Cross Training – Pool Running

My knees were a little sore between the marathon last weekend and also doing 8 miles on trails the next day. I wanted to get a good workout in without stressing the legs, so yesterday I did some pool running.

Luckily, my condo association has a pool right outside my front door. I don't use it a lot because I like being out running, but it is nice in the summer for occasional swimming and/or pool running. (Let's face it – pools lost some of their luster when my kids were young and my son's primary entertainment was trying to hold me underwater). I have a floatation belt that keeps my head above the water and use that for pool running.

65 minutes around and around in the deep end. Very boring. I'm glad I am not injured and having to do this all the time. One of the FastRunningBlog members suggested using an iPod to pass the time, so I clipped my iPod shuffle on the bill of my cap, twisted my oldest set of earbuds around the back of the cap to take up all the slack and stuck the earphones in my ears. I would switch directions after every three songs just to break up the monotony.

Less stress on the joints occurs in the pool, plus you get more of an upper body workout. Ah – the things we do to stay in shape!