I completed my first Masters competition this weekend in the 100m Free which I'm proud of. However, during the last 15m of the race I began to hyperventilate and had to actually grab on to the lane rope in order to get my breathing under control as I felt I could not catch a single breath. Was totally embarrassed to say the least.
I actually think I went out too fast as compared to what I normally pace myself while in practice. Secondly, I was nervous before the race as this was my first competition but I wouldn't say extremely nervous. So both factors may have contributed to the hyperventilation.
Any suggestions on how to prevent this in the future? I don't want this to get into my head and be a stumbling block moving forward. Has anyone else experienced this while swimming and what did you do to overcome?
There's kind of a lot going on in your question. Keeping a good controlled breathing technique while swimming should prevent hyperventilation (but not panic, even seasoned swimmers can suddenly panic given the perfect mental storm). I've however seen newer swimmers cause hyperventilation by either holding their breath when their face is in the water or turning their arms over so rapidly while breathing every stroke cycle that they don't have time to really inhale or exhale. These are technique pieces you can work on on your own or with a coach.
Going out too fast in a race is normal. With practice you'll figure out how to pace yourself better for the distance you are swimming. As a kid "pacing myself" in the 100 was totally out of the question. Now I need to ease off a bit on the first 25 to have enough gas for the last 15 yards.
When I feel panicky for some reason, usually a perfect combination anxious personality, over exhaustion and over thinking the race, I find it helpful to remember that I can slow down. No one is forcing you to swim fast. You can take one or two slow controlled strokes or breaths before resuming picking up the pace.
I truly believe that just given more time in the pool and practice you'll be able to race a 100 and be really happy with the whole race, without feeling embarrassed. And I emphasize "feeling" here because no one else was bothered one bit by your lane line hug.
There's kind of a lot going on in your question. Keeping a good controlled breathing technique while swimming should prevent hyperventilation (but not panic, even seasoned swimmers can suddenly panic given the perfect mental storm). I've however seen newer swimmers cause hyperventilation by either holding their breath when their face is in the water or turning their arms over so rapidly while breathing every stroke cycle that they don't have time to really inhale or exhale. These are technique pieces you can work on on your own or with a coach.
Going out too fast in a race is normal. With practice you'll figure out how to pace yourself better for the distance you are swimming. As a kid "pacing myself" in the 100 was totally out of the question. Now I need to ease off a bit on the first 25 to have enough gas for the last 15 yards.
When I feel panicky for some reason, usually a perfect combination anxious personality, over exhaustion and over thinking the race, I find it helpful to remember that I can slow down. No one is forcing you to swim fast. You can take one or two slow controlled strokes or breaths before resuming picking up the pace.
I truly believe that just given more time in the pool and practice you'll be able to race a 100 and be really happy with the whole race, without feeling embarrassed. And I emphasize "feeling" here because no one else was bothered one bit by your lane line hug.
