Not enough oxygen!

carlywifeybrown

So, truthfully I've had a couple of weeks off from exercising and my normal mode of exercise is freestyle swimming. I am a strong swimmer and can easily complete a miles worth each time I go, however I did begin to get a little bored with swimming (hence the 2 week break) and decided that I would give jogging a go.

I donned on my gym gear and had some great motivation by my side in the form of my Fiance and headed to the old RAF aerodrome. This is 1.5 miles flat circuit on concrete, so thought this would be an easy option to pick for my first attempt at jogging. I stretched my muscles before hand and the jog started well. After only about 40 seconds I messed up my breathing (in through the nose and out through the mouth for the same amount of counts) and had to stop jogging and walked at a fast pace whilst trying to get my breathing back together. This was the story of my first jog - jog, walk, jog, walk, jog, walk and so on. I was really disheartened at how unfit I am even though I managed to rack up 64 lengths of freestyle swimming just 2 weeks ago - why is this so hard when I thought my fitness and stamina were improving?

I am determined to not let it beat me and am going to give it another go tonight - but any tips for setting the pace, breathing correctly and how to help control muscle fatigue would be really helpful

rcrosfill

I'm no expert but had a similar experience the first time I gave jogging a go.

I used to be a dancer in my youth and have always frequented the local gym in the later years, so considered myself to be of average fitness, but I couldn't jog to save my life, so I decided to challenge this.

I started on the tread mill and would jog for a couple of minutes then walk until my breath returned to a comfortable rate, repeating this until my legs felt like jelly. After a couple of weeks I could extend the duration of jogging and reduce the walking. By listening to my body I gradually trained in this way until I could jog 3km's continuously.

It is certainly harder to jog outdoors than on the treadmill because the terrain is intermittent and there are so many things to distract your senses but stick with it, your body will adjust and you will feel such a sense of achievement.

The best thing about jogging is that can do it almost anywhere.

Good luck.

sweetsarahj

This is the thing about jogging. It takes some practice and getting used to. Don't feel badly about having to jog and walk- everyone starts out that way. And although you rock the pool, unforch that doesn't help all that much with running. It's like a soccer star playing basketball. Totally different skills.

When I first started jogging, I had trouble catching my breath too. I would suggest making a concentrated effort to slow down. Get comfortable going at a slower pace and set yourself up with good running form. Remember a few things- head up, looking forward to the horizon, chest up and out, shoulders back, attempt to strike the ground with your forefoot (not heel strike). If you listen to music while you run, pick something with a slower tempo to help your pace. Once you get the breathing and form down, you'll notice that each day you can run a bit farther without taking a walking break.

Oh and you'll want to warm up well before you stretch... I usually run for five minutes, stop and stretch, and then get back at it.

Good luck!

BrianSharpe

It sounds like you may have been trying to go too fast, try slowing down and forget breathing in through your nose - if you feel more comfortable breathing in and out through your mouth do it. Try to keep your breathing deep and relaxed.

Don't feel bad about struggling with running despite being fit from swimming. I can run 20km but suck at freestyle (well, swimming in general) and feel like I'm dying after a few hundred metres.

meerkat70

Jog walk jog walk is the *right way* to learn to run. Download a programme like C25k - you'll see this is precisely what it tells you to do. This is not just because of the cardio implications of running, but also because you need to build your muscles up to take the impact of the exercise.

Carry on doing what you're doing. There's nothing wrong with it, or with you. Don't be disheartened. We all started this way.

btw, concrete isn't a great surface to start on - it's quite jarring. Run on the grass alongside the track, if you can.

tabulator32

Yeah, taking a solid two weeks off will have an effect on ya.

You said you did it because you got bored...one more reason people need to diversify their exercise.

Don't stop exercising, just switch it up.

militarydreams

There's no real trick to cardiovascular work aside from breathing into your belly and relaxing into it. You're quite literally strengthening your bodies ability to be efficient. Carido - heart, vascular - lungs. When you feel like you don't have enough oxygen you're probably pushing too hard and entering an anaerobic state, are your muscles burning? You're looking to push yourself yes, but most people would find it hard to maintain an anaerobic state for more than 4-5 minutes because your body is consuming more oxygen than you're able to take in. Anaerobic literally means without oxygen.

CarolynB38

Half the problem with starting a new sport is learning to breathe correctly for that sport. It just comes with practise. You can be super fit and a fantastic swimmer but find running really hard to start with, or vice versa. My Sensei said to me the other day that although running will help with my general fitness, it won't help particularly with my karate stamina because the breathing is entirely different. I need to practise my karate for increasing lengths of time to do that (I need to get to about 4 hours for my black belt grading and I'm already panicking!) One day, in the not-too-distant future, you will suddenly find you are breathing well without thinking about it and you'll wonder what the problem was :happy:
As Meerkat says, jog, walk, jog is the best way to start. Don't think about your breathing, just let it happen. You'll be amazed how quickly you can increase your jogging times if you do it regularly.

Good luck with the running and, most of all, enjoy it

carlywifeybrown

Thanks for all your hints and tips - its reassuring to know that everyone starts as a wheezing sweaty mess and its not just me :laugh:

Your kind words have given me the motivation to get back out there tonight and try again, but this time I'll be listening to my body, breathing correctly and I'll try running on the grass next to the track. It's going to be a painful few weeks leading up to stamina increase but I'll get there!

Thanks everyone

scottb81

Cardiovascular fitness is specific to the muscles used. The only way to develop cardiovascular fitness for running is to run.