Need advice on my breathing.
kristafb
Posts: 770 Member
I've recently found out I have exercise induced asthma and at the end of week 1 started using a puffer which has helped a lot but I just finished week 3 and I don't feel ready to move on at all. The 3 minute runs kill me. By the 2 minute mark I'm sucking air like a fish out of water. I almost start to panic and wonder if its mental more than physical. Is there any way to train myself to control my breathing better? I've heard I should be belly breathing which I just don't understand, but I know that my breaths are coming from very shallow chest breaths. any advice would be appreciated. thanks
0
Replies
-
The best advice I can give is to not think about it.. If you think about it, especially while you're running, you're going to be critical on yourself. If you have trouble with 3 minute runs-- then you're probably running too fast. Lightly talk to yourself while you run-- if you cant, then you're going too fast. A lot of people run/jog slower than they walk!
Relax and try to think about nothing.. Well, nothing important anyways. "Hey thats a nice fence.. Oh I like that garden, I want a garden someday. That car is amazing! I love Chevys! I feel good!"
Or if you're listening to music... I make little music videos in my head to the tunes. It makes those 3 minute songs go by reeeaallly fast.
Edit:
Oh I see you have dogs.
I have dogs too, two German Shepherd rescues and two CH. Japanese Akita, they go running with me.
If you take your dogs running with you, then try talking to them. I talk to mine-- it reminds me to not run too fast, if I can't talk then I know I'm going too fast and need to slow down. Which is usually like a prance to them.. They're kinda good at reminding me of my pace.0 -
Thanks for the advice. I'll try going slower and see how that works. I had slowed it down going into week 3 from about 5.5 to about 4.5 on my treadmill, but perhaps slower still is the answer until i get the breathing thing down. I don't run outdoors yet, I want to master at least a 5 minute run on the treadmill before I venture outside.
My poor little pups are not the best candidates for coming along with me. My Jack russell/border collie mix definitely has the stamina and energy to come but is easily distracted & would drag me all over the neighborhood & my little one, a shih tzu/pug mix has a loose ligament in her back knee so can't go for long periods without having to stop, unfortunately for us all because it would be nice for the company once I go outside. Maybe its time to adopt a running partner. lol0 -
Oh gosh, yes. I did the whole thing on a 4.5 mile pace on the treadmill. And to this day if I ever get stuck on the treadmills I go 4.5. Remember, this isn't about how fast you cross the finish line, it is about crossing it period.
As far as the breathing, it helped for me to focus on the breathing. I still catch myself not breathing properly from time to time. A trick that helped me, especially on the treadmill, is watching my heart rate. If you have a HRM then this will be a good way to watch your breathing and you will be able to tell when it is off by your HR spiking. Remember, you should be running at a pace where you could hold a conversation, but not sing. So basically, you could complete a sentence before having to take a breath. Take note of what your average HR is for that time. Mine is generally around 140-150 bpm. When I start getting up to 165-170 (and I have not increased the speed) I know that my breathing is what is causing this and I need to focus on that. It has helped me a lot. That is one thing that treadmills are great for, teaching you how to breath through the steps. And if you have a HRM that has the chest strap, most treadmills will pick it up remotely so you don't have to hold the sensors.0 -
Well I took the advice and slowed down & I did w4d1 without stopping once!!! My breathing was a little ragged at one point but I just concentrated on evening it out and made it through. This is the first time my legs were tired before my lungs were. :happy:
I'm super proud of me & my dodgy lungs right now. Thanks for the advice everyone!0 -
to belly breathe instead of expanding your chest and lifting your shoulders
breathe the air into your stomach, it takes practice haha but you'll feel your belly expand and your diaphragm lift so you can breath in more air
it is tricky to get but really useful once you do and it does become pretty natural0
