Running gives you the most intense aerobic workout available, burning more calories per minute than any other form of sustained exercise. Clearly, fitness gains require work, and the harder you run, the more your cardiorespiratory system is taxed. It's important to stay as relaxed as possible no matter what your running pace -- you should be in control of your breathing and not the other way around. How you do this depends on how hard you're running, how fit you are overall and whether you're pacing yourself properly.
Pattern Breathing
Pattern breathing, or rhythm breathing, allows you to not only control your breathing but to match it to your effort level and ensure you're not running too hard. Your cadence, or rate of footfalls, should be close to 180 per minute, or three per second -- and inhaling and exhaling in concert with your stride keeps your breathing tempo regular. When running easy you might have a 3:3 or 2:3 ratio of inhalations to exhalations, 2:2 at your anaerobic threshold, and 1:2 in a race or very hard workout. If you run with music, be careful not to let varying song cadences throw you off.
Belly Breathing
According to certified personal trainer and running coach Mindy Solkin, many people wrongly associate deep breathing during running with a rise and fall of the chest wall. Inhalation involves the downward movement of your diaphragm into your belly, not the active expansion of your ribcage. Therefore, as you breathe in, your stomach should protrude slightly, and as you exhale your abs should contract, with the volume of your chest remaining mostly fixed. If you have trouble with this concept, practice it while lying down first.
Mouth Breathing
In typical conversation, people don't like to be seen as "mouth-breathers," but in running it's something you should aim for. While nose-breathing during rest helps promote relaxation because of its activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, while you're running you need more air than your nasal passages alone can supply. More importantly, breathing through your mouth allows your facial muscles to relax -- tense muscles in the jaw can lead to tightness in the neck and shoulders and have a negative impact on your overall running form.
Proper Pacing
Even if you are racing or doing an extremely hard workout, you must maintain control of your breathing. A proper warm-up and a gradual transition from easier to harder running will help keep your breathing relaxed and effort-appropriate. If you start a race too quickly, for example, you may find yourself gasping or breathing raggedly, especially if you're on a trail or other surface that can throw off the rhythm of your footfalls. If this happens, you may incur a side stitch or otherwise experience chest or belly discomfort.
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