Some Notes on Breathing

Respiration

When you're running, you are a machine. Your body is respirating to convert glucose into the energy needed to move your muscles. There are two ways to convert glucose into energy: aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Simply speaking, aerobic respiration combines glucose with oxygen and water which results in carbon dioxide, water, and energy. Anaerobic respiration converts glucose to energy without oxygen resulting in lactic acid. Here's the kicker, anaerobic respiration is, conservatively, around one-fifteenth (this number is somewhat debated) as efficient as aerobic respiration since a lot of the energy from the glucose ends up in the lactic acid.

This page offers slightly more insight if you are interested:
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Aerobic_Respiration_vs_Anaerobic_Respiration

Don't confuse respiration with breathing. Breathing brings oxygen into the body which is delivered via red blood cells to muscle cells which finally do the aerobic respiration. If the cells don't have enough oxygen on hand, they will anaerobically respirate.

How can you help this process while running?

Answer: breathe correctly. Maintain a relaxed upper body while running. Breathe with your diaphragm by allowing your belly to move in and out. See photos below.

Chest breathing happens here.

Diaphragm breathing happens here.

How are you breathing right now? Likely with your diaphragm since this allows the most lung capacity and takes the least amount of energy. When exercising, those two facts are still true. Remember, getting oxygen in the lungs is just part of the process, however. Blood cells still need to be pumped by the heart to the lungs and then to the muscles. It takes training and time for your body to adapt to doing this process better while running. Breathing correctly is only one link (and and important one!) in this process of delivering energy to your muscles.

Final Tips

When running, focus on breathing out. Blow all the air out of your lungs each breath. Don't worry about breathing in, the body will trigger this naturally. By fully breathing out you will be more relaxed and utilize more lung capacity.

Try for a breathing rhythm that matches your running cadence. 1 breath (breathe in, then out) matches 2 paces (left step, right step, left step, right step).

If you are gasping for breath or unable to control your breathing, you are past or getting close to your aerobic threshold where anaerobic respiration will start occurring in your muscles. This is fine for a sprint, but don't expect to be able to cover long distance anaerobically.

Action:

Think about your breathing on your next run.

-- Coach

Looking Back

Here is a neat technique for minimalist transition training: run backwards. How do you run backwards? On your toes of course. It's nearly impossible to land on your heels running backwards while staying upright. Go ahead, try this right now.

The truth is, once you're landing on the balls of your feet, you can run any direction you want including forwards, backwards, and even sideways with practice! This is good as it shows you how nimble you can be while running. Don't be one of those runners who complains about cobblestones or uneven sidewalks. A couple bumps and rocks add spice to your runs.

Find some place without too much traffic or too many people, perhaps a grassy field. Can you run backwards for a block? How about a half mile? Run backwards for a mile then apply everything you learn and feel the the forward type :-)