Swimming VS Running

I was a fitness (not competitive) runner for about 25 years. I mostly loved it. I kept in decent shape, ate anything I wanted, and enjoyed the runner's high. As I got older (late 30s) the injuries became chronic and debilitating, to the point that I have had to give up running altogether (walking is pretty limited too, alas). I took up swimming last year because it is really the only thing I can do for exercise. This was not an easy thing for me to do, because I had never had any swimming lessons (except in junior high), and do not have a natural gift for it. The thing about tight runner's ankles was true for me -- for the first six months I couldn't do anything vaguely resembling a flutterkick. Let's compare. Running doesn't require lessons, while swimming is particularly technical. Running is more convenient -- you just lace up and go. I enjoyed running on different routes, which compares favorably to doing lap after lap in the pool. The transcendant high I got from running has been adequately replaced by the pleasant total-body exhaustion I get from swimming. Maybe I'll get the old buzz again when my conditioning (as a swimmer) improves beyond some point. My sense is that the health effects of swimming exceed those of running: there's just something fantastic about working the whole body aerobically. This shows up in my vital stats, for instance. As for injuries, I can certainly affirm that running is high-impact and takes its toll on the joints. I think only a relatively small percentage of people have the joints to be able to run all their lives. But I've had my taste of shoulder and elbow pain, too - a consequence of poor stroke technique and no upper-body conditioning when I started. I have been relying on this discussion board to help me through. If Shaky thinks the sight of a grown man running is undignified, he should have seen me the first time I tried to swim a lap. The nice person in the next lane (an obvious pool veteran) watched my struggles and said "You're an ex-runner, aren't you?"

I was a fitness (not competitive) runner for about 25 years. I mostly loved it. I kept in decent shape, ate anything I wanted, and enjoyed the runner's high. As I got older (late 30s) the injuries became chronic and debilitating, to the point that I have had to give up running altogether (walking is pretty limited too, alas). I took up swimming last year because it is really the only thing I can do for exercise. This was not an easy thing for me to do, because I had never had any swimming lessons (except in junior high), and do not have a natural gift for it. The thing about tight runner's ankles was true for me -- for the first six months I couldn't do anything vaguely resembling a flutterkick. Let's compare. Running doesn't require lessons, while swimming is particularly technical. Running is more convenient -- you just lace up and go. I enjoyed running on different routes, which compares favorably to doing lap after lap in the pool. The transcendant high I got from running has been adequately replaced by the pleasant total-body exhaustion I get from swimming. Maybe I'll get the old buzz again when my conditioning (as a swimmer) improves beyond some point. My sense is that the health effects of swimming exceed those of running: there's just something fantastic about working the whole body aerobically. This shows up in my vital stats, for instance. As for injuries, I can certainly affirm that running is high-impact and takes its toll on the joints. I think only a relatively small percentage of people have the joints to be able to run all their lives. But I've had my taste of shoulder and elbow pain, too - a consequence of poor stroke technique and no upper-body conditioning when I started. I have been relying on this discussion board to help me through. If Shaky thinks the sight of a grown man running is undignified, he should have seen me the first time I tried to swim a lap. The nice person in the next lane (an obvious pool veteran) watched my struggles and said "You're an ex-runner, aren't you?"