I saw a post a while ago promoting the idea of breathing through your nose whilst running. I pretty much ignored it, quite frankly, as I didn’t think I could suck enough air in through my nostrils for running!
However, after the glow of doing my first three 10k runs in May I have struggled to repeat them- the enthusiasm has waned and I struggled to slow down at the start and so got tired at 8k.
I did notice recently that I could breath through my nose for the first 1k so decided to try nose breathing for as long as I could.
I found I naturally ran a bit slower and more calmly and didn’t have that goal of getting it all over with ASAP. I did the 10k surprisingly easy - my pace was 30 seconds per km slower but I felt good at the end. I did 5K this morning whilst nose breathing and again found it deliciously calming and whilst I was a little slower than normal my heart rate was way down and I wasn’t tired at all at the end.
I’ll probably mouth breath on Saturday at the parkrun (to go faster!) but go back to nose breathing for mid week runs 😊
I can't nose breath for love nor money! Might give it another go on Saturday when I'm due to do my Magic 10 8k run and will need all the help I can get!
Good luck! I'm also doing my 8k run on Saturday! I have to do it really early in the morning because of the heat here ... As I read this post, I think I should watch my breathing more and try to nose breath as long as I can!
I find it a really good indicator to run at that ‘easy conversational pace’. Talking to yourself is not a conversation and tends to attract funny looks. Keeping your mouth shut forces you to slow down.
Good work in discovering for yourself the benefits of nose breathing! It's worth persevering with for all your long, slow runs because it not only helps you do the same work at a lower heart rate but it builds your aerobic base. So when you decide to push on in a race/parkrun you'll find you've got more in your tank.
I wonder if mouth breathing will make me run faster.?? When I recover from a fractured shoulder, sustained while running slowly in a 5k I will give it a try. 😉
Ouch! If running slowly can result in a fractured shoulder are you sure you want to risk running faster?! I know someone who's foot dropped into a small hole whilst running last year - it fractured her ankle. She hasn’t run since - partly due to nerves and partly due to embarrassment as she (being young and single) had been running around a football pitch at the time whilst the players were warming up 🙄
Interesting that it made a a difference. But as I read your post, I found that I really don't know whether I run with mouth open or closed!?🙄 I'll have to pay more attention next time 😁
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I have to do it really early in the morning because of the heat here ... As I read this post, I think I should watch my breathing more and try to nose breath as long as I can!
My 10k journey (and beyond!)
10K!
10K in the sunshine ☀️
10k on the Trails and a malfunction 😳
Off the bridge and inching to 10k
