Breathing techniques to run long distance

Breathing Techniques

While running, we only think about training our body and legs, and ignore training of our lungs.

Keep in mind following points:

• Breathe through nose

There is lot of misconception regarding this point. Many held belief that breathing should be done through mouth as you can take in more oxygen as well as release more carbon dioxide. In my view, this way of breathing is more appropriate for short distance runs. For long distance runs, you should try to breathe through your nose as much as possible so that your throat and mouth don’t dry up during running. During very long races, excessive mouth-breathing can even lead to cramps.
 

• Breathe from the Belly

When you are running you should not be breathing from your chest. To get more oxygen into your system, you have to breathe from your belly. Moreover your shoulders move while breathing from chest and such motions tend to tire your shoulder muscles during long distance runs.
 

• Long and deep breathes

This is again a controversial point. Many believe that it is better to have short and shallow breaths and they feel suffocated and out of rhythm trying long breaths. When changing from short to long breaths, it is commonly seen that runners feel uncomfortable. Treat it as a transitory period.
Long and deep breaths provide much more oxygen to your lungs while running than short shallow breaths. Change!

• Breathe in Rhythm

It is important to breathe in rhythm while you are running. You should inhale and exhale at a consistent rate. One way to check whether you are breathing in rhythm is to count your steps when you are running. Irregular breathing will only reduce your oxygen supply and tire you sooner.