Oxygen choices

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has been playing a trailer in movies that I watch for a while now. I’m not a fan of Ben Stiller, so it is annoying to watch it all the time. However, there is one quote which got me thinking today. It is:

"I’m gonna keep this short. I have to make oxygen choices."

So swimming with a slight chest cold brings up that thought process. I have a rhythm. It is stroke, breath, stroke, breath. I keep my head straight and down until I need to inhale. Where I will get my mouth above the waterline enough to quickly breath in. Exhaling is easily done underwater. If I need to cough water out of my mouth, I can skip a breath, but I’ll be redlining until the next gasp. I’ve even tried changing the stroke/breath ratios, but 1:1 works best.

So, this morning, I’ve got to pay attention to the phlegm in my lungs. Keeping my breath steady to not dislodge anything. And if something does happen, and I need to cough it clear, I need to wait until a time where I am face down in the water and I can strongly cough it out. That way, I can quickly inhale and go back to my rhythm.

Working on this skill has taught me to not panic in the water if I happen to breath in water.