OK, how many people on here would rather be a runner than a swimmer, but due to injuries or something else have been forced to turn to a sport that has less impact on the body?
I swim as cross training for running. I found that every day running did not work for me(although I would love to if I could) but 3 times per week does even with high mileage.
I do love swimming and the feeling after a good workout, however, for me, it cannot compare to the feeling of running. It is so much more relaxing and provides better "thinking time than swimming".
Former Member
I have arthritis in both my ankle and my knee-plus a good 30 pounds extra weight.
I don't believe my body would apreciate any attempts at running:cane:.
I think when someone dislikes running, it is because running is so much more difficult that swimmming. Now don't blast me for that yet, let me explain.
And it's true, after 45 minutes or so you enter a zone, some call it the 'runner's high', that you will never experience swimming. Again, I love swimming, the great feeling after a swim, lots of things about it, but it cannot compare to running. Also, swimming doesn't have that signature event like running has in the MARATHON.:thhbbb:
Good topic BTW.
I won't "blast" you but I will disagree.
If running is so much harder, why are there over 37,000 people running the NYC Marathon each year but if you totaled up every 10k swim race (the only event close in time/distance) in the country including age groupers you'd be lucky to have 5% of that. And that is only one marathon.
I don't think for a minute that running a marathon is easy, but you could much easier take a group of people and train them properly to run a marathon than to get them to finish an open water 10k or even one in the pool. Heck, just see how many people you could get to swim 100 yards without stopping.
As far as a runners high goes, if you were to train for a long distance swimming event, you will get the same high. I get it around 50 minutes depending on pace, and get it again at various points as time progresses. I've heard you can get it during any long aerobic activity.
OK, let me add a wrinkle to this discussion:
Which is more expensive, running or swimming?
for me - running has been much more expensive, although I don't swim a lot of competitive events so not many enty fees.
Athletes running on springy tracks; they use extended postures of knee and hip to give them straighter legs. I don't think we were meant to run. We got crossed up years ago. We were meant to do lots of tree climbing. www.liv.ac.uk/.../orang-utan.htm
Big question did I see anyone I know in that little video???
In terms of expense swimming is certainly more expensive than running in my experience. I use to run track and still do run for fun once in a while (more when I am not being hassled and haggled by college swim schedule) but I've swam the whole time.
The cost of swim suits alone per year is more expensive to me than most pairs of running shoes I've ever owned (and while I've never bought any outlandishly expensive shoes I have had some costly, higher quality running shoes). But then there is also goggles, caps, technical suits, various swim toys, etc.
And in my case swimming has been a $80,000+ expense in the 12 years since I started as a result of having both shoulders reconstructed (but I don't hold that expense against the sport).
When I was trying to find out why runners run. I checked to see how important all four extremities were to swimming and running I came accross this. www.world-science.net/.../060221_unertanfrm.htm
Which costs more medically???
All I ever hear is about all the medical injuries of runners.
Swimmers who swim breaststroke are the medical risks for sure.
My knees I blame on running when I was a kid, not on swimming.
My broken ankle came from walking, I stepped in a pothole.
I did have swimmers ear once.
I guess there are a lot of variables
Swimming has been pretty inexpensive for me
goggles $8
earplugs $4
2 bathing suits on clearance $11
pool membership $150
running more so
orthotics $500
shoes $350
entry fees $400
clothes $150
lots of misc probably $200
In reality, both could be really low cost if you don't enter races, swim on a team etc, and use your equipment to it's fullest
It didn't seem like badnees was alluding to track runners is his post, though. Appeared more like he was talking about zoning out running which is most likely to occur on trails, streets, the treadmill.
Treadmills suck but have gotten zoned out in running after a couple of miles you can just go on autopilot.
Same with swimming...you can just shut down everything except the 5 senses and swim on and on. I got into this groove at dusk in the outdoor pool training for OW. Less thought about stroke technique and just more swimming comfortably and mentally dissolving into the dusky blue water...it was bliss. I'd do another 500 just because it was such a cool feeling.
