How exactly do you breathe properly while running? It may seem like a simple question, but there is a right and wrong way to do it. Coach Claire shares how you should approach proper breathing and gives you some great tips and tricks.
Audio Transcript
Claire:Today, I have a great question from Ben about breathing patterns while running.
Ben wrote to us and said, “I’ve been researching good breathing techniques throughout this site. Belly breathing is no problem, but I was wondering what a good in-to-out ratio is in relation to my steps. Typically I take four in, two out and three in, two out if I’m particularly pushing it.”
We all realize that breathing seems so simple and natural. After all, we breathe all the time, everyday, but how do you do it while running? Depending on your pace, the techniques will be different. For an easy run, it will typically be a 3:3 ratio.
That means that when you breathe in, you take three steps and when you breathe out, you take three steps. For a faster run, like a temple or steady run, that might increase to a 2:2 ratio: two steps for breathing in,and two steps while you’re breathing out.
While you are doing something very hard like V02 Max, that’s going to be more like 1:2 ratio or 2:1 ratio. You never want to get to 1:1 ratio where you’re breathing in and out every single step, because that is essentially hyperventilating.
If you do that, you’ll not be getting a full breath into your belly thus curtailing the oxygen your body needs. You want to make sure you’re getting in a full deep breath from the belly.
With chest breathing – when you’re pumping your chest up and down – you’re not getting the full range of your diaphragm filled with oxygen. The diaphragm is a muscle and it gets exercised when we run, just like the rest of our muscles.
Full deep breaths help work that muscle and get it stronger so that it can deliver oxygen to our muscles in a more efficient way.
Why is breathing important? It helps with pacing. If you are running a steady run or a temple run, and you are breathing in that 2:2 ratio: two steps with the breath in, two steps with the breath out, you can memorize what that feels like.
You can try and do that, even without looking at your watch.
You know that you are running a good solid effort for that particular type of run because you have memorized what your breathing feels like.
This is especially important on hills. If you are going up a big, steep hill in your run, naturally it’s going to feel a lot harder.
If you want to keep the same effort level going up the hill, you can keep the same breathing level and that will keep your pace right on point to get you up and over the hill.
Another thing that breathing is useful for is to quiet one’s mind. It takes my focus off of, “Wow, this is hard or I’m going so fast” “Is this good enough, or do I feel tired,”
Breathing helps to quiet down all those negative thoughts that get into my mind when I’m working hard. If I concentrate and focus on my breathing, I can let all those things go and just concentrate in and out with the rhythm that I’ve already decided I’m going to do.
It’s really helpful and relaxing technique.Obviously, breathing exercise techniques are all a form of meditation. That’s really helpful when you are on a hard run or you’re powering through a race.
Ben, you’re specific question talked about 4:2 run or an odd number of steps. I am the same way. I don’t have even breathing. I tend to breathe in much slower and breathe out a little bit faster.
Typically, on harder runs, I will breathe in for two or three counts and breathe out for one or two counts.
My intake is much slower and deeper and then my exhale is a little bit shorter and harder. I don’t know where I got that from.
That is just the pattern that feels most natural to me and feels like it brings in the most oxygen and exhales the most byproduct – carbon dioxide, when I’m exhaling.
Finding a pattern that works for you is what’s really important because everybody is different. Everybody is going to have a different breathing pattern, but figuring out what yours is, can be a helpful tool in learning to run by effort, which is really important and can keep you from being a slave to your watch.
I hope I have answered your question, Ben. If you are looking for a custom training plan, coaching support, and an amazing team of supportive likeminded runners, head on over to RunnersConnect.net/train to start your two week trial for free.
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Thank you so much for listening. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s episode. If you haven’t already, consider heading over to iTunes or your favorite podcast directory and subscribing to the podcast or leaving a review. It would really help us reach more runners like you. Have a great run.
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