Recently I competed in the competitive Muskoka Chase in Huntsville ON, in the beautiful cottage country just north of Toronto. It was a test for me to evaluate the effectiveness of deep water running (DWR) to on land running. I knew there would be the issue of non-weight bearing (which means I would be probably be sore afterwards-DOMS), but I just wanted to keep my speed and stamina up, so I could race fast. I had 8 weeks to test out the theory with 2-3 week blocks of NO land running, just DWR. Because of the “free” time of not runing as many hrs I increased my bike and swim mileage/ training hrs. This caused a little soreness to my shoulders after a few weeks of the DWR and extra swimming. Therefore, I slowly shifted to do increasingly durations of DWR with a belt and shorter and shorter durations without the belt. I have troubles getting my HR up at all with the belt, but it is a lot easier on the shoulders and easier to keep a more upright running action.

The Race:
I had my usual subpar swim in Huntsville, despite the amazing Blue Seventy wetsuit and had to begin the “chase” once on my bike. I managed to move up (on my Trek) from well back in the field to 5th off the bike, but 2 guys only a few seconds behind. Fourth place was leaving the transition area when I arrived and I stayed within 1min or less of him (Jamie Cleveland) and the 2 others until 8k of the run exchanging places at times. My HR was just under my short distance threshold of 150bpm up to this point and I will still feeling ok despite my lack of running intensity and mileage prior to the race. I was able to overtake the 2 more women during these 8k and only Macel (last years winnner) and McGlone (70.3 World Champion) stayed ahead of me after their 17:29 head start. I think that the new hillier and bumpier bike route favoured the men more, which is why only 5 women finished in the top 20. I ended up finishing 9th male and 11th in the “Chase” with 4 men within a minute. My HR was actually going up the last 7k although I was not able to run any faster. Overall, the fact that I ran 56min for the 15k instead of the 55min last year was the difference in me not placing in the top 5. Although this distance is not what I train for (rarely train w/ HR in the 150′s) as it is not conducive to IM pacing. Therfore it was good to get a good solid/ hard day under my belt to help in my mental toughness. I also received a cortesone injection in my foot on the Tuesday before the race and it was miraculously … and still is PAIN FREE. I will be keeping my fingers crossed, as I begin adding intensity to my increased run mileage.

Finally, on to the relevance of DWR on land running; I would have to agree with the most recent scientific study (evidence) in NSCA Strength and Conditioning Journal that the effectiveness of DWR is questionable at best. They found that because it is non-weight bearing and the angle of the knee and hip are at a much higher angle than when on land is does not correlate that well. As well, during DWR the legs run in sinc while not so when running on land. I however, must state that it has worked for many people in the past and running on an under water treadmill has known to be very effective (Deena Kaster- marathon champion).

Cheers, Dave
www.daveharjucoaching.com