I have this problem. When I am swimming, I like drinking the pool water. Well, I don’t like drinking it, but it happens. It used to happen a lot where I would swallow whole mouthfuls of water. Now, it seems to be just a tiny bit each time. Each tiny bit on each breathe adds up over the course of a swim and I usually have to get out of the pool to go pee at least once each swim practice.
Now, the problem with this is that I have my first race ever in less than a month and it is in salt water. I know that swallowing salt water is not generally considered a good thing.
Does anyone have any advice on how to keep water out of my mouth? I think that I get water in my mouth when I breathe, it trickles into my mouth. I usually spit it out when I am underwater breathing out, but a little bit remains.
It is something that sometimes cannot be avoided, but it can be minimized through practice. One thing is to make sure you are breathing in the trough of the wave formed by your head as it goes through the water. The trough will be at its lowest point just forward of your shoulder. If you are looking forward too much, you may be breathing too far forward. Try looking backwards a little when you breathe. Also, you can sort of purse your lips at the bottom and open them at the top some. This is done by moving your lower jaw to the right (if you breathe on the right). Look at yourself in a mirror and try it. Lastly, you need to be able to deal with some water in your mouth when you breathe as there is no way you can keep any from getting in. As you say, you have to spit it out as you exhale. It is like breathing with a snorkel–there is no way you can get all of the water out of a snorkel, but if you don’t suck in too hard it will stay in the bottom of the snorkel.
Unless you swim a long, long time, you aren’t having to visit the restroom because of that.
I drink a lot too, but it’s decreasing (thankfully). The pursed lips tip above seems common – look at good swimmers. Lots do that so they don’t have to roll/turn their heads as far.
Inhale and exhale with you mouth not your nose. Do you also get water up your nose sometimes during flipturns?, - you didn’t mention turning at the wall.
What it takes is practice. After 30 years of swimming, - I still get water up my nose…I always let water wash through my mouth in the pool and have to be very conscious of NOT doing that in the open water. One can get sick really quickly in salt or lake water by even letting the water wash through one’s mouth…