Deep Water Running

Yes, the logo is upside down, but the belt works either way up!
DWR is suggested as a no-impact alternative to regular running.

Some people do it as an exercise in its own right - part of something called "Aquacise" I'm told.

It came to my attention as an exercise to keep the running legs in shape while injured.

I heard about it while at the Swim for Tri camp at Club La Santa in Lanzarote.

One of the Ironman competitor athletes on our camp had battered his knees into bad shape and ran in the pool as an occasional alternative to a long, slow jog.

A few weeks ago I sprained my ankle.

Stupidly, I thought the injury wasn't too bad an kept running on it for a week until one day the ankle let me know how daft I'd been.  It hurt.  A lot.  I couldn't cycle, either on road or on the turbo.

Yes, it was a great opportunity to work on my swimming but since then I have been climbing the walls with frustration at not being able to get out and run or ride.  Oh, and climbing walls isn't good for the ankle either.


It was suggested I try deep water running.  So I bought a Speedo belt on eBay and today tried it for the first time.


I think I"m doing it correctly.

A friend who works at the pool told me she used to teach Aquacise and thought my technique was fine.

Turns out there's quite a lot online about deep water running, including the video below.

There are different 'sets' to do, additional equipment to buy, techniques to master, and it's a common thing for triathletes to do.  but frankly, these seem to complicate what is actually a very basic exercise.

The only thing I had to think about was coordinating my arms.  since they're not used for balance, I found I had to think about which arm was working with which leg.  Worth trying...