Whether you're a seasoned marathoner or just starting to hit the pavement, running puts a lot of stress on your body. From pounding on your joints to the repetitive strain on your muscles, it’s common for runners to experience fatigue, tightness, and even injuries if they don’t take the right precautions. This is where swimming comes in.
1. Low-Impact Recovery for Tired Muscles
Unlike running, swimming is a low-impact sport. When you hit the water, your body feels almost weightless due to the buoyancy effect, which reduces stress on your joints, tendons, and bones. This makes swimming an ideal recovery exercise, especially after a high-mileage run or a particularly grueling workout.
Swim sessions can also provide what’s called “active recovery,” where you’re moving your body and boosting blood flow to sore areas without adding more impact. This helps in flushing out lactic acid and other byproducts of muscle exertion, leading to faster recovery.
2. Builds Cardiovascular Endurance without Overworking Your Legs
Cardiovascular fitness is crucial for running, and swimming is an exceptional way to build endurance without wearing down the muscles in your legs. In fact, swimming engages your entire cardiovascular system, demanding both aerobic and anaerobic capacity, depending on the intensity of your session.
By swimming, you can strengthen your lungs and heart, improving your ability to sustain long runs without as much fatigue. Plus, because swimming challenges your breath control, it can improve your oxygen efficiency and stamina, both essential for running endurance.
3. Enhances Breathing Techniques
Breath control is crucial in both running and swimming, but swimming can push your respiratory system to adapt in ways running doesn’t. In swimming, you have to coordinate your breath with your stroke and head position, which forces you to take deep, controlled breaths and hold them longer. This is particularly helpful for runners, as it enhances lung capacity and the ability to manage your breath under exertion.
Over time, you’ll likely find that this translates well to running, helping you control your breath, especially during intense or longer runs. Improved breath control can also lower your perceived exertion, making your runs feel less taxing.
4. Develops Muscles Often Overlooked in Running
Running primarily works the lower body—glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves—with some contribution from the core. Swimming, on the other hand, is a full-body workout. Every stroke engages your shoulders, arms, chest, core, back, and legs. This balanced muscle engagement helps prevent muscle imbalances that are common in runners, potentially lowering the risk of injury.
Adding swimming to your routine can give your upper body a workout that running doesn’t provide. The core strength and shoulder stability you gain in the pool can improve your running posture, helping you maintain form, especially toward the end of long races or runs.
5. Aids Flexibility and Range of Motion
Running can tighten up your muscles over time, especially if you’re not diligent about stretching and mobility exercises. Swimming, with its long, fluid movements, naturally stretches and lengthens muscles. Strokes like the freestyle and backstroke extend the arms and legs while engaging the core, allowing for a wider range of motion.
This enhanced flexibility can improve your stride efficiency and reduce your injury risk. In particular, swimming can help loosen up the hip flexors and hamstrings, areas that tend to tighten up in runners.
6. Helps with Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Injuries can be a major setback for runners. Swimming offers an ideal way to maintain your fitness level while rehabilitating from a running injury. In fact, swimming is often recommended as part of a physical therapy program for injured runners. It allows you to stay active without loading your joints and muscles, which is particularly helpful for recovering from common running injuries like shin splints, runner’s knee, and Achilles tendonitis.
If you’re injury-free, adding swimming to your regimen can help you avoid common overuse injuries by giving your running muscles a break. It’s a powerful preventative tool, letting you stay on top of your game without the cumulative wear and tear of running alone.
7. Improves Mental Toughness and Discipline
Swimming can be mentally challenging in different ways than running. First, there’s the monotony factor—staring at the bottom of the pool for laps on end is a unique test of mental discipline. Secondly, the physical effort needed to move through water adds an element of resistance that many runners find difficult initially.
As you adapt to swimming, you’ll find that the focus, patience, and mental toughness you build in the pool carry over to your runs. The discipline of completing tough swim sessions can improve your mental resilience during long or hard runs, especially when the going gets tough.
8. Variety for Motivation and Enjoyment
Sometimes, the mental grind of running can lead to burnout, especially if you’re sticking to a rigorous training plan. Adding variety, like swimming, not only gives your body a physical break from running but also gives you a mental refresh. Swimming can be a refreshing change of pace, especially during hot or rainy days when running outdoors might feel less appealing.
Enjoying a cross-training activity that’s physically and mentally different from running can help you stick to your training plan with renewed energy and motivation. Plus, the mental clarity and “feel-good” endorphins from swimming can boost your mood and keep you excited about your fitness goals.
Getting Started with Swimming as a Runner
If you’re new to swimming, it’s a good idea to start slowly. Here are some beginner-friendly tips to integrate swimming into your running routine effectively:
- Start with shorter sessions: Aim for 20–30 minutes to begin, focusing on form rather than speed.
- Use a variety of strokes: Mix up freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke to target different muscles.
- Consider swim drills: These can help improve technique, breathing, and efficiency.
- Take breaks if needed: Swimming can be challenging initially, so don’t hesitate to rest between laps.
- Gradually increase duration or intensity: Once you’re comfortable, extend your sessions or incorporate intervals for a cardio boost.
How Often Should You Swim?
A good place to start is with one or two swim sessions per week, either on active recovery days or in place of an easy run. As you progress, you might incorporate more swimming during intense training cycles or as a low-impact substitute for some of your easy or recovery runs.
Final Thoughts
Swimming and running are a powerful combination. They complement each other by targeting different muscle groups, enhancing cardiovascular strength, and allowing you to stay active while giving your joints a break. For runners, swimming isn’t just a workout; it’s a tool for recovery, injury prevention, and mental resilience.
If you’re looking to improve your overall fitness and longevity in running, jumping into the pool could be one of the best moves you make. Dive in, get your laps in, and you’ll likely notice the benefits not just in your body, but in your mindset and performance on the road or trail.
The Ogre
Subscribe to get an email when new issues of The Quest are released.
Tell your friends, check out the Online Shop and join the Party.
Email me with questions, comments or concerns.
