Running and Breathing Question Please
 

I'm about to start Week 3 of the C25K program and am really enjoying it so far.
Apart from mild cramp in my left calf, my feet and legs feel ok while I'm running (jogging really), what stops me is my breathing. At the moment, by the time I get near to my 90sec interval end I feel like I'm losing my breath if you know what I mean, like I can't get enough air into my lungs and I'm puffing and panting.
I really want to progress with this program but am unsure if it's normal to feel like this or is it just me, and if so, am I doing something wrong or just not ready to run yet?
I've read about people saying that they concentrate on their breathing to keep them going. For those of you that say that, can you please try to explain to me how you do that? Should I be counting lengths of breaths in and out, or something like that.
Maybe it's something that will get easier with time, but any tips anyone can give on breathing while running would be really appreciated please.

I agree. I have a garmin, and I'll peek down at my speed...and sure enough, I'm having a hard time breathing if I'm going too fast (from my normal).

If you are huffing and puffing you are running too fast.

C25K is not to be confused with HIIT. You should be able to speak when running. (maybe you reach the point where you PREFER not to speak, but you should be ABLE to).

If you feel that you absolutely can not run any slower (which most people are able to run slower than they think they can) then you may need to spend more time fast walking and doing hill walking to help bridge the gap.

Many people find that the fastest they can walk and the slowest they can run still puts a HUGE gap in HR and percieved exertion. If this is the case then simply extending the amount of time that you do speedwalking and hill walking will eventually build your cardio base and shrink that gap.

I would repeat this week until you can finish the intervals with relative ease. Focus on walking faster and running slower.

What the above girls said, slow down. Also, relax it`s not a race, yet :lol:, so just slow down and relax your breathing. My client wants to stop all the time when she gets out of breath, I've learned that she doesn't need to stop but just slow down. Hills are great for endurance...

Thanks so much for the advice ladies.
I was doing my brisk walk at 6.0k and my jog at 8.0k, which is still very slow compared to a lot of the people I see at the gym running. Anyway, on Tuesday I decided to slow my jog down to 7.7k and instead I upped my walk to 6.3k and found that much better. Today I started Week 3 of the C25K and I slowed my jog to 7.6k and upped my walk to 6.4k and I did my 3mins without too many problems :carrot: The first 3mins, once I got to the 2min mark I actually got this huge rush and felt like I was literally flying, it was the best feeling in the world! The second 3mins was much harder, but once I'd done the first I knew I could do it again and I did.
So slowing down the jog and upping the walk seems to have done the trick. My heart rate didn't go much higher in the 3mins than it has been in 90secs so I think that shows it's helping.
So I'm going to keep going like this and not worry about my speed til I finish the program and can run for a longer time. Once I've got the time and distance in the bag, then I'll think about speed!

Don't worry about what the other people at the gym are doing. ;)

The biggest mistake many beginner runners make is to start out too fast. Definitely slow down if you need to.

Oops. Double post.

Loving Me -- My average speed is still 7.6-8.0k and I've been running for 5 years now, I'm not out to win any medals, as long as I work up a sweat, and I do, and burn calories, I'm good... Don't compare yourself to anyone!!