Water Running

So tonight we met at the pool to do a different kind of run workout. Since the race on the weekend there have been a lot of people complaining about various niggling owies in the legs, feet etc. To offset the trauma of more running we did a water run workout that allowed us to work the cardiovascular system, while minimizing the impact on the lower body.
Other than some initial coordination issues, everyone did great. I definitely got my heart rate up and had fun laughing at* er* with, the rest of the group.
Here is some good information about water running or 'aqua jogging'. It is a great break for your body from regular running and can be a way to maintain your running fitness while rehabilitating from an injury.

Benefits of Water Running:
(from http://www.aquajogger.com/blog/?page_id=128)

Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditioning
A decade of research by a variety of sources has shown that the training effect of water running can be equal or greater than the same level of effort on land. Improve your cardio-pulmonary conditioning while giving your weight-bearing joints and muscles a day off.

Resistance
Water creates resistance to movement in all directions through a full range of motion. Increase or decrease the intensity by changing the speed of your movements. Being submerged in water is like having an adjustable weight machine surrounding your body.

Massage
Water massages your muscles with every movement of your arms and legs. This action increases circulation, promotes relaxation, and helps remove stress and tension.

Up to your neck
Being up to your neck in water produces physiological changes in your body that help remove metabolic waste, improve cardiac function, lower blood pressure, and assist the body in tissue healing. Start thinking about how you can use these changes to accelerate your recovery from competition, training sessions, and injuries.

Conditioning program
Much of what you know about land-based conditioning and fitness programs applies to water exercise. Learn how to how to transfer your regimen of land-based exercises and conditioning programs into this friendly environment.

It’s revolutionary, it works, it’s fun, and it just may be the most beneficial conditioning and recovery modality available. This handbook will help you get your program launched, so you can start writing your own success story.


Running Form

Whether you are a world class athlete or an individual just getting started on a health and fitness program, there are some basic techniques that need to be considered in order for you to maximize the benefits of your deep water running program. The desired running form in water is almost identical to running form on land.

Note: Your center of gravity on land is at your hips. In water your center of buoyancy is at your lungs. To get used to this change. you need to retrain your body to use your abdominal muscles to maintain the correct vertical posture.

Body Angle:
Running with the upper body leaning too far forward is the most common error committed by beginners. This posture rolls you up into a little ball and restricts movement (figure 2). Straighten up your posture with the chest out and visualize a plum line that runs from above your head down through the trunk of your body in a perfect vertical line. It may help to imagine there is a helium balloon pulling your head out of the water until you are nice and vertical. Adjust your body angle so it is about 3 degrees forward of vertical (figure 1).



Arm Action:
Swing the arm from the shoulder in a relaxed, pendulum-like action with the elbow about three inches out from your side. Start with the forearm at a right angle to the upper arm and the thumb about 2 inches below the water line. With the elbow close to your side, move the thumb down as you swing the elbow back until the thumb reaches the hip. Return to the starting position with the thumb 2 inches below the water line to complete the cycle. Arm action moves back and forth between these two thumb points with the efficiency of the pendulum on a grandfather clock. It’s very important that the arms aren’t crossed in front of the body. This is wasted motion.

Leg Action:
The stride begins by bringing the upper leg up to 70-80 degrees hip flexion with the knee at a right angle - about 90 degrees. The foot is directly below the knee with the foot flat so it can push the water down. Brennan likens this motion to stomping on grapes that are directly underneath you. When your leg has reached full extension, let it swing back a little behind your body. Then lift your heel quickly toward your buttocks as you bend your knee and rotate your knee forward and up in position to push straight down in the next cycle. Make sure that your lower leg does not extend in front of the body and reach forward, an action which is similar to over-striding on land.

Focus on the up and down cycling of your legs and keep an erect posture. This allows a quick and efficient cycling action that can be varied to meet pacing needs. Adjust your cycling time to the level of exertion that your training requires. Remember! Don’t try to move quickly through the water by leaning your body forward and reaching out in front with your lower leg. This will restrict cycling tempo, diminish running efficiency, and reduce the training effect from your efforts.

As you practice your running form in the pool, start very slowly. Use full ranges of motion and avoid crossing over in front of your body with your arms and legs. Once you have mastered the running form, you can increase speed. With a little practice, running in the water will help your running form on land.

Sample Workout:
(from http://www.trifuel.com/training/workouts/aqua-jogging)

5 minute warm-up (i.e. 3 laps running)

1 HARD exaggerated running effort at max capacity for 1 length of the pool, then easy jog back

1 HARD “heel-to-butt” kick effort for 1 length of the pool, then easy jog back

1 HARD “high-knees-running” effort (knees come all the way up to chest), then jog back

1 HARD “cross-country ski” effort (straight legs, straight arms), then jog back

Repeat these HARD efforts as a circuit, going 2, 3, or 4 times through. Workout time will range from 15-30 minutes, depending on how many circuits you perform. Cool-down jog for 5 minutes.

And that’s it. The beauty of aqua jogging is that it can be intense, but very forgiving on the body because of it’s non-impact nature. If your form is good, you can perform hard aqua jogging workouts on consecutive days and maintain fitness, VO2 max, and lactate threshold without risk of overtraining or injury.

Have Fun!