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Do marathon swimmers breathe every stroke?
RiverRat
Member
Trying to implement bilateral breathing for 2013, but now wondering if this is a good strategy. Do you breathe every stroke on a marathon swim?
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I don't have any problems with one side of my body being sore or rubbed raw as a result of breathing unilaterally.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Being able to breathe on both sides is very useful in open water swimming. However, depending on your stroke rate, breathing every three strokes may not provide enough oxygen. I'm about 60-64 SPM at distances of 10km+, and I don't get enough air with every-3 (i.e., one breath every ~3 seconds).
So, I usually end up breathing every stroke cycle (every two strokes) to one side. I prefer the right but can do the left if necessary.
A good alternative would be a pattern along the lines of: 2 strokes (right breath), 2 strokes (right breath), 3 strokes (left breath), 2 strokes (left breath), 2 strokes (left breath), 3 strokes (right breath), etc., etc.
3-2-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-3
Would having a blowhole surgically installed be a violation of CSA rules? If so, how about CS&PF?
Jon
Generally speaking, if you pay attention to balancing out your stroke, it doesn't. One of the reasons I forced myself to learn to breathe bilaterally is that I got in the bad habit of not rotating enough to the side I wasn't breathing on. When I made myself breathe bilaterally, my stroke got more balanced, and my shoulders thanked me.
I guess it's because I'm so big, but I've never had a problem at any slow pace with holding a 3 stroke breathing pattern. If I start going hard and swimming something short, like say a mile, then I have to drop down to breathing every 2 strokes.
I only started swimming seriously a few years ago, and made the conscious decision to learn bilateral breathing. I definitely had a preference for right side breathing, but would alternate which side I was breathing on every lap. These days I am perfectly fine on either side.
http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer
The specifics of the pattern aren't important: 3-2-2-3-2-2-3 was just one example. But I do think balanced patterns are superior to unbalanced patterns. As @dc_in_sf suggests, it can help you swim straighter.
There's an interesting article on this subject by Gary Hall, Sr. --
http://www.theraceclub.net/aqua-notes/to-breathe-or-not-to-breathe
So that would be one breath every 4.8 seconds, or 12.5 breaths per minute. It is amazing to me that you get enough oxygen with that.
http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer
What is your stroke rate/breathing pattern?
Does changing your SR change your BP?
How? If it changes during a long swim, is this strategic or organic?
Does temperature have an effect on your SR/BP?
Will Evan split this into 5 separate threads?
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
btw, the reason for splitting threads is that it makes them easier to find and follow after the fact.
Balance and sighting .
That being said, you could easily open a whole other can of worms based on Evmo's and David's comments: After doing some calculations, I find my Stroke Rate (SR) ties in pretty well with my Breathing Pattern(BP). If I want to take a long relaxing swim, I'll breathe every 5 strokes. This keeps my stroke rate right around 50ish. For long races(5-10K), I like to settle in to a 3 stroke pattern with a SR of 55ish. For short races(2 miles or less) I go with a 2/3/2 or 2/2/3 and my SR can get above 60.
So, at what distance do you treat a marathon swim like a race as opposed to an endurance test? If you are racing and trying to stay at your threshold pace, more breathing = more speed (to a point). If you're going for endurance, staying below your threshold pace with an easy stroke can make for long distances. Of course, this can only be answered by the individual swimmer and depends on fitness level, form and experience.
It took me a few years to become comfortable breathing on either side. My decision to put in the effort was based mainly on trying to adopt a more symmetrical stroke and avoid those injuries and chronic issues caused by imbalance.
I am now quite comfortable breathing on both sides, but sighting to my right side is still less than optimal. I believe that having the option to breathe either side is a valuable skill for any open water swimmer to have... I know of at least one swimmer who’s EC attempt was shortened due to the fact that he could breathe only on one side and couldn’t reposition himself when the diesel fumes became unbearable. My EC pilot requested that I try to swim on the port side so he would have a better view from the wheelhouse. I did, and to this day, that is the only time I ever completed a marathon swim alternate breathing. Typically, after 10 hours, I fall into a breathing left every stroke cycle pattern.
My stroke rate varies from 60 - 72. I like to spin a little faster at the start... to get loose, to warm up...etc. A lighter catch allows things to settle in without fatigue, and breathing every 3 feels natural. When I settle into 64 spm (my average) I am still comfortable breathing every 3, unless I am fatigued, or really trying to keep my distance per stroke long; then I will switch to left side breathing every stroke cycle.
There have been several memorable occasions when I have had the need to breathe less frequently:
Maui Channel: I swam this tandem with Terry Laughlin and WIllie Miller. I had a nasty sinus infection that really hurt when I moved my head. My breathing pattern was left side ever 2 stroke cycles (4 strokes) for the duration.
8 Bridges 2011 Stage 7: Pulled muscle in my shoulder blade. Breathing pattern left only.
Memphre: Esophageal irritation + acid reflux = burning sensation when exhaling. I went for long stretches holding my breath for 5 strokes.
For cold water swims, I sometimes start on my back breathing every (yes EVERY) stroke.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
I breath every 2 strokes. I personally need to keep pumping oxygen into my system in order to hold 80+ strokes per minute for hours at a time. I can however breath bilaterally and do......I take a few breaths on one side then switch to the other. Being able to breath on both sides is important, breathing every three is not.
Some people do not need to breath every two strokes to keep their pace. If you don't need the oxygen, by all means breath every 3 because you will be more "balanced."
On a side note, the main reason a 3-breather swims straighter than a 2-breather is because people tend to overreach their entry during a breath. 3-breathers are switching sides so they are auto correcting. While this may result in a straightish line it's still ineffiecient.....correcting true imbalances in your stroke should be number one priority.
One more reason I like to breath every two......because if I breath every three I spend more time looking down. It took me having a few panic attacks to realize that even if I'm swimming moderately I still need to breath every 2 in order to keep my mind off of "the man in the grey suit."
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
I've recently come to a sad conclusion that my shoulder injury during Tampa was probably caused by faulty breathing to the right. My kayaker was to my right for pretty much the entire race, and I've now noticed that, when I breathe to the right, I have a perverse tendency to lift my head slightly as I turn it, which causes stress to the left arm. So, the lesson for me is to work on flawless breathing technique, and to ask my kayaker next time to change it up once in a while.
Milko
https://db.marathonswimmers.org/p/milko-van-gool/
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
What I mean by stroke cycle is every time your left arm comes round. In my book a stroke (or stroke cycle) is two pulls, left arm then right arm. So my normal pattern is 3 breaths in a row on my left side, then hold your breath for a bit as you switch over to the right side, then 3 more breaths in a row.
On long swims, I don't see the point of breathing bilaterally and switching sides after only one breath. For me, that's too much breath holding.
Here's some info:
http://teamatomica.com/fix-your-stroke-high-elbow-recovery/
I breathe every third stroke to start long races as a way to keep myself from going out too fast.
But then when it's time to get going, I breathe every two stroke to whatever side is advantageous. Usually away from the waves but occasionally away from bright sunshine if the sun is low on the horizon..
I do believe that bilateral breathing is better, at least for me. However, I will revert to breathing every two strokes at the end of the swim when I'm sprinting to the finish.
That's interesting. I have come to view my intake of Oxygen and the control of it similar to a throttle on an engine. The more oxygen I feed my muscles the faster I go. Of course as I try to sprint, I will go into oxygen debt at some point, but by keeping a good steady stroke and adjusting my breathing pattern I find I can regulate my speed. For example I can estimate my pace reasonably well without looking at the clock by using the 3 stroke bilateral pattern as a base for time per 100 yards:
5 stroke Bilateral = BASE + 6
4 stroke same = BASE + 4
3 stroke Bilateral = BASE
2,3,2,3 = BASE - 2
2,2,3,2,2 = BASE - 3
This comes in handy when training without a clock.
FWIW - In just about every swim I have done that is longer than 2 hours, I have maintain the 3 stroke bilateral.