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Background: I climbed Mt. Fuji the other day and a Japanese coworker asked me
if the altitude made the hike difficult.

I wanted to say "The altitude didn't make it too difficult but there were
times when it was hard for me to catch my breath." I'm specifically interested
in the phrase "catch one's breath".

Researching online, I have found the phrase「息を呑む」. The English translation
given is "catch one's breath" but this seems to be specifically the
"breathtaking" meaning.

Is there a phrase that accurately describes the act of "returning to a state
of normal respiration after physical exertion causes one's breath to be heavy
and labored"?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-18T06:21:19.063
38542
2016-08-19T02:35:46.677
1806
question
phrase-requests
Catch one's breath
ALC could be a good place to look for a translation. For this question,
<http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=catch+one%27s+breath> is the result.
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2016-08-18T12:07:11.333
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2016-08-18T12:07:11.333
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answer
Taking the liberty of rounding up the expressions suggested in the comments...

  * 息{いき}を整える{ととのえる}: To restore heavy, labored or otherwise irregular breathing to a stable, orderly pattern.

  * 息{いき}を継ぐ{つぐ}: To take in a breath between periods of breathlessness, like when singing or swimming. Also refers to taking a break from activity to have a rest and relax.

  * 一息吐く{ひといきつく}: To breathe out (once). Often used figuratively to mean "to have a breather". In the latter sense it is synonymous with 息{いき}を継ぐ{つぐ}(the second meaning) and 一息入れる{ひといきいれる}.

So I think 息を整える is the best fit for your description. As for the translation,
you can say something like 息を整えるのが大変な時(or 所)もあった or ところどころで息が整いづらかった, or try
something more casual and say ヒーヒー言いながら登る所もあった。

And as you suspect, 息{いき}を呑む{のむ} means "to take in a sudden breath", as when
struck by awe, surprise, breath-taking beauty, etc. So this one has the least
relevance in this case.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-19T02:35:46.677
38566
2016-08-19T02:35:46.677
11575
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answer