Run faster by learning techniques for relaxed breathing.
Developing breathing techniques to help you run faster requires training -- not to learn to do something extra -- but to learn not to waste energy. Your body uses more oxygen when you are running, but if you try to gulp it in in big bursts, you won't get what you need, and you'll end up expending extra muscle power in the process. Simple exercises will help you develop the capacity for relaxed breathing, and that capacity will increase your performance. You can also run faster with less effort by tweaking your stride.
Instructions
1. Breathe into your abdomen. Your lungs fill completely when your diaphragm contracts. Most people don't exercise their diaphragm in daily life, and learning to do so may require some practice. Start with this simple exercise.
2. Relax your body and breathe into your belly, filling your lungs. Hold the air for a count of five, then slowly release it and draw in another breath. Do this exercise every day, while sitting or standing in a relaxed posture until it feels natural; then do it while running.
3. Breathe through both your nose and your mouth. The more air you can inhale, the more oxygen will be available for your cells to metabolize, and the more energy you'll have.
4. Develop a breathing cadence that matches your running stride. Take one breath for every two steps when you start running, and increase the frequency to one breath for every step, when you need more air. Matching the breathing to your steps harmonizes the muscles used for breathing with those you use for running and makes breathing more effortless.
5. Shorten your stride to help you run faster over longer distances. A University of Wisconsin study demonstrates that taking shorter steps decreases the forces on a runner's shins and knees. When each step is more efficient, the overall effect is to conserve energy, making more available to increase your speed.
Tags: breath every, help faster, increase your, into your, more oxygen, relaxed breathing, your stride