Deep water solution

Running & FitNews, Sept-Oct, 2003

if you find your joints less willing than you are to pound the pavement four or five times a week, deep water running might be the perfect crosstraining activity. Add it to your training regimen once a week, and you will find yourself getting faster on the roads.

Running in water is more difficult because not only does the viscosity provide far more resistance than air, the harder you push in one direction sends water pushing against you all the more forcefully on the return leg sweep. You'll also feel this resistance on your arms and shoulders as you work.

Because deep water running is performed wearing a flotation device and submerged neck-deep in a swimming pool, you have the added benefits of zero-impact aerobic activity. You will be astounded at how hard you're working, without the slightest discomfort to knees, lower back or feet. Many skiers train in the water for this purpose. They want the intense resistance it provides, and need to minimize the wear on their bodies that daily high-impact mogul drills on land would expose them to. For runners, expect improvements in range of motion, hip flexibility, leg turnover, strength, endurance and form. The upper body workout will help you run uphill faster, as you learn what a valuable asset your arms can be to your running.

Deep water running is also perfect for the injury-prone runner who wants to add more workouts per week, or for athletes recovering from stress fractures, plantar fasciitis and a host of injuries. It can be safely performed during pregnancy and well into old age, even after decreased bone density has made running impossible.

There are numerous how-to books and videos on the market, many of which advise simulating land-based running style. But studies of bent-knee water running have found that in order to be as effective as land-based running, short, intense bouts need to be included at frequent intervals, and faster cadences are required.

However, nationally-ranked masters swimmer Doug Stern, who served as head coach at the National Triathlon Training Center in San Marcos, California in 1986, has been formally teaching classes in deep water running for 13 years, and doing it himself for 29. His main contribution to running in the water is a method in which runners keep their knees as straight as possible, performing a leg sweep through the water that strengthens and stretches muscles in the hip region as you run. This form involves keeping a straight back, your head up, shoulders relaxed, knees not locked but straight--and sweeping backward almost as far as forward--while moving your arms with the palms turned sideways to create more resistance. From this position, which is designed to simulate road running on a flat surface, subtle changes in cadence, range of motion and intensity work different muscles as they simulate hills, speed intervals, hurdles and even power walking, all underwater. A typical class may last 45 minutes, but it is not unheard of for people to spend two hours in the water, just like a long training run on land. As with all water running forms, the runner should remain in-place. "If you're moving around in the water, you're not in a vertical position," Stern says. "You're leaning forward, and your arms are not moving evenly forward and back."

Also known as aqua-jogging and aqua -training, the activity is often incorporated into the regimens of college track and cross country teams. The University of Alabama offers a manual. The Internet contains over a million references to deep water running, and is a good place to start if you're seeking classes near you. But remember trainers vary in method and certification. Some have little more qualification than a lifeguard card. Informal apprenticeship programs by which new instructors learn to teach the classes are fairly common.

(ACE Certified News, 2003, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 8-11; Meas. Phys. Ed. & Exerc. Sci., 1997, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 213-222; American Journ. Sports Med., 1993, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 45-48; personal corresp. Doug Stern)