So I swim a lot, about 3 miles each week. My freestyle stroke is pretty much 3 strokes and breathing on alternating sides...that's how a trainer taught me. Example:

breath (on left side)
right stroke
left stroke
right stroke
breath (on right side)
left stroke
right stroke
left stroke
breath (on left side)

aka, breath, stroke, stroke, stroke, breath.....

This is how I was taught...the guy explained that it's more balanced, efficient, etc. It took some time to feel comfortable breathing on my left side, but now I've got it down.

I can not breath this pattern when going as fast as possible, but I can maintain it for a nice perpetual pace....this is the pace that I swim the mile in. My heart-rate is at about 128-136. If I want to go faster I can, but my increased heart-rate will demand breathing such that I need to breath every other stroke and thusly on the same side.

Comments about this??

Next....

I recently went up to Lake Arrowhead where I do a lot of lake swimming in the summer. The water is just about 60-degrees so it gets to your chest a bit and steals your breath (for the first 1/4-mile). I usually wear a tri-suit cause it takes a hint of the chill off and it gives me a place to keep the underwater ipod.

Anyways, this was my 2nd year swimming laps up there (320-foot laps across to another dock) and when I tried getting into my freestyle pattern, I found I was only able to maintain a 3-stroke/breath pattern for about 100 feet before I was sucking the O's and needing to breath more. I don't think I was swimming faster or harder then at my local gym....but I sure needed to breath more!

Answer: I live at about 1,200 feet and Lake Arrowhead is at about 5,100 feet.....so of course, less oxygen means I'm going to breath faster, at least until my body compensates/adapts....and even then, to what extent.

So here are my thoughts, comments please:

The altitude is to explain for why I'm sucking the O's....I can either switch back to a breath, stroke, stroke, breath pattern (always breathing on my right side).....OR I can just slow down my pace and only go as fast as I can go while maintaining a 3-stroke/breath pattern....eventually I'll pick-up the pace as my body adapts, yeah? So stay the 3-stroke even if I need to slow it down for a while?

I'm only up there on the weekends and sometimes it's every other weekend, will my blood/body adapt with such limited exposure to altitude?

Lots of stuff to address here...thanks!

BSL, here are my thoughts:

When I started swimming correctly, about 6 months ago, I was taught bilateral breathing. But, I couldn't go much farther than 25 or maybe 50 yards without dying because of my inefficient style. After much discussions with others, Sparrow, FlyinFree and my swim coach, I went to same side swimming and am fine with that. I met with my swim coach yesterday who reminded me that same side breathing is fine for me and most non-competitive swimmers. I envy you in being able to slow down to go bilateral; I can't slow down like that because I have a minimum speed below which I sink too much unless I am in a wetsuit.

As for the elevation, obviously it will help some, but I don't think much. I go to Denver/Boulder (5200' above sea level) frequently and when I do and work out, I don't feel much of a difference from Florida (80' above sea level). Your difference is less than that and you are not there continuously which I think is important for altitude training.

Are you swimming in 60F without a wetsuit?!!!

I echo G8r's remarks. I don't think same side breathing is that much to stress over. Some people can manage bilateral breathing throughout a longer faster swim and some can't. I have been a competitive swimmer most of my life and I never ever was a bilateral breather-but I'm also a distance swimmer, and always have been. My coach never seemed to concerned about it-though he did try to conform me once.

As long as your stroke is even and efficient on both sides (rotating equally on both sides and pull is similar regardless of breating arm) you should be fine. If not, you could develop some shoulder problems due to overuse.

As for altitude. I agree here too. First off, a weekend at a time isn't enough time to become acclimated to a new altitude to train in. Everyone is different regarding what "altitude" is and then how they acclimate to it. For some 5100 feet is nothing, for others it may be a stress on the body's energy systems. I lived in Aurora, CO for a time and at 5400 ft I did notice a difference from my hometown of 100ft. It took me a few weeks to feel myself there but I was winded swimming for those weeks.

Just see those swim sessions at the lake as some good hypoxic training

Ahhhhh......"Bilateral" swimming, so that's what it's called!!!

Yeah, I adapted to that for a couple reasons. My orthopedic surgeon friend AND a physical therapist both insisted it would be better for me in terms of avoiding problems. A pro-swimmer also told me it was more efficient & "balanced", and a doctor & trainer told me it would actually help develop more endurance with my lungs...so I just dialed it in and that's how I swim my free-style.

Now I don't know about you guys....but I find that I'm a good deal faster overall using bilateral swimming, certainly more efficient. I've been told I move through the water with minimal disruption and all my energy is sorted towards forward momentum. I sorta borrowed a page from the "Total Immersion" book and really strive to keep my body elongated & streamlined while swimming. My kicks are generally used to just weight-offset my reaching stroke and I reach way forward and dive my hands into the water smoothly and then pull them back long & strong. When I reach forward, my fingertips just barely skim the water. I just slide along kinda rolling my body side to side and reaching far forward....ya really gotta focus on form. Other people are just violently thrashing about, I've worked with a few people and they were amazed at the difference it made, but it's a lot of coordination....but eventually it becomes habit. I really enjoy swimming, especially up in the lake where you're surrounded by tree's and the water is fresh n' free of chlorine!

As for the altitude, for me it makes a big difference. At 5,100 feet I find my heart-rate & breathing is WAY UP as compared to down at 1,200 feet. Not maybe, definitely. When I bike around the lake, I'm exerting moderately and yet breathing much harder. It only makes sense, I'm swimming at the same rate as I do in the gym pool...so why would the same rate in the lake cause me to surrender the bilateral swimming after 150 feet? It's got to be the altitude. As for acclimating, I'm not up there long enough or often enough for my body to adjust.

Having given it some thought, I think I'll just slow my pace down to the point where I can sustain bilateral breathing. My next challenge is the butterfly stroke, I can easily run the 25-yard lane in the gym, but in the lake I can only do about 150 feet before reverting to freestyle. I'll keep at it until I can do the 320-feet all the way with butterfly; at least you can breath every stroke!

Yeah, some local fisherman told me the lake pretty much gets up to 60-62 degree's during the summer...it's kinda chilly getting in, but once you adjust, it's very refreshing. After swimming 3 or 4 laps, my body is generating enough heat to work with the cold. I don't use a wet-suit, I just see young kids swimming and playing in the lake so I figure if they can take it, I can. As I mentioned before, I like to wear a tri-suit, that thin layer of material actually helps more then you'd imagine when first getting in the water. It's also proven to help reduce friction in the water....I've proven this in my own pool at home. With a basic jammer I can kick really hard and cruise (without arm stroke) about 28-30 feet until I stop. With the tri-suit, I can kick and go all the way across the pool (34 feet) and touch the end.