How to breathe when running? – tips for runners

Controlling your breathing while running is very important and every runner knows this. If you are starting your running adventure, then at the very beginning you may have a problem with “correct” breathing. Poor breathing technique has the effect that after running a few hundred meters you already catch breathlessness and start breathing hard. 

In this article, I’ll show you how to breathe while running. Check out the tips I have prepared for you. Familiarize yourself with them, implement them into your running life, and see how you will then exercise. Let’s get started!

Breathing while running – nose and mouth 

How to breathe while running? Surely you have heard that normally you should breathe through your nose. There are hairs in the nose that trap impurities, and bacteria and purify the air that is further heated and transported to the lungs. When you run, you can’t look at what you heard in biology class at school. 

Breathing through your nose is not enough when running. If you run at a slow pace (so-called slow jogging), breathing through your nose will be ok. However, when you speed up and do an intense workout, it’s time to start breathing through your mouth. 

You need to learn to control this. Take inhalation and exhalation through your mouth. This will draw more oxygen into your body, allowing you to run more comfortably. What’s more, it will slow down fatigue and you will be able to run longer without getting breathless.

How to breathe when running in winter?

This is a rather controversial topic. Many runners prefer to run during the winter and breathe through the nose – it makes the air warmer. Runners worry that they catch too much of the cold air and it will cause a runny nose or that their throat will hurt. 

In winter, it’s best to get a tube scarf that warms the lower part of your face or a scarf. This will allow you to breathe even and through your mouth, providing warmer air at the same time.

Breathing while running – remember about your diaphragm

Running training also means working on muscles you can’t see – specifically, the diaphragm. This is the muscle that is situated between the abdominal cavity and the lungs. It is the one that allows you to absorb more oxygen into your body. That’s why you should exercise it and breathe through it during your workout. 

Breathing through the diaphragm is more efficient than through the chest. If you don’t work on it, you’ll feel fatigued faster, and you’ll get running stitches more often, which will make you have to stop training for a while. 

How to work on the diaphragm? – exercise

Daily exercises over the diaphragm will help you achieve great results. You need to perform them carefully and conscientiously, only this way you will achieve your goal. How to do it.

What is the exercise? Few minutes each day – try to take in as much air as possible, to fill your abdomen with it. Then tighten your abdominal muscles on the inhale and start counting the seconds on the inhale and exhale. As you inhale, you’ll feel your ribs spread out to the sides, and as you exhale, you’ll feel the volume of your waist decrease.

Always remember to warm up 

Every runner knows that a workout without a warm-up cannot take place. First, you need to warm up your muscles, and only then start your running. 

“OK, but what relationship do warmed-up muscles have to breathe?”

I’m here to tell you that it has, and a big one. By warming up, you’re letting your body know that you’re getting ready to do some exercises and training – blood circulation improves, and body temperature increases. The body already knows that it is about to face a greater effort than normal, and it adapts to this, and by doing so it also already increases oxygen uptake – so you won’t catch breathlessness after a few hundred meters of running. 

As you can see, warming up not only reduces the risk of injury but also improves breathing while running, which makes training more enjoyable.

How to control your breathing when running? – the rhythm of running 

Adjust your breathing to the pace and rhythm at which you run. This is very important because it will help you manage your oxygen and energy resources wisely. 

“So what about the rhythm? What will be the right one?”

For beginners, the best rhythm will be 3:3 – for 3 steps you take an inhale, and for the next 3 you exhale, and so on throughout. At first, you will probably have to control and focus on your breathing well. However, after a while, it will become natural. 

More experienced runners choose a 2:2 rhythm, while sprinters choose 1:1! You start with the basics. Learn to control and breathe correctly in the rhythm of your training.

Remember the correct posture while running – don’t hunch over! 

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about the importance of proper running posture. Good foot placement, bent knees, bent arms. These are all important. However, the most important thing for proper breathing is to keep your torso upright. 

With correct posture, the maximum amount of oxygen can reach your body. If you hunch over, you limit your access to oxygen and thus put pressure on your diaphragm, which, as you already know from the previous part of this article, also works during running.

Incorrect breathing during training – how to fix it? 

Have you lost a good breathing rhythm? Do you feel that you are starting to run out of air? Are your throat and lungs starting to burn? Stop and start breathing deeply, and after a while continue your workout. By doing so, you will be able to regulate your breathing. A few seconds of rest can do wonders when it comes to breathing.

How to breathe while running? Now you know what to do to make your breathing even and thus the whole run enjoyable. Try the ways outlined above and see how you do on your next workout. Start working on your diaphragm, breathe through your mouth, remember to warm up and don’t hunch over. All these elements are very important to breathe well and enjoy every workout.