During lockdown many of you will have turned to running as a way of keeping fit! You may have already been a runner, but you probably did not run quite as frequently as you have been. The parks and tow paths have been full of people out for a run.

Until recently swimming was impossible. Lockdown forced all pools and sports facilities to close. Swimming is a great workout and there really is nothing quite like it. However, running will really help maintain your aerobic endurance. Swimmers should always make sure that they cross train. Swimming in a non-land-based form of exercise. This can cause complications and injuries not only due to the nature of the sport and the repetitive element, but the fact that the body likes impact with the ground to build bone density. Dry land workouts are essential for swimmers.

Running and swimming are both total body workouts that use aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. You can help improve your performance in the water by cross training with dry land workouts. Adding running to your workout routine can also help prevent overuse injuries you could get from only swimming for your workouts.

Both runners and swimmers are endurance athletes, cross training with running as a swimmer provides many benefits. Running longer distances can really help swimmers build cardiovascular fitness. Running at a moderate pace helps to build a base for endurance. Choose to run for 20-30 minutes at a moderate pace, and slowly increase your mileage & time, this will allow you to build more stamina on land.

Hill training will help to build the muscles in your lower body. Running uphill places more resistance on your quadriceps and hamstrings. Both these muscles allow you to have a powerful kick when you are in the water. Maximize your speed on the way up, recover by reducing your speed on the way down. Train on hills one day a week for 30 minutes.

Running for Swimmers https://www.sportsrec.com/472398-running-for-swimmers.html

Laurie Jackson believes, swimmers looking for an edge in the water should look to the road or even the trail. It doesn't matter, as long as they're running.

"Really there's nothing better than running to improve your endurance in the water," says Laurie Jackson, an American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer based in Tucson, Arizona. "Running helps with your stamina and gets your heart rate up."

Swimmers should also work their abdominal muscles in a short workout several times a week, Jackson suggests.

"Any kind of ab workout will help your swim," she says. "While you're swimming you want to engage those muscles, and not let the belly stick out. If you do, your legs are forced to work a lot harder."

Open water lakes are gradually starting to open. This usually means swimming in a wetsuit which is not every ones’ cup of tea. If you are not able to swim get out on those trails and work on that edge!

How Running Can Help Improve Your Swimming