first triathlonites 2006-07

[Bikingmomof3]

Kimmyt,
Congrats on your run. I love running in the cold.

[Crankin]

Thanks for the swim lesson! Now I know why i can't swim. I always breathe and turn my head to the left. It feels more natural. In fact, I have trouble with this with cycling,too. I am right handed, but "left sided/dominant." In other words, my laterality is really screwed up. I will start practicing in the tub for the next month and then start the lessons.....
It doesn't seem chfldish. I am a real learn by doing person and I have to do things a lot to unlearn bad habits from muscle memory.

[DeniseGoldberg]

I always breathe and turn my head to the left. It feels more natural.

Robyn -
I don't know what made me read this thread today since it's not a place where I normally go, and a triathlon is not in my future. But, from a pure swimming standpoint, I don't believe there is anything wrong with your breathing on the left side as opposed to the right. In fact, there are racers who breathe every third stroke, meaning they breathe both to the right and the left. This article may be helpful: http://www.totalimmersion.net/2005ar...breathing.html

--- Denise

[JmcG]

Robyn -
I don't know what made me read this thread today since it's not a place where I normally go, and atriathlon is not in my future. But, from a pure swimming standpoint, I don't believe there is anything wrong with your breathing on the left side as opposed to the right. In fact, there are racers who breathe every third stroke, meaning they breathe both to the right and the left. This article may be helpful: http://www.totalimmersion.net/2005ar...breathing.html

--- Denise

When I read light saber's message, I assumed she meant "right side breathe IN" as an example - not necessarily that's where you have to breathe (if, for example, left is more comfortable for you). But Denise is definitely correct - once you get the swimming and breathing part down, what you ideally want to do is bilateral breathing - every 3 strokes breathe so that you're balancing out your strokes and breathing. In triathlon, it's always good to be able to breathe to both sides. There are a few reasons for this:

-Say you're in a lake or ocean swim and it's an out and back course - going out the sun may be on your left side, coming back it will be on your right. You want to be able to breathe to both sides so that in this instance, you can breathe to the side where the sun is not.....

-Bilateral breathing straightens out your stroke so you're not swimming off course so easily - and makes it less important to spot as often.

-If you're on a longer course, and you only breathe on one side, you can fatigue much quicker, and have no options to be able to breathe on the other side to give your favored side a rest.

Those are just a few reasons to really be able to breathe on both sides in a triathlon. If you can't breathe to both sides now and are just trying to figure out how to breathe in the water - do not attempt to work on this aspect before you get your technique and breathing down. Once you feel comfortable with your stroke, your breathing, you technique - then you can start practicing breathing on the side that's not so comfortable. The way I did it was in my warm up and cool downs, I would start breathing to my uncomfortable side - since I'm going slower I have longer to take a breath, etc. and eventually I would start bilateral breathing in my warmup/cooldown. And now all my swimming is bilateral breathing. It takes time and patience, but you will see the benefits in the end! And like I said - focus on your stroke and technique first - make sure it's almost perfect before you attempt to work on your bilateral breathing! You want to master the technique b/c I guarantee you that the technique will fall apart fast when you try to breathe on your uncomfortable side - so you need a base to come back to and regroup!
Good luck everyone! And great job on the training.

[eclectic]

Thanks for the swim lesson! Now I know why i can't swim. I always breathe and turn my head to the left. It feels more natural. In fact, I have trouble with this with cycling,too. I am right handed, but "left sided/dominant." In other words, my laterality is really screwed up. I will start practicing in the tub for the next month and then start the lessons.....
It doesn't seem chfldish. I am a real learn by doing person and I have to do things a lot to unlearn bad habits from muscle memory.

Robyn

I am a left side breather also and don't have any problem. I have found you learn best what comes naturally. I can breathe on my right when I do 3 count breathing but it feels awkward to do it all the time.

I have found that most people have trouble breathing because their body and arm position is wrong and they have their head too far out of the water. the back of the neck should be elongated, your chin in your chest and eyes directly down at the bottom of the pool - to breathe you rotate from your hips not your neck. Also your right ear stays in the water and your mouth barely comes out

The best way to learn by far is to get a competitive swimmers snorkel (different than snorkeling snorkels) and nose plug and get the muscle memory for proper body and head position. Once you take the snorkel off the rotation to breathe comes naturally. A friend of mine who couldn't do crawl stroke at all just went through this way of learning last year and now keeps up with me on 50 yd sprints I can still do them w/ less recovery time though

[eclectic]

IA few of us ran together on Saturday (it was COLD but good! I ran 2 whole miles for the first time in my life without stopping once).

Anyways, today at swim class I had such an awesome amazing time. We ended up doing some distances, so swam 3 sets of 300 meters, and I completely zoned out during the sets, and before I knew it it was over and I felt like I could do the whole thing over again. !Awesome!

Way to go! ! !

[Kimmyt]

Thanks!

Re: the breathing discussion, I'm a 'left breather' as well. Recently I've been trying to breath bilaterally and have been having moderate success (however when I feel the need to breath really deep or rest, I tend to lapse back into left-only breathing).

Last night with the 300s (the longest nonstop distance I've swam in some time) I did the first 300 just left-breathing and found that my left obliques in my back got very tight from the rotation and breathing always on the same side. I started doing every 3rd stroke and while I had to focus a bit more to do it, it became natural after a few laps and my back didn't get as sore.

[Offthegrid]

I just wanted to post to those of you trying to learn to bilaterally breathe that it CAN happen with time and practice. I knew I had to learn to breathe on my right side for triathlon, so I'd do drills and then every other lap had to breathe with my weak side. Now I can breathe on both sides and don't feel awkward about it at all anymore.

Although, I still can't breathe on only every third stroke. I do a 2-3-2-3 pattern. I do a drill where I force myself to breathe only every 3rd stroke. I'll make this longer and longer until I can finally do it for everything.

[Crankin]

Well, I never thought this stuff was so complicated! I know that I have sseen some competitive swimmers take a breath on both sides, so ... I know that I need lessons! The thought of putting noseplugs on and a snorkel scares me to death. I have never been able to go snorkling with my family because I feel like I can't breathe and get pretty claustrophobic.
I know I sound like a complainer! I need to really confront this fear of the water, one step at a time. And Denise, I have read the Total Immersion book, Scott has it on his bookshelf at home (leave it to my son to have a book on every sport in the world) There seems to be quite a controversy about this method.

Thanks, everyone!

[Bikingmomof3]

I am glad to know that at least my alternate side breathing is "normal". I was too embarassed to ask.

[light_sabe_r]

Hehehe.

Sorry for the confusion about which side to breathe on, I was just repeating what I had drummed into me at school. (therefore I'm a righty, and wwen I got to highschool everyone else was a rightie breather too)

But still give the kickboard thing a try!

[tygab]

hmmm... I am realizing I don't know very much about swimming from this thread. my pool time could be quite interesting. I think I am a left breather but it's been so long since I've done any pool training I can't be sure. I definitely will be trying light's kickboard drill. I am hoping to pick up a DVD or two on technique also.

my sis and I went for a run today, on some very hilly terrain near her house. Got my HR well above my usual. I enjoy being able to join her on her runs, instead of waiting for her to come back! She did run ahead of me most of the time, but it was still a lot of fun.

[KSH]

Swimming and Breathing.

I was a competitive swimmer. I only breathed on my right side, and try as I might, I still just breathe on my right side.

It's just how I swim, and it works just fine for me. I'm not a slow swimmer... and I typically come out of the water top 3 in my age group.

Look, do what feels comfortable. That's my motto.

I will say this though, I can get a bit of neck cramp swimming long distances and only breathing on that side.

Also, if you can breathe on both sides comfortably, when needed, you can breathe on the side where the waves are NOT hitting you in the face.

[Crankin]

Tasha, are we still on for running next Sat., the 2nd? I will be well rested (ha) because I haven't done any running in awhile. My bike just keeps calling me. I will do some running over the holiday. What I've noticed is that since I got my trainer and some weights at home I have hardly been to the health club. I do miss the social aspects, since I've known some of these people for 10 years, but it's nice to know that I can stay fit with the mini gym in my loft. Maybe one day we can run and then you can come over and do one of the Cyclo Core DVDs.

Robyn

[eclectic]

Robyn -
I don't know what made me read this thread today since it's not a place where I normally go, and a triathlon is not in my future. But, from a pure swimming standpoint, I don't believe there is anything wrong with your breathing on the left side as opposed to the right. In fact, there are racers who breathe every third stroke, meaning they breathe both to the right and the left. This article may be helpful: http://www.totalimmersion.net/2005ar...breathing.html

--- Denise

Great article Denise - I was looking and looking for something that explained it and couldn't find anything but this explains what I was trying to say very well