Breathing(running)

manetta1

Hi I've ran non-competitive for about 10 years now. Over the course of the years, I would always hear that the proper way to breathe while running is through your nose and out through your mouth. I have a hard time doing that. I seem to be able to do it for part of my run but I always go back to breathing in through my mouth and out through my mouth. What are the benefits of breathing through your nose? I feel like in and out through your mouth makes me thirsty quicker or have dry mouth haha. Also I'm running in the GO! St. Louis marathon and was curious what are some tips that runners use to keep themselves going when their body says stop?

TheMaidOfAstolat

I'd like to know the answer as well. I can only breathe 'properly' during warmer months. Once it becomes cold outside I have to breathe in and out of my mouth or it feels as if my nose is burning.

Chenoachem

Breathing through your nose first alows the air to warm before it hits your lungs. During the hot summer days I find it just keeps my mouth from getting to dry. Based on the book ChiRunning, what really is important about breathing is 2 things.

1. Breathe with the bottom part of your lungs as it is where there are more places to process the air (sorry I am lacking in technical language at the moment but hopefully you get the idea)
2. Breathe out completely before taking another breath. The idea is that if your lungs are already filled with air it can't use then you are less efficient.

I have created a breathing pattern where I take one breath in and two out. It helps to also keep relaxing while you run.

Happy Running.

Eliaheart

Hi,

I've been running for about a year now, and have never been able to breathe in through my nose... Interesting topic. I'd like to know too.

angelaspring

I do the same thing: breathe through my nose.. I am going to ask my trainer the reason and what is best.. i can never seem to get it down! Good question!

shannahrenee

i get dizzy easily when i breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. I wonder why?

manetta1

I know one tip that has helped me through the years is posture. Pay attention to if you slouch or not because if you begin to slouch when you do take in oxygen, ur closing your airway some so you will begin to take in less air. If you run for a long time than your bound to run outta gas if you dont have good posture in my opinion.

manetta1

Thats pretty interesting chino. I may try that today in the gym and see how the results are.

Nich0le

This is a little long, but it comes from the runners world website, there are many articles on breathing, the most important that seems to be expresses is to breath into you belly not your upper chest, sounds strange but it works. What it means is to focus on expanding below the ribs while running, you will take in more air. runnersworld.com if you want more info

BREATHE WITH A TRAINING PURPOSE
Your breathing rate tells a lot about your running intensity. Here is what you need to know.
By Ed Eyestone

PUBLISHED 12/07/2007
For most runners, breathing is as natural as...well, breathing. We don't spend much time thinking about it. As Nike says, we just do it.

Actually it's our faithful autopilot, the brain stem-particularly the medulla-that keeps us inhaling and exhaling as we go about our lives. Of course, we can override this autopilot when we want to. We can take in a few quick breaths, or better yet, take in a deep breath and hold it.

But unless you're a pearl diver or a synchronized swimmer, after about 45 seconds your brain stem will overrule you, and you'll be forced to take another breath. (A young nephew of mine used to hold his breath until he passed out, which was his body's way of resuming its automatic rhythmic breathing. Thankfully, he grew out of this phase.)

Here's my point: Barring disease or a blockage of the airways, breathing is pretty automatic. So when a runner told me that he'd been coached to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth, I was taken aback. Was it possible that I'd been breathing wrong all these years?

Not at all. Even if you're equipped with a prodigious sniffer such as mine, research shows that only 27 to 40 percent of a person's total oxygen intake occurs through the nose during heavy exercise. Once most runners hit about a third of their maximum effort, they prefer breathing oronasaly (through the nose and mouth).

If you inhale only through your nose, you limit the volume of air you can take in. Try this: Take two quick, deep breaths through your nose. (Ignore the curious looks of those sitting near you.) Now do the same through both your nose and mouth. As you'll find, oronasal breathing allows you to take in more air faster than nasal breathing alone.

Bottom line: For optimal breathing while running, use both your nose and mouth.

Fascinating Rhythm

Most of us breathe in a cadence or rhythm that coincides with our stride rate without even thinking about it. That's fine. I don't recommend consciously trying to control your breathing rate while you run. But it can be helpful to check your breathing rhythm occasionally because it can help you monitor your running intensity. For instance:

3 to 3: This means that you take three strides while you breathe in, and three strides while you breathe out. For most people, this breathing rhythm occurs at a very slow running pace. If you're counting 3 to 3 for more than your warmup and cooldown, you may want to pick up your pace slightly to a 3 to 2 ratio (three strides per inhale, 2 per exhale).

2 to 2: This means two strides per inhale, two per exhale-a good training pace for most people. Long runs and marathons can be done at this breathing ratio.

2 to 1: You take two strides while you breathe in, one stride while you breathe out, or vice versa. This is my normal breathing pattern for a tempo run. At this ratio, you know you're cruising at around 10-K race pace, or slightly slower.

1 to 1: You take one stride per inhale, one stride per exhale. You're not messing around here. This breathing pattern occurs during the latter portions of long or middle-distance races. Sometimes as the intensity of the race picks up, I find myself breathing at a 1-to-1 rate for just a few strides before I settle back into a 2-to-1 pattern. Once the finish line is in sight, however, it's 1 to 1 all the way to the tape.

You can also use these breathing patterns to gauge the fitness of your training partners or race competition. If, for instance, the runner alongside you at your local Jingle Bell 5-K is breathing 1 to 1 while you're breathing 2 to 1, you may be able to pick up your pace and take his breath away. Literally.

kmoyers

I am not a runner, but would like to be. How did you all get started running, any advise?

manetta1

kmoyers. I just run as a coping skill. Its been the easiest thing for me to continue to do. A tip i use for a pace is you should be able to have a conversation with someone near you and still be able to run comfortably. So pick a pace where you could hold a conversation and not feel winded to start out with. Running works your entire body sort of like swimming, maybe thats why i enjoy it also

KatWood

Another tip for running that I have found useful is to chew gum. As a "mouth" breather I find gum helps to keep my mouth moist and I am not reaching for my water bottle as much.

KatWood

kmoyers I started with Couch to 5km program and then moved on to a 1/2 marathon training program. I haven't been running much this winter but plan to start again in the Spring. I am not the typical runner type, I'm short, stubby and things jiggle. But I have really grown to love it and I find running outside to be much more enjoyable than a treadmill. Personally I find that the movement underneath my feet from treadmill makes me feel unbalanced.

ischmelle

I am not a runner, but would like to be. How did you all get started running, any advise?

Kmoyers - I recently (within the last year) became a runner after hating it for my ENTIRE life. The absolute first thing I would recommend is going to a shoe store where they will fit you for your shoes, i.e. Fleet Feet. I started running in my normal exercise shoes and my legs would hurt bad every night. But, I went to the store, they watched me run, fit me for my shoes, etc., I run with no pain at all and it has helped me achieve farther distances and thus more confidence. :happy: It was an investment, but well worth it. Shoes really do make the difference. I still walk when I run, but I have built up to longer and longer times that I can sustain a run before I have to rest for a minute or two! Good luck and happy running!

ischmelle

Another tip for running that I have found useful is to chew gum. As a "mouth" breather I find gum helps to keep my mouth moist and I am not reaching for my water bottle as much.

Great idea! I'm a "mouth" breather as well and I am going to try this! Getting too thirsty is one of the reasons I stop and rest more often than I should. Thanks!:drinker:

Azdak

I started running in the early 1970s and all the silly "zen of breathing" has been going on at least since then. I think that serious runners tend to be self-absorbed by nature, and the "breathing cultists" just take this to the next level.

Eyestone gives a reasonably good synopsis. I can add some additional detail.

There are two components to breathing: ventilation and respiration.

Ventilation is the act of just moving volumes of air into the lungs and exhaling carbon dioxide. Respiration is the actual oxygenation of the blood (technically respiration is the actual absorption of oxygen in the tissues, but we are stopping at oxygenation in this discussion).

Ventilation involves the mechanical action of breathing --the movement of the diaphragm and chest to bring in large volumes of air. Exercise results in a huge increase in ventilation--from ~6 liters/min in a healthy adult male at rest to 190-200 liters/min at max exercise. Like other forms of mechanical efficiency. your capacity for ventilation increases with exercise training. As you become more fit, you are able to move a higher volume of air.

The other significant change is what is known as the ventilation/perfusion ratio. This refers to the actual amount of alveolar surface area that can be used. Our lungs have far more capacity to diffuse oxygen into the lungs than we could ever use. Unfit, sedentary individuals don't use that much of their lung capacity, so it kind of "atrophies" just like anything else. With exercise training, the lungs sort of "open up" the unused capacity.

The process of diffusing oxygen from ambient air into the blood occurs due to pressure gradients and is a passive process. It doesn't really change with exercise training. The overall capacity improves (see previous paragraph), but the rate of diffusion does not.

Overall, in the absence of disease, pulmonary function is NOT a limiting factor in exercise. There are no special breathing patterns that will improve blood oxygenation or improve exercise performance. As Eyestone points out, breathing through your nose during exercise is not a good idea.

What can affect exercise performance is when tension or fatigue lead to a deterioration of posture and form. Those are the things you can focus on.

courtney_love2001

Azdak, got any advice on side stitches?? I hear they're a breathing problem...

Azdak

Azdak, got any advice on side stitches?? I hear they're a breathing problem...

I don't know that there is still any consensus on what causes side stitches. I have read things like: hypoxia to the muscles of the diaphragm or gas buildup and compression. I suspect that local blood flow (or a lack thereof) is an issue, which is why 'stitches" usually occur with less-experienced exercisers.

My experience has been that side stitches are related to exercising too hard too soon or to a lack of conditioning for that particular activity. It could be that those who are more susceptible to side stitches need to warm up longer and increase intensity more gradually. If they occur, I always recommend that you stop and massage the area, then resume your exercise.

Chenoachem

Azdak, got any advice on side stitches?? I hear they're a breathing problem...

I don't know that there is still any consensus on what causes side stitches. I have read things like: hypoxia to the muscles of the diaphragm or gas buildup and compression. I suspect that local blood flow (or a lack thereof) is an issue, which is why 'stitches" usually occur with less-experienced exercisers.

My experience has been that side stitches are related to exercising too hard too soon or to a lack of conditioning for that particular activity. It could be that those who are more susceptible to side stitches need to warm up longer and increase intensity more gradually. If they occur, I always recommend that you stop and massage the area, then resume your exercise.

I find that if I get them while running, sometimes putting my hands over my head can help. I probably look like any idiot but I feel better.

Azdak, Thanks for all the good info.

courtney_love2001

Yeah, I run pretty inconsistently, that's probably why I get them. It's just frustrating because I feel like once my legs are warmed up and feel really good, I get a stitch and I have to stop. Ugh!! I will keep at it though, maybe I will look into a training program instead of just going running randomly. Thanks for the info!

afyfe

I've been running for 1.5 years now (started with C25K program) and have never been able to breathe in through my nose. Ah well...LOL...it's working the other way .

Chenoachem

Yeah, I run pretty inconsistently, that's probably why I get them. It's just frustrating because I feel like once my legs are warmed up and feel really good, I get a stitch and I have to stop. Ugh!! I will keep at it though, maybe I will look into a training program instead of just going running randomly. Thanks for the info!

I would suggest looking at what you are eating before you go out for a run. I find if I a banana for example that I will run the whole distance with a stitch in my side. If I eat a Power Bar I don't. I found I had to experiment and write in my running journal when I got it and when I didn't and what I ate. Then I found the correlation.

I would recommend the free Smart Trainer programs through Runnersworld.com. You have to sign up for the website but it doesn't cost anything. You put in your ability and goals and it constructs a personalized program for you.

Good Luck.

iplayoutside19

Never mind. I don't have anything nice to say about the breathing nazi's.

kath711

I have been told that my exercises running headaches that I get off and on are caused by me running to fast a pace and breathing too hard. I slow my pace and they do seem to get less frequent. So my question is, how can I ever hope to increase my pace without getting the headaches back, any suggestion?

Iceprincessk25

Azdak, got any advice on side stitches?? I hear they're a breathing problem...

I don't know that there is still any consensus on what causes side stitches. I have read things like: hypoxia to the muscles of the diaphragm or gas buildup and compression. I suspect that local blood flow (or a lack thereof) is an issue, which is why 'stitches" usually occur with less-experienced exercisers.

My experience has been that side stitches are related to exercising too hard too soon or to a lack of conditioning for that particular activity. It could be that those who are more susceptible to side stitches need to warm up longer and increase intensity more gradually. If they occur, I always recommend that you stop and massage the area, then resume your exercise.

It's from a lack of conditioning. We were taught that it'a a cramping in the diaphragm. Usually holding your hands about your head will stretch out the area and help relieve the issue.

Nich0le

Azdak, got any advice on side stitches?? I hear they're a breathing problem...

Changing your breathing can help or lowering your pace and getting some deep breaths but iceprincessk25 has a good solution too, basically if you rub, breathe different, raise your arms or slow your pace and nothing works you need to walk until the stitch is relieved and then start back up.

Nich0le

I have been told that my exercises running headaches that I get off and on are caused by me running to fast a pace and breathing too hard. I slow my pace and they do seem to get less frequent. So my question is, how can I ever hope to increase my pace without getting the headaches back, any suggestion?

try using a training program like couch to 5 k. This program in particular is designed to get you off the couch and able to run a 5k in 9 weeks (i think thats the time frame) It's great for beginners and a good way to ramp up pace.

activerun.com and runnersworld.com both offer free training info for all levels of runners as well. :drinker:

christine918

This is a very interesting topic!! I have naturally been able to breathe while running a lot better than the average person, I think I could go forever without running out of breath. (My legs and hips hurting is what gets me! lol) When I breathe, I breathe in through my mouth and nose. I keep my tongue back and regulate how slow the air goes to my lungs.l I try to have a steady rythem. I find that if my side starts to hurt, I take deep breaths while continueing to run and eventually it goes away. This is just what I do. This is not scientific, lol, I have nothing to back it up with except for personal experience. I run a 5K in under 22 min, and my half marathon's around 1 hr 45 min. Like it was said earlier, posture is SUPER important! Deep breaths. I have tried only breathing through my nose only but not really any sucess.?? Maybe everyone is different!