Hmmmm, three weeks apart- no problem. Practice some good, active recovery techniques in between and you will be flying at both of them. Massage, hydration, good diet, enough rest. If you can manage those parts of the equation I think you will find you will be extremely fit after you finish your second 1/2 Ironman.

As for bilateral breathing- Well, most people have a side that they are most comfortable breathing on. Chances are you are fastest on that side- whatever it may be. Bilateral breathing can be a useful skill in rough water and for navigation purposes. For some swimmers it has the effect of strightening out their stroke. An alternative to bilateral breathing is "bilateral looking" where you are focusing on looking completely to both sides under the surface. this helps to insure you are getting adequate body roll in the water and your stroke is symetrical and balanced side to side.

I learned how to bilateral breath and I can do it but I doubt it has much benefit except in rough water or a very crowded swim. I used it in the RBTT/Fatum Triathlonfest race in Curacao which was in extremely rough water and it helped quite a bit. Beyond that, working on your stroke and concentrating on technique will get farther than just learning to bilateral breath.

Good luck!

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I breathe to both sides in the water because it helps me to balance my stroke, it helps me to swim straighter, it gives me the opportunity to keep track of what's going on around me on both sides, it helps me swim faster by reducing the number of times I need to look forward, especially if the rising sun is on one side, I can close my eyes when I breathe on the sun side, then keep track of landmarks/swimmers when I breathe on the other side.

I've only done one 1/2 IM, so take this with a grain of salt. If you can do one, you can do it again in three weeks, and have fun, too! If you want a peak performance, though, choose one or the other.

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Mr Ed
Triathlete with one horsepower

I have recently started breathing to my right as part of ever swim session. I naturally breathe to the left and most of the power of my stroke is from the right shoulder. Breathing to the left forces me to focus on the left shoulder - I hope it will balance out my stroke and make me generate more power overall. Search for "Bilateral breathing" on Slowtwitch & Gordos site and you will find every possible rational - for and against.

Like Tom dais, there's plenty of time between those two 1/2s. As far as the breathing goes, I think bilateral breathing is mostly good in the pool for keeping track of your competition in a race, and in open water for watching buoys on your side or for breathing in the event of some major sideways waves. Do what feels best for the most part, for me that's breathing on the right. Your stroke shouldn't be so lopsided anyways that you need to bilateral breathe to go straight.