Breathing help..... About This Page:

[pixiemom]

I've been MIA for a bit, sorry!!!
summer is keeping me busy!!
So I have about 67 days till I hit Disney and run the TOT race, totally excited, then a week after that race I will be doing my 2nd 1/2 marathon....
Posting because if there is anyone out there that could help me, i seem to still not be doing great with my breathing technique, i run a decent pace 9.30mins per mile but maybe its because its the summer and its humid, i just can't seem to breathe right.
Today I ran 6miles and stopped 2x, but not for a long period of time, I still finished in 59 mins.

Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I do have to admit I am not the greatest at drinking water all day long.

[kadterp]

Girl, I totally admire you to begin with having a pace like that!

I did my long run yesterday of four miles and I got my butt kicked! I did a new course yesterday and it was hilly and humid! I too was having problems with my breathing! Every once in a while I would take a few deep breaths to try to get it more under control...but it seemed that the only thing that really helped was taking a walk break, getting back under control and start running again! Sometimes I wonder if it is because Im running too fast, but then I look at my watch and see my pace and think that it cant be that! Slugs probably move faster than me!

Hopefully we can get some ideas on what works best!

[pixiemom]

Originally Posted by kadterp

Girl, I totally admire you to begin with having a pace like that!

I did my long run yesterday of four miles and I got my butt kicked! I did a new course yesterday and it was hilly and humid! I too was having problems with my breathing! Every once in a while I would take a few deep breaths to try to get it more under control...but it seemed that the only thing that really helped was taking a walk break, getting back under control and start running again! Sometimes I wonder if it is because Im running too fast, but then I look at my watch and see my pace and think that it cant be that! Slugs probably move faster than me!

Hopefully we can get some ideas on what works best!

thank you hun!!
i'm just hoping its the weather/humidity, i notice that after like mile 3 i feel ok, it almost feels like i have to make this huge yawn and then i will feel better, so i try and force a yawn, lol this probably doesn't even make any sense.....
we'll see....thanks again!

[Fortissimo]

Breathe deeper into your lungs. When I teach my kids how to breathe in band, I ask them what fills up first - the top of a glass when you pour water into it, or the bottom? Taking deeper breathes means more air.

[pixiemom]

Originally Posted by Fortissimo

Breathe deeper into your lungs. When I teach my kids how to breathe in band, I ask them what fills up first - the top of a glass when you pour water into it, or the bottom? Taking deeper breathes means more air.

so am i doing this before i start? because I can't seem to take that deep of a breathe when i am already in running mode
sorry to sound ignorant

[Fortissimo]

Work on deep breathing the entire run. It's hard to do this and run or bike and I have had years of practice as a musician! I have been doing this on my long bike workouts and it works, especially on the hills.

[Dreaming of DisneyWorld]

I don't know what the humidity is like where you are, but in St. Louis there are days that it feels like you're breathing through a sponge. Don't expect to perform at your peak when it's hot and/or humid. My only real advice for breathing is "Don't try to control it." That is, don't try to breathe in thru your nose & out thru your mouth. That's for a cool-down. Your body needs oxygen during aerobic activity like running. You'll get more of it by breathing in through your mouth.

Do you cross-train? Or do you ever breathe to the point of anaerobic (hard to catch your breath)? Make it a point to breathe hard at least once a week. You'll increase your lung capacity.

If you're going to train outside during the summer, hydrate and don't train in the heat of the day. Yes, you'll sweat more, but that only leads to dehydration not improving performance.

[pixiemom]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of DisneyWorld

I don't know what the humidity is like where you are, but in St. Louis there are days that it feels like you're breathing through a sponge. Don't expect to perform at your peak when it's hot and/or humid. My only real advice for breathing is "Don't try to control it." That is, don't try to breathe in thru your nose & out thru your mouth. That's for a cool-down. Your body needs oxygen during aerobic activity like running. You'll get more of it by breathing in through your mouth.

Do you cross-train? Or do you ever breathe to the point of anaerobic (hard to catch your breath)? Make it a point to breathe hard at least once a week. You'll increase your lung capacity.

If you're going to train outside during the summer, hydrate and don't train in the heat of the day. Yes, you'll sweat more, but that only leads to dehydration not improving performance.

awesome thank you!!!!
no i don't cross train....

[My2suns]

NICE pace-jealous. Everything I have read is when it is hot and humid, drop your pace by a couple of minutes. It's hard if you're shooting for a time PR but honestly, in training, it's just good you are out there. The heat and humidity is not the time to keep it fast (well, to me that is fast). And although Alicia above mentioned not to try breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth, it is different for many I think. I had a runner friend suggest that only when I felt like I needed to regulate and I would breathe in, count to 4, and breathe out on 4 counts. And sometimes, I do know I just need to walk, it is usually because I went out fast in the beginning (and of course the heat-so ready for the cooler weather only for this reason!) good luck.

[pixiemom]

Originally Posted by My2suns

NICE pace-jealous. Everything I have read is when it is hot and humid, drop your pace by a couple of minutes. It's hard if you're shooting for a time PR but honestly, in training, it's just good you are out there. The heat and humidity is not the time to keep it fast (well, to me that is fast). And although Alicia above mentioned not to try breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth, it is different for many I think. I had a runner friend suggest that only when I felt like I needed to regulate and I would breathe in, count to 4, and breathe out on 4 counts. And sometimes, I do know I just need to walk, it is usually because I went out fast in the beginning (and of course the heat-so ready for the cooler weather only for this reason!) good luck.

Thank you very much, and you are so right, just being out there whether I am running for a long time and stop to walk, it shouldn't matter as long as I am out there.
I beat myself this morning, i went running and it was soooooooo humid this morning, i ran two miles and had to stop and walk a little, then caught by breath and ran a bit and then stopped again, i did this about 4x's i was so mad at myself, and believe it or not i still did 5 miles and i just added an extra 2 minutes to my time, i finished in 51 mins. My friend kept telling me to take it easy on myself, i guess i felt defeated darn humidity!

[shnewell]

This was something I struggled with a lot when I first started running. I start the run breathing in through my nose for 4 steps, then out through my mouth for 4 steps (it works for me -- YMMV). I do that for as long as I can, and then when I start feeling like it's getting harder to breathe, I cut it down to 3 steps (breathe in for 3 steps, then out for 3 steps). I'd say, I generally do 4 steps/breath for at least the first 1-2 miles, but it took me some time to build up to that.

The benefit of this is that it helps me regulate my pace. I always try to run a negative split -- so the second half of my run is faster than the first half -- and this really seems to help. When I'm running with 3 steps/breath, I'm definitely going faster than when I'm running with 4 steps/breath.

It also helps in races because I don't start out going crazy fast at the beginning when my adrenaline is pumping!

[pixiemom]

Originally Posted by shnewell

This was something I struggled with a lot when I first started running. I start the run breathing in through my nose for 4 steps, then out through my mouth for 4 steps (it works for me -- YMMV). I do that for as long as I can, and then when I start feeling like it's getting harder to breathe, I cut it down to 3 steps (breathe in for 3 steps, then out for 3 steps). I'd say, I generally do 4 steps/breath for at least the first 1-2 miles, but it took me some time to build up to that.

The benefit of this is that it helps me regulate my pace. I always try to run a negative split -- so the second half of my run is faster than the first half -- and this really seems to help. When I'm running with 3 steps/breath, I'm definitely going faster than when I'm running with 4 steps/breath.

It also helps in races because I don't start out going crazy fast at the beginning when my adrenaline is pumping!

great!
thank you!