What am I doing wrong here? I have no problems when doing short stuff (100’s, 300’s) but it seems that whenever I do a long swim (1000>) I end up with a mild headache coming out of the water. This really sucks for anything beyond a sprint. When I do the long swims, they are generally slower so that I can breathe every three strokes without feeling out of breath whatsoever.
The same thing happens to me, usually when I swim futher than 800m straight w/o a wetsuit.
dm, this may be a dumb question, but why not breathe every other stroke? Maybe you’d get more oxygen.
my only headaches from swimming come from realizing how slow I am. Sorry, I know I didn’t help, maybe some chemical related issues? My wife is a pool person and always tells me about how chemicals are manipulated to meet certain ends. Just a thought, have you spoke to others who maybe are having the same issues? My thoughts only apply if you are swimming in the same water.
Hmmm. I guess I feel like that when I breath every other stroke I swim even slower than normal, and all the rolling might make me dizzy. I’m pretty slow to begin with. Even with three strokes I don’t feel like I’m wanting for air.
It’s not the pool (at least I dont think), it happens whether I’m in my backyard pool (saltwater) or at the gym (chlorine, etc.).
loosen up the googles a bit and/or lose the swim cap
.
I see lots of swimmers that have difficulty with proper breathing. Breathing is not only important to get oxygen, but also to clear the CO2. Maybe your breathing causes the headaches. Focus on the exhalation phase. Pay attention to the instant when you turn your head and take a breath. Do you still exhale when you’re head is roateted to the side? If so you insufficiently exhale under water. Remember to start exhaling as soon as your head returns to the “in line” position and your mouth is under water.
good luck,
d
i used to get headaces from poor head position. when turning my head to the side to take a breath, i used to do this funky turn-my-head-while-twisting-thing to ensure my face fully cleared the water. the result was that i lifting my entire head out of the water. of course, i didn’t think i was, but the video never lies.
it wasn’t a problem on shorter intervals, but anytime i swam for 10 minutes continuous or longer, i’d get a headache.
relax your head, neck, shoulders. head stays in the water. simply roll to the air. turn your head as if you were holding a tennis ball between your chin and shoulder. good luck.
I have had this problem in the past too. Make sure you are properly hydrated and that you aren’t overheating. It’s very easy to dehydrate while swimming, especially if the air and water at your pool is too warm. Also make sure you gogles aren’t too tight, they usually don’t need to be tight at all if they fit your sockets properly.
As well as being properly hydrated, make sure that your electrolytes are up. Try to drink a bottle of gatorade after you swim and see if you still get a headache.
It worked for me.
jaretj