide control when really working hard) and footwear called stompers (vertical resistance simulating hill work) you can implement a lot of types of highly relevant training without impact, and with the cooling, resistance & massaging effects of water..
There are some good resources at: http://www.aquajogger.com/blog/?page_id=128
Be carefully about adding footwear as they can increase resistance to the point where you get uncomfortable stresses on the knees.
Salazar is using an underwater treadmill from Hydroworx. He says that Rupp would not be getting the volume he is and remaining healthy without it.
The process is the goal.
Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.
I tried pool running last year after getting injured. It was better than nothing. But, unless injured, I would never consider such a miserably boring exercise. Maybe if you did it with a buddy it would be tolerable. Sometimes when I was in the pool, I'd bob over near the aerobics class and join in for a bit.
Everything I've ever heard says that water running is good, but about half the time I ended up swimming laps. It didn't work for me because I couldn't stand doing it for long, and I was injured for months. Eventually I switched to a stationary bike.
95 minutes is a pretty long time as a first attempt. Here's Pfitzinger's take on the topic.
I tried pool running last year after getting injured. It was better than nothing. But, unless injured, I would never consider such a miserably boring exercise. Maybe if you did it with a buddy it would be tolerable. Sometimes when I was in the pool, I'd bob over near the aerobics class and join in for a bit. Everything I've ever heard says that water running is good, but about half the time I ended up swimming laps. It didn't work for me because I couldn't stand doing it for long, and I was injured for months. Eventually I switched to a stationary bike. 95 minutes is a pretty long time as a first attempt. Here's Pfitzinger's take on the topic.
Agreed!
I don't I ever lasted more than 45 minutes. Then again, I can't stand swimming, so why would I enjoy aqua jogging!
I love swimming as much as I do my jogging. One *great* thing I invested in (was around $139 on amazon.com) was a waterproof iPOD shuffle and waterproof earbud-headphones. These have *really* and truly allowed me to enjoy my cross-training workouts in my health club pool and my backyard pool in the summer. Like my always-on-me iPOD classic and Sony in-the-ear headphones, I consider it an essential part of my workout in the water (not to mention how fast the time seems to go, and more enjoyable aqua workouts!!)
(DH kindly agreed to fork over the $ after I begged him to buy me one - after I lost 50 pounds, under the 200 lb. mark - many many months ago!!
Also, about 2 yrs ago, my ortho MD ordered an MRI with diagnosis "suspect left hip stress fracture." Ugh!! So I engaged in many hours of "pool walking" (he forbade me doing *any* weight-bearing exercise, incl. walking - for 14 weeks - a bummer! Boy, if only I had my Water-Fi back then -- sheesh!!
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Heh.. thought this post was about CIM.. my bad.
Carry on.
And we run because we like itThrough the broad bright land
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It helped get me through my stress fracture a couple of years ago, and I wore a belt...it definitely makes a difference in deep water...followed Pfitzinger's plan...luckily, the pool I went to had music playing from the loudspeaker, so I was mostly entertained. Plus, doing the intervals prescribed by Pfitzinger and having to keep an eye on the clock for timing purposes helped time go by faster as well.
I do the aqua jogging often, sometimes with a belt, sometimes without, but I don't count it for miles. It is cross training. I teach a deep water exercise class, all different swimming abilities, very fun! I also suggest starting out with 30 minutes max - your body does need to get used to aqua jogging just like it had to get used to running when you first started running. If you are not using a belt, you need to be very careful that you keep your form vertical - a flotation belt makes that a lot easier, especially starting out.
Marathons are habit-forming...
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stadjak, it really, REALLY works! It's hard, especially when you do it without the flotation belts (your core will thank you!!).
Here are some resources for you to look at:
Hope they help!
Edited to also say: I did whatever my scheduled workouts were...those 2-3 hours, well, they ARE hard in the pool, but they're also hard on land! Just remember to drink your liquids and take whatever fuel you normally do if you're doing those longer hours in the pool. I also found that once my calf muscle/s cramped once, it was pretty much game over for the day: it would just keep happening after the first one. So, keep eye contact with those lifeguards!!