We Switched Sports: A D1 Runner Tries Diving and a D1 Diver Tries Track

We switched sports for a day and it was one of the wildest experiences of my college career. What happens when two D1 athletes switch sports for a day? What happens when a D1 track athlete and a D1 diver swap sports for a day? Carson Paul is a Canadian national champion and two-time NCAA All-American diver at LSU. I run track here at LSU, most notably a 4:09 mile. The deal was simple: Carson would put me through a real dive practice, and then I would take him through one of the hardest track workouts we actually do. Neither of us had any idea what we were getting into.

Dive Warmup: My Core Was Already Cooked

Before we even got near the pool, Carson had me doing dry land drills that absolutely destroyed my core. He had me hanging from a bar doing sets of five reps — one straight, two to the side, then a third. Five rounds of that. My toe point was apparently decent, which Carson seemed surprised by. Then came the trampoline work. Carson made it look effortless, flipping and twisting like it was nothing. Meanwhile, I was just trying to land a basic jump without embarrassing myself. The body awareness divers have is unreal — they know exactly where they are in the air at all times.

Dive Practice: Speedos, Platforms, and Pure Fear

Then it was time to actually dive. And yes, I had to put on a speedo. Carson walked me through the basics on the one-meter springboard first. Even a simple front dive felt terrifying — you are launching yourself off a board and trying to enter the water cleanly while your brain is screaming at you to stop. Carson, meanwhile, was throwing full twisting dives from the three-meter board like it was nothing. The height difference between one meter and three meters does not sound like much, but standing up there changes your perspective entirely. I managed to get through a few dives without completely belly flopping, but the skill gap between a track runner and a trained diver was painfully obvious.

Switching to the Track: Carson’s Turn to Suffer

After the pool session, it was my turn to be in charge. I took Carson to the track for a real workout — the kind of session that makes even experienced runners question their life choices. We started with a proper warmup: jogging, dynamic stretches, and strides. Carson looked comfortable enough during the warmup, but I could tell he had no idea what was coming. Track workouts are a different kind of pain. It is not just about running fast — it is about running fast repeatedly with minimal rest.

The Workout: 200-Meter Repeats

The workout was 200-meter repeats, which is one of the staples in our training. For me, these are all about maintaining speed and form when your legs are filling up with lactate. For Carson, it was about survival. The first couple reps he actually looked pretty solid — the guy is an athlete, no question. But by the third and fourth rep, the wheels started coming off. His form broke down, his breathing got heavy, and he was grabbing his knees between reps. That is exactly what happens to anyone who is not used to the specific demands of track work. Your body hits a wall that no amount of general fitness can prepare you for.

What We Learned About Each Other’s Sports

The biggest takeaway from the day was mutual respect. I walked away from dive practice with a completely new appreciation for what divers do. The core strength, the body awareness, the mental toughness it takes to throw yourself off a platform — that is no joke. And Carson left the track understanding why distance runners are a different breed. The sustained suffering of repeat intervals, the ability to push through when your body is telling you to stop — that is something you have to train for years to develop. We are both D1 athletes at the same school, but our sports could not be more different. Swapping for a day reminded both of us that every sport demands its own kind of toughness, and being elite at one thing does not automatically make you good at another.

For more cross-training ideas, read how I maintained fitness through injury.