Supertraining

Well. . . for a start, a leisurely kilometre in the pool is 
hardly 'work' -- unless one can't swim of course.

You're right: elite runners don't swim as part of their training. We 
already agreed that their time is better spent on the road. That 
doesn't mean they should not swim for relaxation or on days off or 
during recovery from injury like shin splints for example. (Swimming 
is widely recommended during recovery from shin splints.) 

I am addressing the original question which was: "is swimming 
contraindicated for distance running".

The general answer, in my opinion, is no, it is not. The specific 
answer is as above: don't make it a permanent part of your training 
if it detracts from time on the road.

An 'urban legend' can be a a piece of information or advice that has 
a modicum of truth but gets passed around as an absolute truth. 
Examples are: 'carbohydrates turn to fat' or 'don't lock out the 
joints when weight training'. 

The fitness industry is full of these. This deserves not to be one of 
them.

Paul Rogers
Gympie, Australia

--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Jon Haddan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
wrote:
>
> I am not sure what you mean by urban legend.  Healthy
> elite runners do not do pool work a few times a week
> for a pretty good reason.  It does not help their
> performance. Even injured elite runners do not swim in
> a pool.  They may, however, run in a pool until they
> are healthy enough to resume running on land.  
> 
> Jon Haddan
> Irvine, CA
> 
> 
> --- sregor99 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
> > Yes, but these things tend to take on 'urban legend'
> > status. If 
> > you're a runner and you head down to the pool a few
> > times a week and 
> > do a relaxed kilometre as a bit of cross training or
> > injury support, 
> > it's not going to be a problem.
> > 
> > Paul Rogers
> > Gympie, Australia
>