Out of breath

[ANDYTERRY]

Hi guys, I consistently manage 5k now after a bit of a struggle but I always seem to be puffing like a steam train. Is there anything I can do to help with this?

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

Do you breath rhythmically?- there is less chance of becoming breathless if you have a consistent breathing pattern while running -- but even then, running too fast for your current level of fitness will still result in breathlessness.

[Hidden]

Put some music on and drown out the noise! That's what I do, I was horrified at my panting the one time I ran without music, so now I always listen to something!

[Rignold]

Slow down. Slow right down to the point at which you can carry on a conversation while running. Your speed will pick up agan without you realising it once you have built your aerobic base.

[Rob_and_his_westie Graduate]

Do you warm up before you run? I always find the first km very stressful if I haven't warmed up, with my breathing all over the place.

[sprynn Graduate]

Hello there. I recognise myself! I was so caught up in breaking the 5km in 30 mins that I was going too fast. My husband encouraged me to slow down and over time I have built back the speed but without the puffing. As suggested by Rignold, slow right down until you can talk (or sing along to your music which is what I do). It may feel very slow to start, but you can add in some intervals (short sprints of 20-40 seconds, followed by 2-3 mins or more at a steady pace where you can recover your breathing) to mix it up, and this will also help build your aerobic base. Good luck.

[cruziere]

Another way to regulate your speed to your level of fitness and age, is to use a heart rate monitor. Do some research and calculate a "zone" whereby you set a minimum and maximum heart rate for your run. A guest who holidayed here this summer is a fitness instructor and he explained the system to me. It makes good sense, and having previously not felt the need for such technology, I bought one! There again I had just spent 3 hours in the emergency unit of the local hospital...a false alarm, still very scary! I will tell my cautionary tale if anyone wants to read it!

[Slookie Graduate in reply to cruziere]

Go on, tell us ... don't just leave us hanging.

[cruziere in reply to Slookie]

Well, having completed C25K last autumn, running in hills and on trails I wimped out over winter, it was rainy, and someone was killed by a hunter nearby. very off-putting, to say the least. Hunting & rough shooting is everywhere during winter.

So I started again in some warm weather in the spring, and pushed a little too hard, too soon. I had a pain in the breastbone area which came when I breathed deeply. My doctor thought it was not significant, but suggested a visit to a cardiologist, just to eliminate any doubts. My appointment came round & I saw a smart young doctor, (instead of the intended old hand) who declared that all was fine, however suggested some blood tests...just to eliminate any doubts! Blood tests are a walk-in affair at a commercial lab, so early on a Friday morning I had my sample taken & returned home. The results were on-line by mid afternoon, and one test had revealed a very high reading, almost 3 times the recognised safe maximum; the test for possible blood clots or Pulmonary Embolism.

I spent a while trying & failing not to worry, telling myself it would go away...but of course I had to go back to the doctor. Now my doctor is of the M.A.S.H. style and admits he is comfortably distant from the establishment, so it was a shock to be suddenly treated very urgently. He had once said that any pulse at all is quite a good thing after a run! While he showed me diagrams and hurriedly told of stents and catheters in the groin, all far to graphic, he injected my leg with anti-coagulant and said I was to go to hospital NOW! I muttered something about guests arriving and work to do...he just shook his head. So I drove the 30 minutes to hospital...emergency dept. as instructed.

I was whisked in, put on a trolley and tested for everything...I had holes in me and tubes and wires...and I was scared. This was surreal. There were people in trouble all around, an old lady clearly dying was moved out of my vision. Eventually after a couple of hours attention many visits, tests and questions the intern returned. He told me I could get dressed and go home! All was well! They had performed more tests, the test in question 3 times in different ways. The lab test in the morning had produced rogue results.

I left very shaken, sore, blood-stained, and full of holes! I was home by midnight, arrived to a huge thunderstorm, no electricity nor phone nor internet.

A regular guest, in whom I had confided, came down from his gite with a torch and we had a couple of cold beers by candle light. Whew!

I was fine on Saturday, worked away as usual...but on Sunday and for a couple of days I felt broken!

A long story, and one to learn from. My blood test results are all within recognised limits for health, I am 59, a little overweight and I have been advised to work up to exercise gradually. I am listening to that advice! Cheers...and thanks for reading!

[Tomas Graduate in reply to cruziere]

A cautionary tale indeed. Glad it was a false positive - far better than the opposite!

[cruziere in reply to Tomas]

I felt such a fraud...but better safe than sorry!

[Slookie Graduate in reply to cruziere]

Bet those beers were good. As cautionary tales go, this is a good-un! Thanks for sharing Cruziere.

[cruziere in reply to Slookie]

The best beers in the world Slookie! The heart rate monitor has slowed me down to what I think is a snail pace, and I now avoid the steeper gradients. The result is a longer more sustainable run. Which is exactly what the fitness pro advised I should do for increased strength, stamina & overall fitness. Time will tell...we all have plaque in our veins and it can detach & cause us harm...or worse. So, take it easy! As Greensincerity says...slow down & then some! Make sure there is a healthy tomorrow! Now where is that glass of wine...

[greensincerity]

Slow down. And then slow down some more. Even if you can run faster for a longer distance, your body isn't used to it. Build up slowly.

[Michael_W Graduate]

Assuming you're otherwise healthy, Rignold got it right but I would add that you need to be running regularly too, to build up that solid base of fitness. Also, try to push a bit as well, for example upping the pace in the last km or with a hard sprint towards the end of the run. Personally, it's taken months for my breathing to get anywhere close to rhythmic but I expect to be breathing hard on all of my runs, apart from my weekly long run.

[swanscot Graduate]

To develop the ability for the your heart and lungs to work efficiently, you need to give them long, easy exercise and short sprints of fast, hard exercise. But it doesn't all have to be running. You can train your cardio-vascular system with other forms of exercise too. Try cycling or swimming and like Michael suggests for running, try a wee sprint on the bike or in the pool too.

[ANDYTERRY Graduate]

Thanks for all the comments guys and gals. I already feel that I am going far too slow. I go out every other morning so at least three times a week and I try to do 5k each time, I do go before work which puts a bit of a time limit on it but I normally do about thirty minutes ish. I have also tried speeding up for the last bit as an old friend said you should always try and do the second half of a run faster than the first. If I go any slower I will be walking.

I don't think I have ever been able to talk whilst running and certainly cant sing!!

I do feel that curlygurly is on to something though