Running and getting winded

Options
2»

Replies

  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    Options
    Team,
    I've been training for an upcoming 10K, still I find that by mile 3 or 4 I am winded/tired but my legs are ok (not sore). No asthma or smoking history. Any thoughts? I run pretty slow, maybe a 13 minute mile.

    I did 10k this morning and for some reason today I felt a bit "bleh" after about 3 miles so I just slowed down a bit till I felt I had recovered and within a mile I was back to feeling good. When I got home and looked at my pace apparently the sub-9 miles were just a bit much today.

    9:13, 8:48, 8:57, 9:11, 9:13, 9:10

    I did the same workout at an 8:40 average last week. Today just wasn't my day. No worries. No shame in slowing down. I'm doing a workout not a race. Just dropping 10-15 seconds a mile made a nice difference. You don't have to run drastically slower, just slow it down a tad.
  • 10manda86
    10manda86 Posts: 229 Member
    Options
    everyone is different... it just takes practice... im not overly fit, but I like to push myself... ive been running for only about 6 weeks now, I already just about doubledthe amount I run of the 4km, knocked 5 mins off my time and I have noticed my recovery when I take a walk break is much quicker and I am ready to run again... when I am ready to run again I pick a point and that is my goal from now and forever! I really want to run the whole 4km that would be fantastic :) I find with my strength training that my legs feels warn about the same time as my breathing wants a break too... I make a mental decision not to rest but to push myself to the landmark I have chosen as my goal...ps no part of me is built to run, I guess if you ever seen a walrus running on the beach (thats me, but a little less blubber :P) but I make a mental decision to push myself because my goal is to go from walrus to gazelle...
  • nieceyrenee
    nieceyrenee Posts: 4
    Options
    Well, I don't know how old you are..... and glad you don't smoke. lol.. But... I get winded just coming up my basement steps. Then other times,,it is not as bad. Mine could be medications, and I have migraines. But.. sometimes.. ...I get winded and other times I don't. I think it has to do with warming up. If you warm up with walking, maybe you won't be so winded. Might keep an eye on your Blood pressure also. Good luck!:smile:
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    Options
    Obviously slowing down is #1.

    My second suggestion, that I didn't see (apologies if I missed it) would be to focus on your breathing when it gets labored. Get into a rythmic cycle "left foot, right foot, inhale. . . left foot right foot, exhale repeat. Focussing on your breathing may well get you through the rough patch. Also, don't be afraid to take a big deep "settle down" breath. I need to do that when I'm pushing at a higher pace than usual or just having a bad run.

    And, walk breaks aren't the end of the world!!

    Good Luck!
  • pet1127
    pet1127 Posts: 572 Member
    Options
    Tomorrow is week 5 day 2 for me I think I will try the breathing thing and slowing down maybe this will help the 8min run and 5 min walk is scaring the hell out of me at this point. I struggled threw the 5 run and 3 walk.:grumble:
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    Options
    Team,
    I've been training for an upcoming 10K, still I find that by mile 3 or 4 I am winded/tired but my legs are ok (not sore). No asthma or smoking history. Any thoughts? I run pretty slow, maybe a 13 minute mile.

    I did 10k this morning and for some reason today I felt a bit "bleh" after about 3 miles so I just slowed down a bit till I felt I had recovered and within a mile I was back to feeling good. When I got home and looked at my pace apparently the sub-9 miles were just a bit much today.

    9:13, 8:48, 8:57, 9:11, 9:13, 9:10

    I did the same workout at an 8:40 average last week. Today just wasn't my day. No worries. No shame in slowing down. I'm doing a workout not a race. Just dropping 10-15 seconds a mile made a nice difference. You don't have to run drastically slower, just slow it down a tad.

    This is an excellent illustration of running by effort in order to stay in the aerobic range. Exactly right, it's a workout not a race.

    My easy run pace can vary from 8:30 minute mile to 10:00 minute mile depending on how I feel. How I feel can be impacted by a lot of things, like the previous day(s) workouts, the weather, what I have eaten, how much sleep I have gotten or just how my body decides to respond on a given day.

    So, run easy, by effort. Don't look at the watch. Just keep it at that conversational pace and keep going. :smile:
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    Options
    Tomorrow is week 5 day 2 for me I think I will try the breathing thing and slowing down maybe this will help the 8min run and 5 min walk is scaring the hell out of me at this point. I struggled threw the 5 run and 3 walk.:grumble:

    I wouldn't bother with trying to change your breathing. Breathing is an involuntary action. Let the body breathe the way it wants to. It knows how to get the most oxygen in. Don't mess with a working system.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Options
    Team,
    I've been training for an upcoming 10K, still I find that by mile 3 or 4 I am winded/tired but my legs are ok (not sore). No asthma or smoking history. Any thoughts? I run pretty slow, maybe a 13 minute mile.

    That has always been my biggest obstacle with running, is that I get winded (and bored). My legs can always push through.

    You need to build up your aerobic base. Other aerobic activities will help with this, as well as continuing to run.
  • Madholm
    Madholm Posts: 167
    Options
    Inhale slowly and exhale quickly.... that's about the only breathing tip I remember.

    Slowing down some will have the biggest impact.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    Options
    The reason you get winded is because the oxygen demand from the working muscles is greater than you body can deliver right now.

    There are two solutions.
    1. Ignore the breathlessness and keep pushing while breathing increasingly harder.
    2. Increase your body's ability to deliver oxygen by running longer at an easier pace - one where you are not breathless.

    Solution number 2 is better. Over time you will run faster without getting winded.
  • WalkingGirl1985
    WalkingGirl1985 Posts: 2,047 Member
    Options
    I've been running for over a year, and still feel winded sometimes. Do not hesitate to walk to give your body time to recover and do what the other members suggest, go at a comfortable pace, where breathing is a bit easier to get more oxygen into your body. Make you eat enough and drink plenty of water.
  • xidia
    xidia Posts: 606 Member
    Options
    I tend to pace by breathing. 5 footsteps per breath = sustainable pace. 4 footsteps per breath = interval training. 3 footsteps per breath = is this hill over yet?! 6 footsteps per breath = get a move on, slacker!

    I don't know whether those numbers work for you, but my average mile time dropped from 11:30/mile to 10:15/mile over a period of weeks without me trying just by following that rhythm. Now I've been lazy for a month, I'm back to 11+ min miles for the same perceived effort. *sigh*
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    Options
    I've been running for over three years and have just recently gotten to where I don't sound like a dying buffalo when I run. Hang in there. That should get better with time :)

    LOL after 1 1/2 years of running, I STILL sound like a dying buffalo when I run (and I do lots of walking breaks). I can never sneak up on anybody....
  • SharonReitsma
    SharonReitsma Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    the same would happen to me but I would get very lightheaded as well. I just thought what many here have suggested - that I was just out of shape and still hadn't worked up my endurance... so I'd put harder and more frequently with no progress. Turns out I have a heart issue that my heart rate races disproportionate to the amount of exertion and it would cause a vaso-vagel episode.
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    Options
    How are you breathing? If your breathing fast and hard through your mouth, you'll get winded quicker. Breathe through your nose and back out your mouth. It helps slow your breathing and lets you control it better.

    ^This has really helped me.
  • HelenDootson
    HelenDootson Posts: 443 Member
    Options
    i find interval training is a good way of building aerobic capacity for longer runs.
    For example, 5 min warm up, 4mins of hard running (so you feel your lungs working hard), then 90 seconds of walking to get your heart rate and breathing back down. Repeat for a number of reps (eg, 6). Then a 5 min cool down.

    I'm going to try this as I suffer from the same problem - I'm afraid I quit and get grumpy :embarassed:

Categories