No. A very firm no.
Sorry – my first instincts are pretty rock solid on this one, but in this case they’re not correct.
I HATE swimming, most likely because I prefer things I’m good at, and swimming is no such thing. There are a few reasons however that runners would benefit from adding some regular swimming to their schedule:
- It’s non-loadbearing. For runners who spend most of the week loading their body between 1.5 – 3 times their bodyweight at every footfall (depending on speed), this non-loadbearing form of aerobic activity is a welcome relief.
- It’s a full body workout. Not that running isn’t, but I know my upper body sure as heck isn’t getting any bulkier the more time I spend running. A little upper body strength training in the form of water resistance while swimming can’t hurt. A stronger athlete tends to me a more resilient athlete.
[ASIDE – does anyone else experience the irony that is a runner struggling to kick when swimming. I mean, I have pretty strong legs – what’s the go with them forgetting how to work when I jump in the pool? They basically become dead weight I have to drag up and down the pool. Man I hate swimming. I digress.] - It’s good for lengthening the body under load. The freestyle swimming action is a really good head-to-toe stretch, where the body is also working under resistance.
- It’s a reminder how good running is. If I’ve had a bad week running, swimming is always a great reminder that running is in fact awesome. Internal conversation: “I’ve had a tough running week, but it could be worse – I could be a swimmer”.
And I think that’s it. There is nothing else good about swimming.
See you out there – Juddy