Every Breath You Take
Today's post is going to focus on an essential yet often overlooked part of running: breathing. As runners, we generally tend to think about our breathing only when it causes us problems: when we are first starting out and learning to run, when we climb a steep hill, or when we increase our speed either during training or near the end of a race. When we do think about it, it is usually reactionary; how often do we actually consciously think about the way we want to breathe when we are running?
For me, the answer to that question is "A lot." And it all traces back to a single article that was sent to me during my first ever week of proper running back in 2013.
https://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/running-on-air-breathing-technique
In the article, the argument is made that our body has the highest risk of injury when we are starting our exhale, since the core muscles are not engaged at that point. Since most runners tend to breath with an even-even cadence (inhale for 2 steps, exhale for 2 steps), they are always landing on the same foot at the start of their exhale. The thought is that this leads to overuse injuries to one side of the body.
The suggested fix is to use odd-even cadence (inhale for 3 steps, exhale for 2 steps), which will lead you to alternate the foot that is striking at the start of your exhale. There are further suggestions for altering your breathing when speeding up or going uphill, but the general idea remains the same.
After reading this article, I adopted this strategy for my own running. From day 1, I counted my steps and worked to sync my breathing to my running. It was a little tricky at first, but it has long since become routine. I can run and carry on a conversation easily and still maintain this breathing pattern.
Regarding the injury theory, I have read articles (one is linked below) since then that suggest there is no direct link between breathing pattern and injuries. I am obviously only a sample of one, but I have completed 5 running seasons with only 1 minor injury, and I have never missed training due to injury. So I personally won't be changing anytime soon. :)
http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/training/how-should-i-breathe-when-i-run_75131
Aside from the possible injury component, I find that the other benefits from focusing on my breathing are also quite useful. I have done A LOT of running on my own. I trained for 3 full years doing only solo runs, and even now I usually run 4 of my 6 weekly runs solo. My breathing works in a meditative way on those runs; it helps me stay centered, and it makes the run seem less arduous than it otherwise would.
From a performance standpoint, I find that having a set breathing pattern allows me to know when I may be pushing a little too hard. Last season, I found that during tempo runs I would sometimes feel the need to take a second inhale during my 3 steps. This ended up working as a sort of internal governor, allowing me to know when I was pushing myself just a little too hard.
Now, I'm not an elite runner or coach, so I wouldn't recommend that anybody just take my experience and treat it as the "right" way to do things. What I would suggest is that next time you are running, try to think about your breathing just a little bit more. It may be telling you something worth hearing. :)
Weekly Summary (March 5-11)
Mon.: Off
Tue. (Afternoon): 10 min warmup, 6x400m (11mph/82 sec, w/ 60 sec rest), 10 min cooldown [treadmill] (Workout total: 6.2 km, 28:12, 4:31/km pace)
Wed.: 6 km [treadmill] @ 7.4-8.0 mph, 29:25, 4:54/km pace
Thu. (Lunch): 10 min warmup, 10 min tempo (9.5-9.2 mph, 3:56/km), 10 min cooldown [treadmill] (Workout total: 6.4 km, 30:00, 4:43/km pace)
Fri.: Off
Sat.: Off
Sun. (Morning): 14 km, 1:10:14, 5:01/km pace
Total: 32.6 km
A bit of a lazy week for me, partially due to the snow. I took an extra day off Monday after my hard 5k last Sunday. Then my Saturday morning run got cancelled because of the storm, and I was too dragged out to convince myself to run in the afternoon.
The last few weeks have not been conducive to good training. I am bowling in a provincial tournament this coming weekend, and extra practice related to that has had me out late 3 nights a week for the last 3 weeks. That has meant a lot less sleep than I am used to, which is a bad idea when you are trying to train hard. This week will likely end up being scaled back as well, as the tournament will be keeping me busy all day Friday and Saturday. After that, I hope to crush my training for the last 4 weeks leading up to the beginning of race season.
That's all for this week. As always, thanks for reading. Cheers!
For me, the answer to that question is "A lot." And it all traces back to a single article that was sent to me during my first ever week of proper running back in 2013.
https://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/running-on-air-breathing-technique
In the article, the argument is made that our body has the highest risk of injury when we are starting our exhale, since the core muscles are not engaged at that point. Since most runners tend to breath with an even-even cadence (inhale for 2 steps, exhale for 2 steps), they are always landing on the same foot at the start of their exhale. The thought is that this leads to overuse injuries to one side of the body.
The suggested fix is to use odd-even cadence (inhale for 3 steps, exhale for 2 steps), which will lead you to alternate the foot that is striking at the start of your exhale. There are further suggestions for altering your breathing when speeding up or going uphill, but the general idea remains the same.
After reading this article, I adopted this strategy for my own running. From day 1, I counted my steps and worked to sync my breathing to my running. It was a little tricky at first, but it has long since become routine. I can run and carry on a conversation easily and still maintain this breathing pattern.
Regarding the injury theory, I have read articles (one is linked below) since then that suggest there is no direct link between breathing pattern and injuries. I am obviously only a sample of one, but I have completed 5 running seasons with only 1 minor injury, and I have never missed training due to injury. So I personally won't be changing anytime soon. :)
http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/training/how-should-i-breathe-when-i-run_75131
Aside from the possible injury component, I find that the other benefits from focusing on my breathing are also quite useful. I have done A LOT of running on my own. I trained for 3 full years doing only solo runs, and even now I usually run 4 of my 6 weekly runs solo. My breathing works in a meditative way on those runs; it helps me stay centered, and it makes the run seem less arduous than it otherwise would.
From a performance standpoint, I find that having a set breathing pattern allows me to know when I may be pushing a little too hard. Last season, I found that during tempo runs I would sometimes feel the need to take a second inhale during my 3 steps. This ended up working as a sort of internal governor, allowing me to know when I was pushing myself just a little too hard.
Now, I'm not an elite runner or coach, so I wouldn't recommend that anybody just take my experience and treat it as the "right" way to do things. What I would suggest is that next time you are running, try to think about your breathing just a little bit more. It may be telling you something worth hearing. :)
Weekly Summary (March 5-11)
Mon.: Off
Tue. (Afternoon): 10 min warmup, 6x400m (11mph/82 sec, w/ 60 sec rest), 10 min cooldown [treadmill] (Workout total: 6.2 km, 28:12, 4:31/km pace)
Wed.: 6 km [treadmill] @ 7.4-8.0 mph, 29:25, 4:54/km pace
Thu. (Lunch): 10 min warmup, 10 min tempo (9.5-9.2 mph, 3:56/km), 10 min cooldown [treadmill] (Workout total: 6.4 km, 30:00, 4:43/km pace)
Fri.: Off
Sat.: Off
Sun. (Morning): 14 km, 1:10:14, 5:01/km pace
Total: 32.6 km
A bit of a lazy week for me, partially due to the snow. I took an extra day off Monday after my hard 5k last Sunday. Then my Saturday morning run got cancelled because of the storm, and I was too dragged out to convince myself to run in the afternoon.
The last few weeks have not been conducive to good training. I am bowling in a provincial tournament this coming weekend, and extra practice related to that has had me out late 3 nights a week for the last 3 weeks. That has meant a lot less sleep than I am used to, which is a bad idea when you are trying to train hard. This week will likely end up being scaled back as well, as the tournament will be keeping me busy all day Friday and Saturday. After that, I hope to crush my training for the last 4 weeks leading up to the beginning of race season.
That's all for this week. As always, thanks for reading. Cheers!
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