DW Runners

(For Three Weeks for Dreamwidth. Nothing to do with the Jamaican Bobsled Team. :-)

As I mentioned in the last couple of check-ins, I've got a probable metatarsal stress fracture, and in order to allow it to heal I need to use crutches to walk - so needless to say, I can't run. I can't even bike yet, which was my cross-training of choice last time I was injured. Enough people recommended deep water running (or "pool running") that I decided to give it a try. And amazingly enough, I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Although many of my friends who have done it while injured have commented that it's a whole new kind of boring, I am finding it a lot less boring than treadmill running.

If you're having a hard time imagining what this is like, here is a good video. Our pool has belts that look more like this one. You can also do without the belt if you're buoyant or energetic enough.

I am more or less using Pete Pfitzinger's water running plan, which is almost all interval running. (The actual schedule, also linked from the plan, is here.) The idea behind this is twofold: first, to keep you from getting bored, and second, because water running is less strenuous for the same perceived effort, so (unfortunately) you have to work harder to maintain fitness.

( My experience so far )

Another resource I've been using heavily is an online friend's pool-running blog, Well, I'm TRYING to run... Cris was injured in November and started pool-running for fitness. Even now that she is recovered she still uses pool running as a no-impact training tool. She has lots of very useful information and tips and tricks that I am finding invaluable. For example, one of her tricks (which I used today) is to put your mp3 player into a ziploc-type baggie, put it on your head, and put a swim cap over it, so you can listen to music (or audiobooks, which is what I listen to) while you "run". (Topic index here.)

Obviously if you are a swimmer (I know a lot of you are triathletes) you probably are just fine with swimming as injury xt, but I really wanted something to work the legs more. I do swim a little after some of my pool-running workouts. The day after the hour-long session, when I did my core exercises and stretching, I definitely felt my muscles were a bit fatigued - hooray, it's doing something! Anyway, I'm a lot happier now that I have an exercise I can do, although I look forward to being able to run on land again. If you find yourself unable to run because of injury, maybe this will make you happier, too.

I recently coaxed a few of my friends to run the 5k Race for Life in Cambridge, UK on 3 July. There will be four, possibly five, of us. We don't train together as most of them live in London (the fifth in the USA), but I do know that all of us are at different fitness levels and abilities.

I guess I'm the leader since I organised us, but I've never run with more than one other person before. I was wondering if people had tips for keeping a group together during a race. Is it even possible? Is it best to decide on a strategy beforehand? In other words, is it best to agree that we'll prioritise staying together over getting the best times? Should we try to stay in pairs? If someone needs to stop and walk, is it disheartening for that person to be left behind? Should I make an effort to be "cheerleader" and keep everybody going? Help, please?

Thanks!

Several of the members of this community are relative beginners at running, and some have commented to me that they are concerned with how slow they are, or that they would like to be faster. As it happens, I used to be a fairly slow runner; now I'm a fairly fast runner, at least for my age group. For "Three Weeks for Dreamwidth" I will share some tips, based on conventional wisdom among experienced runners and borne out by my own experiences, on how to become a faster runner.

( How to run faster. )

If you have questions, please ask! If you have become faster, please share your secrets! And if I screwed up somewhere, let me know.