| IMPACT Online Exclusive: The Old In-Out - Running and Breathing |
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Practicing breathing exercises and breathing rhythms will make you a much better endurance runner. Proper breathing enhances respiratory efficiency, saves work on the heart, and conserves vital energy so you can run longer and faster with the same effort. Efficient oxygen delivery leads to an efficient runnerHow the engine worksTo move forward the runner produces force by the action of muscles working upon the skeletal system. The contraction of muscles produces movement in our joints, which brings about movement of the body as a whole. The muscle cells receive the oxygen and tiny molecules of nutrients for producing energy. Oxygen and glucose together provide energy, and oxygen and fatty acid together provide energy as well, as stated simply in The Complete Guide to Running by Earl Fee.Atmospheric oxygen, which constitutes twenty-one per cent of the air we breathe at sea level, is transported from the air to the mitochondria in the muscle cells, according to Noakes in Lore of Running. For endurance events lasting more than two minutes, the aerobic system supplies the majority of the energy with a constant supply of oxygen from the cardiovascular system. The chemical action is called aerobic glycolysis. Delivery of oxygenAlthough you have been breathing all your life, you can improve your breathing efficiency. There are a few simple breathing exercises and breathing rhythms, which, if practiced consistently for only a few minutes a day and introduced as a part of your running, will make you run faster and stronger.Breathing ExercisesIn the East, breathing practices are regarded as a normal part of an exercise program. China has ‘chee-gung’ and India ‘pranayama,’ but in the Western world there is no word to describe breathing practices. Western science is now uncovering abundant evidence verifying the effectiveness of these practices.Diaphragmatic breathingThe diaphragm is a major muscle used in breathing located beneath the lowest two ribs. At rest the diaphragm muscle is bell shaped. During inhalation, it lowers and flattens out. Optimizing the use of the diaphragm is beneficial because it pulls air into the lower lobes of the lungs where more gas exchange takes place. Along with the diaphragm, we use intercostal and abdominal muscles to breath. When you are running it is important to train your breathing to be as relaxed as possible to prevent tightening of the muscles in the upper torso.There are many breathing exercises. Here are two that are particularly effective in improving running efficiency. The bellowsThis breath makes the diaphragm stronger and more flexible. Start by forcibly expelling air from the lungs with a strong contraction of the abdominal wall. Immediately after the expulsion of air let the abdomen expand and the lungs fill naturally by virtue of the vacuum left inside and exert a small additional effort to fill them about half full. Lungs should not be more than half full and effort should not be expended on inhalation. Focus entirely on abdominal exhalations that completely evacuate the lungs.Let the air flow in and out at the rate of about twenty breaths per minute. It should sound and feel like a bellows slowly fanning the flames of a fire with voluminous gusts of air. This breath may be performed at any time of the day. Build up slowly until you can complete two to three minutes of the ‘bellows.’ The full yogic breathA complete deep breath should employ three modes of breathing in a smooth, unbroken expansion of the lungs that begins at the bottom, not the top. First the diaphragm is fully expanded, then the intercostals come into play to open the rib-cage and fill the mid-lungs with air. As the rib-cage reaches full expansion, a small final effort raises the clavicles a bit so that air flows into the narrow upper pocket of the lungs. Start with five complete breaths then work up over a few weeks to a maximum of twenty.Performance Breathing RhythmsThe ideal breathing rhythmMost elite distance runners breathe with what is referred to as two-two rhythm, taking two steps while breathing in and two steps while breathing out. This gives the runner about forty-five breaths per minute. (Most good runners take about 180 steps per minute, ninety with each foot). So—doing the math—one complete breath every four steps, 180 divided by four, equals forty-five breaths per minute.This is an ideal rate because it gives the runner adequate time for a substantial amount of air to be moved in and out of the lungs with each breath. In the later stages of an intense middle-distance race, forty-five breaths per minute may not be enough. In this case, the tendency is to shift to about sixty breaths per minute, a two-one rhythm, usually two steps while breathing in and one step while breathing out. Breathing on hillsKnowledge of breathing can assist you in races by helping you determine how fast to run up hills, for example. If you are trying to maintain a constant intensity while going up and down hills, focus on adjusting speed so the two-two rhythm feels equally demanding (or comfortable) during terrain changes. Naturally, this means slowing down on the rough terrain (or up hills) and being able to speed up going down hills.Strength-trainingTerry Crawford of the University of Texas, the women's coach of the Olympic track and field team, said her distance runners train with weights three times a week. By strengthening the hip, back, and pelvic areas, you reduce injury, she said. An added bonus of upper-body work is a stronger chest cavity, which results in more efficient breathing. About the AuthorsHelly Visser was recently named to the CAAWS 2008 List of Most Influential Women in Sport. She holds a world record in women's 70+ 4X400-metre relay; she is a World medallist in Masters Athletics, and a co-creator of the Natural Posture Running System, www.nprunning.com.Roger Davies is the 2008 top-ranked Canadian M70+ in the 1500-metre and 5000-metre. He holds the Canadian record for the men's 70+ mile. He is also a World Medallist in Masters Athletics, and co-creator of the Natural Posture Running System, www.nprunning.com.
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