Is there a "right" way to breathe when you run?

petemeep

Does it matter if you breathe through your nose or mouth, or how deep your breaths are, if you breathe from your chest or stomach etc....

I ask because in the last couple of weeks almost every time I run I end up with a side stitch to some degree sometimes if I slow down my pace I can continue other times I can stop and walk for 5 minutes or so and can still feel the pain.

I just feel like I must be doing something wrong if this is happening almost EVERY time I run. Are there any ways I can practice "proper breathing" when I'm not running?

Thanks!

Colbyandsage

Hum... Now I am trying to think about how I breathe when I run.

I mostly breath through mouth when I find I can't breathe, I know I need to slow down or take a few deep breathes through my nose,

Has it been really humid where you live? I find it harder to breathe when it is super humid?

petemeep

it hasn't been any more humid than it usually is...however I have increased my running time these last couple of weeks, on occasion though I'll get a side stitch really early on in the run like in the first 2-3 minutes before my breathing has really even changed much from walking, which I found really weird.

shgreenw

I think I breathe in through my nose for two counts and then out through my mouth for two counts. I try and keep it very rhythmic and in time with the beat of my music.

jturnerx

I figure as long as you stay conscious you are doing okay. lol I think I breathe in through my nose and out with my mouth to start. Then I think I end up breathing mostly through my mouth. I think it's timed with my stride, like inhale two steps, exhale two steps. Something like that. I'm not very aware of my breathing when I run so I'm not sure. I rarely get side stitches but I don't know if that has anything to do with my breathing or not.

Barberini

I just googled "running breathing techniques" and a bunch of helpful stuff came up.

shellsrenee01

I focus on breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. If I find that I have to take big gulps of air through my mouth, then I am probably going too fast and I slow it down a bit. Breathing makes a HUGE difference in my endurance with running.

geordiegirl27

I'm trying to guide my mum on this and it's not easy.

Ideally you need to control your breathing I try to breathe in for 4 hold for 2 them out for 4. I vary between breathing through nose & mouth don't know if there's any benefit in one or another.

It's not always easy when you're tired working hard but you do benefit from getting the oxygen in your body.

magj0y

Check out the book 'The Four Hour Body" By Timothy Ferris, has a lot on running that was very helpful for me, especially with getting rid of shin splints

Duchess70

If you're getting a stitch, there is one other thing you could try. Make your breathing asynchronous with your stride; eg don't always breath in when you're landing on the left foot, mix it up so one breath is on the left, the next on the right. It's not always easy to do (after all, running is all about rhythm!) but it does help me.

The logic is that if you're synchronised, then the "stress" on your diaphragm from the footfall is always occurring at the same time as your lungs are trying to expand in a certain way, so you have a very repetitive physical impact that generates a stitch on one specific side. Breaking it up shares the footfall impact across the whole body and eases the strain on the diaphragm, reducing the likelihood of a stitch happening.

wazross

There are indeed some useful breathing techniques for runners. I use some guidelines from a book called Lore of Running, by Time Noakes.

Perhaps most useful is to learn to breath using your diaphragm, instead of with your chest. In other words, when you inhale, expand your stomach rather than your chest: you can exaggerate the motion initially, just to get the feel. It can take a few months to be able to breath this way while running at a faster pace, but it comes with practice. Once you're used to it, your breathing should be easier and more consistent, and the intercostal muscles in your chest will tire much less quickly.

Also, there are different theories about matching your stride to your breathing rhythm. I always inhale on my right leg and exhale on my left leg, with a count of three strides for both inhaling and exhaling. If it sounds complex, it isn't really: breath in 1...2...3... Breath out 1...2...3...

That is my general pattern, though on uphills and sprints I switch to every two strides, inhale and exhale on the left leg,

Maintaining a consistent breathing pattern helped me a great deal with upping my pace, and keeping the effort consistent over distance.

There are also some posture related things to think about, particularly making sure your core is strong (train it separately) and that your shoulders are not constantly tense, but the breathing tips above are the toughest to get used to, but held the most value for me, personally.