Breathing Patterns For Running

When I first started running, one of the books I devoured was The Complete Book of Running For Women by Claire Kowalchik.

One of the tips that has stuck with me over the years relates to different breathing patterns for running, and how to monitor and control breathing to monitor and control pace. 

For a warm-up, I try to keep my pace so easy that I don’t even notice my breathing.

As I ease into a steady “training” pace, I match my breathing with my pace so that I inhale over three foot strikes (left-right-left) and exhale over two foot strikes (right-left). Claire Kowalchik emphasizes that this uneven pacing is important because you will tend to strike heavier on your first exhale foot strike, so you want to alternate which foot that will be. I usually try to keep this breathing/pace for most of my runs.

If I am running harder, such as for a “tempo” run, race, or moderate hills, I shift my breathing up a notch so that I inhale over two foot strikes (left-right) and exhale over two foot strikes (left-right).

For an even faster pace (near sprint) or steeper hill, I may switch to inhaling over two foot strikes and exhaling over one foot strike.

And, for an all-out sprint, I breathe like a train, inhaling and exhaling with alternate foot strikes.

As I am running, I think of my breathing as immediate fuel (oxygen) for my running. If I need to power up a hill, I need more oxygen, so I switch gears into a faster breathing pace. If I realize that I am struggling, I check whether my breathing is what it should be for the pace I am trying to keep, and adjust one or the other–usually slowing down so I can run comfortably with my normal 3-2 breathing pattern. When I want to sprint at the end of a race, focusing on my breathing helps me keep a hard pace all the way to finish line.

Click here to see The Complete Book of Running for Women on Amazon through my Amazon affiliate link.

Do you have any favorite running tips?

Do you have a running book that you would recommend?