Week 6:
Hi all,
It’s my first post on here 🙈 but I’ve read so many posts on here which has kept me motivated to get this far! I’ve just finished week 6 day 2 and found it ok, however I don’t know if I’m ready for only long runs?! Is anyone else’s breathing absolutely horrendous 2 minutes in? Could do with some tips on this!
Thanks x
Hi, I’m a bit behind you, started wk 4, today! All the runs up to today have felt ok! Today I felt I can do it! Try breathing in deep through your nose so if feels like a balloon Is inflating in your stomach, then blow out through your mouth! Hope it helps!
Hi Shanleigh, it is great that you decided to say hello!
Well done on getting to the mid of W6!!! It took some serious effort! 🥳🥳🥳
I am 3 runs behind you and like you, struggling with breathing when running. I just don’t remember about it... in the first two minutes of running, I am going through a mental checklist...
1. is the speed not too fast?
2. are my feet hitting the ground at the right position?
3. are my hands relaxed?
4. is my chin slightly higher?
5. do I breathe in through the nose? 😆 and very often only at this stage, I realise I don’t... so next I switch and try to breathe in through the nose, run 2 steps and then breathe out through the mouth while running another 2 steps ... and it works until I get a running nose...
I think it is a matter of practice... I am planning on keeping trying over and over again until it becomes my habit... not easy though, I agree with you!
Breathing is strange, one day you feel it’s very hard and then you realise it’s ok
Maybe try slow down a little bit and your breathing will be easier
Run relaxed Shanleigh, take the pace down a notch and maybe it'll help, practice reciting your address etc to yourself whilst running! It may help, things like temperature will alter your breathing, but it'll get there. I still have runs where my breathing sometimes doesn't find it's pattern until a few klms into my run.....
It's common to struggle at the beginning of runs. Make sure your warm up walk is brisk enough to get your heart rate up. Start your run very slowly and breathe deeply to get as much oxygen into your muscles as soon as possible. I found counting to get my breathing into a rhythm with my step helped me.
If you've completed all the runs so far, my advice would be to give the next one a go. If it doesn't work out, call it a practice run and try again in a couple of days.
Good luck
The best advice I was given in the early weeks was to slow down, relax & stop thinking about my breathing! I was assured that my breathing would sort it self out – it did! 😄
It does sound like you might be going too fast ... bring out your inner snail for now. If you want to be a gazelle later, that’s fine, but now is not the time for speed. 😄
Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress.
This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
and includes tips on breathing.
Enjoy your journey.
Thanks everyone. Going to take it a little slower whilst running, faster warm up walk & try not to worry about my breathing 🥰
Hi Shanleighx,
You’ve done so well to get where you are already.. I was the same with my breathing and I do struggle generally with it every day.... just really slow down at the start of each run and get your rythym under control, I always still find the first 2K or 10/12 minutes the hardest then it’s a nice steady run. usually by the last few minutes now I can push hard and really go for it the last minute or so and I’m loving it 😃I start week 9 today!!!! Good look xxx
I’m a little behind you... running with my 7 year old boy.... we are end of week 5 - just got the last Run to do - 20 mins non stop and I have to be honest I am worried.
My breathing is really bad after a couple of mins be seems to steady off again once I’ve ‘pushed through it’ - I dunno if that’s a thing!
Good luck
Best advice I can give is to try not to think about it too much - quite simply, you won't allow yourself to die so you'll naturally sort yourself out. I found the more I thought about it (trying to count a rhythm for example), the worse it got & then I'd feel panicky.
My only 'rules' now are a) get some deep lung-filling breaths in during the w/u walk - so get ahead of the game and b) ensure I take occasional extra deep in breaths (think stomach not ribs) - the out breaths will take care of themselves.
Don't get hung up on in breaths being through the nose, that can be hard when you're working hard - if through your mouth is easier, do that, but still feel the breath going in for a touch longer than you want.
Hope that helps!
Hi Shaneleigh
I experienced exactly the same and resolved it by slowing down till my breathing found its natural position with my running pace , so I eventually was not conscious of any breathing hindrance and was breathing normally although I was running
Hope it helps
H
Yes breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. I found it does feel peculiar to begin with. And I don’t like the cool air shooting up into my nose... but I’m getting used to it and I figured I swallow less flies that way 😂 x
You really have to concentrate on it, but that’s a good thing and you try to get into a rhythm.
Oh my goodness, this was me on week one and two and every so often now. I’m week 5 with run three tonight eek! I loved Michael Johnson’s advice to slow it down, and count a rythm that works for you. Oh and not bounce up and down, that really helped. I am now probably the worlds slowest runner but I don’t think I’d be this far without his help!
Another thing I found was that I felt really congested so take tissue with me.
I also googled how to improve lung capacity and the tips there helped. Basically practicing deep breathing but I think that’s helped.
Good luck x
I googled when running should I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth? The very first response made a lot of sense:
"2. While running, you should be breathing through your nose and mouth. “Inhaling through your mouth is key because it brings in more oxygen than your nose,” McCann says. “Forcing breath in through your nose can also create tightness in your jaw and facial muscles, and tension is never a good thing "
I take it back...apparently latest research says to train yourself to use only the nose!? washingtonpost.com/lifestyl...
Count your steps. I think they tell you that in week 2. I love it, because it makes running into a meditation. 1-2-3-4 in then 1-2-3 out. If the gradient gets a bit steep, or I'm running faster it's 1-2-3 in and 1-2 out. And don't listen to music because that'll throw your rythm off. I've never bothered about nose/mouth stuff, but never researched it either, so maybe I'm missing a trick.
Finding some good music to have on at the right tempo help me a lot to pace breathing/steps
It’ll sort itself out. Ignore all the ‘try and breathe like this’ posts. Just breathe. Slow down too.
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