Matt,
Congratulations on your new record! Sounds like you have some potential! But there are some very important things you need to learn right away. First is don’t do statics (freediver jargon for still breathholds) in the pool without a spotter in the water with you and especially not a lifeguard. To understand this is you have to realize the kind of accidents lifeguards are train for. In most instances the person swallows some water and may pass out from mental stress and or hyperventilation. What ever the reason the O2 stores in the body are still pretty full. A person can hold their breath without any air in the lungs for at least 2 minutes. Therefore if a lifeguard sees a person and rescues them within 2 minutes, the person usually lives and all is good.
A person who passes out from holding their breath for 3 or more minutes though has already used up their body’s O2 stores, they need help immediately! An unfortunate happening of this sport was before more people were educated we lost several to just this same thing – alone pool breathholding! Because of this some public swimming pools have tried to ban freedivers.
You are very wise in seeking advice about your new interest. This can be a fun and safe sport, if you seek knowledge and find out a few things. There are really only a few things you can do in pool by yourself that is of any value to training. Just like in muscle exercise, no pain no gain. For the body to adapt to handling lower O2 levels, higher CO2 levels, and oxygen conversation it has to be put in a oxygen deprived state. It’s just to dangerous too do this in the water without someone right there knowing your plan, how your going to communicate to them, and them knowing what to do if there is a problem.
Water is soothing and those painful contractions on dry land will usually be less in the water. It is so easy to fall asleep and pass out. Also there appear to be many factures that happen to put the body into a good O2 conservation mode. You never know when something is not working right and your limit that was 5:00 becomes 3:30. Pain or just about any other feeling is not a good indicator. People who have done many breathhold with a pulse/oximeter can verify this.
You have figured out some good training on your own. For instance the walking/running while breathholding is a good CO2 tolerance builder. Anytime a breathhold is done with movement it tends to increase CO2 faster and build tolerance. This will make your contractions in static more manageable.
You don’t say where you are located. The freediver community is a small close one. There maybe someone close you could train with and also know where and when the next freediving class is. Keep up the training, but only push yourself on dry land.
Another good way to know if you’re having a samba is to follow the current AIDA rules I mentioned earlier. That is remove your mask (which for me on land is my glasses), nose clip, say OK and make the OK signal with your hand. When you have a samba you tend to loose track of time for some seconds. So when you are done with the breathhold make a note of the time, do some quick recovery breaths with the upper lungs so you can keep your blood pressure high which will create more O2 going to the brain, and then do the protocol. A sign of a samba will be inability to perform this in 20 seconds without noticeable movement or loss of motor control.
don