How to Breathe While You Run
My little sister asked how she should breathe while she runs. The answer I gave her was that she should try not to think about it too much and that as she continued to train, it would come naturally to her. I explained it that way based on my own experience.
If you try to force yourself to breathe a certain way, it likely will be less efficient than if you just let your subconscious mind figure it out. Breathing too hard can actually make you less efficient. You’ve been breathing your entire life without thinking about it very often, and your body just knew what to do. In my opinion, there’s no reason to change that when running.
So the key is to train consistently and to practice running at different paces (including your goal race pace). Then it should come naturally.
On the other hand, one technique that can be valuable is to observe your breathing while you run. Notice that I said “observe” not “control” your breathing. By observing your breathing, you allow yourself to focus on something other than your running form or how much your legs are hurting or how tired you are. This technique is called dissociation and may help you perform better because you keep your mind on one task at hand but avoid overthinking the entire process. It’s a way to help your subconscience take over. (These methods are partly based on a book called The Inner Game of Tennis.)
I have been working on this technique in my own running and have found that it also helped me in difficult parts of a run because I was only focusing on one aspect of my running—my breathing—and trying to get through (but not forcing myself) the heavy breathing, without focusing much on the other discomforts I was feeling.
Anyway, give it a try and let me know how it works for you.
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No Shortcuts, No Secrets to Running Fast
I try to avoid reading the letsrun.com discussion boards because there is so much distasteful humor and contentious drivel. But I was browsing a thread recently and thought one response was very insightful (and funny), despite its deeply sarcastic tone.
One person stated his/her belief that the East African runners are so much better than the rest of the world because their feet are so much stronger. Such logic would suggest that if each of us simply strengthened our feet, we could be world-class distance runners. But more generally, this idea represents a belief that some have about distance running—that there are a few secrets that need to be discovered to explain running success, and somehow the East Africans know the secrets and we don’t. This actually may be true to some extent, but it’s obviously more complicated than that. Below is the statement followed by the response I thought was insightful.
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“Kenyan teenagers without a huge mileage base will probably do much better than runners from developed countries who have run more mileage, because they will have much better developed feet.”
——————————-“Right, tough feet. Or maybe it’s a higher vo2 max. Or better running economy. Or enhanced glycogen loading, probably from drinking chocolate milk. Or pure water to drink, not Coke. Or Ugali, no french fries. Or just 1500 calories a day, doesn’t matter what the #!@*^ they eat: Leaner is meaner. Or skinny calf muscles. Or lighter bones for flying over steeplechase barriers. Or better genes. Or an enhanced epigenetic environment. Or high altitude living. Or the motivation of money. Or cattle raising culture. Or many heroes to emulate. Or they hate soccer, so focus only on running. No, wait, they hate boxing, so focus only on running. Or warm, dry climate is great for training year round. Or lack of smog prevents exercise induced asthma. Few TVs, kids must play stickball in streets. No iPods, no one dreams of growing up to be Lady Gaga. No cineplexes, no one dreams of becoming Sidney Poitier. No high school and college running programs; we all know it’s the *^#!@ coaches and meet pressures that screw up American kids.
“Nah, come to rethink it all, any idiot can see it’s obviously the tough feet. That also explains why so many of those walk-on-nails-and-hot-coals dudes from India have run sub 2:06 in the marathon. End of debate.”
(http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3561606&page=1)
Can Running Be a Bad Thing?
In this post, I discussed my reasons for running. However, as with any good thing, I don’t want to take it to an extreme and have it be a negative factor in my life. How does one know when they’ve reached that point? Below are some ideas.
- You run more and/or harder than your body can physically handle and you get injured repeatedly.
- You do it to satisfy a compulsion rather than because you enjoy it.
- You neglect other responsibilities in life due to your running.
- You favor spending time with your running buddies (or online running friends) over spending time with your spouse or children.
- Your identity as a person is tightly connected to your running identity. For example, you think of yourself as a “runner” instead of “a person who runs.”
- When you are sitting in church and should be thinking about spiritual things, you instead are pondering your training plan.
- You have two running blogs. Doh!
- You voraciously read any material you can find on running but don’t always find time to read more important material.
I know, many of these have gray areas that I haven’t considered. I don’t mean to condemn anyone or be too harsh. Many of these I’ve struggled with, as crazy as it sounds. Running can bring such satisfaction to me that I need to be careful not to overdo it.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
Start a Running Streak!
One of my training strategies that has been most helpful is to run in streaks. That sounds kind of funny. What I mean is that I commit to myself that I will run on certain days of the week—no matter what. I also commit to running a minimum distance on each of those days. In my case, I run at least one mile every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. It becomes a streak when I do it for many weeks in a row without missing.
So far I’ve been able to stick to this goal for 16 months without missing once, whereas previously it seemed like I could not stay consistent with my training. Part of the reason is that there’s no wiggle room, no gray area. Five days of the week, I just run. No questions asked. I don’t have to think about it. I just do it. And my personality is such that if I don’t feel like running on a particular day, my streak motivates me to do it anyway so I don’t break the streak I’ve accumulated. Who wants to miss a day when you’ve kept a perfect streak for 16 months?
On days when I run only a mile, do I get much physical benefit from it? Mental benefit? Probably not much, if any. However, the key is that I usually run substantially more than a mile and that the consistency adds up over time.
Last thing. Notice that I didn’t say I made a goal to run 5 days a week. I made a commitment to myself. For some reason it helps me to think of it this way because commitments seem less flexible than goals.
What Role Do Genetics Play in Running Success?
I came across an excellently written Sports Illustrated article about the genetics of running performance. The author summarizes the latest research and suggests that performance may not be as linked to genetics as we would think. Not all of it rings true with me, but you should definitely read it if you are interested in this topic because it’s well written and current.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1169440/1/index.htm
Where Should You Line Up at the Beginning of a Race?
One of the interesting things to observe at a road race is where people line up at the starting line. Invariably you will see people line up at the very front who have no chance of winning the race, sometimes forcing the true contenders to line up further back and have to run around (or inadvertently trample) the slower people. I’m not sure what goes through their minds, but I’m sure they just want to be in the middle of the action. If you are one of these people, the courteous thing to do is to line up further back and let the fastest people line up in front.
In some races, especially marathons, the race directors put up signs indicating where people should line up, based on their goal pace per mile. So that’s a good thing to check for.
In most races these days, you get an electronic chip that records when you pass the starting line and the finish line. That means you can line back aways and still get an accurate time from when you cross the starting line, rather than from when the gun sounds. Some people even take this to an extreme and wait a few minutes after the race starts before crossing the starting line. That gives them a wide open road to run on. I wouldn’t do it myself, but I guess it works for them.
Why Do I Run?
Running was a huge passion for me in high school. People, including my parents, wondered how I could spend so much time running and actually enjoy it. I didn’t really have a good answer at the time. Looking back, I realize that I loved having tangible goals, working hard at them, and achieving many of them. I loved that the harder I worked, the more success I could have. And it also happened that most of my (few) friends were on the team.
After taking a long hiatus from consistent training, I’ve returned to running as a way to stay healthy and relieve stress. But there’s more to it than that. I’ll try to explain.
After building up my training over the prior 15 months, I recently ran a 50-mile race. To many people, that sounds like a crazy thing to do. I’m not quite sure why I signed up for it. It just sounded like an exciting challenge. In addition to my regular training, I completed several 20+ mile runs, including two 30 milers. One Saturday, the smog was bad enough that I did my training run on a treadmill…all 22 miles.
During the 50-mile race, especially during the hard parts, I questioned myself and why I was running 50 miles. I never doubted I could finish, but what was I trying to prove? How could I justify spending so much time to train and a full Saturday to race? It’s not like I was going to win or benefit the world in any great way.
Below is what I could come up with. First, I’ll explain why I like to exercise in general. Second, I’ll explain why I like running in particular. And third, I’ll discuss why I try to run fast and compete in races.
Why I Like to Exercise
- Although questions remain to be answered about how physical exercise benefits our health, compelling scientific evidence does suggest that it helps us live longer and healthier. It’s not just about living more years—it’s also about having more life in the years.
- Even though exercise requires us to expend time and energy, I have found that exercise gives me a rebate on my investment—I feel more energetic, better able to focus, and more capable of tackling life’s challenges.
- While exercising, I can often clear my head and break free from the monotony of my day.
- Routine chores become easier when you’re in shape. When I was 30 pounds heavier and not exercising regularly, little things like unloading the car or carrying stuff up stairs seemed ominous.
- Regular exercise makes me less susceptible to feelings of anxiety and depression. It seems to take the edge off my negative emotions in a natural way.
- Exercise can fill time that might otherwise be spent on unhealthy habits. For example, when I’m exercising regularly, I have less time/interest in checking email incessantly, surfing the web aimlessly, playing video games (not that I would anyway), watching sports, eating junk food, etc.
- I believe that when I keep my body in good health, it is a way to glorify God, because I demonstrate that I will care for my body, a precious gift that He has given me. Maintaining good health also can be a way to show appreciation for the fact that my body functions properly. Just think…if you were given a fancy car as a gift, the responsible and courteous reaction would be to keep it looking nice and running smoothly.
- Achieving exercise-related goals gives me satisfaction and confidence. This confidence can carry over into other areas of life.
- I sit at a desk at work/school and sit on a train to/from. I don’t have to go out and milk the cows or work in the field. So it makes me more susceptible to gaining weight and being unhealthy. Exercise is a way to counter this.
- I feel like I look better when I’m healthy and trim.
Why I Like Running, In Particular
- Running is about the simplest type of exercise you can do. Technically, you don’t need any equipment whatsoever (though workout clothes are highly suggested). You can run in almost any location, any time of the day. You can run by yourself or with other people. The point is that it’s simple and pure.
- Along similar lines, running doesn’t require a lot of skill or technique (compared to say, biking or swimming). People will say that you can get faster by improving your running form, and that may be true, but I believe that for the most part you are best to run the way that feels most natural.
- While running, you can see nature in ways you can’t otherwise. For example, the 50-mile race I ran was on Antelope Island, on the Great Salt Lake (Utah). I saw much of that island and visited some places that can only be traveled by foot.
- Running seems to attract great people. There’s something about running that brings on camaraderie and goodwill. Maybe all that fresh air helps us filter out the negative vibes in our systems.
Why I Like Running Races
- You know that feeling you get after graduating from college or after paying off a car or after completing a difficult project? You can experience the same feelings of satisfaction regularly as you complete a distance you’ve never run before, run a distance faster than you ever have, win a race, or simply give your best.
- Running in races gives people a chance to showcase a talent that often is not appreciated by others otherwise.
- Achieving lofty racing goals can inspire others. When I watch the Olympics, for example, I feel inspired to stay fit and reach my own running goals.
- Races are usually community events. They allow me to interact with others and share a common bond.
- I’ve been fortunate to win a couple of small races this year, and I was awarded some nice prizes.
- I tend not to train consistently unless I’m working toward a specific goal. Races give me an objective to focus on, giving my day-to-day training a tangible purpose.
Obviously running is not the only type of physical exercise that is worthwhile or that can provide the benefits I’ve explained. It’s just the one that I prefer, for the reasons I’ve described. It’s also important to use wisdom in determining how much time to put into physical exercise. It’s possible to have too much of a good thing.
Well, there you have it. What else would you add to this list?
Big Guys Can Run Fast, Too
Last Saturday night I stayed up late and watched an incredible race that was broadcast over at flotrack.org. It was the 10,000 meter men’s race at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University. It had some of the greatest American distance runners in the race, and they (or at least one of them, Galen Rupp) were shooting for the American Record. The record, 27:13, was about 10 years old and was held by Meb Keflezhigi, the recent winner of the New York City Marathon.
Everyone was talking about Rupp, who is one of the rising stars in American distance running. He had brought pacers to the race and had been deliberating carefully (with his coach, Alberto Salazar) over whether to make his record-breaking attempt at this meet or on his home track in Eugene, Oregon. Fortunately, he went to Stanford so a great group of American runners would be on the same track. The strategy paid off for him. He broke the American record! Unfortunately for him, though, another American ran even faster.
The winner was Chris Solinsky, former NCAA champion from Wisconsin. He ran the 10,000 meter race in 26:59 and became the first non-African born athlete to run under 27:00. This was a great feat and bodes well for American distance runners in general.
I was really happy and inspired to see him win for another reason. You see, Chris Solinsky is different from most other elite runners. He is big—well, bigger than other elite runners. He is about 6′1″ tall and currently weighs 164-165 pounds. The stereotypical elite distance runner might be 5′8″ tall and weight 135 lbs. The world record holder for 10,000 meters is about 120 lbs.
Why does a person’s size matter in distance running? Well, conventional wisdom says that the more weight you have to carry around, the slower you’ll be. However, as Solinsky and his father have discussed, conventional wisdom also suggests that bumblebees should be incapable of getting off the ground and flying. But nobody told the bumblebee that. They just find a way to do it.
I’m not a huge guy, but I’m not little. And I’ve wondered if my size is a serious limiting factor for my running success. Chris Solinsky’s success tells me that bigger guys can run, too. Muscle mass can help you if you use it well. I think that your ability to run long distances is limited by your cardiovascular system’s ability to keep oxygen flowing to your brain and by the amount of strength you have to propel your body (whatever size it is) forward repeatedly. I think the rest is just details.
The following article has some interesting information about Solinsky’s size compared to other elite runners: http://www.letsrun.com/2010/heightweight0504.php
Runner’s Shouldn’t Eat Too Much…Or Too Little
The title of this blog post might seem a little strange. You would think that because we burn so many calories running that we could eat whatever we want, whenever we want, and in whatever quantities we want. That may be true for teenagers but not for everyone.
When I first got back into running, I was doing 3-5 miles per day, 5 days per week. I had been pretty sedentary before that, so I felt that that this drastic change in physical activity required me to ramp up my food intake substantially. So I did, and I found that I was staying about the same weight—not what I hoped for. It wasn’t until I started being more careful about how much I ate that the weight started coming off (slowly but surely).
This concept also applies to elite runners. Meb Keflezhigi, the first American to win the New York City Marathon in over 20 years, works with a nutrition and performance coach named Dr. Krista Austin. She helps him mold not only what he eats but also how much he eats, even though Meb often runs 100+ miles per week. She recently said, “Meb is very good at understanding his body. He knows when he’s hungry and needs to eat more, and knows when he doesn’t need to eat any more. People should only take energy in at the rate it’s being expended. Meb intuitively knows how much he needs” (more here, emphasis added).
Perhaps surprisingly, researchers have found that organisms as simple as yeast and as complex as humans appear to live longer when their diet is restricted to fewer calories. Less food eaten = a longer life. At the bottom of this post, I’ve included the abstract from a review published in a top science journal on this topic.
Of course, it’s also important to be wise in how we restrict our diet. At the extreme, going overboard can lead to conditions like anorexia nervosa, bone density problems, anemia, lethargy, and/or a weakened immune system.
My approach to finding a balance between eating too much and not eating enough is simply to watch my portion sizes. I try not to ever stuff myself, and I try to limit my sweets to one treat per day. In his excellent book, “In Defense of Food, An Eater’s Manifesto” (see here), Michael Pollan cites a practice by the Japanese of eating until you feel about 80% full. He also explains that the French rarely go back for seconds when eating (and eat moderate portions to begin with). These both seem like good rules of thumb. But if you’re walking around hungry all the time, you may be restricting too much.
Article Title: Extending Healthy Life Span—From Yeast to Humans
Authors: Luigi Fontana, Linda Partridge, Valter D. Longo
Abstract: When the food intake of organisms such as yeast and rodents is reduced (dietary restriction), they live longer than organisms fed a normal diet. A similar effect is seen when the activity of nutrient-sensing pathways is reduced by mutations or chemical inhibitors. In rodents, both dietary restriction and decreased nutrient-sensing pathway activity can lower the incidence of age-related loss of function and disease, including tumors and neurodegeneration. Dietary restriction also increases life span and protects against diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease in rhesus monkeys, and in humans it causes changes that protect against these age-related pathologies. Tumors and diabetes are also uncommon in humans with mutations in the growth hormone receptor, and natural genetic variants in nutrient-sensing pathways are associated with increased human life span. Dietary restriction and reduced activity of nutrient-sensing pathways may thus slow aging by similar mechanisms, which have been conserved during evolution. We discuss these findings and their potential application to prevention of age-related disease and promotion of healthy aging in humans, and the challenge of possible negative side effects.
URL: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/328/5976/321?ijkey=54764fbf1b015b5b687f7aff822306a8f998ad39&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
Boston Marathon Observations
Well, my predictions would have been perfect if you counted who was in the lead during the first few miles. Hall and Nakamura were right there at the front of the packs, pushing the pace. Unfortunately, both of them fell back, finishing 4th and 7th, respectively. Hall’s race isn’t necessarily a disappointment. It was the fastest time an American has ever run on the course. However, it was aggravating to watch him in the race. I’m not one to question his race tactic of leading the pack at the beginning, falling back, fighting to the front again, etc. What aggravated me was that he wore that flashy USA uniform and was making Hulk Hogan signals to the Wellesley girls (putting his hand to his ear) and then didn’t deliver on his goal. I think Hall felt like he wanted to have fun and was running for his charity as much as for himself, so he wanted to play to the crowds a bit. But if you’re going to pull antics like he did, you better deliver!
I am not disillusioned with Ryan and hope he runs a fast time in Chicago later this year, but I am not going to get my hopes up anymore that he will pull off a win at a major marathon. That might be a good thing for me and for him.
Although it is great that Paige Higgins got 13th place as the first female American, I’m disappointed that the top American women didn’t show up. Kara’s trying to get pregnant (obviously a more important endeavor). Shalane wasn’t ready yet. And others ran (or will run) races in Europe. Here’s to hoping that next year Shalane or Kara or Desiree or Magdalena will give us Americans a winner at Boston.