When embarking on a distance running program, learning how to breathe properly can be as important as what shoes you wear. Developing an appropriate breathing pattern for distance running drives oxygen into the muscles, helps prevent injury and cramping, and can make for a more enjoyable running experience.
Inhale Through the Nose/Exhale Through the Mouth
For runners just starting to develop a technique for long-distance running, creating a relaxed breathing pattern is key. The most effective way to do this is to breathe in and out through the mouth. "The breaths are short and shallow, but comfortable, not deep and long, and you shouldn't be aware of anything in particular. However, every now and then if you need to take a deep breath to re-group, it's absolutely fine," according to MarathonGuide.com.
Creating a Rhythm Pattern
During a relaxed run, you should develop a 3:2 ratio and inhale for three steps and exhale for two steps, according to the website Mama's Health. When you speed up to a faster run, your breathing pattern should switch to a 2:1 ratio. A 2:2 ratio is not recommended, as it will cause you to strike the ground with the same foot at the beginning of each exhalation. This will cause one side of your body to experience a higher impact of stress during running and can lead to injury.
Runner's Cramps
In addition to causing more stress on one side of the body, an irregular breathing pattern such as a 2:2 ratio is a known cause of runner's cramps, also called side stitches. The Stretching Institute recommends altering your breathing pattern if you are getting side stitches often. "First concentrate on taking full, deep breathes and avoid shallow breathing. Then, if you are one of those people who exhale when your right foot hits the ground, try instead to exhale when your left foot hits the ground," according to the institute's website.
Breathing & Oxygen
Breathing using all four stages -- inhaling, full pause, exhaling, and empty pause -- helps increase oxygen in the blood, according to Perry Lewis in a 2004 Authentic Breathing Resources LLC article. Oxygen in the blood is critical for ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and ATP is how your body makes energy. The more oxygen in your blood, the less fatigued and more mentally alert you are, allowing for the best opportunity to have a quality run. "Breathing properly is so vital to decreasing stress and promoting proper physical stamina and development, that you would think that more people would practice it," Lewis said.
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