Paige's Running Tips

I've been thinking for awhile that I would do a weekly running blog - some people I know are just starting out and hopefully some of my tips or experiences can help them. I am by no means training for the Olympics - and I certainly don't claim to have all the answers. But I do run and have for years, and I enjoy it. There have been some obstacles along the way - and those are some of the things I want to address.

The first topic I would broach is "breathing". When I was in HS on the track team (which I hated, by the way) my coach was big on "breathing patterns". He would go on and on about how when you breath in two counts you should breath out one - or in three and out two etc. I would employ this but it always frustrated me. Invariably, I would end up with a stitch in my side. Now I realize that I was concentrating TOO hard on my breathing and it wasn't natural - therefore side ache. (Yes, it is my opinion that side aches while running are attributed to breathing.)

What I learned running in the Army is to try and relax your breathing. Don't pucker your mouth and act like you are in labor - relax your lips, keep your mouth slack. In fact, if you notice your hands fisted or tense - shake them out. This applies to your shoulders, neck or whatever. You often see people running shaking out their arms or hands or rolling their shoulders. They are just trying to stay loose.

Back to the "breathing". When I start to notice a twinge in my side, before anything major, I know I am starting to have an issue with my breathing. This is what I try: First I try to get my focus OFF of my breathing. It is usually when I am conscious of it that it becomes a problem. So think of other things. You should periodically evaluate your breathing during your run, but it should not stay uppermost in your mind. Next, I do things to change it up, because the current pattern is clearly not working. I clear my throat or swallow a few times or sniff or even try to burp (even the smalled burp relieves diaphragm pressure). I keep doing these kind of things till my breathing regulates itself. I swear this works - and it is really simple. At all costs try to continue to run through it. The more you run the more unconcious these things become and breathing slowly becomes a non-issue. It is also my opinion that running with very little or nothing in my stomach seems to help. It allows my diaphragm to expand more fully. I'm not sure if this is the correct explanation but it seems to work for me.

There is a great feeling that comes when you are running and your breathing is working - there IS a pattern to it - but you didn't manufacture it - it came on its own. Your body knows what it is doing - don't try and force breathing patterns on it, just let the breathing pattern happen.