Water Workouts

From Gauteng to the Western Cape, more and more high school teams are diving into water workouts-running in a swimming pool as a break from the track. Pool running offers a great workout without the leg-pounding of running on hard surfaces, so it helps cut down on injuries and keeps your legs fresh.

Some high schools have pools on the premises. If your school hasn’t “pooled” its resources, you can try to obtain access to a pool at a local health club, college or other community facility.

For buoyancy in the water, team members use a Wet Vest or a “noodle”-a foam strip held in your hand as you run. Sometimes runners use nothing but arm action to stay afloat, intensifying the training effect.

In the pool, standard workouts done on the track are simulated in the pool. For a set of 800s, girls will go hard for 2:30, then rest for 3 minutes. The results are amazing.

Runners also do three different water-running drills: running tall; fast strides; and elongated, cross-country-skier strides. The varsity athletes have to wear their old running shoes in the water. It makes them work harder.