Swimming VS Running

This is one area where Shaky and I disagree...I simply love running, and am a former marathoner. Due to inflexability, and muscular imbalance, I am in physical therapy for my knee. At the same time, if I pushed swimming too hard, I would be in pysical therapy for that too! (shoulders) The reason why I love running, is that it is very meditative...it is like active sleep in a way. Plus, all I have to do is lace up, and go out the door. It is so easy to go run. Most people run to get in shape--this is a mistake, and will make a person miserable. But, if a person is already in shape, and then runs, the experience is much more enjoyable. I cannot wait to run again...and am doing the underwater treadmill to get back. At the same time, I am gratefull for this last year of running and cycling injuries. A bad bike crash (darn clips!), and the knee thing are what brought me back to swimming and to the usms org. My goals are to loose 20 pounds (which running will do for me, regardless of what beer I drink--even Guiness), and compete in sprint distance tri's next spring. The bottom line is that running is awesome...it is so therapeutic (sp?), and the relaxation couln't be replicated any other way (unless I smoked grass or something...which I don't). So--running vs. swimming? there is no need to set them up against each other in my opinion...they're both fantastic! I will say that while running (and eating pizza ALL the time, and drinking beer the same amount of time, I was much slimmer in comparison to swimming...this could be due to other factors besides the activity itself...not sure. ) Have fun! Swim fast (or far!), Jerrycat ;)

Cross training (running) is good. Various leg muscles used for running can help out during push-offs at the pool. Swimmers are also usually built like Tarzan (Amazons for the ladies out there) from the waist up, and like chicken man from the waist down. So a little run now and again can do some good. Biking is a much more 'swimmer' friendly alternative (my opinion). But has anyone heard about swimmers being more prone to twists and sprains because we have exceptionally loose ankles? Have any of the runnners had difficulty making the switch over to swimming because they flutter kick with their ankles maxed out at nintey degrees? A few of you had mentioned some weakness in that department.

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?"

Which is scarier - me agreeing with Shaky (again) or running? Running was spawned by the devil as a way to kill humans. It is a vile sport. The earth is 2/3 water so that suggests we must swim more and run/walk/crawl less. The one thing all runners have in common is injury. Most talk not about their events but about all their ailments. You step in a pothole and break an ankle. You run too much and your kneecaps sink to your big toe. You lose track of where you are and get run over in an intersection. You trip on a crack in the sidewalk and disfigure your face. With swimming, the injuries are limited to water gulping and the vicious attack from paddles. (Of course, I write this as I have a heating pad on my back).

Actually, Aquageek, the scariest thing is me agreeing with you! I do have a different theological perspective on your analysis of running. I chose to believe God has placed it on this earth to ensure we must all suffer for our salvation, sort of like adolescence. Matt

Calf cramps... I was told (or read somewhere) a while ago that calf cramps can also be caused by ankle inflexibility. People with inflexible ankles, use their calf muscles to point their toes. After some duration, their calf muscles get tired and cramp up. The cramping calf phenomenon always puzzled me until I learned this. I would see swimmers that had great leg strength from running get in the pool and cramp up. It didn't make any sense. So now we get them to work on their ankle flexibility and that seems to help a lot. Basically, if you can point your toes without effort, then you have good ankle flexibility. If not, you may be prone to calf cramps. Running... For what ever its worth, I've never liked running. I have very flexible knees and ankles and running just hurts too much. I do dry land exercises, weights, power racks and surgical tubing assists to build strength....

Well, it certainly seems like I must have inflexible ankles, since people have pointed out that both slow kicking and calf cramps can be caused by this. Are there any kind of stretches or something that we runners can do to work on this? Thanks.

One interesting thing is that if I swim 4 times a week and run once then I am able to run somewhat close to what I could consider my best. But if I run 4 time/week and swim once, my swimming falls apart.

There is a lot of info on stretching to improve ankle flexibility on the zoomers site: www.zoomers.net , look at his general articles on the kick and then at the instructions for the "rack". You can simply stretch the feet under a sofa. Sit at 90 ' to the sofa with slightly bent legs, push feet under the base of the sofa, and straighten your legs until you feel a stretch in your front part of the ankles. Hold this as a static stretch for 60 to 90 seconds, then rest and repeat 2 or 3 times. Do this regularly and you will notice a difference. Swimming with fins will also stretch this area. Good luck !

and ice packs on your shoulders and elbows!