Mental Hurdles and Breathing as a Beginner Runner

tammylwv

I am doing a class called Anyone Can Run. I tried doing the C25K by myself before and never completed it. I did the ACR class for the group and because I really want to complete it and do a 5K.

I am looking for how you get over the mental hurdles. We are doing cycles of 4 min jog/ 3 min walk this week and I find myself looking at the watch or thinking I can't do this because I feel like my breathing is way off...it could be just what I hear. Anyway, today after doing my cycles I decided to just jog and see what I could do and it seemed to be better than the cycles.

How do you break through the mental aspect of running as I do believe most of it is mental?

How do you get into a good breathing rhythm? I don't want to be running with a group of people and sound like a panting dog.

I plan on doing my cycles this Saturday at a 5k run/walk with my co-workers but there is a 5K next month after the ACR is over.

Thanks in advance!!!

PaytraB

If you are "panting like a dog", you are running too fast. Try slowing down just a little to keep your breathing in a more comfortable range. The advice given to me when I started running was to speak a short sentence while running. If you can do that, you're running at a good speed. If you can't, you're going too fast.

Most of running is a mental challenge. Have you tried listening to music? I find that helps and you can (sort of) keep track of time, too, since most songs run about 2-3 minutes. This might keep you from glancing at your watch so often. I found that glancing at the watch made me feel more tired and the urge to stop running grew higher. It's sometimes easier not to know the exact time.

Keep up the good work. You're doing great. Running 4 minutes at a time is no small matter. Way to go!

_Zardoz_

Slow down. You should be able to hold a conversation. Don't worry about how fast your going speed will come in time

SonicDeathMonkey80

Run slow, breathe natural. No need to force yourself into a rhythm - you'll end up wearing yourself out even more. Your body has a knack for involuntarily taking care of these things for you.

BraidedKitteness

I'm really interested in this as well. My friend and I just started doing C25K after work. We ended up starting over last week due to tons of rain storms and she had a week long trip she had to do for work. We're on week two again (90 second run+ 2 minute walk) and we do okay until we get to the last set, then we feel like we're dying. We talk the entire time so I know we're at an okay pace. Just wondering about any tips to get through that last set, especially as we get back into the longer sets.

RatherBeInTheShire

Agree with everyone else. The best advice I ever got when I first started runnning was SLOW DOWN. Most beginners try to run entirely too fast, leaving them exhuasted and frustrated. You should be to talk. If you can't, slow down even more. Running takes time, and work. I'm now running marathons.. just slow down. =]

kshadows

I agree with slowing down as well. I am still pretty novice at running but I have really perfected keeping an appropriate pace and breathing.

Base your breathing off your paces: breathe in for 4 steps, out for 4 steps (I usually do 4, sometimes I have to cut back to 3). It helps so much! And gives you something else to focus on

SonicDeathMonkey80

I'm really interested in this as well. My friend and I just started doing C25K after work. We ended up starting over last week due to tons of rain storms and she had a week long trip she had to do for work. We're on week two again (90 second run+ 2 minute walk) and we do okay until we get to the last set, then we feel like we're dying. We talk the entire time so I know we're at an okay pace. Just wondering about any tips to get through that last set, especially as we get back into the longer sets.

Ok, conversational pace means a pace at which you "could" carrry a conversation... doesn't mean you should be chit-chatting the whole time. That might be why...

Mashy3980

I have been using the ease into 5K app on my phone. I used to be the same way, I would constantly glance at my watch to see if I was to be running or walking. This progrma plays music from your playlist and beeps and tells you when to walk and when to run. This keeps my mind off the watch. Good luck

nsimon24

Something I have found to be really helpful is to listen to music that matches my pace. There is a website called Jog.fm that you can enter your pace into, and it will suggest songs that match it that you can add to a playlist. I found that I tend to naturally adjust my pace and breathing to the music as I was jogging, and since I was not thinking about it so much it made it easier. You can also adjust the order the songs play to fit into an interval training session.

For me it really helps not to think while I jog and just do it - it makes it a lot easier to fall into a natural pace and I am not as concerned about looking silly/slow - my jogging pace is slower than my walk due to breathing, so it is easy to drive myself crazy if I think about it too much!

Eric_DeCastro

slow it down. you should be able to hold a conversation while running esp when you just start out. I have this problem when i add length to my run because I get anxious. today I have to run a little slower.

the mental thing is just know you can do it. there is no give up. look at my pictures, I wrote never give up on my running shoes because there is no other option. if it takes you an hour to run a 5K then it takes an hour. but never give up.

KyleB65

If you are running in a group. Talk with someone while you run. When I first started running I had the same issue, always felt out of breath! I convinced a couple of friends to sign up for a 5K and commit to training together. This was an awesome experience. We met 1-2x per week to run a per-determined distance. As we were friends, we chatted the whole time. I found that when I talk with people as I run, my focus is not on trying to breath "correctly" for the running. Breathing becomes automatic.

Note that it will still take some time to get your body used to running. This is just something that helped me adjust when I first started running. Hope it helps!

hmjohnson25

I feel like I breathe loudly when I run, but I've learned to not sweat it. You need to breathe, so do your thing. When I started, I would count my breaths and steps, and I found that I do best at 2 steps inhale, 2 steps exhale. That can change a bit if I run faster or slower, but just being aware of that rhythm helped me feel more in control of my breathing.

The mental challenge is always there for me. In the beginning, I would literally plan out my whole day or try to think about a specific problem to try to solve - anything to get my mind off physically running. Now, music helps and taking note of my surroundings. It's a good chunk of time you can spend just thinking. Once you start hitting certain benchmarks, you may realize how far you've come in X amount of time and that can get you over some mental hurdles.

PaytraB

I'm really interested in this as well. My friend and I just started doing C25K after work. We ended up starting over last week due to tons of rain storms and she had a week long trip she had to do for work. We're on week two again (90 second run+ 2 minute walk) and we do okay until we get to the last set, then we feel like we're dying. We talk the entire time so I know we're at an okay pace. Just wondering about any tips to get through that last set, especially as we get back into the longer sets.

It takes a bit longer for your muscles & tendons to catch up with your breathing. I would still try slowing down a little bit for that last set to give your muscles & tendons a bit of a rest.
Keep at it. You're both doing great.

AshwinA7

I've recently put this technique to good use.

Try breathing on the same foot.

Ex. Breathe in on the left foot, right foot.

Then breathe out on the left foot again.

From a physical perspective, this has made it much easier for me to longer distances and faster but it also distracts the mind because you're focused on breathing. So that's one mental technique.

likitisplit

I was going to offer the Ultimate Expert Advice for new runners: Slow down

But it's already been covered. :laugh:

One more thing: if you slow down, way down, way-way down - like 20 minute miles - and you are still struggling with your breath, you might want to get checked out for exercise induced asthma.

zanne54

Base your breathing off your paces: breathe in for 4 steps, out for 4 steps (I usually do 4, sometimes I have to cut back to 3). It helps so much! And gives you something else to focus on

This.

Breathe in for four strides and out for four strides. If you can't; then slow down until you can.

Focus on your breathing instead of your watch and the time will fly by.

Eric_DeCastro

I don't look at my watch until after I'm done. just so I know how long I ran for. since I just went from 4.4 miles to 4.8 miles I want to see how much time I added to my run. I'm scraping that 5mile ceiling. I'm going to get it...I AM!!!

MeanderingMammal

How do you break through the mental aspect of running as I do believe most of it is mental?

Depends what kind of session I'm doing, and how long I've been out. On a long run, if I'm feeling the urge to ease back sometimes I'll ease back a little, sometimes I'll set myself a target, like the next km notification or similar. I will couple those breaks with something like taking a couple of mouthfuls of water, which means that my pauses are only a few seconds long while I pull the bottle out, drink, close it and put it back. It just needs some discipline to meet those objectives. Of course when I reach the objective I generally end up thinking I'm not feeling so bad so I set a new objective and keep moving.

for interval runs or tempo runs the objectives get much closer in, reaching the end of a 20 second sprint, or making it to a particular lamp post before the end of the sprint.

The point upthread about the music tempo is a good one. For longer road sessions I'll pick some music with a known beats per minute, so that I can synchronise my pace with it. It keeps me focussed on form and achievement, giving me something to concentrate on.

WarriorReady

I agree with many of the others. I do breathe loudly though when I run, and at first I thought I was doing something wrong. I ran with a friend who runs marathons on a regular basis and she reassured me I was okay. Best of luck and congrats on finding a group that can help you get where you want to be! :happy: :drinker:

BraidedKitteness

Ok, conversational pace means a pace at which you "could" carrry a conversation... doesn't mean you should be chit-chatting the whole time. That might be why...

It takes a bit longer for your muscles & tendons to catch up with your breathing. I would still try slowing down a little bit for that last set to give your muscles & tendons a bit of a rest.
Keep at it. You're both doing great.

Thank you both! (And to everyone else too!) I'll share this with my friend too.