Hello,
This will be a somewhat long post, but I'm a little confused.
I am a relatively beginner swimmer. I have known how to swim since I was young, but never done it tons. I also run a summer camp, however, and it's been getting more and more difficult to secure aquatics staff. So, I've decided to train so that I can be certified with lifeguard and WSI.
I've been having trouble getting the required distance of non-stop swim, however. I worked on my strokes and such, but I can't non-stop swim. I could do freestyle about 50m or so, and then I'm done. I take a thirty second break, and then I'm good for another 50m or so. I kept thinking it was a cardio issue, but I was complaining to my husband about it and he brought up a good point. "You're a competition Irish dancer. You can keep dancing without stopping for 15 minutes, and can have 1-2 hour practices no sweat. You have a resting HR of 45 bpm. This is not a cardiac endurance issue."
Then...I paid attention to it. He's right. I'm not tired. My heart isn't even elevated. I'm just am feeling light-headed and like I need to come up for air. Either I'm not exhaling enough/taking too big of breaths, or I'm not inhaling enough. BUT...how do I know which it is?
I exhale throughout my entire stroke. Someone else in my lane suggested trying to not breath every cycle. I was side breathing every right-handed stroke, and upped to every third right-handed stroke. It seemed to help a little bit...but...I'm lost. Thoughts?
Hey there
If your fit from the dancing I reckon it is your breathing. You say you exhale throughout your entire stoke and that you are also light headed and like you need to come up for air.
Maybe your exhaling too much to soon and your losing the air you need. "When" you take your breath you need to be fully exhaled so you can take a good breath.
I swim a couple of Km most mornings and I still work on my breathing technique, I tend to gulp too much air. It does take a lot of thinking about to have a good technique to swim and breath properly. Yesterday I suggested to a young swimmer in the same lane that when she was breathing she was turning her head so far she was looking at the sky.
Hey there
If your fit from the dancing I reckon it is your breathing. You say you exhale throughout your entire stoke and that you are also light headed and like you need to come up for air.
Maybe your exhaling too much to soon and your losing the air you need. "When" you take your breath you need to be fully exhaled so you can take a good breath.
I swim a couple of Km most mornings and I still work on my breathing technique, I tend to gulp too much air. It does take a lot of thinking about to have a good technique to swim and breath properly. Yesterday I suggested to a young swimmer in the same lane that when she was breathing she was turning her head so far she was looking at the sky.
