Hi Michelle,
Yes, I've done this regularly every Thursday pm in the international pool down the bay, for a few years now.
It's great for injury rehab (Achilles tendon etc.) & it's also extra training on top of what you are already running but without weight bearing. I was told by a qualified triathlete coach that if you cannot run due to injury but maintain aqua running then you only lose about 10% of fitness. I also think it's helped me with x-country.
It's usually done with a floatation belt, run hard for 45s & rest 15s, & repeat 10 times to start. There are probably many variations on this if you do the research. Personally, I've incorporated hand sculling into it as well, & learned to do without the floatation belt, (you work harder!) I've extended this up to 45min a session.
You need sufficient depth of pool, so as not to touch the bottom. The international pool is best (but cold!) The western leisure centre may be OK too if you are not too tall & wear a belt.
Mo Farah does a similar thing using an underwater treadmill. See the winter copy of ACE for links to video etc. But this not available locally. (Perhaps the club should get one??
)
The only other downside is it's mind bendingly boring. So I bought a waterproof mp3 player. The Speedo one is best.
Hope this helps. Come & ask me at the club if you need more info.
