Deep Water Running and Virtual 5k!

I'm very inarticulate tonight but am too lazy to rewrite this post, so I apologize! It has good information, it's just poorly written. Just go with it.... :)

It has been 24 days now since I've run. Not that I'm counting....but really, it's easy because my last run was on March 1.  After going through the I'm-lazy-and-am-just-going-to-wallow-and-eat-everything phase, I decided it was time to move on with my life and get some exercise. Eating everything in sight is fun, until you realize that you haven't exercised in weeks and clothes don't fit like they used to! So, I enlisted the help of some other injured runner friends to try out Deep Water Running with me! Kara, Jessica and I picked a day to go try out this somewhat silly thing! Not gonna lie, I was nervous and didn't know what to expect! I even had a dream that it was more like synchronized swimming (I'm not good at swimming, so swimming while in synch was NOT what I was looking for!) and that someone emptied the pool on me at the end of the night. Fortunately, Deep Water Running was much better than that!

There are three classes a week- one at John Jay College and two at a church on 50th between Park & Lex. Kind of weird that there's a big pool in the basement of this church, but just go with it!

For more details on schedule, locations, etc. click here. I wish I had seen that website before the class, because it's much easier to navigate than the one I was looking at! Kara and Jessica just ended up emailing to find out more details about the class. Don't worry about purchasing a class before you go-  it's really hard to fill up a pool with people so you can just show up. I don't think it would ever be considered "sold out"- you can always squeeze another person in the deep end!

As I said above, I'm not a great swimmer. And by that, I mean that I've never swam a lap in my life. So I was a little bit worried about how this class would be, with being in the pool for 45 minutes and NOT in the shallow end. But, with the help of a little flotation belt, I was just fine! Then my biggest worry became that my fingers would be wrinkled when I got out.... (they were, btw!)

The class is based on four different strides- a power walk, a faster jog, an uphill and a downhill jog. You simply modify the length of your stride and your arm positions to move from one type of "run" to another. The faster your move your arms and legs, obviously the harder it is. Your legs are supposed to remain straight, for maximum resistance, with your toes pointed. It's harder than it sounds! After doing a quick warm up, we started on intervals. We cycled through the different strides- power walk, uphill, downhill, quick jog, with some rest - several times and in different combinations/lengths of time. It was actually pretty tough! I've only ever spent time in a pool hanging out and drinking fruity drinks. That is NOT the same as deep water running! I felt like I got a good core and leg workout, with no impact!

While I didn't get a runner's high from this class, I thought it was a good substitute to running. When we first got to the class, Robert (the teacher) told us that one of his students ran the Boston Marathon in April, got injured and couldn't run again until the Brooklyn Half. She only did Deep Water Running three times a week for a month, and PR'ed by 5 minutes in Brooklyn! Sounds pretty good to me! While I don't plan to go three times a week, I would like to go again. Let me know if you want to join!

Now, on to running (sort of)! I signed up for a Virtual 5k yesterday, and you should too! I didn't sign up for it because I'm going to race the shit out of it. Or even jog it. I'll probably end up walking it over several days, because I'm still not running, but that's not the point.  I signed up for Abby's Kick Ass Virtual 5k because it's for a great cause and hits close to home for me. When I was 12 and my brother was 13, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. He was sick for almost an entire year and in and out of the hospital more times than we could count. He was on steroids constantly, had several surgeries, and no longer has his large intestine. Abby's story is, unfortunately, very similar. She shares her battle with colitis on her blog, and has organized a virtual 5k to raise money for the cause. All the details are here. It's only $15 to enter, and that gets you one entry into her raffle! The more you pay, blog or tweet, the more entries you get. A birdie told me that the raffle prizes are going to include Oiselle, and obviously lots of other things! If you have $15 that you can spare, donate it to Abby for this cause - to save another little kid from having to go through colitis, or a grown-up runner, a mom, a dad, a grandparent. Anyone. Having lived in the same house as someone with colitis, I know (from only witnessing, not experiencing) that it is something no one should have to live through. Help her reach a goal and change a life at the same time.


Have you ever tried Deep Water Running? Do you want to go with me?! 

Did you sign up for Abby's run!?