Ryan's Training Tip Tuesday--Breathing

Breathing!

Today's tip is to be aware of your breathing, or more specifically your breathing rhythm.

Breathing rhythm is stated in ratios like 3:3, 2:2, ... where the first number is how many steps taken on the in breath, and the second number is how many steps taken on the out breath.

Your rhythm will change depending on the intensity of your effort. Easy running will tend toward higher numbers, more intense running to lower numbers. Other rhythms like 2:1, 1:2 are also possible for very intense efforts.

Your body is good at finding its (relatively) happy place breathing rhythm for a given level of effort. You can use this to help you pace your workouts.

For example, the next time you're out for a long run, at a point where you're warmed up and feeling good, count your steps on the in breath and out breath. This will help you be aware of what your long-run breathing rhythm is, and it can be a useful guide on future runs to help you maintain the right pace.