Open Water Panic Attack HELP!!!! (Page 3)

I did my 20th tri Saturday and had a severe panic feeling which I hadn't had in a a couple years in a race. I really wanted out of the water. I stopped for maybe 20-30 seconds and just started swimming freestyle again (check out my RR for Mooseman). I was able to regroup and continue to swim 1640 yds feeling comfortable and it didn't effect my bike or run.

Why it happened? I have a few guesses...water was cold 62, I did this tri for the third time...first time I did the water was 57 and I was dead last out of the water and stayed there all day which bugs me still to this day ..started in the last wave and started in last wave again this year.

I'm pretty sure it was part mental and part the cold water. I was pretty surprised how quickly the feeling passed but it was very intense.

The odd thing is I did a Int'l race in FL in the ocean in April and had some fears...creepy ocean things but did it fine. I had done probably 14-18 ows this year w/o any issues and went tonight. The difference was the location & temp. 

I'm not sure if it is good or bad that I'm reading this thread and all the related OWS ones.

I have my first OWS sprint coming up, and I hope that OWS panic does not become a self-fulfilling prophecy come race time.

I am going to stop reading all these OWS threads.  I can screw with my own mind just fine, thank you.   

It seems that the three main issues affecting your race day swim have been presented and I know I, as well as many others have sufferred from all three.

Wet suit constriction. The wet suit prevents you from feeling that normal chest expansion and causes you to doubt your breathing ability. If you're swimming in warm water without problems and then having problems with a wetsuit in colder water then you either have a problem with the wetsuit or the next issue...

Submersion in cold water. OK you're in your wetsuit and you've entered the water and your suit is keeping your legs and torso warm. But wait, in order to swim you have to submerge your face and all of a sudden you're gasping for air. It is your natural response to cold water immersion. You probably quit swimming for a few minutes, while clinging to a kayak or surfboard and then you're fine. Cold water is going to make you gasp. You've got to get accustomed to it before the race start.

Panic/anxiety attack. The hardest one for me to overcome. I just had to keep practicing in open water. I never had panic in the pool. But when the water was cold, dark, murky, and with no lane lines things began to change. Throw in some kicks, slaps, hits, dunks, you know, all the stuff associated with a race start and in a few seconds you're in full blown panic mode. I had to consciously focus on swimming as slow and as controlled as possible. I had to think of anything but swimming. I had to forget about racing and just concentrate on finishing the swim. You have to finish the swim to gain admission to the fun parts of the triathlon.

Another thing that helped me was a lesson I learned at the 2006 St. A's. We knew the day before that the water would be rough. I had gone down for a swim and stopped by a TNT swim lecture. The speaker was explaining that "waves are water too". That simple phrase gave me a lot of comfort the next morning when we found ourselves swimming in some pretty good chop. Find something that will calm you before the start. And get in the water and swim.....and then swim some more  right up to start time.

Good luck and keep tri-ing.

you know what, I'm not sure what triggers is, but I had the same type thing happened to me just on my last tri.  it was my first tri and my first OWS, and I had a wetsuit... but I am not sure what triggered it because I am a fine swimmer too   I didn't panic too much, I just kind of hyperventilated a bit when I got in the water, but my heart started racing just before we went in, so it might have been nerves.  However, when I started having a hard time breathing in the water, I was like "oh c'mon pigfinn, what's this nosense about, swim dangit", LOL!!... and I did and it got better

I'm interested to hear why this happens to so many people on an OWS when we are fine swimmers... maybe it's the cold water or a mental thing, not sure....

Here is something I wrote to a couple of people in my club that were having some anxiety about their OWSs.  I had some serious issues my whole first season, and unfortunately I can see from reading the posts above that it can come back at any time... oh joy.  Anyway, here are some of the things I've done to get past that panicky feeling:

1. Relax and look at the swim as just a warmup for the bike.
1a. (forgot this, and didn't want to renumber) Get in the water before the swim starts and bob around a bit. Don't start out right away swimming, float a bit, get some water in your wetsuit, duck your head under a couple of times, then swim a few strokes. No hurry here, just pretend you're at the lake as a kid playing in the water. If you get uptight looking underwater, hold your nose and bob up and down a few times, then stay under a bit and look around...it's not so bad. Float on your back just to remind yourself that you really can't sink in a wetsuit.
2. Position yourself to the outside of the crowd. If you breathe on the side toward the buoys, you can simply watch the crowd position for the first part of the swim and not worry too much about sighting since they will be between you and the buoy line.
3. Let the crowd start first. Stand toward the back and let the mass of people get in the water ahead of you. Remember, the swim is just a warmup and it really doesn't matter in what place you come out of the water.
4. Wade in to about your waist as everyone else is getting started, then start slow. And I do mean s-l-o-w. Slower than that. I mean Margaritas-on-the-deck-on-a-hot-summer-afternoon slow. I don't mean to contradict the coach's advice about turnover and speed, but I found I had to go slower than I thought at the first to sort of ease into the swim and avoid the anxiety. I fix my turnover later when I'm feeling more comfortable, but the slowness helps me a lot at the first. Think about making your body as long as possible those first few strokes and really feel the glide through the water while you're stretched out. Be sure to breathe out underwater, and take your time when you've rolled up to the air to take a full breath. I know that the adrenaline will kick in at the start, so this is a good time to use your mantra - "relax", or "smooth", or I like "easy".
5. I never feel like I'm going anywhere in OW if its at all murky since there's no way to judge forward motion, so I used to always pull too hard and jack up my HR, which led to more anxiety. That's another reason starting slow helps me. Trust your form - you've been working hard for a long time on your swim form. You KNOW it will propel you through the water, so just relax as much as you can and don't try to hurry. Don't even kick - your wetsuit will float your legs up, just keep your legs relaxed.
6. If your HR gets too high and you feel like you're breathing too hard, slow down again. Let your arms sort of drift through your pull. You'll still have to pull a little, but think about letting your arms drift while you're pulling until you get your breath back. Remember the drills where we would go fast for awhile then easy in the same set? Trust that experience that you can get your breath back while swimming easy. You've done it before, you can do it in the lake as well.

Having some specific things to focus on helps me get past it.  The cold water definitely makes it worse, but if I take a little longer on step 1a in the cold water, the swim will go better.  Good luck - if I can get through this, anyone can!

GREAT advice in the above post.  I too am part of the swim panic attack support group.  To date, I've done 6 tris and I've had some sort of swim issue in 5 of them.  I've found that it usually takes me 10-15 minutes before I am able to fully calm down and start to race the swim.  As you know this isn't ideal for sprints.  However, I have gotten used to using the term "On Your Left" on the bike as I come out of the water so far back. 

I'm not 100% certain how I am going to overcome my swim issues, but I will follow the advice listed above.  I've heard much of this advice before.  My mantra when the gun goes off is SLOW and STEADY to start.  Despite all my swim issues, I am still moving forward in this sport.  In fact, I am taking on the ultimate swim challenge in a little over 2 weeks - a mass swim start with 2,000 other people:  IM CdA.  Once I get out of the water, I will already consider myself successful as I will have overcome one of my biggest fears. 

Good luck to all with these issues.  I hope to report in with great results after CdA to prove to everyone that these panic attacks can be overcome.

I'm sorry to hear about everyone's tough moments in the OW, but I have to admit I'm also relieved......I am a strong pool swimmer also, but tried my first OWS a couple of weeks ago and had the same panicky feeling. (Thank you to anyone who has ever written the advice to NEVER do anything for the first time on race day!!!!!!!!) I jumped back in the OW a couple of days ago and found, as many have written already, that it is 100% mental. Once I talked myself down and was thinking about the basics of good form, the swimming got a lot easier.

 I'm going out for 1 last OWS today, and I'm hoping to feel even better. My first race is Sunday.

 So I guess what is true for biking and running is true for OWS as well....the  only way to get better is to do it.

I think many to most of us have been there. I am in a similar situation to you that I have to drive 2hours each way to get to OWS practice so it just doesn't happen much.

I'll add to the "read my race report" from June 2 - what worked for me there was getting into the water 15 minutes before the gun to acclimate, then starting the swim more slowly than normal.

Keep at it and you WILL get over this.