Topic: Question for anyone good at long distances
Conf: O2 in H2O - Breathing Skills
From: Dan Lessin

I have recently been able to complete an uninterrupted 400m without getting behind on breathing (which is a big accomplishment for me), but I can only do it by going very, very slowly and taking many strokes (45 secs for 25m at 25 SPL). I can do 25m in 30 seconds or less with 19 to 22 SPL, but I always get behind on breathing when I do.

1. What numbers (be honest!) do you have for time and strokes per length when swimming over long distances (400m or more uninterrupted)?

2. Have you experienced what I describe, and how have you overcome it?

From: Mike McGrath

Dan-
You might forget about outcomes (SPL and time) for a while and focus more on process, that is, "focus purely on economy and flow until they become habit" (quoted from Triathlon Swimming Made Easy).Just about everyone gets a little out-of-synch with breathing, so we rotate a little more to get a longer breath or roll to sweet spot for a few breaths then resume.

It seems your achievements in SPL and time may come at too great an aerobic cost. When I feel that happening myself, I roll a bit more to get my breath then focus on one of the following:

• marionette arms, i.e., *relaxed*, no bubbles
• wide tracks
• patient catch
• swimming through a smaller "hole" in the water
• relaxed neck muscles so my big fat head finds its natural position
• fingers tipped down for catch
• high elbows and light forearm pressure

Lately, I consider my Masters practices successful if I finish not feeling totally wasted; it means I am further along on my quest for economy and flow. I am willing to let the results/chips land where they may on a kaizen (continuous improvement) continuum.

From: Alan Perez

Mike-

You must be my long lost twin. I consider my ”squad” practice a success when I can walk away with something new to contemplate for my next go.

From: Terry Laughlin

Dan-
I suppose I qualify as "someone good at long distances." I've completed the 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon twice and have been the top-ranked Long Distance swimmer in US Masters Swimming for the 55-59 age group. Having once been in your shoes as well, I can vouch for Mike's advice. Your muscles and nervous system are grappling with mastering unfamiliar and "unnatural" (since you are a land-and-gravity-adapted mammal) movements. They'll do so in their own good time.

The "process" Mike refers to means:

Step 1: Deeply familiarize yourself with those new positions, orientations, relationships -- which means being able to make increasingly fine distinctions between "right" and "not quite." Often this adaptation and familiarization happens first in a "mini skill" (a drill) before it happens in a "full skill" (the whole stroke).

Step 2: Learn to gradually migrate a "measure of control" (you understand what you're doing and it feels relatively salubrious) from the mini to the fullskill. Initially that will only occur over short distances at rather modest speeds. In the process context, "speeds" refer to movement rate, rather than time on the pace clock.

When I race, my freestyle stroke rate is at or under 1 second per stroke. When Ipractice, my stroke rate ranges from 1 second to as high as 1.5 seconds per stroke, using a Tempo Trainer as my guide. When students at our workshops first try out their new stroke, they tend to be most comfortable at a stroke rate of 1.5 to 1.7 seconds per stroke -- and for distances of 25 to 50m before pausing for rest and reflection.

Incrementally increase both the distance and rate at which you can swim both relaxed (not fatiguing or growing breathless) and fluent. One day focus on ladders (several rounds of 25-50-75-100) testing your ability to feel nearly as good at the longer repeats as you did on the 25. Another day perhaps focus on a series of 25s or 50s with gradually increasing stroke frequency (1.70-1.68-1.66, etc.)

In time, you'll be swimming 400m repeats at a reasonably "brisk" pace and feeling (a) relaxed, (b) that you are breathing easily and (c) as if you could go on indefinitely. The idea of swimming on and on will become completely irresistible, rather than an endurance test. We call this the Perpetual Motion Stroke. We also call it a Flow State. Both happen almost inevitably through Patient Practice Motivated by the Kaizen Spirit.