Triathlon Training Day 51 – Panic Response

Today’s workout was enlightening. I may have figured out why I’m not a good swimmer. It is simply because of the panic response. It’s not form. It’s not because I’m slightly overweight. I would say it’s not even inexperience. It is because of the anxiety of drowning that sits slightly below the water’s surface of my brain.

The last couple of weeks in the pool has been kind of frustrating. I seem to be digressing. It seems that I can only swim a couple of laps without having to come up for air. Today I did an experiment while Coach Marci watched on. I held my breath while I swam. While holding my breath I was able to focus on my stroke, my kick, how my hand  flips down as soon as it enters the water, how I grab the water and pull back along the ridgeline of my body, stretching out and rotating slightly with each stroke, keeping my head down, and everything else that goes along with swimming. I didn’t breath for an entire length of the pool. I took a quick breath at the end of the lane, turned around with the oxygen trapped once again in my lungs and held it there as I progressed back down the pool. About half way I started to have the very human reaction to gasp for breath. I took one turn of the head (on my left side of course) to pull in new oxygen and felt the air rush in and my perfect form rush out.

When I held my breath I really had good form, great power, and nice speed. My turnover was great along with all the other technical aspects. Once I no longer trusted that I would continue breathing my form fell apart. In my mind I went from Michael Phelps to that overconfident kid at the pool that just jumped off the diving board and is now in desperate need of a lifeguard’s rescue.

So here is my request to all coaches, swimmers, and triathletes. How do you get over the Panic Response? Please comment below.