Water Running Again

If you ask Linda if I'm an optimist she would first laugh and then say, "If you're talking about triathlon, yes. Everything else, no. I freely admit that she is the optimist in our relationship. I will hedge a little and say that her optimism has rubbed off a little, as has my triathlon experience.

In a roundabout way this leads me into a post about water running and how to do it. I began water running when I was training for my first Ironman race - Arizona 2009. That year I got plantar fasciitis (aka plantar f-ing-itis) in my right foot. I was frustrated and was trying to get treatment so I could do the race. I was worried that I wouldn't make it to the starting line. With the help of strength training guidance from Diane Buchta as well as a story about Paula Newby-Frasier (8 time IM World Champion) using "aquajogging" to train while her stress fracture healed, I continued to train with the optimism and blind faith that things would come together in the end. I trained "as if" I was going to race. I modified my run program by substituting mostly water running (and some elliptical machine) for regular running until about 6 weeks from race day when I got the go ahead to start running.

I find myself training again for Ironman Arizona and am in pretty much the same situation as in the past. My foot (left this time) has had a stubborn case of plantar f-ing-itis for well over a year. As I pursue various treatments I have been training on the elliptical machine consistently for about a month or 6 weeks. Yesterday I reluctantly decided to return to the water for some water running. I'm reluctant because for one thing, water running is pretty boring. 2nd, I often just don't feel like getting in the water yet again - it's wet (!) and initially slightly chili. It's been a while since I did it so when I finished the session I came home to look up the guidelines I'd written back in 2010. I've edited and reposted that information here at Water Running - How To.

I intend to substitute it for at least one "run" training session per week and do the others on elliptical. My progress will be charted on my training blog. As a triathlon optimist I am training "as if" I will be racing Ironman Arizona in November 2013. My hope is that I will be able to phase run/walking into my training far sooner than I did in 2009.

Water Running - How To

Studies have shown that you can maintain your aerobic conditioning with water running for 8 weeks. Why not longer than 8 weeks? Simply because the study was stopped after 8 weeks. I believe water running can help you for a much longer time period. It WORKS! 

While water running can keep you in the game if you're injured, there is a down side to using water running and/or elliptical machine exclusively to train for a running event. Come race day your joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles will not be prepared for the ground contact and effects of gravity that come into play. Transitioning into "real" running as soon as is practical is the best way to do things. Adding more walking to a run/walk protocol will also lessen the impact on race day.

Here are suggestion on using water running effectively:

• Wear a flotation belt around your hips/waist. You can also wear it around your stomach below your bottom rib or around your lower chest and under your arms but both of these tend to restrict your breathing especially if you overtighten the belt. Also, wearing it lower will not interfere with arm swing.
• Wear a t-shirt or surfing rash guard under the belt if you want to avoid any possible rubbing spots. (Ok, I admit that I also wear a shirt so I don't feel like a wussy. I usually choose my Gatorman 3 mile La Jolla Rough Water Swim finisher's shirt.)
• Run in water deep enough that you won't touch the bottom.
• Make sure you "run" upright or with a little forward lean, just like on dry land. Do not bend over at the waist. (I try to make sure to push my hips forward slightly but is a personal thing because I need to do that for my dry land running form.)
• Use your arms the way you would in running. Keep them moving straight forward and back, close to the body as you pump them. I only use my hands in a paddling-type position during a recovery effort when I've slowed my legs to recover from a sprint or hard effort. Sometimes during warm-up when I want to work my arm muscles and raise my heart rate I'll also put them in a paddling-type position but I still move them in a running motion.
• Run more like you would if you were running in place on dry land. Don't pedal like a bicycle. Lift your knees. Push down and extend your leg. Extend your foot at the ankle just like when you toe off when running. Remember that your objective is to imitate running form, NOT to see how fast you can do a length of the pool. Unlike with swimming, the effectiveness of water running is not measured by lap speed.
• Do workouts as written in your plan (although I'm not real sure how you can duplicate hill running!) If your training is listed in miles, convert that to an appropriate amount of time instead. Again, the number of laps or distance traveled in the pool has little or nothing to do with how much work you are doing. If you have sprints or strides or whatever, try to imitate them as best as you can.
• Do a warm up just like in running. Start with a slower, easier intensity for a few minutes before picking up the pace/intensity.
• The best way to raise your heart rate is by stride rate and arm swing. After a warm up, try to keep your stride rate at around 84-90 per minute (per leg). When you a short sprint, say doing 30 seconds on, 30 sec. recovery, focus on intensity and increase the stride rate even more, to 100 or higher if you can. You will breathe hard but you are unlikely to achieve the same heart rate as you would on dry land because water running doesn't involve body weight and gravity.
• If possible, find a source of music to help pass the time. If you are going to be doing this for more than a few weeks I would suggest getting something from H20Audio or something comparable that is waterproof that you can use in the water. If you're at a private or community pool where you can plug in an MP3 player or radio, do that. And, if you're out in the sun, wear a hat and water resistant sunscreen.
• The 1st few times you do this your skin might feel a little funny. I think it's because of tensing and relaxing of the muscles as they move in the water. They sort of jiggle. Maybe it's a vibration thing or water "friction". For me it's only there while I do it and then it goes away. As I do more water running it occurs less and less as I become accustomed to the training.

The above information is meant for someone who does not use "aquajogging-type shoes". My understanding (but not firsthand experience) is that wearing this type of shoe will add resistance and improve the quality of your workout. These should not be mistaken for the type of shoe that protects the feet when coming in contact with the pool bottom. Instead these are intended for use in "deep" water. There are 2 brands that I'm aware of. AquaJogger makes AquaRunners Rx. Really, I'm not at all impressed. The other choice is the AQx Aquatic Training Shoes by ActiveForever. They are about 3 times as expensive. According to their website: "The patented AQx Aquatic Training Shoes (US Patent No. 7,794,364) are designed to simulate on-land movements while in low-impact or zero-gravity aquatic environments. Designed with strategically-placed hydrodynamic fins on each side, the ATS add 20-30% more resistance to many aquatic exercises at a medium pace. They also have a sticky rubber out-sole that has been rigorously tested to prevent slipping on most pool surfaces. The ATS feature a cushioned insole for greater comfort, arch support for stability, and drainage ports for quick drying. They are constructed with premium quality neoprene, leather-like fabric, and mesh to increase longevity of the shoe; they also have a bungee lace-up system for a snug, secure fit. They have been proven to increase caloric expenditure by 9% at a sub-maximal level as compared to running barefoot in the water."

If you are going to be doing water running for a few months and can afford to purchase a pair of these, I would. And, since you don't have to be injured to include water running as a nice supplement/compliment to your regular running, a pair of specialized shoes might be a good option!