Before we get to the breathing tips and techniques, I first want to talk about why we should focus on our breathing.
Breathing technique is not something that I particularly stress over as a runner but there are some definite benefits to breathing "correctly" and effectively.
It keeps you from feeling out of breath! It's not good if you feel like you can't quite catch your breath.
If you feel like you are out of breath every time you run then try one of the tips below to see if you can change this!
Benefits to focusing on your breathing pattern while you run:
Most coaches will look at how much air you move in and out of your lungs.
In equation form:
Tidal Volume (size of breath) x frequency = How much air you move in and out of your lungs.
These two factors (tidal volume and frequency) are inversely related meaning that if you breathe too fast you thereby increase the frequency of your breaths and will reduce how much air you can actually take in.
If you slow your breaths down you can increase the amount of air that your body can take in.
However, you can slow your breathing rate down too much.
Therefore, knowing when to use what breathing technique will help you to maximize your running economy and stay on pace.
Your pace can really help to determine your breathing pattern. The faster you run the more breaths you will have to take in to sustain that pace.
Best Breathing Pattern for Runners:
As a runner, the best breathing pattern for the most effective oxygen uptake is to take 2 steps for each breath in and 2 steps for each breath out.
This can be signified as a 2-2 breathing pattern. However depending on your speed and intensity this breathing pattern will change.
When to Change your Breathing Pattern:
1. The number one of all the breathing tips is to remember is to breathe DEEPLY .
Focus on breathing through your belly and not through your chest. When you are running, notice if your chest is rising and falling. It shouldn't be! If you are slouching and not running tall you are more likely to be chest breathing.
So do a posture check every once in awhile.
2. It is more natural for us to breathe in through our nose and out through nose with our tongue resting on the roof of our mouth slightly behind our teeth.
However, you can find that it becomes tiring to just keep track of your breathing intake or even to breathe in and out in a certain pattern for so long especially when running the marathon distance.
Switch it up between breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth, or in and out from your mouth.
3. When you are running in cold weather it is best to always breathe in through your nose to warm the air before it hits your lungs.
Breathing in through your mouth will cause that soreness in your throat area since you are breathing in cold air, sometimes even sub-freezing air!
4. Focus on exhaling to make sure you are getting all of your carbon dioxide (CO2) out.
This will really require you to breathe in and out through your belly but it will increase your running economy!
Exhaling your CO2 out becomes even more important when you are running at faster speeds or doing hill or speed training.
I'll send you my free 24 Hour Timeline Checklist of Things You Should Do After a Long Run when you sign up!
References:
How to Breathe While Running: Running Tips and Breathing Technique to Run Faster. Vo2maxProductions, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Optimal Breathing. Perf. Jack Daniels. The Run SMART Project. The Run SMART Project, 22 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Running Technique - Breathing Part 1: How to Run
without Losing Your Breath. Perf. Will
Wragg. Running Injury Free Revolution. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
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