Breathing When Running…On a Mission to Improve!

I have been running for about 8 years now, starting when my youngest child was around 4 months. I remember the hardest part of starting to run was the breathing element. I could spend an hour on the elliptical or stair machine with no problem, but run for 10 minutes left me feeling winded. As my fitness increased, I naturally learned to breath better without any formal research. I guess you could say my body adapted and I just came up with my own way of not hyperventilating! ha! But now in preparation for a faster marathon time, I am pushing my speed limits and breathing rate. I bet there is an elite breathing secret that can help me achieve my goals. What do the experts say? Here is what I found out..

• 80% of the work in breathing is done by your diaphragm. Strengthen your diaphragm and enjoy more endurance.

• The harder your respiratory muscles work in a race, the more the leg muscles have to work. Once your respiratory muscles tire, the body redirects oxygen from your limbs to your diaphragm.

• Deep breathing is the key. You must utilize all of those tiny air sacs to get the most oxygen delivered to your muscles.

• Become a belly breather not a chest breather.  Belly breathers use the diaphragm instead of the chest and shoulders. Chest breathers sap up their energy faster.

• A trick to teach your body to belly breath naturally while running is to practice when resting. Inflate your belly while inhaling and exhaling. This habit will carry over during a run.

• How to check that you are indeed belly breathing and not chest breathing. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly, take a deep breath. You should only see the belly hand moving while breathing. The chest hand should stay still.

• Coordinating breathing with footfalls can improve diaphragm strength. Try a 2-2 coordination first (inhale on left, right, exhale on left) and work up to a 4-4 coordination (breathing in on four steps and out on four).

• Breath through your mouth. This provides the most oxygen to your lungs.

• Pilates can strengthen diaphragm and intercostal muscles while teaching controlled breathing. Check out the pilates video from Runner’s World.

• Poor posture while running diminishes the amount of air getting into the lungs.

And last but not least, there  are  respiratory strengthening devices you can buy. They look like a kazoo and can be quite costly. The benefits are debateable.

Respiratory Trainer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am definitely a belly breather, but I am excited to try breathing in patterns tomorrow during my long run. I think the thought process of it all will keep my mind busy!