In article <[email hidden]>,
Paul Probert said:Hi, all,
Long time lurker here, first post. Background: I'm 55, running for
many years. Race a couple 5k's a year, I do about 21 and change, hoping
someday to get near 20. I run about 30 miles a week, along with some
swimming and weights. I follow a pattern of: 1)long run, 2)speed
workout, 3)a couple easy or fun runs, and 4)a fartlek. For my speed
workout I've settled on 4 or 5 half miles with a quarter jog in between.
I've never heard too much about breathing while running, but lately
I've been experimenting with different styles. I breath one cycle every
4 footfalls, in,in,out,out. Just the other day I discovered that if I
make an effort on that last out to really push the last bit of air out
of my lungs I can improve my speed and my comfort level quite a bit.
What's the wisdom on this topic? Have other people worked on breathing
and gotten a boost? Is this something all the good runners know about?
Paul Probert
Madison, WI
Paul,
Some breathe for thought
In health and on the run,
Ozzie Gontang
[email hidden]
Maintainer - rec.running FAQ
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/rec/rec.running.html
Director, San Diego Marathon Clinic, est. 1975
Mindful Running http://www.mindfulness.com/mr.html
Path: electriciti.com!gontang
From: [email hidden] (Ozzie Gontang)
Newsgroups: rec.running
Subject: Re: breathing method while running
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 01:22:19 -0800
Organization: Int'l Assn of Marathoners
In article said:I would appreciate any hints on the best way to breathe while jogging .
This post scrolled off a few days ago:
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
Quoted message said:[email hidden] (Stan Scott) wrote:\
Quoted message said:Do long distance runners use any type of breating control? Like Long
deep breaths? Or is it just best to breath naturally? >Stan
Just try to breath naturally.
Try breathing through your nose only. When you are used to it you
breathe as if sitting on your couch. Rob
Next to proper running form and style and an integral part of proper
running is breathing and the rhythms of breath.
Once good running form is achieved one can keep the same cadence and be
running 30 seconds to 2+ minutes a mile faster. The issue is getting the
leg through its cycle to touch the ground maintaining the same cadence.
This is where the concept of running is falling and catching oneself
gracefully.
To that end, breathing becomes the next important factor in maintaining
an
oxygen uptake to support the increased speed while maintaining the same
cadence turnover.
This is where I teach breathing at slower speeds to a 4 steps in and 4
to 8
steps out. The idea is that I am never panicked and that my breathing
sequences are always enough to sustain the rate of turnover...which
maintains at the same cadence be it a 9 or 10 minute mile or a 5 minute
or
better mile.
So running slow, I do a 4 in and 6 or 8..
Then as I need more air I go to a
4in/8out; 1 cycle of air every 12 steps 2 cycles of air every 24 steps
4in/7out; 1 cycle of air every 11 steps
4in/6out; 1 cycle of air every 10 steps
4in/5out; 1 cycle of air every 9 steps
4in/4out; 1 cycle of air every 8 steps 3 cycles of air every 24 steps
3in/4out; 1 cycle of air every 7 steps
3in/3out; 1 cycle of air every 6 steps 4 cycles of air every 24 steps
2in/3out; 1 cycle of air every 5 steps
2in/2out; 1 cycle of air every 4 steps 6 cycles every 24 steps
1in/2out; 1 cycle of air every 3 steps 8 cycles every 24 steps
1in/1out/1in/1out/2in/2out 9 cycles every 24 steps
1in/1out/1in/1out/1in/1out/1in/1out 12 cycles every 24 steps
The ideal one goes for is the same volume at all rhythms. Remember
you're always breathing though the nose even when the mouth is
open...unless your nose is blocked, i.e. nasal congestion.
All of these patterns are breathed at a rate so that the mind stays calm
and does not let any of the body unnecessarily tighten up from a
perceived
stress beyond one's capability.
The other aspect of breathing cycles is that an even (symmetric)
breathing
pattern, which means when the steps in & steps out total an even number,
the runner is always running on the same foot at intake and also at
exhale.
With an odd (asymmetric) breathing pattern, which means when the steps
in &
steps out total an odd number, the runner is running off the opposite
foot
at initial intake step of each breathing cycle
in three steps/out four steps in three steps/our four steps
in-two-three out-two-three-four in-two-three out-two-three-four
LFT-2 - 3---Rt -two-three-four RT-two-three Lft-two-three-four
LFT-two-three...
L 2 3 4 5 6 7 R 2 3 4 5 6 7 L 2
3...
In animals there is a breathing pattern which is called phase locking.
It
has been photographed at high speeds in horses, cheetahs, ostriches where
at full speed there is one pattern into which they fall. In humans, if I
remember from the research, there were found two phase lock patterns at
top
speed. I have the research article somewhere in one of my files. I'll
see if I can dig it up.
So you can see if you breath 2in/2out all the time and we speed up you
can
only continue to do what you do. You only get 6 cycles of air every 24
steps. Whereas I can pick up the speed and get 8 cycles or even 9 cycles
of air every 24 steps...and if I practice I can get 10 or 12 cycles every
24 steps.
You may begin to realize that running a marathon during the later part of
the run from 15 onwards is a matter of running in a trance state. It is
through these breathing patterns I have taught people to play with the
rhythms of their breath to keep on going. So for someone whose muscles
are
glycogen depleted I need to maintain the same running pace but increase
the
amount of oxygen to those muscles...and that is where the breathing
patterns come in.
Some people begin to realize the power of rhythm. When I run with a
partner and we are doing symmetric breathing of 2in/2out or 3in/3out or
4in/4out, I do reciprocal breathing so that after 3 or 4 minutes as they
breathe out I am breathing in and as they breathe in I am breathing out.
The sound can be heard and the experience is that the other person's out
breath is breathing me and on the next cycle mine his/hers.
Eyes on the horizon, breathing reciprocally with my partner, the miles
covered in trance are an experience to remember.
When into the breathing and at different breathing patterns both
symmetric
and asymmetric and some being reciprocal, the breathing patterns of 3 or
4
or 5 of us mixed with the foot touch (rather than foot fall)can carry a
group of runners easily for miles where the mind scans the body to relax
any tension as it arises and lets it go...going back to the sound of the
feet running together and the breathe of the pack. If you've seen Stomp
you know the power of rhythm!
