RUNNING CROSS-TRAINING SWIMMING
Running is among the sports that, although you’d like to train for more hours or exceed the miles you run each week, it’s limited by the physical limits you’re capable of. If it’s fatigue or injury, the body will eventually tell you you’ve reached the limit.
However, let’s say you’re trying to improve your fitness levels or recuperate from a brutal workout without hitting the pavement harder than you are. There’s plenty that runners can do in addition to exercising to enhance endurance and strength. While a regular yoga and exercise routine are always suggested, swimming is an additional cross-training beneficial to runners.
To understand the situation, We asked open-water swim instructor Bryan Mineo what runners can do to incorporate swimming into their workout routine. Mineo is the creator of The Swim Mechanic, where most people he coaches are triathletes with a full-time training schedule that includes cycling, swimming, and running.
THE BENEFITS OF SWIMMING WORKOUTS FOR RUNNERS
“Swimming is a perfect complement to running and can be easily integrated into a runner’s training plan,” Mineo explains. Mineo. “Initially the swim workouts are best done following long runs to provide an active recovery to flush out and shake off the miles of yesterday. Although they won’t be your primary training routine but they can give you a break during the week, allowing you to get back on your feet.”
Recovering from active injuries does not mean the only way that swimming can benefit runners, however. The body movements that are required in the proper swimming technique strengthen muscles that aren’t utilized while running, which helps alleviate muscle imbalances and eventually protects runners from injury.
The sport also increases cardiovascular fitness by strengthening the lungs and heart without the stress and wear of running.
“Swimming brings a greater awareness to your breath and how well you regulate it during effort,” Mineo says. Mineo. “Being in a fluid medium such as water, you’re obliged to stay present and work to adapt to the circumstances. This is extremely beneficial when you need to train or race in technical conditions.”
DON’T DIVE IN HEADFIRST
Even if you are tempted to dive into the water and swim vigorously, Mineo recommends a more gentle approach for runners beginning to incorporate swimming into their workout routine.
At first glance, it looks easy, but the reality is that swimming (like running) is a highly technical sport and comes with a learning curve for the correct freestyle technique.
PLAN YOUR SWIMMING WORKOUTS
So, what are some specific exercises for runners in the pool? The Swim Mechanic gave us an underlying structure that could be customized with clear objectives.
“I always recommend a balanced dose of aerobic and anaerobic efforts in the water, and with the focus on using swimming to supplement your running regimen, specific intervals become less important and the more important metrics to work with are distance and time in the water,” Mineo said. Mineo.
“The key here is to warm up, utilize drills to correct inefficiencies and bring awareness to your mechanics, swim variable efforts depending on focus and then warm down.”
GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SWIMMING WORKOUTS
If you’ve ever had to spend most of your hours on the treadmill, you know how boring and monotonous (yet efficient) it could be. Although swimming in open water is more exciting and enjoyable, swimming laps in a pool may feel similar to running on the treadmill.
Mineo recommends keeping things interesting using fins with short blades ( Laguna Fin Co. or DMC Fins are good choices) for kicks and drills sets. This helps build strength and increases plantar ankle extension.
However, tracking and tracking your swimming metrics is crucial to get the most out of your workouts in the pool. You can monitor your heart rate while swimming using a heart rate sensor such as the Polar OH1, which is easy to use in the water by clipping it to your goggles. You can also use a waterproof multisport device such as the Polar Vantage V that tracks your speed, distance, strokes, and heart rate in real-time when you’re swimming laps or on the open sea.
If you keep track of your runs and the other workouts, you’ll have an entire picture of the training when you begin incorporating swimming exercises into your program activity. This can help you focus on the bigger picture. Remember that you’re enhancing your running training with swimming and not affecting your running in the name of an enjoyable swim.
