I tried water running in the pool the other night because I recently found out that I have a broken foot. Am I supposed to try to recreate the natural running stride? Because I found this was difficult to do. Instead I basically just kicked my legs back and forth…felt like I was kicking like I would while swimming except that I was vertical in the water and not horizontal. It didn’t feel much like running at all. Is this what it’s supposed to be?
Mimick your natural running form as close as you can.
oh no! how did you break your footsie? 
i am thinking of doing some aqua jogging this morning. anyone wanna give me a programme to do? 
Everyone swears by water running, but I don’t see that it makes all that much sense for an injured triathlete. YMMV, but I think you’d be better served by swimming, instead.
5min easy warmup, 10x(30s hard, 30s easy), 5min easy, 30/45/60/60/45/30 w. 30 sec easy between each hard set, 5min easy
I think that’s like 32 minutes of water runnering .
Water running maintains running fitness really well. Swimming maintains general aerobic fitness but isn’t as effective for running - water running keeps one’s legs in much better shape.
i might try that without a belt…do u use a belt?
Maybe. But given a broken foot, and given the typical triathletes swimming fitness and proficiency, I’d say that most of them would be better off temporarily giving up some running fitness and concentrating on the swim for awhile. The running fitness will be easily regained after the injury is healed, and the swimming improvement might be significant. I think that generally, a leg injury presents a triathlete with a golden opportunity to really focus on swimming that they would otherwise never take advantage of.
But like I say, YMMV.
It might not look much, but aquarunning really mantains running fitness. It is very hard mentally and I just suggest it to some of my athletes.
Worked for me! I got a SFX in a metatarsal in mid-Jan and had a 1/2 IM in mid-March. I did run training by aqua-jogging for 2 months, and finally got back on pavement about a week before the race. No loss of run fitness at all!
I was in a race running down a huge hill, and on one step it felt like some vital foot material came apart…not a fun limp back to the car…
Do you pump your arms and all, or is it just leg action? I did about 7 minutes of water running the other day and was pretty spent (it was after my normal 40 min swim workout though). It seems like a great way to maintain or improve hip flexor strength, but I don’t see how you can maintain calf/foot strength because you can’t really push off anything in the water.
You have rhythm with your arms and legs while running… so use your arms and legs in the same manner if you are running.
I just can home from my very first pool run and I would agree its mentally challenging, time seemed to stand still for the first 20min. After some mental adjustment I was able to find a rhythm and focus. I had decided to give the pool running thing a try as my hips and feet have been sore after run longer then 45min.
The one good thing of course is there is no joint or soreness issues, as for fitness xover to running I have to wait and see.
that’s how my second fracture happened - I felt a little twinge at the beginning of the run and thought it was nothing, then all of a sudden SNAP
Drink milk, eat yogurt, heal well 
.
you can - it’s a little harder without it. I usually don’t use one.
Deepwater running works!!!
You do not mimic land running in the water it does not work! think more of a leg sweep with minimal knee lift.
I train between 80 - 100 injured runners and dancers every week.
Check my website at www.dougstern for a “how to” and I post 45 minutes workouts every week.
DougStern
Doug, I checked out the “how to” on your website. From what it sounds, your knees are not bent and your legs remain as straight as possible. Is this correct?
The run comes from your upper thigh, quads, hamstrings and butt. Keep your knees loose and do not deliberately bend them. You want to keep your levers long. Turn your toes down slightly. when you run in the water with the same form as on land you eliminate much of the resistance. You will not get much of an aerobic workout. My way is a killer.
Everyone who participates in my program of water running gets faster on the roads. If you are injured you can keep training (as long as you have your doctor’s OK). Water running is also a great substitute for a speed workout. It enhances hip flexibility and you can work on running form in the water.
DougStern