With so many of us running these days, I thought we could use a thread to talk about it!
On the proper breathing while running - I found this:
Many experts will say that to fully oxygenate the muscles and clear the body of carbon dioxide you should breathe a 3:2 inhale-to-exhale ratio; full inhales and full exhales. This means you INHALE on the LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT foot strikes and EXHALE fully on the RIGHT, LEFT foot strikes. This pattern is not that hard to turn into a habit, but it may require you to slow your pace down for a few runs to master the technique. You will notice a lower heart rate as you are able to get more oxygen in and more importantly push all the carbon dioxide out of your body. You may notice that you naturally drop to a 2:1 ratio when you are really pushing it to the finish. That is OK. But realize it is difficult to maintain a pace that requires you to breathe at a 2:1 ratio. The CO2 in your body will increase if your breathing patterns are short and hurried. This will increase your heart rate and lactic acid production, and decrease your endurance in any cardiovascular event (running, swimming, biking, etc.)
Makes sense to me - I'm going to try it. I breathe very calmly while running, but have noticed that I breathe extremely shallow. Trying the full exhale might help.
Most important is good shoes. I recommend going to a running store that does a running shoe clinic. They will look at the shape of your foot, your foot strike, and other factors and tell you what brand/model shoe to buy. You really only have to do that once. I did it once and then have bought the same shoe (on-line and cheaper) ever since (9 years now).
Arm swing is really important. If your cross your arms in front of your body as you run, you waste ALOT of energy. If you think about swinging straight front/back and don't clench your hands, you will not tire as easily. If you find that you are clenching your hands, try resting your thumbs on your first finger (kind of like the letter f in sign language)...it gives your body the feeling that your closing your hand without all the energy. (It sounds funny but it does work for me.)
Also don't worry about bending your arm to 90 degrees. Just let them hang naturally as they swing. This works for me for long distance runs...as I sprint at the end of a run, I always seem to bend my arms more.
Finally, don't hunch your shoulders or lean forward. Hunching wastes massive energy and makes your back hurt. Leaning forward makes your back hurt and runs you out of energy...basically, when you start leaning, you're probably going to be done soon. Try to run straight up and down with your shoulders relaxed.
Thanks for the excellent tips. I just started jogging as of January 1st and have progressed to actual running for short sprints during my workouts. I do have a question about water though. When I'm on the move, it's very difficult for me to drink while jogging. Just too uncoordinated. I normally wait until I'm on a walking segment of my routine to drink water. What do you use? I drink from a plastic water bottle with a screw on cap. I've been considering switching to either a Camelbak or using some kind of hip holster water bottle.
Last edited by diabetic z; 02-05-2010 at 11:40 AM.
Reason: Spelling, Duh
That's interesting pixie. When I ran in the past, I always counted - 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,etc. I forced my breathing to stay with my stride. It was something I just made up on my own. I didn't know there was science behind it!
I found that when I let myself give in to the tendency to breathe faster, everything broke down. My stride wasn't regular, the run seemed harder than it was, my heart rate went higher, I was more likely to get the side stitches, etc. Also, the counting had a very meditative quality. It gave me something to focus on to quiet my ADD mind.
I could jog and chat with someone but if I wanted to really run and push myself, I had to count and be left alone.
Thanks for the excellent tips. I just started jogging as of January 1st and have progressed to actual running for short sprints during my workouts. I do have a question about water though. When I'm on the move, it's very difficult for me to drink while jogging. Just too uncoordinated. I normally wait until I'm on a walking segment of my routine to drink water. What do you use? I drink from a plastic water bottle with a screw on cap. I've been considering switching to either a Camelbak or using some kind of hip holster water bottle.
When I trained for the marathon, I got one of the squirt top bottles that has a holder that attaches to your hand. It's a band that goes around the back of your hand, so it's like you're holding the bottle but you don't have to grip it. I liked the squirt bottle because you could be alot less coordinated in the drinking...
Pixie, you're like our unofficial leader. I love this thread. I have that 20 minute run on Sunday. Last night I did the 8 run 5 walk 8 run. It's more like a jog at 4.5. I was paying close attention to see what my breathing, stride, foot strike and arm swing were like after afchick's post about a running coach. Anyway, the 8 minutes were not too bad. It's true that you shock yourself by what you're able to accomplish. There's a big thing right now that I keep seeing about people who run barefooted. Have you seen this? Ya'll should come to AZ next Jan and do the PF Chang 1/2.
Love this thread! I tried the breathing thing while running up and down the hallway. It's going to take some work; I'm not all that coordinated. I managed to race my kids after school yesterday, and I wasn't out of breath! Anyone have tips for avoiding the crazy people who drive 50 mph and up on gravel roads?
Great tips from AF Chick! I agree that stride and STAYING RELAXED are so important. It's amazing how much longer you can run when you're not wasting so much energy scrunching up your hands, shoulders, arms, etc.
I like to wear a hip holster for water when I'm going for a really long run and need to carry water. I also have a running route that is a 3.5 mile loop -- when I was marathon training it was easy to just stop back at the car....drink and water up, and then head back out and do the loop again
I have never given a thought to how I breathe when I run. I will now, though!
1/2 marathon in Arizona in January....tempting idea when you live in Maine.
Wow, these are some fantastic tips!! My longest distance was a half marathon, so I never brought water with me...never could figure out the logistics on that one. Now I will look into it!!
I agree - a Marathon in AZ in January sounds very tempting...
With so many of us running these days, I thought we could use a thread to talk about it!
On the proper breathing while running - I found this:
Many experts will say that to fully oxygenate the muscles and clear the body of carbon dioxide you should breathe a 3:2 inhale-to-exhale ratio; full inhales and full exhales. This means you INHALE on the LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT foot strikes and EXHALE fully on the RIGHT, LEFT foot strikes. This pattern is not that hard to turn into a habit, but it may require you to slow your pace down for a few runs to master the technique.
I learned the same technique when I was having problems with stitches. Inhale on the left, right, left and exhale strongly on right, left, right, tightening the abs if you are having a stitch on the right side. Switch if its on the left (exhale on the left, inhale on the right).
One of the things that you can try with your breathing patterns is to watch where you're breathing. If you breathe from your belly (belly in for exhale, belly out for inhale), you're maintaining optimum oxygen flow and you're relaxed more. People who breathe from their chest are more stressed and those who breathe from their shoulders are dying- you only see people breathe like this when they are dying!
AFChick: I've heard the fingers thing as well. Someone once described it to me as "hold a potato chip very lightly between your forefinger and thumb". My arms natually go to a 90 degree angle and swing in front of me when I run, but if it wastes energy, I'd like to get some of that back. I'll give the "to the side" swinging a go on Friday when I get back.
This always worked for me with side stitches: raise one arm above your head and inhale/exhale through alternating nostrils. Then switch to raise the other arm (like you're raising your hand in a class or something). It looks silly but always works for me; I came across this tip in Runner's World, a great magazine by the way.
I am feeling awesome since I ran both days this weekend....I tried running with my dogs, but they were not so fond of running in the snow, so it was like wearing a weighted vest or running with one of those parachutes behind me--lots of resistance. I'm sure it made for a better workout!
So I did my c25k week 5 day 3. That is the dreaded 20 minute run. Guess what? It wasn't that hard. I was shocked. The last 10 minutes of it was on a slight incline too. It was only 1.4 miles total. (got into my truck and drove it) DD says that is a 4.2 mph. I'm ok with that. Anyway, I kept thinking of these message boards and being able to post that I had finished it. Yay me! (ps thank you, Jesus) I'm going to print your posts so I can figure out all the advice here. Anyone else not excited for weigh-in tomorrow?
So I did my c25k week 5 day 3. That is the dreaded 20 minute run. Guess what? It wasn't that hard. I was shocked. The last 10 minutes of it was on a slight incline too. It was only 1.4 miles total. (got into my truck and drove it) DD says that is a 4.2 mph. I'm ok with that. Anyway, I kept thinking of these message boards and being able to post that I had finished it. Yay me! (ps thank you, Jesus) I'm going to print your posts so I can figure out all the advice here. Anyone else not excited for weigh-in tomorrow?
Congratulations on 20 minute run!! It must have been a great feeling when you finished!!
I wasn't too keen on my weigh in today (it's Monday here), but I managed to lose just under a pound and I'm still above average for what I want to lose weekly: I want to lose a pound a week, I'm at 1.14. It was just Saturday and Sunday that did me in.
AFChick: I've heard the fingers thing as well. Someone once described it to me as "hold a potato chip very lightly between your forefinger and thumb". My arms natually go to a 90 degree angle and swing in front of me when I run, but if it wastes energy, I'd like to get some of that back. I'll give the "to the side" swinging a go on Friday when I get back.
It's more of a straight front to back swing...just don't let them cross in front of your body. I used to swing in front of me...alot of women do if you watch...it it made my hips swing more too. By paying attention and controlling swing, it seemed to give me back quite a bit of energy.
This is awesome information. I've always wanted to run, but I always get the "side stitches" after a few minutes and have to stop. I'm going to use the tips and see what I can accomplish! Thanks!!!
30 Somethings Who Run
It must have been a great feeling when you finished!!
