Waterbound

Saturday’s Aqua-Jog (5/1/2010)

In Texas, it is considered essential to have easy access to a pool.  I am starting to see their point.  This weekend is the first real wave of serious heat and humidity that we’ve seen this year.  To me, a diehard Northerner, it feels like full-on summer.  After all those years in the Frozen North, I’m still enjoying the heat of a Texas spring.  I have yet to turn on the air-conditioner, but I know it’s coming…just not today.

When I’m following a running schedule, I tend to run three days a week with one longer run on the weekend.  I usually do not run two days in a row; instead, I play those in-between days by ear, doing something fun like yoga or a long walk.  Now that I have access to a pool and a bike, I’m adding swimming and cycling into my options.  Today I went aqua-jogging for 20 minutes.  My pool is only 4 feet deep, and even though I’m really short, my head is still above 4 feet of water.  Aqua-jogging is exactly what it sounds like: running in water.  In deeper pools, you can aqua-jog while wearing a life vest.  For a runner, it’s a very restorative exercise option because it loosens up your muscles without the pounding of running on land.  In my shallow pool, my feet do hit the bottom, but the impact is very minimal because of the water’s resistance.  I probably look ridiculous while I aqua-jog, but I don’t care.  I’m not at the pool to impress anyone with my mad skills. 

Today was my third day of aqua-jogging.  It is an easy work-out for me, but I was pleased when I noticed that my legs started feeling tired after 12 minutes.  I took it as a sign that my legs are working during this work-out.  To add some variety to the aqua-jogging, I like to try different drills in the water.  Sometimes I try to bound from one foot to the other; other times I work on my stride turnover, trying to make my feet move faster.  And sometimes I jump up onto a step and make a big splashy LEAP into the pool.  I love that.

After finishing my work-out, I hunted for lizards around the pool yard.  I found a tiny one, but by the time I ran home, grabbed my camera, and came back, he was gone.  All I got was this picture of my own legs.