How to Breathe Correctly While Running to Avoid Fatigue

• The posture. While running, try to stay upright and avoid leaning forward or slouching. This will decrease your lung capacity and make your training more difficult. The more air you can process, the better your response will be.
• Deep breaths. Fill your stomach with air instead of your chest. Take air through your mouth and, if necessary, through your nose. You should feel your stomach expand and your chest should not. Then exhale slowly and fluidly through your mouth. This type of breathing gives your lungs the maximum expansion capacity to receive more oxygen. Breathing this way will also prevent you from getting punctures when running. It is one of the most important techniques when learning how to breathe when running so as not to get tired.
• Use your arms to propel yourself. Although it may not seem like it, the correct position of your arms when running can bring you many benefits. While running, keep your arms at a 90º angle. To move them, rotate them from the shoulders and, while taking one arm back, push the other forward. This movement will help you propel yourself and distribute the effort so as not to overload your legs. In addition, this posture will help you keep your torso straight and not slouch. Be careful not to lean forward, this would reduce your breathing capacity. Although it may seem basic, it is a fundamental point of how to breathe when running so as not to get tired.
• Inhale for 3 steps. Here we incorporate rhythm. When you run, try to follow a frequency of inspirations and exhalations (later we will explain the different sequences that are usually practiced). Count 3 steps while breathing in through your mouth and nose. Try to take deep breaths that fill your stomach with oxygen.
• Exhale for 2 steps. Exhale through your mouth while counting the next 2 steps and repeat this frequency of 3 inhalations and 2 exhalations (3:2 or another, as you will see later).
• Try to have a conversation. If you go running in company, you should be able to maintain a conversation with the other person without getting choked up and without responding with monosyllables. You’d even have to be able to sing a song. If you feel short of breath, slow down and rest a little while you walk. Run-walk intervals are very effective at increasing distances without leaving you feeling exhausted or out of breath. Although it is not the most effective in competition, it is something that can help us learn how to breathe when running so as not to get tired.
• Don’t rush the pace too soon. Try to improve your endurance first and then your speed. Once you have found your rhythm and can run without getting tired, then take on the challenge of running faster.

respiratory rates

Depending on the intensity of your training, you will probably increase the frequency of your breathing. Frequency refers to the number of inhalations you take and exhalations you take with your steps. For example, a frequency of 3:3 means that you breathe in deeply while taking 3 steps and breathe out during the next 3 steps.

Normally, the 3:3 frequency is the most used for easy and quiet outings. At this frequency, you should be able to process the amount of oxygen necessary for adequate performance. In any case, if you are not comfortable and notice that you are short of breath, don’t force yourself. You can try a frequency of 2:2. That is, you inhale for 2 steps and exhale for the next 2. In easy runs, the goal is to maintain a comfortable degree of effort and help the body recover.

Slower breaths, such as one with a 4:4 rhythm, are not recommended because they do not give the body enough time to release carbon dioxide.

Some more recommendations

• Exits with a moderate pace. For more intense outings, in which your goal is to work hard, but not give it your all, a frequency of 2:2 is usually used. This would allow you to take about 45 breaths per minute, an ideal place for marathons.
• Racing and high-performance training. This breathing rate may not be sufficient toward the end of a race or during a high-performance interval session. In these cases, you may want to try a 1:2 or 2:1. A 1:1 breathing may not be efficient, since you would not give the lungs the necessary amount of oxygen to ventilate adequately.
• Why is it important to correct my breathing when running?? Knowing your rhythm will bring you many more benefits than you imagine. Once you learn to breathe well so as not to get tired, you will discover new sensations, such as realizing if you are speeding up your pace. You can tell if you are going faster or too slowly by how comfortable you feel breathing. You can also recover from a flatus or puncture. If you have one of these episodes while running, bring your rate to a 3:3 pace, with controlled breathing. Without a doubt, one of the most important reasons when learning how to breathe when running so as not to get tired is to avoid or reduce the effects of flatulence or punctures more quickly.