Breathing tchniques for jogging/running...

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Replies

  • fat2skinny50
    fat2skinny50 Posts: 104 Member
    Not sure how true this is, but I was told to breathe in as long and hard as you can, like till your lungs hurt, then slowly exhale. It seems to help me out. Good luck.

    Don't do this while you are running. Yoga or some other thing then sure. Just don't when you are running.

    YKS.. Why? I've been doing this for a few months now. Should i stop? Is it causing damage?
  • katykat79
    katykat79 Posts: 24 Member
    You want to breathe into your stomach, not your chest. Get the feel for it by laying flat on your stomach. Take a deep breath....you're should feel your stomach pushing against the floor. If not, think about it and try again. Your shoulders should NOT raise when you take a breath in. I am a mouth breather and it works for me....I mean, it is a bigger hole :)....what I found essential is breathing into your diaphragm instead of shallow breaths into your chest. Good luck!
  • sesquive
    sesquive Posts: 26 Member
    I saw that someone wrote to slow down, and it's true. Even if you think it can't be possible, just try it for a little bit. Otherwise, you would get discouraged. Also, what helped me with my breathing; singing out loud (you don't have yell, but singing along softly to a song). I don't know why or how, but it works with me. If can't sing, then I know I should slow down.
  • neveragain84
    neveragain84 Posts: 534 Member
    Sounds crazy, but what works for me is breathing to the beat of my music on my iPod. It helps me to keep a steady rhythm and, depending on the music, can help me alternate my breathing and my pace.
  • EastFork
    EastFork Posts: 25 Member
    This book is amazingly helpful: Runner's World Running on Air: The Revolutionary Way to Run Better by Breathing Smarter.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Not sure how true this is, but I was told to breathe in as long and hard as you can, like till your lungs hurt, then slowly exhale. It seems to help me out. Good luck.

    Don't do this while you are running. Yoga or some other thing then sure. Just don't when you are running.

    YKS.. Why? I've been doing this for a few months now. Should i stop? Is it causing damage?

    I don't think it would do any damage but I imagine that could really slow you down. When you exhale you are getting rid of the carbon dioxide. Not sure why you would want to do that slowly as that will just delay time to get more oxygen in to feed your muscles from the inhale exchange.
  • fat2skinny50
    fat2skinny50 Posts: 104 Member
    Not sure how true this is, but I was told to breathe in as long and hard as you can, like till your lungs hurt, then slowly exhale. It seems to help me out. Good luck.

    Don't do this while you are running. Yoga or some other thing then sure. Just don't when you are running.

    YKS.. Why? I've been doing this for a few months now. Should i stop? Is it causing damage?

    I don't think it would do any damage but I imagine that could really slow you down. When you exhale you are getting rid of the carbon dioxide. Not sure why you would want to do that slowly as that will just delay time to get more oxygen in to feed your muscles from the inhale exchange.

    ElliottTN: thank you - so what i should be doing in exhaling quickly correct? I will do that on my run tomorrow
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    ElliottTN: thank you - so what i should be doing in exhaling quickly correct? I will do that on my run tomorrow

    I think you are over analyzing this. You don't need to do it quickly either, just comfortably and not intentionally slow. Just Good quality diaphragm driven breaths.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I have been thinking about getting into running to improve cardiovascular health, but worry about the breathing issue.

    To be honest, I don't understand how to apply some of these suggestions:

    1. Breathing through my nose is not going to do it. I'm just sitting right now, and have been for maybe an hour. I'm struggling breathing through my nose right now and have to open my mouth every 30-45 seconds to get enough air. If I'm walking or jogging or running, nose breathing won't cut it.

    2. Not going any faster than I can carry a conversation means I must walk forever. I will literally never be able to jog or run... I can see being able to work up to walking quickly for awhile, but not beyond that. How is it even possible that someone can carry on a conversation and still be able to breath while running?! So the answer is that I should not run. If I do the couch to 5k, then I will skip all the running portions and walk instead. BTW, I have no problem walking for hours... I just can't run for more than 1-2 minutes without having to stop and catch my breath.
    Franky, I don't even think about my breathing until I am pushing my pace really hard and it becomes difficult. I read somewhere that it really doesn't matter if you breath through your nose or mouth while you're running. It's all in what's comfortable for you.

    When I started C25K I created myself a Week 0 because I felt like I couldn't run as long as proscribed. Instead, I ran for 15 seconds and walked for 2 minutes until I got to the point where I could handle running for 30 seconds straight without feeling like I was going to die. I used to be certain I had exercise-induced asthma when I was younger because I couldn't handle running long distances without having breathing issues but I could do gymnastics and karate and was incredibly fit. I'm still not positive I don't suffer from it because running for more than about 10 minutes at a stretch is very difficult for me. About week 4 of C25K (week 5 for me!) I switched to run/walk intervals permanently (Google Jeff Galloway) on the advice of my sister (a marathon run/walker). I've done a bunch of half marathons and shorter races using this method because it works for me. I'm actually faster doing a 5K in intervals than trying to run slowly so I can run the whole race.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Of all the things you need to control when running, breathing is the easiest because your body does it on its own. Just let it go. You're overcomplicating it.
  • georgiaTRIs
    georgiaTRIs Posts: 229 Member
    Keep your head up and looking forward. Breath through your nose till you need to mouth breath. if you are having trouble breathing when doing walk or slow jog, you might want to check with your doctor before proceeding. Don't over-think this
  • STrooper
    STrooper Posts: 659 Member
    I have been thinking about getting into running to improve cardiovascular health, but worry about the breathing issue.

    To be honest, I don't understand how to apply some of these suggestions:

    1. Breathing through my nose is not going to do it. I'm just sitting right now, and have been for maybe an hour. I'm struggling breathing through my nose right now and have to open my mouth every 30-45 seconds to get enough air. If I'm walking or jogging or running, nose breathing won't cut it.

    2. Not going any faster than I can carry a conversation means I must walk forever. I will literally never be able to jog or run... I can see being able to work up to walking quickly for awhile, but not beyond that. How is it even possible that someone can carry on a conversation and still be able to breath while running?! So the answer is that I should not run. If I do the couch to 5k, then I will skip all the running portions and walk instead. BTW, I have no problem walking for hours... I just can't run for more than 1-2 minutes without having to stop and catch my breath.
    Franky, I don't even think about my breathing until I am pushing my pace really hard and it becomes difficult. I read somewhere that it really doesn't matter if you breath through your nose or mouth while you're running. It's all in what's comfortable for you.

    When I started C25K I created myself a Week 0 because I felt like I couldn't run as long as proscribed. Instead, I ran for 15 seconds and walked for 2 minutes until I got to the point where I could handle running for 30 seconds straight without feeling like I was going to die. I used to be certain I had exercise-induced asthma when I was younger because I couldn't handle running long distances without having breathing issues but I could do gymnastics and karate and was incredibly fit. I'm still not positive I don't suffer from it because running for more than about 10 minutes at a stretch is very difficult for me. About week 4 of C25K (week 5 for me!) I switched to run/walk intervals permanently (Google Jeff Galloway) on the advice of my sister (a marathon run/walker). I've done a bunch of half marathons and shorter races using this method because it works for me. I'm actually faster doing a 5K in intervals than trying to run slowly so I can run the whole race.

    Let me add my experience. I walked for nearly 3 years before I even thought about running (again). I found that after that period of time I was comfortable running at about 11:40 - 12:00/mile pace on a consistent non-stop basis over a 10K course. That was a surprise. I could carry on a short-phrase conversation with someone at that pace (I could also walk at 13:30 pace and carry on a conversation and go for a fairly long distance). My 5K time was roughly 34 minutes. My 10K time was roughly 1:13:00.

    Shortly after that, I jumped into training for a marathon and used Galloway's run/walk technique. My 5K time dropped from 34 minutes down to 28:03 (from April to September). My first marathon (ever and at age 60) I completed in 5:10:51 and ran/walk the entire way, even with a strained Achilles (at mile 14). I have used Galloway's run/walk technique and in my third marathon last April, finished in 4:57 in fairly brutal conditions (my goal was sub-5:00:00).

    My most recent 5K time was 25:32. I have also used the technique on half-marathons and wound my time down to 2:06 from 2:13. I will be running 3 half-marathons and two 5K's in preparation for a November marathon. When I started out, I couldn't run a single mile faster than about 10:30. Now, I can click one off in 7:15.

    Here's the thing. The run/walk is a form of interval training. But don't push too hard. You might be able to develop the cardio capacity relatively quickly. But you'll quickly run into another problem. You cardio capacity may improve enough that you outstrip your muscle capacity to carry you longer distances. It takes a matter of weeks to a couple of months, all other things being equal, to develop the heart-lung capacity so that you can go fairly consistently at a moderate pace. But it takes months to a better part of a half-year to develop the muscle's blood carrying capacity to go progressively faster and farther. More blood goes to your heart and lungs for faster development, less so for your muscles.

    Oh, and it can get worse. It takes at least a year for your ligaments and tendons to adapt and adjust to the stress, particularly if you are going longer distances. The least amount of blood flow requires the most time to adapt.

    So, think of this as a long-term project.

    Oh, one other thing. I now run 4 minutes with a 1 minute walk all the way through a race. I have enough energy "in the tank" so I can go to a solid, high-speed run at the end of a race if that is what I want to do. I can run a race and not become a piece of furniture for the rest of the day (taking the form of a recliner chair or the couch).
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Let me add my experience. I walked for nearly 3 years before I even thought about running (again). I found that after that period of time I was comfortable running at about 11:40 - 12:00/mile pace on a consistent non-stop basis over a 10K course. That was a surprise. I could carry on a short-phrase conversation with someone at that pace (I could also walk at 13:30 pace and carry on a conversation and go for a fairly long distance). My 5K time was roughly 34 minutes. My 10K time was roughly 1:13:00.

    Shortly after that, I jumped into training for a marathon and used Galloway's run/walk technique. My 5K time dropped from 34 minutes down to 28:03 (from April to September). My first marathon (ever and at age 60) I completed in 5:10:51 and ran/walk the entire way, even with a strained Achilles (at mile 14). I have used Galloway's run/walk technique and in my third marathon last April, finished in 4:57 in fairly brutal conditions (my goal was sub-5:00:00).

    My most recent 5K time was 25:32. I have also used the technique on half-marathons and wound my time down to 2:06 from 2:13. I will be running 3 half-marathons and two 5K's in preparation for a November marathon. When I started out, I couldn't run a single mile faster than about 10:30. Now, I can click one off in 7:15.

    Here's the thing. The run/walk is a form of interval training. But don't push too hard. You might be able to develop the cardio capacity relatively quickly. But you'll quickly run into another problem. You cardio capacity may improve enough that you outstrip your muscle capacity to carry you longer distances. It takes a matter of weeks to a couple of months, all other things being equal, to develop the heart-lung capacity so that you can go fairly consistently at a moderate pace. But it takes months to a better part of a half-year to develop the muscle's blood carrying capacity to go progressively faster and farther. More blood goes to your heart and lungs for faster development, less so for your muscles.

    Oh, and it can get worse. It takes at least a year for your ligaments and tendons to adapt and adjust to the stress, particularly if you are going longer distances. The least amount of blood flow requires the most time to adapt.

    So, think of this as a long-term project.

    Oh, one other thing. I now run 4 minutes with a 1 minute walk all the way through a race. I have enough energy "in the tank" so I can go to a solid, high-speed run at the end of a race if that is what I want to do. I can run a race and not become a piece of furniture for the rest of the day (taking the form of a recliner chair or the couch).
    I love hearing about other people who've had success using run/walk intervals! I know that if I hadn't switched to intervals I wouldn't still be running 3 1/2 years later. You have some great information and advice, too.

    I managed to avoid any running related injuries for the first few years but I remember running into some tendon issues as I hit longer mileage before my first half. It wasn't anything major, just some stiffness and soreness in my hips and behind my knees but it's never reoccured.

    I've done most of my half marathons at either 3:1 or 4:1 intervals. I had to take several months off after suffering a foot injury earlier this year (I stepped on a large piece of gravel and even through my shoes I fractured a sesamoid) and since starting back to running a few weeks ago I decided to work on 5:1, just because I want to see if I can. I managed to do my first 5K at 5:1 this morning so I'm pretty stoked!
  • BRobertson23
    BRobertson23 Posts: 150 Member
    When I did sports in middle and high school, I had a couple of different coaches or PE teachers tell me to breathe in through my nose and out through the mouth. This was supposed to warm up the breath and help with running....I've taken to running again after a LONG hiatus. I'm currently running a pace that I can breathe easily through my nose. My initial focus is to maintain a pace for about a mile. I'm running a 5K in October, so I will be adding distance in a week or two, then starting to push myself more during those distances. I hope you find something that works well for you. Keep up the hard work and GOOD LUCK! :)

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