Breathing

Just a thought about breathing - I know Laura says breathe in for 2 paces and out for 2, I noticed the other day I breathe in for 2 steps and out for 5...I'm fairly sure this comes from swimming, any thoughts?

[Hidden]

That's interesting, I thought Laura advocated in for 4 and out for 4. Like you though, I seem to need to breath out for longer than I breath in, and I'm not a swimmer.

[GettingFitter Graduate]

I find it depends how fast I am going. I too thought it was in for 4 and out for 4 but I mostly do 2 and 2

[no-excuse Graduate]

I can't even think about counting! I just get the air in whatever way I can and find its better when I don't think about it! x

[Mamma_Mia Graduate]

Hi CurlyGirly - I've noticed that I breathe in for 2 steps (just can't manage 4) but sometimes, mainly at the start of a run!, I also breathe out for longer. I have been putting this down to the breathing exercises I learnt many, many moons ago in ante-natal classes but it could be due to swimming too.

If I'm towards the end of a run and working hard then I'm with no-excuse - any way the air gets in and out works for me!!!!!

[AncientMum Graduate]

I'm with no-excuse on this one. If I try to follow Laura's instructions, I usually end up breathing in for 3 and out for 3, so I just breathe how and when I need to so I don't turn blue

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to AncientMum]

Nothing wrong with 3/3 -- I use it all the time for easy runs

[AncientMum Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

Cheers Bazza, I thought I was being incompetent

[paul727 Graduate]

I don't consciously think about my breathing and when I have it's screwed me up a bit, I gulp down a few deep breaths when the going gets tough and then forget about it again.

[ajwyld Graduate]

When I started I was the same, and like you put it down to swimming. However I noticed last night that I was breathing in and out for roughly the same amount of time. Either in 2 out 2 or in 4 out 4. It seems to just have shifted over time.

The thing I haven't learned to do (yet) is use different breathing patterns to help my running the way I can use different breathing patterns to help my swimming, but I assume that this is because I've been swimming since childhood and had some coaching in my early teens, and I've only be jogging for a few months.

[Spanner67 Graduate]

I've only just learnt to NOT think about my breathing and, boy, am I so much more relaxed as I run now! I've been doing a lot of cycling recently (I work in a school office, so over the last 6 weeks I have been cycling 3 times a week as well as running 3 times a week) and I think this has really helped me. Shame I have to go back to work next week....!!

[Hidden]

With swimming I was taught to open my mouth wide and gulp as much air as possible in as short a time as possible, you don't want to interrupt your stroke too much, then you breath out slowly and fully over three strokes. It's probably the breathing out to the last drop that does it! Pilates is pretty much the same...

[useitorloseit Graduate]

The moment I start to think about my breathing I feel out of breath. So I just gulp it in and gulp it out at will. Swallowed a fly this morning though, which wasn't very nice.

[ajwyld Graduate in reply to useitorloseit]

uggh. Have also swallowed a fair few flies. Which is motivating me to learn to breath in through my nose, though I'm not very good at it yet when running (OK in the rest of my life, so again I suspect its a swimming habit !)

[runningnearbeirut Graduate]

I've read that having an odd number of paces for your breathing in-out cycle is good, because of something or other to do with extras strain that's put on one side when you breathe in. As a flute player, I can take longer to breathe out than in too.

If you can manage 7 paces altogether then that's pretty good going. But try experimenting and see if you could get up to 3 or 4 paces for breathing in, and really fill your lungs by using your diaphragm. Or maybe you're used to doing that really quickly between swimming strokes!

The most important thing is to get to a point where you feel comfortable with how you are breathing. Mine usually changes during a run, depending how tired I am/how fast I'm going/whether I'm trying to get up a hill, etc. Some people will think about it more than others, and there's no reason for anyone to feel bad about how quickly they have to breathe - it's a personal thing.

[Slookie Graduate]

Thinking of putting one of those aeroplane oxygen masks above the trotmill for when it gets desperate and I sound like an out of work dray horse chugging up the Hovis Hill ...

I think I do 2 in and 3 out. Start by going in through my nose out via mouth but by the end I seem to do 2 in and 2 out through the mouth. If I get to 1 in and 1 out the HRM has shot up to 190 and I have to slow up (to a crawl) in case it's not kidding.

Does anyone else notice if the heart rate can be brought down or sent up by breathing rate while keeping a regular pace? I suppose the lowest heart rate (so long as it is still going) = best breathing pattern?

[Hidden]

I have only recently started to think about breathing technique. Up until now it's been "just don't forget to breath"...

I find it hard to do the counting thing but I have found now that I can do the nose breathe in, mouth breathe out thing a lot better... I think it just comes with practice. With these longer runs now you need to breathe properly to keep going.. I suspect the brain and body work out a truce...