How to Breathe While Running Long Distances, and Jogging - a Practical Method
NOTE: A stride = one step. This video explains in detail how to breathe while running long distances, and jogging. Can also be applied to walking. I hope folks find this helpful. For more technical aspects for how to breathe while running, click on this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRd_0wQYcWY Here is the text of the video: This video presents a practical method on how to breathe while running long distances, and jogging. While there are numerous Youtube videos on how to breathe while running, they lack in how to specifically achieve this. What follows is a specific and practical method of breathing while running or jogging, based on what I have learned in nearly 40 years of running. First I'd like to discuss how most breathe while running or jogging. They take 2 strides while inhaling and 2 strides while exhaling. This results in the lungs not efficiently transferring oxygen into the blood. This may lead to muscles tightening and hyperventilation. This type of breathing is better suited for sprinters, not long distance runners and joggers. It is said that half of yoga is learning how to breathe slowly, smoothly and rhythmically. This method of breathing can now be applied to running long distances and jogging. Here is a specific and practical method on how to achieve this. When running long distances or jogging: • Breathe slowly and smoothly when inhaling, nearly filling the lungs, while taking a certain number of strides; then • Breathe slowly and smoothly when exhaling, nearly emptying the lungs, while taking a certain number of strides. • Number of strides varies when running or jogging on flat surfaces, down hills or up hills. Here are examples on how to perform this: • When running or jogging on flat surfaces, take 4 strides while inhaling, then 4 strides while exhaling. For beginners, it is suggested to take 3 strides while inhaling, then 3 strides while exhaling. • Number of strides may be increased when running or jogging down hills. • When running or jogging on flat surfaces and down hills, number of strides may be further increased, depending on the endurance of a given runner. • When running or jogging up hills, number of strides may need to be decreased, depending on grade. For example, number of strides may be decreased to 3 while inhaling, then to 2 or 3 strides while exhaling. Instead of counting strides to maintain this method of breathing, add a metered chant. At first this method of breathing may be difficult to achieve, but in time it will become natural. If you breathe this method, you can attain a runner's high very quickly, and feel like you can run or jog forever. Breathing this method, I use to attain a runner's high after running half a mile. If I have presented this method of breathing too fast in this video, please refer to its text below. I do not recommend this method of breathing for everyone. If you cannot perform this method, please resort to a method which best suits you.
