Breathing tchniques for jogging/running...

georgiaTRIs

Keep your head up and looking forward. Breath through your nose till you need to mouth breath. if you are having trouble breathing when doing walk or slow jog, you might want to check with your doctor before proceeding. Don't over-think this

STrooper

I have been thinking about getting into running to improve cardiovascular health, but worry about the breathing issue.

To be honest, I don't understand how to apply some of these suggestions:

1. Breathing through my nose is not going to do it. I'm just sitting right now, and have been for maybe an hour. I'm struggling breathing through my nose right now and have to open my mouth every 30-45 seconds to get enough air. If I'm walking or jogging or running, nose breathing won't cut it.

2. Not going any faster than I can carry a conversation means I must walk forever. I will literally never be able to jog or run... I can see being able to work up to walking quickly for awhile, but not beyond that. How is it even possible that someone can carry on a conversation and still be able to breath while running?! So the answer is that I should not run. If I do the couch to 5k, then I will skip all the running portions and walk instead. BTW, I have no problem walking for hours... I just can't run for more than 1-2 minutes without having to stop and catch my breath.

Franky, I don't even think about my breathing until I am pushing my pace really hard and it becomes difficult. I read somewhere that it really doesn't matter if you breath through your nose or mouth while you're running. It's all in what's comfortable for you.

When I started C25K I created myself a Week 0 because I felt like I couldn't run as long as proscribed. Instead, I ran for 15 seconds and walked for 2 minutes until I got to the point where I could handle running for 30 seconds straight without feeling like I was going to die. I used to be certain I had exercise-induced asthma when I was younger because I couldn't handle running long distances without having breathing issues but I could do gymnastics and karate and was incredibly fit. I'm still not positive I don't suffer from it because running for more than about 10 minutes at a stretch is very difficult for me. About week 4 of C25K (week 5 for me!) I switched to run/walk intervals permanently (Google Jeff Galloway) on the advice of my sister (a marathon run/walker). I've done a bunch of half marathons and shorter races using this method because it works for me. I'm actually faster doing a 5K in intervals than trying to run slowly so I can run the whole race.

Let me add my experience. I walked for nearly 3 years before I even thought about running (again). I found that after that period of time I was comfortable running at about 11:40 - 12:00/mile pace on a consistent non-stop basis over a 10K course. That was a surprise. I could carry on a short-phrase conversation with someone at that pace (I could also walk at 13:30 pace and carry on a conversation and go for a fairly long distance). My 5K time was roughly 34 minutes. My 10K time was roughly 1:13:00.

Shortly after that, I jumped into training for a marathon and used Galloway's run/walk technique. My 5K time dropped from 34 minutes down to 28:03 (from April to September). My first marathon (ever and at age 60) I completed in 5:10:51 and ran/walk the entire way, even with a strained Achilles (at mile 14). I have used Galloway's run/walk technique and in my third marathon last April, finished in 4:57 in fairly brutal conditions (my goal was sub-5:00:00).

My most recent 5K time was 25:32. I have also used the technique on half-marathons and wound my time down to 2:06 from 2:13. I will be running 3 half-marathons and two 5K's in preparation for a November marathon. When I started out, I couldn't run a single mile faster than about 10:30. Now, I can click one off in 7:15.

Here's the thing. The run/walk is a form of interval training. But don't push too hard. You might be able to develop the cardio capacity relatively quickly. But you'll quickly run into another problem. You cardio capacity may improve enough that you outstrip your muscle capacity to carry you longer distances. It takes a matter of weeks to a couple of months, all other things being equal, to develop the heart-lung capacity so that you can go fairly consistently at a moderate pace. But it takes months to a better part of a half-year to develop the muscle's blood carrying capacity to go progressively faster and farther. More blood goes to your heart and lungs for faster development, less so for your muscles.

Oh, and it can get worse. It takes at least a year for your ligaments and tendons to adapt and adjust to the stress, particularly if you are going longer distances. The least amount of blood flow requires the most time to adapt.

So, think of this as a long-term project.

Oh, one other thing. I now run 4 minutes with a 1 minute walk all the way through a race. I have enough energy "in the tank" so I can go to a solid, high-speed run at the end of a race if that is what I want to do. I can run a race and not become a piece of furniture for the rest of the day (taking the form of a recliner chair or the couch).

SueInAz

Let me add my experience. I walked for nearly 3 years before I even thought about running (again). I found that after that period of time I was comfortable running at about 11:40 - 12:00/mile pace on a consistent non-stop basis over a 10K course. That was a surprise. I could carry on a short-phrase conversation with someone at that pace (I could also walk at 13:30 pace and carry on a conversation and go for a fairly long distance). My 5K time was roughly 34 minutes. My 10K time was roughly 1:13:00.

Shortly after that, I jumped into training for a marathon and used Galloway's run/walk technique. My 5K time dropped from 34 minutes down to 28:03 (from April to September). My first marathon (ever and at age 60) I completed in 5:10:51 and ran/walk the entire way, even with a strained Achilles (at mile 14). I have used Galloway's run/walk technique and in my third marathon last April, finished in 4:57 in fairly brutal conditions (my goal was sub-5:00:00).

My most recent 5K time was 25:32. I have also used the technique on half-marathons and wound my time down to 2:06 from 2:13. I will be running 3 half-marathons and two 5K's in preparation for a November marathon. When I started out, I couldn't run a single mile faster than about 10:30. Now, I can click one off in 7:15.

Here's the thing. The run/walk is a form of interval training. But don't push too hard. You might be able to develop the cardio capacity relatively quickly. But you'll quickly run into another problem. You cardio capacity may improve enough that you outstrip your muscle capacity to carry you longer distances. It takes a matter of weeks to a couple of months, all other things being equal, to develop the heart-lung capacity so that you can go fairly consistently at a moderate pace. But it takes months to a better part of a half-year to develop the muscle's blood carrying capacity to go progressively faster and farther. More blood goes to your heart and lungs for faster development, less so for your muscles.

Oh, and it can get worse. It takes at least a year for your ligaments and tendons to adapt and adjust to the stress, particularly if you are going longer distances. The least amount of blood flow requires the most time to adapt.

So, think of this as a long-term project.

Oh, one other thing. I now run 4 minutes with a 1 minute walk all the way through a race. I have enough energy "in the tank" so I can go to a solid, high-speed run at the end of a race if that is what I want to do. I can run a race and not become a piece of furniture for the rest of the day (taking the form of a recliner chair or the couch).

I love hearing about other people who've had success using run/walk intervals! I know that if I hadn't switched to intervals I wouldn't still be running 3 1/2 years later. You have some great information and advice, too.

I managed to avoid any running related injuries for the first few years but I remember running into some tendon issues as I hit longer mileage before my first half. It wasn't anything major, just some stiffness and soreness in my hips and behind my knees but it's never reoccured.

I've done most of my half marathons at either 3:1 or 4:1 intervals. I had to take several months off after suffering a foot injury earlier this year (I stepped on a large piece of gravel and even through my shoes I fractured a sesamoid) and since starting back to running a few weeks ago I decided to work on 5:1, just because I want to see if I can. I managed to do my first 5K at 5:1 this morning so I'm pretty stoked!

BRobertson23

When I did sports in middle and high school, I had a couple of different coaches or PE teachers tell me to breathe in through my nose and out through the mouth. This was supposed to warm up the breath and help with running....I've taken to running again after a LONG hiatus. I'm currently running a pace that I can breathe easily through my nose. My initial focus is to maintain a pace for about a mile. I'm running a 5K in October, so I will be adding distance in a week or two, then starting to push myself more during those distances. I hope you find something that works well for you. Keep up the hard work and GOOD LUCK!