This can be incredibly frustrating for you as you might have to keep stopping in order to catch your breath.
Breathing is something that we have done our entire lives yet many of us don’t know how to breathe properly.
Learning how to breathe properly is the key to avoiding running out of breath on your runs and being forced to stop running.
However, it can seem incredibly difficult to learn how to breathe properly for running. Especially since we believe it is something that is supposed to be natural for us to do.
Well, that is where we come in to help you. In this guide, we are going to walk you through the tips you need to know so you can learn how to breathe while running.
Why Is Breathing Properly Important When Running?
Before we look at how to breathe while running, we need to know why it is important to breathe properly when running.
We’ve already mentioned briefly that you can run out of breath when running and this is usually due to not breathing properly.
However, breathing properly is also crucial for running because it is needed for you to enhance your performance.
When you breathe properly it helps you to increase your lung volume which helps with overall fitness.
This can stop you from running out of breath when on a run so you can go further and run faster.
Breathing properly on your runs helps you to run longer but it also helps improve your overall health.
Without breathing properly on your runs it can make breathing feel extremely difficult.
This is because when you are running your body needs to take in more oxygen in order to remove any carbon dioxide that is building up in your muscles.
If you are not breathing properly your body is unable to remove carbon dioxide build-up efficiently and can leave you feeling out of breath.
Should You Breathe Through The Mouth Or Nose?
Now that we know why it is important to breathe properly when you are running, we can look at how you should breathe properly.
The first step toward this is understanding if you need to breathe through your nose or your mouth.
When it comes to breathing, whether you should breathe through your nose or mouth depends on the type of run you are going on.
For example, during slow-paced runs, it is possible to breathe through your nose and not run out of breath.
However, for intense runs, it is best to breathe through your mouth as you can take in more oxygen than you would if you were breathing through your nose.
This means you are less likely to run out of breath during strenuous exercise.
This being said, it is best if you breathe through both your nose and your mouth. When you breathe solely through your mouth it can begin to feel as though you are hyperventilating.
So to avoid this, it is best to alternate breathing through your nose and mouth.
Tips For Breathing While Running
Here are some tips on how to breathe while running. These tips will help you to develop proper breathing techniques, so that breathing while running becomes easier.
Use Your Belly
When people are introduced to the idea of belly breathing, they are often confused about how to do this.
Well, most people tend to breathe with their chest, which is not that efficient as it leads to taking short breaths.
Breathing with your chest is what is natural to most people so it can be a hard habit to shake.
Breathing with your belly, which is officially called diaphragmatic breathing, is a breathing approach that helps you to get the maximum amount of oxygen in your lungs when you are running.
In order to be a belly breather, you have to engage the diaphragm. By doing this you make more space for your lungs to properly expand and inhale more oxygen.
If you are unsure how to do this, then lay down on the ground and put your hand where your diaphragm is, then put your other hand on your chest.
Take a breath as you would normally and you should feel that your chest is the part of your body that rises.
Then take another breath, this time breathing in slowly through your nose and trying to keep your chest still as your belly rises.
Exhale by keeping your chest still, engaging your abdominal muscles, and breathing out through pursed lips.
Rhythmic Breathing
Another way to breathe when running is breathing in a rhythmic pattern. This type of breathing is also known as cadence breathing.
Rhythmic breathing means that you alternate the foot that makes an impact with the ground as you exhale.
What this means is that you follow the breathing pattern 3:2 for slow running or 2:1 for fast running.
The idea is to inhale every three steps and then exhale for two steps. This prevents you from exhaling with the same foot making contact with the ground.
Running In Cold Weather
Breathing whilst you run in cold weather is slightly different. This is because your body needs to breathe warm air or you are at risk of having a coughing fit or irritating your throat.
So in the winter months when you are running, it is best to breathe slowly and run slowly. This allows enough time for your mouth to warm up the air.
Final Thoughts
So when it comes to breathing while running, it is important that you are belly breathing to increase the oxygen in your body. It is recommended that you breathe through both your mouth and your nose.
When you are running you should also practice rhythmic breathing as this will help to decrease stress on your body.
We hope this guide has given you some insight on how to breathe while running. Please share this guide with others. Thank you for reading!
Hi, I’m Richard Harris and I have been running for almost 20 years now. Since a young teenager with a little baby fat still clinging on for dear life, I have been obsessed with this simple form of cardio.
Not only have I enjoyed running every single day for two decades, but I have also been fascinated by the countless marathons and races offered around the USA. I love watching these races, and I’ve even participated in some of them too!
