Pool running

[Michelle Lowry]

How the heck do you pool run effectively?  Is the goal to move the knees as much as possible?  Do you wear running shoes?  Do you wear pool socks (I don't have any, I guess I could wear real socks?)  How do you go fast?  How do you convert pool running to mileage equivalent?

I am thinking to hit the Payson pool tomorrow morning.  I guess I could swim but I don't think I can swim the crawl for more than 5 minutes.  After that I'd be doing the back stroke.  I am hesitant to try to kill myself swimming when I am not used to it and I have a race on Saturday. 

[Paul Petersen]

Most people wear a flotation belt and just run in circles. It's the same motion as running, except you're going really slow. I think the overall goal is to make yourself puke. At least those were my observations from watching my injured teammates back in college.

[adam]

Wear a floatation belt, don't worry about converting to miles---you have to go by effort. I mean technically, you could measure the length of the pool, and "run" 25m back and forth to get a distance, but after 30 minutes you'll only have a hard core 800m run.

You don't need socks or shoes, as most of the time, its most effective to run in the deep end, and you're not going to be touching much of anything but water.

I read that you're heart rate will be somewhere around 10% lower per effort- which means it is difficult to get your heart rate up to higher levels, but not so hard to keep it around easy run levels. I've noticed this is more or less true. Harder efforts get me up to around 156-160 bpm.

To be effective as a training stimulus, you should "run" it like a fartlek: after a warmup, hit 1 min on/off, or 30s on/off for 20-30 minutes. You can do this everyday if you wish, as you really can't go too hard in a pool run.

And...I usually get close to puking...as the combo of an hour of pool fartlek, plus cholrine smell, plus random swallows of water, can be sickening.

[Cheryl Keith]

Two years ago I was injured and could not do much road running, so I turned to pool running and did that almost every day for several weeks.  I didn't really worry about form too much, I just tried to replicate as much as I could  my road running form.  I became a believer in pool running after that because I ran a 5K on very little real running, and was only about 10 seconds slower than the year before when I ran a lot. I also did some yoga and biking at the same time, but I really believe it was the pool running that kept my running fitness up.

[Paul Petersen]

...I've said this every chance I get, but I'll say it again because it makes a good point re:fitness in the pool. Back in '92 my college coach got injured and was forced to train in the pool. He came out of the pool to take 7th in the Olympic Steeplechase. While I was in school I had several teammates come down with stress fractures or other injuries. They were in the pool for 6-weeks, then came out, ran a meet or two to get their land legs back, and ended up All American or close.

You can definitely maintain, or increase, fitness by pool running. And it also makes you mentally tough. By the time they got out of the pool, my teammates usually hated the world and all living creatures. I would not want to get in their path during a race!

--Paul

[Josse]

I have a running belt you could borrow if you want.

[Cody Draper]

A running belt or some flotation device is necessary.  I use the pool supplied kids jackets and put it around my waist.  It rubs and chafs bad so I will be getting a belt here in the next 2 days. 
The key for me is to wear a watch and do a fartlek style workout.  Otherwise it is too boring.  I actually prefer the pool to the elliptical and treadmill (even though I can watch movies on those devices).  Maybe because the pool thing is still new....My highlight is running after the ducks that land in the pool.

[Dave Holt]

I just started pool running this summer and here is what I have learned:
Run with a motion kind of like your on a bike (since there is nothing to stop your foot - the ground when you run)
With this motion, you will most likely travel, so I just loop around and around my pool
I don't use a belt - if I start to sink, I know I am not going hard enough; my head sticks right out of the pool so I am getting a great workout upper and lower body
Heart Rate as I finish is usually right around 130, running an easy run it is around 140-150
It will get you tired - granted I am doing it as a 3rd workout, but I am spent at the end of my pool workout and I am only up to 15 min/day
It is beastly and fun!

[Jody Hinton]

Thank you to Michelle for starting this string.  I have been trying to figure this out since we swim at least once a day and am still trying to build up my mileage from being injured.  All of the advice above helps quite a bit.  Thanks everyone!