Running. Does it help your swimming or is it an interesting diversion? A lot of people here seem to cross train with running. (Some are obviously triathletes). USS teams now have their swimmers running. But does running really help swimming?
For me, I'm not so sure. I think it helps a bit on the cardio side and may build leg strength. I do it to tighten everything up, because I like being outside and it gives my shoulders a break. But I'm not sure I wouldn't be better off with more pool time if my body could take it.
WOW old post but I must say...
For someone who just started swimming at 38 (11 months ago), I am in need of a way to increase my cardio capacity in the pool (without having to swim 5 hrs a day) to where I can sprint with more than just a two beat kick for more than 50yds at a time without reverting back to 2 beat just to keep going. Most of my masters training is done with a 2 beat because as soon as I really engage my legs, my hr goes through the roof and fatigue sets in fast. We'll do from 3300 to 5300 yds every session and I keep up with the 2 beat.
Sets like 20 x 50y sprint are doable as long as I have enough recovery time between but it's too long. SO a few days ago I started running. I have the same problem running so I know I've found my weakness in the water, using my legs. I'm going to use running to increase stamina with my legs and improve my cardio performance on the 'between-masters' days. I'll repost here if it helps.
I started swimming again last year, and I actually trained cardio for 6 months with just fast, comfortable walking (3.5-4 mph) on the treadmill (I also weight trained). I didn't have any problems associated with running - shin splints, knees, etc, but my cardio, especially recovery time, improved a lot. I'd just kept the incline to where my HR was at 80% or so (like 160 BPM) for 45 minutes, then a cool down. This was recommended to me by my 'fitness advisor' at my gym. I did it at least 3 days a week, and it made things a lot easier once I started swimming (a few months ago). I am sure it would still help if I cross-trained on the treadmill, but I don't have enough free hours to add it in now. Good luck.
My own personal experience is that running has no effect on swimming except for GPP. I also feel that running could actually have a detrimental effect as far as ankle flexibility is concerned. Why not just do kicking sessions in the pool?
In a related point, I have also found that heavy squatting in the weight room has no positive effect on my swimming. In general I now feel that the major importance of dry land training is:
1. Strengthening agonist muscles used in swimming in order to improve stroke efficiency.
2. More importantly, strengthening their antagonists in order to prevent muscular imbalance and injuries.
Boy do I miss running !! Two right hip replacements :cane::cane:- no more running for me :badday::badday:. When I used to run 30 miles a week & swim , my legs never were tired in the pool . I miss it !
If you run too much aerobic distance stuff, it will hurt your swimming performance becuase it will in one way or another, cut into and affect your swim training. I would stick with some interval training and plyo drills on the track. I think this would help. Maybe repeat 400's, 200's, or 100's. Maybe a hard mile a few times a week. I would stay away from plodding out 3+ mile runs.
Triathletes are not the best they can be at any individual sport, only the three put togehter. If all you want to do is swim fast, be careful about too much cross training.
As the OP, I will just note that since I have essentially given up running, I've become a better swimmer. I get more bang for my buck with core-based weights/plyos/drylands and I hammer the legs in the pool. If I attempt to add running on top of that, my legs get overtrained right away and the quality of my swimming workouts deteriorates. Plus, I am prone to ankle injuries in running, which are better avoided. Caveat: I am a sprinter. Perhaps running would be more useful for distance swimmers, though I suspect there that more swimming would be useful. I have to do some cross training though, or I would die of boredom. If I'm looking for more aerobic work, I'd probably add on cycling.
Running, however, is the flat out best thing for weight control and hard to resist in the spring and fall.
I got back to swimming in 2009, with a very strong cross training background. My 30-60min sustainable threshold power is very high (cycling / cross-training).
Long story short, I continued maintaining this fitness since I feared that loosing it could have a detrimental impact on my swim performances.
In other words, I am trying to answer this thread's question from the opposite perspective. Not sure it it's a good idea for a pure swimmer to start cross training in order to improve swim performances. But in the same time, when you already have a very strong fitness base built either in running or cycling or rowing (whatever), a strong base that needs minimal maintenance as opposed to optimal development, I think it's part of you. I feared (and continue to fear) that loosing this fitness base could have detrimental impact on swim performances (for longer events of course).
I must have a lot of endurance. I read this whole thread! :D
I'm not a contender at either running or swimming, although I enjoy both and would not want to give up either one.
My main sport is running, but I am injury-prone. If I didn't have the swimming, I'd be much more so. And when injuries keep me from running, I'm especially glad that I'm not without a means to stay fit.
Interestingly, when I first began masters swimming, I noticed improvements in my running times--also in my swimming, but that was to be expected. When I'm just running and not swimming at all, I can to some degree improve my running--but as a recent experience showed me, I do so at some cost. While training for a marathon and increasing mileage, I developed plantar fasciitis and had to cut back drastically on running.
So it was back to the pool for more swimming. And as a result I finally (don't laugh!) broke 2 mins. in the 100 freestyle). But I didn't do that well with an open water swim of 2 miles. (And I noticed that upper arm and shoulder muscles suffered in my training for that swim--but not to the degree that I needed to stop.)
Since I happen to love participating in both sports, I am less concerned about whether one helps the other as about finding the right mix of both.
Running helps me swim faster!!! Really it does. I don't know why this is true but it is. I used to think of my meet preparation as 48 hours before the meet (run 2 days before, don't run 1 day before) but now I recognize up to one week as being significant. This is not a mini-taper since my weekly volume (other than weights) is normal. Here's the current schedule for a Saturday meet:
Saturday prior: Last weight workout. No more weights or drylands until after the meet. Swim normal-length workout with a race-pace swim of the longest event that I'm going to do the following Saturday (e.g. the 500 free prior to the upcoming PNA Championships).
Sunday: Bike around 10-15 miles, run 30 minutes, do yard work (yes yard work counts! As... something! Get it out of the way early!) No swimming unless I've got an early meeting on an upcoming weekday.
Monday: Bike-commute normal miles plus a few extra to account for no biking on upcoming Saturday. Swim normal workout with race pace of second-longest event included (400 IM)
Tuesday: Bike-commute normal miles plus a few extra to account for no biking on upcoming Saturday. Swim normal workout, including race-pace third-longest upcoming event (200 fly). Run 18 minutes.
Wednesday: Bike-commute normal miles plus a few extra to account for no biking on upcoming Saturday. Swim normal workout, possibly including race-pace fourth-longest upcoming event (200 back).
Thursday: Bike-commute normal miles. Swim normal workout, possibly including race-pace fifth-longest upcoming event (100 fly). Run 12 minutes, completing normal volume of 1 hour/week (yes that's quite low, since these days I'm not training for any events that actually involve running).
Friday: Bike-commute normal miles, completing normal volume of 100 miles/week. Swim short workout (1500 yards, no main set, just some 25 fly sprints).
Saturday: Watch out. If I've done the above correctly, some fast swims are coming. All the meet warmup/warmdown more than makes up for Friday's lack of volume. Swimming volume for the week ends up a bit above normal.
I consider you a semi-expert on this Fort because I know you are in-tune with how you feel and you compete at a pretty high level. Well that and I agree with you. I have more or less changed sports to triathlon and I have lost significant speed in the pool even though I am over all in better shape. My legs are just too tired to swim well.
Yeah, you are a triathlete cause only a triathlete would make this statement. Within 10 seconds of speaking to a group of tris, you will hear one of the four following excuse statements:
I ran yesterday so my swimming today stinks.
I biked yesterday so my swimming stinks today.
I have to save my legs in swimming for the bike and run.
I can't swim hard today as I have a 95 mile ride this afternoon.
Go hard or go home. Stop the excuses.
