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One day last year, my wife turned to me and asked if I’d like to do a triathlon with her. There were just two problems. One, I didn’t have a bike. And two, I couldn’t really swim. Yes, I was an elite dog paddler, but actually swimming with good technique for more than 25 yards? That was far beyond me. Next thing I knew, she had me signed up for an adult learn-to-swim class and I was back in the water blowing bubbles just like I did in my swimming lessons as a kid. I’ll write more about that experience in another post. Right now, I want to talk about an unexpected side effect of learning to swim: I became a better runner.

So, without further backstory, here are six reasons I think every runner should learn to swim:

1. Improved running times

Without doing any more running workouts than I had before, I found that I was running faster and farther. Just a few months after starting to swim, I set a personal record (PR) in a 5K race and surprisingly finished at the top of the middle of the pack. Here’s an article on how that works: https://www.active.com/articles/can-swimming-help-your-running.

2. Less wear and tear on legs

Having problems with running injuries? I’ve found the only way to get around those is to not run as much. Adding swim workouts is a great way to build up endurance and maintain fitness while reducing the impact on your legs. Swimming is a very good form of cross-training. It works out muscles that you normally don’t use while running, which helps keep your leg muscles balanced.

3. Variety

I’ve learned to love running. But, it is nice to do something different every once in a while. Running lets you go to all sorts of new places. Swimming lets you try all sorts of new things. There’s always more to learn while swimming (flip turns, new strokes, etc.) and there’s a million different types of workouts you can do. No workout ever needs to be the same.

4. Recovery

After a long race such as a marathon, your legs probably won’t let you to run for a little while. Swimming is a great way to keep up your conditioning while easing your legs back into things. If you still have too much pain, you can always use a pull buoy and hand paddles to give your legs a rest while swimming. Also, the cool water will feel great!

5. Breath control

I think half of swimming is learning how to breathe. I’ve found that I’m better able to control my breath due to the focus I’ve had on breathing while swimming. That came in really handy in my last half marathon.

6. Triathlon!

Unless you never learned how to ride a bike, swimming is really the biggest obstacle for any aspiring triathlete. If you can run and swim, there isn’t anything to hold you back from your first tri.

So, if you want to be a better runner, grab a swim suit, towel, a cheap pair of goggles and head to your local pool for some lessons.

If you’re looking for some great gear to get started, check out: