“But I just get too out of breathe, so I can’t keep going. I get a bit panicky and then I have to stop…”
I’ve heard this a lot of time from runners over the years. And then I realised I was thinking the exact same thing when I’ve been trying to master front crawl in the swimming pool. It starts off ok, I feel like I’m gliding effortlessly through the water, and then gradually I start to tense up a bit, I feel like I can’t breathe, I put my head up in the air to catch my breathe, I tense up a bit more, I start flailing around like an idiot and then I stop…
Whether you’re learning to run or swim, or trying to improve with either, mastering the EXHALE is important. This seems to go against our natural habit somehow, which is often to start gasping to get MORE air in rather than MORE air out, resulting in us tensing up, tightening up, getting a stitch if you’re running, and generally under performing. It really is all about the exhale. Exhaling and getting the air out of your lungs then gives more space for new fresh air to enter them. If you don’t exhale, then however much inhaling you try to do, there’s not much space for more to fit in.
But there’s more to it than just breathing out. The key, I think, is trying to breathe out SLOWLY. I’ve been trying out some new breathing techniques recently for my running. I’m still having tests to see if I might have asthma, COPD, something else, or nothing at all, but I definitely find that I’m more likely than most to tighten up in my chest, particularly on a hard run session. Breathing out slowly really helps to get the air out as well as keeping the airways relaxed whilst doing so.
The best way to do this is through pursed lips. Imagine you’re blowing up a balloon or puckering up for a kiss. Like that. Pursing your lips creates a smaller hold for the air to get out of, meaning you keep the airways open for longer, hence slowing your breathing rate, relaxing you and reducing shortness of breath. I’ve been finding this really helps me to focus on my runs and keep my airways relaxed.
Pursed lip breathing is used in pilates as a way to engage the core. This is often relatively under-used and poorly engaged by runners, so I also think this is a great way to help with engaging those muscles and helping you to keep your belly flat on the exhale as well as the inhale. It’s already a well known technique for COPD sufferers too and I think it can really easily be applied to running as well. As you know, I’m pretty rubbish at swimming, and I’m not really sure if pursed lips works for that in the same way. Well not for me, who ended up with water up her nose! BUT breathing out slowly by blowing bubbles in the water and keeping relaxed certainly did.
But there’s more to it than just breathing out. The key, I think, is trying to breathe out SLOWLY. I’ve been trying out some new breathing techniques recently for my running. I’m still having tests to see if I might have asthma, COPD, something else, or nothing at all, but I definitely find that I’m more likely than most to tighten up in my chest, particularly on a hard run session. Breathing out slowly really helps to get the air out as well as keeping the airways relaxed whilst doing so.
I’m sure you’ve got lots of other questions about breathing whilst running. I find that a lot of it is really individual and there’s not really one size fits all. But if you can keep relaxed and listen to your body, this will definitely help you. Give the pursed lips breathing thing a try anyway and let me know what you think!
