There are many conflicting opinions about “how to breathe” when you run.
“Just breathe naturally”
“Breathe in for four, out for two”
“Breathe in for two, out for four”
“Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth”
“Breathe deeply to maximise oxygen intake”
“Breathe from the diaphragm, not the chest”
.... and so on.
An article which fails to “clear the air”:
http://running.competitor.com/2013/06/training/how-should-i-breathe-when-i-run_75131
Here is what I know.
1. If you are training properly, most of your running is at talking pace. Just breathe naturally!
2. Whenever you think of it, practise expelling air for as long as possible. Relax the vocal cords when you do so. Use both the abdomen and the chest. Most of the air is expelled from the mouth. Then inhale as quickly as possible. You don't have to inhale for as long a time as you exhale. The reason is quoted in the above article... “the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in your lungs, which means you need to push the air out to let it rush back in.” Finally, inhalation takes place via the diaphragm, which rises, and the chest, which expands; it's both,
3. If you are running hard with relaxed vocal cords you will make a lot of noise! As people tell me when we are racing. If I could talk, my response would be, “golly, you don't make any noise, are you running hard enough?”
And when I think of it, I practise “in for two, out for six .” The more bad air exhaled, the more good air you can inhale.
“Just breathe naturally”
“Breathe in for four, out for two”
“Breathe in for two, out for four”
“Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth”
“Breathe deeply to maximise oxygen intake”
“Breathe from the diaphragm, not the chest”
.... and so on.
An article which fails to “clear the air”:
http://running.competitor.com/2013/06/training/how-should-i-breathe-when-i-run_75131
Here is what I know.
1. If you are training properly, most of your running is at talking pace. Just breathe naturally!
2. Whenever you think of it, practise expelling air for as long as possible. Relax the vocal cords when you do so. Use both the abdomen and the chest. Most of the air is expelled from the mouth. Then inhale as quickly as possible. You don't have to inhale for as long a time as you exhale. The reason is quoted in the above article... “the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in your lungs, which means you need to push the air out to let it rush back in.” Finally, inhalation takes place via the diaphragm, which rises, and the chest, which expands; it's both,
3. If you are running hard with relaxed vocal cords you will make a lot of noise! As people tell me when we are racing. If I could talk, my response would be, “golly, you don't make any noise, are you running hard enough?”
And when I think of it, I practise “in for two, out for six .” The more bad air exhaled, the more good air you can inhale.
