RUN in water!

“RUN” IN WATER
Running against the water’s resistance, in the deep end where you can’t touch, provides many of the benefits of running on land. A flotation belt will help keep you upright and give you stability. Keeping your body erect, with a slight lean, and your gaze forward, run as you normally would on land with your hands pushing back the water. Don’t expect to move forward much, says Craig Stuart, a pool-training instructor in Eugene, Oregon. Your leg action can vary: Do high knees and march in place, bend your knee slightly and move your legs as if you were cross-country skiing, or do a more long-striding leg extension.

To gauge your pace, compare how you feel while running in the water with how you feel running on the road (your perceived exertion). Or use your land times as a guide. If you typically do an interval workout of 8 x 400, take your time, say, one minute and 40 seconds, and run 8 x 1:40 at a hard effort in the pool.  The Above Ground Pool & Spa Company in San Antonio, Texas has operating swim spas to test.