Breathing whilst running

Hi all, started running about 4 weeks ago now, and when i started i could barley do half a km without getting out of breath and getting a stitch. 4 weeks on and its improved only ever so slightly. Any tips on how to breathe correctly or how long till i overcome the feeling of not been able to take enough air in?

Thanks all :)

Replies

  • lynd95
    lynd95 Posts: 4 Member
    I run pretty slowly as it is. 7 min kms
  • z4oslo
    z4oslo Posts: 229 Member
    Run slower, also I would suggest trying to follow a program like c25k.
    Aim for 3x week.

    Good luck.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
    Run slower. My first miles were at about 10 min/km (all running-not Run/walk). That’s as fast as I could go and still be able to breathe.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
    Follow a run/walk program like Couch to 5K and run slowly. If you can't sing while you run you're going too fast. Don't worry how slow it is - speed will come later.

    Good luck.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Focus on breathing. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. I have been told, but don't know if it true, is that you get the stich from not breathing, because you body is not getting enough oxygen. A whole lot of people forget to breath and hold their breath when exercising or breath very shallowly. It will seem weird at first, but with practice, it will become second nature.

    If you have to worry about how to breathe while doing a cardio activity, you're doing it wrong (barring any physical issues, of course). All of the issues described above happen because the level of effort is more than the individual can perform.

    Running easier will allow OP to relax while running. If OP can relax while exercising, the breathing will take care of itself.

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    IME, it's a struggle at first... it's just part of the deal. As you progress and your conditioning improves, you should be able to find a rhythm with your stride/pace/effort and your breathing. Be patient, you'll get there.
  • elsie6hickman
    elsie6hickman Posts: 3,864 Member
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Focus on breathing. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. I have been told, but don't know if it true, is that you get the stich from not breathing, because you body is not getting enough oxygen. A whole lot of people forget to breath and hold their breath when exercising or breath very shallowly. It will seem weird at first, but with practice, it will become second nature.

    If you have to worry about how to breathe while doing a cardio activity, you're doing it wrong (barring any physical issues, of course). All of the issues described above happen because the level of effort is more than the individual can perform.

    Running easier will allow OP to relax while running. If OP can relax while exercising, the breathing will take care of itself.

    Lots of people tend to hold their breath or breath very shallowly when they exercise. I'm suggesting that a few deep breaths will help with the stich.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    lynd95 wrote: »
    I run pretty slowly as it is. 7 min kms

    That's quite fast as a training pace for a new runner. It's really counter intuitive but at least 80% of your runs should be at a pace at which you can carry on a conversation. Your breathing should be relaxed, the only time you should find yourself gasping for breath is when you're sprinting and/or doing speed work which would be premature at this point as you're building your aerobic base. Slow down....

    And don't worry about breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, many of the greatest runners have been mouth breathers, do what feels natural.

  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Focus on breathing. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. I have been told, but don't know if it true, is that you get the stich from not breathing, because you body is not getting enough oxygen. A whole lot of people forget to breath and hold their breath when exercising or breath very shallowly. It will seem weird at first, but with practice, it will become second nature.

    If you have to worry about how to breathe while doing a cardio activity, you're doing it wrong (barring any physical issues, of course). All of the issues described above happen because the level of effort is more than the individual can perform.

    Running easier will allow OP to relax while running. If OP can relax while exercising, the breathing will take care of itself.

    Lots of people tend to hold their breath or breath very shallowly when they exercise. I'm suggesting that a few deep breaths will help with the stich.

    It's impossible to hold your breath when doing easy steady state cardio activity. Your body literally will not let you, the same way that it will not let you hold your breath when just sitting around.

    Breath tends to get shallow when exerting yourself past aerobic levels or when resistance training. If somebody gets stitches or short of breath when doing steady state cardio, it generally means that they're working beyond their 'easy' workout level.
  • sarahthes
    sarahthes Posts: 3,252 Member
    I've been running for a year and 7 min/km is my 5K race pace. Go slower.
  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
    I agree with the rest, slow down your runs. I have to constantly tell myself to slow down on longer runs in order to breath well enough to finish my intended distance.

    One thing that does help me is intentionally taking a few very deep open mouth breaths when I get winded.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Focus on breathing. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. I have been told, but don't know if it true, is that you get the stich from not breathing, because you body is not getting enough oxygen. A whole lot of people forget to breath and hold their breath when exercising or breath very shallowly. It will seem weird at first, but with practice, it will become second nature.

    or as someone once said to me, you have a massive hole in the front of your head to get air in, use it!
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
    Run slower. There is a reason we are all saying it! When I first started I basically was walking with the form of “running”. If you can’t hold a conversation easily you are going too fast. Slow down, with time you will get faster... we promise!
  • antennachick
    antennachick Posts: 464 Member
    Check out some YouTube videos on breathing. What worked for me is deep breath and holding in for 2-3 seconds then slow out. The videos make more sense...find what works! And start out slow with running doing walk/run intervals
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,190 Member
    What everyone else said plus have you ever thought of exercise induced asthma? When i started running I would be completely out of breath with a tight feeling in my chest. I was running with a friend who happened to be a GP and she noticed I was wheezing as well. I used some salbutamol and boom problem solved. So I guess do you feel tight chested or do you wheeze?

    Other than that, go slower