Hi LetsRun,
One of the athletes I coach, a very talented young man, has an issue in cross country where, when he is in the midst of a harder workout on a hilly course, his breathing will increase rapidly to the point where he is practically hyperventilating. You can hear it from clear across a field. It almost always occurs on a hilly course and on difficult terrain, never on the roads or on a track.
He is in great shape and can complete tempos on the roads seemingly without much breathing difficulty, so my thought is that this is purely psychological: he knows the hill is coming, panics, and then his breathing rapidly increases. My question is: what can I do to help correct this? I've been looking over mental strategies like meditation and visualization, but I'm unsure of exactly how to advise him.
Anybody have any experience with this type of thing? Thanks in advance!