Aquaman!

Yesterday I bought an aquajogger buoyancy belt and went for my first real pool running session. This is a foam belt that keeps your head out of the water so you can concentrate on "running" and not worrying about staying alive.

I went into this with very low expectations. My unassisted, belt-free attempts at pool running over the weekend were terrible, and there was no way I was going to spend the summer doing that.

The training session was 5 minute warmup, then 2 sets of 5x1:30 "hard effort", with 30 second easy effort gaps, and 2 minutes easy between sets, finish with 5 minutes easy "running".

The kids thought it was hilarious to see Daddy bobbing up and down doing little circles in the deep end. I suspect they will be throwing things at me as I paddle by within a few days.

I have to say that it is a very tough workout and certainly is going to be enough to keep me fit while I can't run on the roads (if it doesn't kill me). Due to water resistance, the muscles get worked differently, and this morning I feel sore from head to toe. I figure that'll sort itself out over the first week or so.

I also accidentally discovered a fantastic running store. It's run by a 60 year old guy who is a big runner (2:22 marathon) and trainer (trained women's olympic team in the 80's). He is a true running/shoe expert - certainly not your average foot locker employee...... After telling me my current shoes were too big and a crappy choice for me, he got me all sorted with new shoes and advice that will hopefully help me if I ever get back to running on land.

It's Gary Goettleman's Ryan's Sport Shop in Santa Clara, and I'd highly recommend it.

http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=21579529