Wk 7 - Breathing Control

[Mike_BMB]

So I often struggle for the first 10mins to get my breathing right. Eventually it settles but wonder if there is anything I can do to settle it sooner.?

[Jell6 Graduate]

Go slower, make sure you are well hydrated every day. Taking deep breaths on a brisk warm up walk helps. What works best for me is trying to ignore it. They don't call it the Toxic 10 for nothing!

Good luck😊

[Mike_BMB Graduate in reply to Jell6]

Ha ha, just Googled Toxic 10, so it's a normal thing I just need to deal with! I did realise I hadn't had enough to drink beforehand too today and ended up with a headache afterwards.. Seems ur advice is spot on..

[WillsMum68 Graduate]

Urgh the dreaded Toxic Ten! Or sometimes 15 in my case, sometimes five! Once you get into the mindset that it’s completely normal and happens to runners of all abilities, it becomes easier to deal with.

Or do as I do....turn the music up so I can’t hear my raggedy, dirty-old-man breathing.....🤣🤣🤣

[Bloomsbury22 Graduate]

Like the others have said, it is the dreaded Toxic Ten. It is literally your body going in to shock at this sudden burst of activity and every bit of it telling you to stop. But if you keep going it realises you are not going to stop and re-regulates itself. There is some actual science-y explanation to it, but that is the gist. Some really good info on this forum if you type Toxic Ten in to the search bar. I have bad asthma, and it has been a bumper year for hayfever/sinuses so breathing (like most mortals) features high on the priority list for me. I find a couple of things really help me. I do a couple of extra stretches to open up my chest - a couple of deep press-ups against the wall open up the shoulder blades and chest, huge big shoulder rolls (and I do these throughout my run too), really stretching your arms out behind and over your head if you can. Then I start the deep long breaths right out of the door on my warm up run and really concentrate on my breathing, making sure as much oxygen is getting in as poss. I must sound like an absolute loon but I turn my music up so loud I can't hear myself, so that is fine! But it works, and is super distracting from just thinking about the time all the time.

[Mike_BMB Graduate]

Bloomsbury22 thanks for that reply.. I had to have a few days off running just over a week ago because the hay fever crippled me! I found an app called klarify and now know its grass pollen that gets me. I do my deep breaths on warm up but not tried any stretches so will give that a try too.. Thanks

[58soon]

Same! Good question - my breathing is still all over the place even on W7. I try to sing to music to settle the rhythm of my breathing but even then it's still irregular. And if I had to hold a conversation....well it would come out in bursts. I guess practice makes perfect, so will keep trying... !!