Breathing help

linnipopz

Hello

I am making very slow progress with the C25K. I am starting again after having a week off. I feel like I am never going to get better and I keep going from week 2 back to 1 then sticking at week 2 but I have a major issue with my breathing. Does anyone have any tips? I am fine to start with but then near the middle I cant breath through my nose, I get really bunged up and snotty (attractive I know) with a runny nose and I think it panics me and I cant jog as I should. I think this is stopping me from progressing.

Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks

MeanderingMammal

Hello

I am making very slow progress with the C25K. I am starting again after having a week off. I feel like I am never going to get better and I keep going from week 2 back to 1 then sticking at week 2 but I have a major issue with my breathing. Does anyone have any tips?

Personally I go for "in, followed by out" and sometimes for a bit of variety I opt for "out, followed by in"...

Suspect that's not what you mean though

I am fine to start with but then near the middle I cant breath through my nose, I get really bunged up and snotty (attractive I know) with a runny nose and I think it panics me and I cant jog as I should. I think this is stopping me from progressing.

Sounds like two things going on, you may be running a little fast and that's putting you under pressure, leading to anxiety, and you're getting alittle congested.

For the former, just ease back the pace a bit. It's more important to get the duration up, and then increase speed.

For the latter, everyone gets it. Personally I breath through my mouth a lot when I'm out, but if I am getting congested I just use the runners handkerchief. Not the most graceful of moves, and you have to be a bit careful where you do it, but it's effective.

CTcutie

I'm a mouth breather, lol. And my running coach told me to just breathe naturally. She said for beginners/shorter distances (we're not talking marathons here) that it's really not necessary to force yourself to breathe in a "pattern". When I was trying to do this (like breathe in for 3 steps, etc.) I never felt like I was getting enough air, either. Problem solved. (Of course it also gets better with increased cardiovascular fitness.)

You may be running too fast, and/or should look into some decongestants/non-drowsy meds for allergies. I have asthma but it only acts up now when it's really cold and I'm running/running really hard (for me)/allergies.

edited for spelling

PaytraB

That's pretty common. Just carry some kleenex in your pocket to use on your walking break.
I agree that you may be running a bit too fast for this part of the program. Slow down. You should be able to speak short sentences easily (without great struggle). If you can't, slow down.

Hang in there. It'll start to fall into place.

linnipopz

Thank you people. I have just been running on the treadmill in the gym so blowing my hooter there I think some people may think I have the flu lol it kinda puts me off if people will be staring. Will defo slow down a bit though. I think I have been trying to quick to soon!

Its good to know its common though, I thought it was me. I even get like that walking to work some mornings then I dont mind the blowing of the nose because no one is about. Nice!

patsina55

I have a similar problem, I can run for about one minute and then I'm completely out of wind and it takes me forever to catch my breath. I asked my doctor about it, and he said to just keep running and that my lung capacity would increase over time. I can also run a bit further if I run slowly (which sounds like a contradiction in terms, I know). So I just do as much as I can and walk the rest of the time. Best wishes for your success!

lucasmoten

Controlled Breathing
To me, this is more important then worrying about breathing through your nose vs your mouth when starting out. It took me 3 weeks of running before I learned this. The key for me was figuring out the sweet spot that was the fastest I could go, without slowing down. Consider the following...ignoring elevation like hills and stairs, and wear and tear on your feet and shoes, you can probably walk for a very very very long time or distance before being out of breath.. But sprinting, not so much. Somewhere between two extremes is your threshold of what you can take in as oxygen and process while moving. The capacity will increase some over time while your body also gets more efficient, but at the outset, your body can't easily do more then a walking pace without giving you that feeling of being out of breath in short order. In the first few weeks of C25K, I would recommend taking your speed, and slowing it down to a point where you know you're moving faster then walking, but just a little. Then, for breathing itself, try to match your breathing inhale and exhale with your pacing such that you're either doing a 2:2 or 3:2 ratio. The former is easier to learn, but the latter is more beneficial on improving efficiency and balancing the strain evenly due to the offsetting left and right strides.

Nose vs Mouth..
Until rather recently, I didn't put any preference to breathing in through my nose as opposed to my mouth. I find that if I breath through my nose I won't get as much oxygen, and thus can't push nearly as hard, but it does allow me to relax, keeps the sinuses clear and will heighten the senses.

jbugiel

I used to always run out of breath, then a friend of mine told me while I'm running, find a good rythym like 2 breaths in, then two quick breaths out every so many steps, 2-3 usually. So I worked on that to where everything was easier on me breathing and could maintain a good pace.Works pretty work well for me.

Also, I have allergies (many of them) and can't breath enough oxygen through my nose without feeling suffocated, so I mouth breath while running/jogging.

desireecl

Controlled Breathing
To me, this is more important then worrying about breathing through your nose vs your mouth when starting out. It took me 3 weeks of running before I learned this. The key for me was figuring out the sweet spot that was the fastest I could go, without slowing down. Consider the following...ignoring elevation like hills and stairs, and wear and tear on your feet and shoes, you can probably walk for a very very very long time or distance before being out of breath.. But sprinting, not so much. Somewhere between two extremes is your threshold of what you can take in as oxygen and process while moving. The capacity will increase some over time while your body also gets more efficient, but at the outset, your body can't easily do more then a walking pace without giving you that feeling of being out of breath in short order. In the first few weeks of C25K, I would recommend taking your speed, and slowing it down to a point where you know you're moving faster then walking, but just a little. Then, for breathing itself, try to match your breathing inhale and exhale with your pacing such that you're either doing a 2:2 or 3:2 ratio. The former is easier to learn, but the latter is more beneficial on improving efficiency and balancing the strain evenly due to the offsetting left and right strides.

Nose vs Mouth..
Until rather recently, I didn't put any preference to breathing in through my nose as opposed to my mouth. I find that if I breath through my nose I won't get as much oxygen, and thus can't push nearly as hard, but it does allow me to relax, keeps the sinuses clear and will heighten the senses.

Thank you for your advice. I can't breathe for anything when I run and it really holds me back. I'm restarting C25k again this week for the umpteenth time (never made it past week 3) and my heart and lungs always feel like they are going to explode long before my legs feel the slightest strain....and I'm only running for 60 blooming seconds! Hoping I can learn to slow down a bit and learn to breathe more effectively.

linnipopz

Thanks for the advice

I have slowed right down and I stupidly was cranking the gradient up on the treadmill so there's another issue. I have realised I was trying to go to fast to quick and I completed week 3 for the first time last night, I have put it off for so long and it was quite easy and I wasn't a snotty red faced mess and I ran for 3 minutes which is amazing to me, my breathing felt a lot more relaxed to. For someone that wouldn't walk on the treadmill without holding on a few months ago I think I am improving lots and I will need to get outside as the weather her in Scotland is certainly starting to brighten up!

FitMe758

I *have* to do this: two short inhales through my nose and two short, almost forced exhales through my mouth. I get really bad pains on my side and get winded almost immediately if I run any other way.

chazbo35

I always used to have trouble with the whole breathing thing too. As has been said here just slow down our pace a bit until you feel comfortable there. Then work on your speed. It used to be if I even heard myself breathing while I ran it bugged me. So I just turned the music up in my earphones lol. But what it comes down to is just connecting to your body and finding a good place to start, and then working from there. I really don't care how fast I run like I used to. I want to finish my run and honestly I have had better results that way. I can run longer distances and so what If its not as fast as others. As far as the nose thing lol just blow and go hahaha who cares if someone is watching.