Breathing when running

damo

i started running regularly a couple of months back, its gone very well so far i can run about 4 miles now without stopping which is about 10 times what i was able to do when i started! just wondering is there anyway to control your breathing when running? i find myself gulping and gasping like a fish out of water after about half a mile

Eurorunner

Will sort itself out the more you stick with it & the fitter you get.

p.pete

Eurorunner wrote:

Will sort itself out the more you stick with it & the fitter you get.

same as above - also I try breathing in and out as a foot is hitting the ground. Say the right foot, I'll breath in when hits the ground and then when that foot hits the ground again (or else skip a cycle, can't really picture in my head while sitting at computer) breath out.

irlirishkev

Eurorunner wrote:

Will sort itself out the more you stick with it & the fitter you get.

What he said. It just sorts itself out with a bit of practice. I used to ask the same question, but I don't even think about it now.

damo

cool thanks for the feedback, another question....when you go running do you always push yourself to your limit? after doing this for the last few months im starting to think its a bad idea as my legs can sometimes be knackered for a few days afterwards

p.pete

damo wrote:

cool thanks for the feedback, another question....when you go running do you always push yourself to your limit? after doing this for the last few months im starting to think its a bad idea as my legs can sometimes be knackered for a few days afterwards

Definitely not - you'll never improve all that much if you do this...

By pushing yourself to the limit do you mean going as fast as you can for as long as you can or a little slower but extending your distance as far as you can go until you're on your knees?

If you want to increase distance you need to run at a much slower pace for your long runs and then mix that up with runs of diferent (shorter) distances at a quicker pace.

If you want to increase your speed I think one of the most benificial sessions is to do maybe 400m flat out and then relax for a couple of hundred metres, then repeat that a couple of times. Main thing is try bring a bit of variety into it - hopefully some of the other lads can give you better suggestions also (mainly it depends on what you're trying to achieve).

damo

ive been going as far as i can at a slow pace....until i drop...the target was to do 2 laps (same beach ive gone to every time) which is roughly 4 miles....i achieved that the other day and said that was enough distance for now, was just gonna stick with the 2 laps but time myself and start doing it faster....you still think its a better idea to mix it up?

p.pete

Definitely mix it up - if you think of the 2 laps running slow as your "long run". Another run you can do is 1 lap at a steady faster pace. Then also try the interval running - a couple of hundred metres fast then slow it down til you get your breath back before running a similar distance fast again.

There's lots of other ways you can vary it - it'll improve your running in all regards, you'll be able to run faster and further and also it should make things more interesting for you if you go out with a different target each time you're running

damo

yeah cool thanks for the advice

Elizehau

I think you are thinking about your breath too much. :eek: One way of taking your mind away from your 'gulping for air' is to take an ipod/walkman with some good beat music and concentrate on the rythmn of the music and not your breath. I am sure that you will find that you go that little bit further each time.
p.pete goal setting brill format for good improvement

damo

i think you might be right, ill bring out me zen next time!

one more question: real running or treadmills?

rasherboy

real! much better for you!

thirtyfoot

As for consciously thinking about breathing when you are running, ask yourself this question? When you walk down the street, do you think about how you are breathing. The reason your breathing is laboured is because of fitness. When your fitness improves, your breathing will improve, well on your easy runs anyway.