Let the Swimming Begin...

Although I am still in training for America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride on June 5, 2011, it is about time to start training for Nation's Triathlon.  This summer my focus will be on the swim since I tanked my swim in last year's event.  Not only that, but I have greatly improved on the bike; and, the run being what it is, swim is where I have the most room for improvement.

At the start of the 2010 Nation's Triathlon, I was completely unprepared for the feeling of terror that would come over me as I watched the waves before me enter and exit the waters of The Potomac.  I was well trained by my Team in Training Coach, Lisa; however, training for the swim does not including training the mind to relax. 

During last year's training I focused on getting my stroke down and not worrying about speed.  With the proper stroke, speed will come.  More importantly, I spent even more of my time focused on just breathing.  As an asthmatic athlete (ya, I know, I am crazy to even attempt these things), breathing in sync with my stroke is very important.  Breathing mechanics will be my focus over the summer.  The question is, how do I improve?

My first step is to overcome the fear of having an asthma attack in the water.  I have one running coach who asked me "Have you ever actually had an asthma attack while running?"  I had to think about it, and then I said "Um... not really!"  So she asked, "Why are you so freaked out about that?"  Good point!!  I have learned to push through most of my breathing fears on my runs; I just have to translate that into the swim.

For me, this is a constant Jedi-Mind-Trick I have to play on myself.  Maybe instead of Finding Nemo's Dori chants of "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." I should alter those to "Just Keep Breathing!"  Chanting will only get me so far, that I am well aware of.  So, the question is, HOW do I improve my breathing?

Well, I went looking for answers and found them on ACTIVE.COM.  Great website for the endurance freaks out there.  Here is what I found:

"The key to maximizing both air and speed is to breathe as seamlessly as possible. Let's start with the mechanics of getting air into your lungs:

• Inhale through your mouth; exhale through your mouth 70 percent and nose 30 percent. Are these figures exact? No, just keep enough air pressure coming from your nose to keep the water out.
• Never hold your breath—even if you'll swim three to five strokes between breaths. Begin exhaling as soon as you finish inhaling—just exhale in a more controlled way if you'll take more strokes before your next breath.
• Exhale the final 20 percent of air more forcefully than the first 80 percent. This should make the inhale almost effortless by creating a vacuum in your lungs. It also helps clear the water away from your mouth for the next breath. Also, the force of your exhale should be proportionate to your effort. The next time you swim a descending set, experiment with consciously adding some force to your exhale as you go faster." (from Active.com) 

There is more on this website for breathing mechanics, but I am going to start here.  I will also be taking the advice of a friend who suggested just standing at the pool's edge with my face in the water to practice breathing without swimming: just to get the breathing down first.  I did this last summer, but apparently I did not spend enough time working on this tactic. 

Years ago, a day at the pool meant suntanning with a cool drink in my hand.  Now, a day at the pool is all about training.  Yesterday I spent just about an hour at the pool swimming laps to get my body back in the water.  I only swam about 600 meters when I actaully wanted to do 2000.  I realized all this time away from the pool has brought me almost back to square one.  Now I need to define a scedule and stick with it.

Stay tuned as the TRI-Training has officially begun!!