I don't know why, but when swimming in the lake, I get this somewhat claustic feeling about not getting enough breath. I am a pretty strong swimmer, and have no doubt I can finish the .5 miles in the triathlons I am doing (my second one to happen this Sunday), but I stop stroking and do a slow *** stroke just to calm myself. This would be OK, but I seem to need to do it quite often. I wonder if this is a problem for others? Granted I have not swum in open water very ofen, and with winter on its way I will probably put that off until late Spring.
Another question: At the end of the swim, as I am standing up to exit the water, I most often have a dizzy feeling and that I am going to fall over. Is this just something to live with? Or is something else going on?
I appreciate this forum and all the advice and help I have gotten in the past. Especially the tips for doing my first triathlon in June. I used ALL the tips, and they helped a lot.
Thanks,
Nancy
Nancy the previous posters hit most of the issues that I have seen in people with breathing problems in open water. A couple of other things to look at are:
1) Were you wearing a wetsuit in the open water swim? A wetsuit that is tight fitting through the chest can reduce inhalation volume, causing shortness of breath.
2) Do you do flip turns in the pool? I work with some triathletes who can swim long distances in a pool, with open turns, and then run short of breath in open water. That little extra rest and breath at the end of each length may not seem like much, but it is a recovery that does not occur in open water.
Nancy the previous posters hit most of the issues that I have seen in people with breathing problems in open water. A couple of other things to look at are:
1) Were you wearing a wetsuit in the open water swim? A wetsuit that is tight fitting through the chest can reduce inhalation volume, causing shortness of breath.
2) Do you do flip turns in the pool? I work with some triathletes who can swim long distances in a pool, with open turns, and then run short of breath in open water. That little extra rest and breath at the end of each length may not seem like much, but it is a recovery that does not occur in open water.
