Has anyone else had trouble with breathing when getting to week 5?

[esxchaz]

Hello ive been running week 5 for a few runs now and i am finding i get to the same point in my run and feel like i can't breathe properly. I continue to run because i do not want to give up. Sometimes it feels as though i am having a panic attack. Has anyone got any ideas on how to over come this? I went for a run friday and chose to go a different route and this helped slightly as i chose to focus on the different area. I find it hard to breathe through my nose so i tend to breathe through my mouth. Could this be causing the problem? Thanks

[gdeann Graduate]

Could you be running too fast? Try to slow down and relax if you can. Also, try to breath just like you naturally do. I find breathing in and out through my mouth more natural for me and I can take in more oxygen. Good luck! Gayle

[Stefliser Graduate]

Yes, I find breathing in through my mouth easier. I also find some old advice from my trombone teacher when I was a kid really really helps:

Don't worry so much about breathing IN - your body will take care of that. Concentrate on breathing OUT as far as you can (within reason) on every breath. That will do two things - it'll slow your breathing down and keep it under control, but equally importantly, it means that every 'in' breath is a nice full lungful of clean, fresh, oxygen-rich air every time. It's easy to breathe too lightly and try to survive on stale air, just topping it up a bit.

Also, stick with it. We all suffer with the breathing at early stages, but we all find it settles down on its own after a while.

Oh, and blowing up balloons every day is a great way to improve your lung capacity!

Good luck, and keep going

[mundomagic]

Hello, I've had this experience and I find it normally happens when I'm getting tired or pushing to hard. Maybe set out in your mind to do the whole run slower next time or the next few times, I always get tempted to speed up but usually end up paying for it somehow! A slower pace may help you relax more if it is becoming an anxiety thing, be kind to yourself and work with what your body is telling you. It's ok to slow down - I have had to do this lots!

[esxchaz Graduate]

Hello thanks for the advice i went for a run earlier and went slower than normal and that did seem to help so ill continue to do that in future thanks