Breathing

[I_will]

It's not my legs that ache or feel heavy, but my breathing that is my biggest struggle. I feel like my lungs aren't big enough and then my breathing rhythm goes all over the place.

Is this normal and will it improve? (About to start wk 4)

[Tiger79 Graduate]

It might be that your breathing is fine but you worry than it goes weird and then you worry more.

Trying concentrating on how your feet are landing or counting or anything to distract and your body will most probably sort the breathing out itself

Your lungs do need to get fitter and learn how to work themselves better but it's not necessarily something that u can change. Your body needs to adapt

[ChrisL Graduate]

I am not a doc but I understand that if you have been very inactive for a long time your heart & lungs may indeed be smaller than ideal. Just like other muscles (and even your brain) heart & lung capacity shrinks if it is not used or required regularly. This is why some very inactive elderly & obese people get breathless just walking across a room. You may need to slow down to a pace that you can manage more comfortably for the time being. Over time your heart & lung capacity should slowly increase to meet the new requirements you are placing on them.

[runningnearbeirut Graduate]

Try "belly breathing" - using your diaphragm. If you put one hand on your ribcage and the other on your stomach, the top one should not move when you breathe - and your shoulders shouldn't be going up and down either. Try it when you're not running to get used to how it feels.

[I_will Graduate in reply to runningnearbeirut]

Thanks, I definitely wasn't doing that kind of breathing. I'll try.

Hills are going okay. I had a horrid 3 min uphill into a strong wind earlier this week. I felt pretty lightheaded afterwards, but I did it!

[Peiginthecity Graduate]

I found breathing really tricky to start with, but then I found my rhythm by concentrating on exhaling fully out of the mouth (takes me ages, four slow paces) until lungs feel empty, this made me naturally inhale deeply without conscious effort (again through the mouth and probably nose too) for four paces, then back to forcing exhalation. I don't know if it would work for you but I wouldn't have gone past week 1 without finding a way to breathe rhythmically. I have to link my pace to the rhythm, so it forces me to slow down, but that's probably no bad thing !!

[I_will Graduate in reply to Peiginthecity]

Thanks, I'll try this too.

[Nilzed]

And dont be surprised when your ribs hurt. Its not really your ribcage, its all the muscles in between, getting newly stretched and worked out just like the rest of you. Ditto diaphragm.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

I still can't breathe as Laura suggests, but by slowing down you should be able to keep things under control. This is how I gauge my pace, especially on a longer run. If I am puffing, I need to slow down and then I don't think about it.