Professional runners plz read?

Question

I'm a top cross country and track distance runner. But i have a hamstring pull and its taking forever to heal. i had to miss all of track season for my stupid hamstring to heal. Now im not allowed to run for a whole month and a half which is killing me now. but now i have to swim for a whole hour and a half a day. will that keep me fit and and healthy like the way i am now and will aquatic running help? I'm extremely bad at swimming cuz i just dont swim at all yesterday was the first time i have ever swam for excersizing in my life.

Answer 1

I pulled my hamstring when I ran last xc season, and it sucked.  I took off for about a week, but still felt uneasy and raw.  Because of this, I didn't get my speed back fully until the season after my injury.  Basically, if you are serious about running, you need to be serious about your body.  Let yourself heal, or you could face worse problems.

Swimmers are extremely fit.  They do in water what we runners do on land.  So while it might not maintain the strength in all the particular muscles you need for xc/track, swimming will build up other muscles and will probably maintain your endurance--for as much as you put into it.  You get what you give, right?  Use this as an opportunity to train in a unique way, and stay positive.  Becoming a better swimmer will change your running.