Major Breathing Breakthrough!

I finally broke through the 100 yard barrier in a big way.  I waited Sunday to Wednesday to be fresh and then started my workout with 150m swim without breaks, then on Thursday I did the same out to 200 yards!  Each time, I wasn't frantically out of breath at the end, and actually felt pretty calm.  The workouts were 750 yards and 650 yards total, making them longer than in the past. 

The last key adjustments were to slow down my strokes (more time to breath in), and to move my head over to breath even before the window opens so I take advantage of the whole time to take in a less rushed breath, and fill my lungs.  It takes an act of conscious attention and will to focus on doing what I need to for quality inhales.  The slower stroke rate means that one-sided breathing doesn't come at such a hyperventilating speed as well.  Getting away from the panicked feeling of breathing is really huge, because that has always led me to use my arms too quickly to make it to the end of the lap so I can stop.  Now, I hope to stay within myself and push out that distance gradually.  I can actually imagine a 900 meter swim, at least in the pool, for the first time, yeah!