Back to the roots: static apnea

I haven't been writing lately, because I've really had nothing useful to write about. I was on a monofin clinic with Peter Pedersen in December last year and it was very good and inspirational. Since then, I've been mostly consentrating on monofin techniqe. I haven't really been diving as such, I decided to take the approach where I concentrate on technique and general fitness first, and only when a competition is near, I will start training apnea again.

Well, it turns out that was a good strategy. A little over a week ago, I started dry statics again as preparation for the competition on 21.1.2006. I had done some odd statics here and there, while in full training (almost daily joggin, gym, swimming or cross country skiing) and managed a good 7 minutes quite well (on I side note, I really do mean getting in shape. I've lost over 15 kilos of fat since last july and almost 10kg of that after Renens). Since I had now stopped all that, I expected my results to rise. But I wasn't expecting such a jump! On the first session some time last week, I immediately got a 7:37. Sure, I've done more a couple of times, but this was after a long break and usually the best times come after...Well, I was right again. On sunday, a new pb in water: 7:34. Then Mon and Tue, 7:40 and 7:47 dry. Then I rested for a couple of days, like I always do, starting statics again on the previous day before a competition.

Then on friday, the real bomb shell. On my first FRC warmup, I did 4 minutes and on the second 5 minutes. I knew at least now, that I was having a really strong day. Then on the first packing warmup 7 minutes. In warmup! I then settled down for about 5 minutes and concentrated, inhaled, packed...I have no clue how long it was until the first contraction (I've stopped looking at the watch at that point). All I know is that I was feeling relaxed and in control for a very long time. After about 40 contractions I sat up and looked at the watch. Just passing 8 minutes! I decided to hold on until 8:15, such in nice round number. And I did and I was still completely in control. I was still feeling the effects of the hypercapnia several minutes later, but I was grinning like a maniac :)

So, on saturday, I was feeling the pressure like usual. My competition performances have usually been ruined by being too nervous. But not this time. I knew exactly what I had to do. How I had to eat, the warmup schedule by the minute, what kind of suit to wear...These are all things I've made mistakes in, but not now. Plus I had the confidence of knowing, that physically, I could do 7 minutes even if something went slightly wrong.

I packed a little too much and ended up swallowing some air. I had a short episode of "cardio vagal problem". At this point I was a bit nervous. How much air did I swallow? Is it ruined? But then as I'm pondering this and trying to relax everything, out of the blue the first signal: 4 minutes. Already? I was still feeling like I had just started. My first contraction came at an amazing 5:30. Usually a sign of heavy hyperventilation, but I had not hyperventilated. Much less than usual...A 6:00 I was feeling so strong, I now knew I would reach 7 minutes no problem. So I just let my self drop even deeper into my mind and relaxed completely. 7 minutes passed, but I was still ok, so I kept going...Onto 7:34, which is exactly the same time as my training pb! If you could only have seen my face at that point! I had conquered the big 7 in competition and not only that, I had smashed my old competiton pb my almost a minute.

Next was dynamic, but I was feeling so exstatic I didn't really have the motivation to concentrate fully. I did some hasty warmups and 118m. Originally my goal was 125m, but not today, not with that preparation. But this was also a competition pb and it was comforting to know that even on a hideously bad dive, I can beat my old pb. I have no doubt I can reach over 125 meters this season...The dive was really ugly. I lost all my hard worked tecnique and swam like a...hmm, well some animal that swims really bad. On virtually every turn, I had problems with buoyancy and all the turns were far from fluent. But none of that mattered. I had just made a world class static result in competition and left with the feeling I could've done more...

It still continues to amaze me though, how bad my sta/dyn ratio is. Maybe I should stop swimming all together and just drift with the current for 7 minutes or something. Would propably get further that way. Something happens to my apnea when I start moving. And that's what I have to work on next, if I ever want to improve in DYN/CW disciplines...