Psychological issues with swimming...and it just got worse!
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glbrum posted 2 years ago.
The only thing I can say is, make sure you exhale uinder water so that you can get a "full" breath when you do come up for air. I'm sure you know that, but that's all I got. Another thing, how is your swimming worse than your running and cycling according to your profile if you were a competitive swimmer years ago? Or are you just that awesome?
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1022 days
Iron Man posted 2 years ago.
i have had the same problem during races.....the tension, excitement, anticipation and adrenalin of the start make me have a HR of about 180bpm, then when the gun goes i would have to breathe every stroke.
For me it was all about emotion controll and taking long DEEP breaths. In the words of my coach "we are triathletes, we are fit so take a deep breath and hold it for the three stokes even if your feeling out of breath your body will acclimatise" I found this helps heaps.
also if swimming is a drag (it usually is) mix up where you swim, i swim at 2 different pools and 4 beaches, a change of scenery goes a long way!
Speed Kills. Strength Punishes
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1343 days
geochuck posted 2 years ago.
I was fed up with swimming, had enough then came along butterfly stroke, something new to me, It changed my thoughts about swimming. It was at the time of the introduction of the dolphin kick to butterfly.
A change is as good as a rest. Get outdoors and do some lake or river swimming, if close to the ocean do some ocean swimming.
Why are you bilateral breathe? Why not breathe every stroke? To me bilateral breathing is a drill to learn ballance.
What is this trying to get all the air out? If you are trying to empty the lungs completely every breath you are always going to have problems.
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1191 days
ht001 posted 2 years ago.
Thanks for the advice, guys. I think what you' ve said, Iron Man, may help. I may just need to take the proverbial "chill pill" and relax with this. Maybe it comes down to the fact that I'm over thinking it at this point. Maybe too, as you've pointed out, geochuck, perhaps if I'm blowing all the air out with every breath I'm creating the deficit before I even have the chance to deal with it. I also think that what you've both suggested about a change of scenery might really help. Things are warming up here in Denver, so I may be able to start hitting the lake soon.
With respect to your question, glbrum, I rate my swimming endurance lower than my cycling and running endurance mainly because I don't feel as comfortable swimming for a long duration as I do biking or running. It's all part of the mental hurdle, I guess. I'm just glad the swim is first in this lovely sport of ours!!
Lately I've been having a little challenge with swimming. And it all got worse during my swim yesterday when I got to the point that I felt I couldn't get my breathing under control.
On a general level, I just keep feeling like swimming is a drag (no pun intended). This part might have something to do with the fact that I was a competitive swimmer through my childhood and my teens, and it was therefore a mandatory part of my life for years. In the morning and afternoon I was in the pool. I just wonder if all those years, which have been a great foundation to my triathlon racing might be causing me trouble now. Also it might be that I swim indoors and it is dull in there, and the air in there is laden with moisture and the stink of chlorine.
Anyway, this mental challenge was made worse yesterday while doing a set of 400, 350, 300, 250 etc at threshold pace. During the 350 I felt like I could not get control of my breathing. I'm a bilateral breather, usually breathing every third stroke. I try to mix in a few breaths after every fourth stroke to keep my breathing frequency down. But during that 350 I felt severe oxygen depletion. My finger tips and toes were tingling. I wonder if I'm if during harder effort swims I am potentially not achieiving a full exhale...or it could be an asthmatic thing. I rarely suffer from allergy induced asthma, but I have in the past, even in pools. So it may be that I just needed a hit from my inhaler yesterday.
I can get myself over this I'm sure, but I wonder if anyone has any thoughts or advice. I think I'm going crazy and freaking myself out...it isn't as if I'm new at this...any ideas?