I finished my second week of water running with DragSox as my primary training method to prepare for San Francisco Marathon 2011. Here are a couple of observations so far:

Water running with DragSox is hard.

I was in good shape before I started water running; I had been training with DragSox for 9 months and my kick was strong. Still, every time I do water running with DragSox, my legs shake afterwards. I understand that a different group of muscles is engaged, but I never feel this “shaky” after a regular road run. I am sure water running with DragSox will also improve my flutter kick.

Water running with DragSox and weights is even harder.

To make the long water running sessions a little more interesting, I started running with 2 x 2 lbs weights, one in each hand. I immediately noticed a higher heart rate; I have to work harder to keep moving. On the other hand, having weights helps me stay more vertical in the water, which improves my overall body position.

Water running with DragSox is mentally tough.

I have only done two long water-running sessions so far. One was 38 minutes (400 yards), another 45 minutes (500 yards). The hardest part of these long sessions is staying motivated and not getting bored. One moves very slowly when water running, so I had to find different ways to make it more interesting. Running one 50 with weights and another without helps. Other things I tried might sounds “crazy” to some… I found that closing one eye per 25 also helps. Also closing both eyes makes it even more interesting. It’s amazing what happens when you can only rely on your hearing: I could hear the water lapping between the lane line plates.

To see all posts about my preparation for San Francisco Marathon by training with DragSox in the water, see posts tagged as San Francisco Marathon.