DR. WALLACE: I'm 16, and my 18-year-old brother made a bad mistake and got into trouble with the law recently. Fortunately for him, it was his first offense, and he didn't plan to get into trouble, but he went along with a group of other friends and did something really stupid.

Not all of the kids got caught, but four out of the 10 did and my brother was one of them. Our family went to the courthouse to watch his proceedings, to be there and to provide support for him. A couple of times, he was asked to stand and respond to questions that the judge was directly asking him. And every time this happened, I could tell he was really nervous, and even though everybody else in the courtroom was addressing the judge as "Your Honor," my brother kept calling him "Honorable!"

For example, in response to the judge's question about why he made such a very bad decision, my brother said, "I didn't know things would go that far, Honorable." He literally said this three or four times, but the judge never corrected him or scolded him either. I thought everything had to be very precise and correct in courtrooms, so why do you think the judge let my brother call him the incorrect name in an open courtroom? I found that really strange because this judge seemed to be a no-nonsense kind of man.

I thought the law was the law, and you have to follow the rules, exactly and perfectly in court. Anyhow, my brother got a suspended sentence and three months of community service! Our parents said he's lucky he didn't get actual jail time. — My Brother Got Arrested, via email

MY BROTHER GOT ARRESTED: I certainly hope your brother learned his lesson, and it's a tough one that many young people learn the hard way. Never, ever give in to peer pressure. Just because others in a group are doing something, never forget that you have control over your own actions. Don't ever allow yourself to be pulled into the illusion that no one will get in trouble if a group is involved. Your brother's story is definitely a prime example of this.

As to why your brother didn't get scolded or reprimanded in court for addressing the judge with just one word, "Honorable" rather than "Your Honor," this was likely due to the judge's discretion. Judges absolutely have leeway on several of the smaller issues when it comes to how they opt to run their courtrooms. In this particular case, the judge probably realized that your brother was a first-time offender and an extremely nervous young man, so he decided to let it go because he could infer that your brother was actually trying to show proper respect, even though the way he referred to him came out quite awkward and unusual.

HE SWIMS LAPS IN A POOL AND CLAIMS IT'S GOOD FOR RUNNERS

DR. WALLACE: I'm a very competitive cross-country runner at my high school. One of my teammates recently told me that I should be swimming laps in an indoor swimming pool for at least an hour once a week. He's definitely a very good runner, but I have consistently faster times than he does.

I don't want to say anything negative to him, but do you think that he is slower than me because he spends some time in a swimming pool rather than using his free time to work on his running? — Not Sure His Advice Is Good, via email

NOT SURE HIS ADVICE IS GOOD: Actually, I'd say that he is correct here, but with one caveat. Spending some time swimming laps in a pool does not replace actual miles run in training, but it is actually a complementary activity that does help most competitive distance runners.

Swimming builds up aerobic capacity, stamina and lung efficiency without the impact effect of running on pavement or hard surfaces that has a pounding effect on shins, tendons and joints. Swimming also strengthens a runner's back, shoulders and core, as all of those areas are involved directly during swimming laps. This in turn allows a runner to maintain good running posture longer into races, especially when fatigue begins to set in.

Even swimming laps at a moderate pace can help to reduce fatigue and improve blood flow in the legs, which is of course very beneficial for all runners, and it usually also results in an increased range of motion for joints, especially ankles, which, of course, are key to all runners. All in all, I would say he is benefiting from adding an hour's worth of swimming to his usual training once a week.

Finally, look at it this way: he's receiving benefits via swimming laps, but even with those benefits, he is not faster than you are presently. But it's likely he is faster and stronger than he would be otherwise. The same would hold for you, if you were to give this a try as well. Check your times carefully now and see if adding an hour's worth of swimming per week provides you with an additional benefit, because the chances are it will.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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