Have you ever heard this before? In truth, breathing more air is way overhyped. Rather, you should absorb less air! Also, mouth ventilation is causing more damage than good. Sounds weird after all these years of combined nasal and mouth breathing, na!
Yes, it does, and we know that. Avoid mouth breathing at all costs, and everything else falls in line. But sit tight. A fascinating journey welcomes you. Let’s explain the ins and out of breathing exercises for long-distance runners.
Get incredibly resourceful videos to improve your breathing styles.
Measure Your BOLT Score
At the outset, check your oxygen level with a simple BOLT (body oxygen level test). A standard performer scores above 25 seconds; doing 15 seconds could be problematic. Follow the instructor in the video below. Get your BOLT score.
Code Red: Would you believe me if I said that smooth and correct breathing could solve almost all major physiological issues related to your long-distance running career? Continue reading for immersive insights.
5 Proven Breathing Exercises for Long-Distance Runners
“Your ability to transport and utilize oxygen is your problem and not your lung capacity.”
—Dr. Todd Buckingham, Chief Exercise Physiologist
The following table lists useful breathing strategies and their outcomes.
| Ventilation Style | Effect |
| Rhythmic Breathing | Calms & relaxes you. |
| Belly Breathing | Diaphragm movement expands the chest cavity to draw more air. |
| Pursed Lips Breathing | Reduces shortness & pace of breath and carries in more oxygen. |
| Eupnea Breathing | Removes toxins and improves blood circulation & body tone. |
| Hyperpnea Breathing | Increases oxygen intake. Better for lung diseases. |
04 Tips to Optimize Your VO2 Max
In short, Vo2 is your oxygen consumption capability. This is the gold standard for an athlete’s aerobic and cardiovascular fitness. It reduces the risks of stroke, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Let’s explain some powerful VO2 max tactics.
- Do high-intensity workouts at the highest heart rate.
- Alternate intense exercise and rest periods.
- Endurance training delivers higher VO2 max.
- Train at your functional threshold power for an hour.
Nose Breathe the Entire Distance While Jogging
“Hyperventilating is killing your marathon run dreams.”
Say you are jogging for 30 minutes. Do the following breathing techniques during the session.
- Breathe lightly,
- Breathe slowly,
- Breathe deeply.
However, you need three things to sustain throughout this running period. Let’s discuss those points below.
- A BOLT score above 20 seconds.
- A well-developed nasal path.
- Excellent fitness level.
Lacking any of these features leaves you breathless during jogging. Moreover, a meditative state of mind helps you focus on the present moment.
The exercise combines voluntary laughter with deep breathing, which provides similar benefits to spontaneous laughter.
Rather than relying on comedy, you can practice Laughter Yoga on your own or in a group.
It's not just for entertainment, it's for your health. pic.twitter.com/ejteona0eQ
— Abhishek Katiyar (@PharmIDexpert) July 2, 2023
Why Do I Feel Extreme Air Hunger during Jogging?
Nose breathing causes acute air hunger due to intense nasal resistance. Typically, air deficit shoots up your CO2 levels, but your body eventually adapts to this craving sensation over time. Such physical adjustment helps gradually increase exercise duration and intensity.
So you need not go blue right off the bat. The breathing exercises for long-distance runners are time-consuming. It is more about good breathing management than quickly capitalizing on some masterly tricks.
Breathing Tips for Lengthy Runs That Always Work
Slowing down the respiratory system is the key to excellent air circulation. Fast breathing increases your respiratory activities. Despite massive air hunger, you must abide by the following things.
| Follow | Avoid |
| Take fewer breaths per minute. | Fast, shallow breathing. |
| Ensure lighter, slower, & deeper breaths. | Rapid, deep breathing. |
Thus, you are optimizing your functional breathing patterns while exercising.
Note: Initially, jogging and nasal breathing will cause a run in your nose. As your airway clears up over time, this problem will eventually go away too.
Nose Breathing for High-Intensity Workouts
Nasal breathing immediately activates your diaphragm and empowers your breathing muscles. So they become stronger, which is integral to long-distance running. You need a powerful diaphragm and muscles.
Why so? If your breathing muscles and diaphragm tire out and their recovery requires blood from your legs to feed the diaphragm. Hence, your legs suddenly run out of steam. Besides, nose breathing elevates your physiology and prevents avoidable injuries thereby.
Quickly Recover After Sprinting
So you are trying heart and soul to recover after a sprint. Hands down, the best recovery from sprinting comes through slow breathing. It triggers alveolar ventilation. Contrarily, fast and shallow breathing inevitably wastes too much air in the process. However, this trick becomes impossible when you are severely breathless.
Slow and relaxed inhalation and exhalation are crucial for fast recovery after sprinting. You must increasingly keep on slowing down your breath. The heart rate and heart rate recovery become faster in this way.
Harms of Mouth Breathing
How many of you wake up with a dry mouth in the morning? It is about 50% of any given audience. So what happened during the last night? Yes, you slept with an open mouth.
Hence, you are unlikely to feel spirited after waking up. A refreshing feel is particularly a far cry for you. You are most probably deprived of deep sleep. Your body cannot recover from the fatigue of the last day. You become prone to sleep disorders, snoring, and insomnia.
Best Sleep in 15 Years!
Have you heard someone taped his mouth to stop bad breathing practices during sleep? That man is none other than Patrick McKeown. He had his best sleep that night in 15 years.
Why so?
Excellent breathing correlates to good sleep, good feeling, and good sportsmanship.
Sixty thousand kilometers of the blood vessel in your body get positive influences by breathing less air. More air does not trigger them that much at all. What, am I kidding? No, just hold on there. This fact runs totally contradictory to what we have learned to this very day.
Tips: Long Distance Definition
Nasal Breathing Beats Mouth Breathing in 6 Ways
Only the nose serves multiple purposes apart from ventilation, including –
- Conditioning,
- Moistening,
- Volume Regulation.
We list the six (06) exclusive functions of nasal inhalation. You must do it during work, rest, sleep, and exercise. Let’s run through the benefits of nose breathing in the next table.
| Protects the upper airway. | Protects the lower airway. |
| Ensures greater amplitude of the diaphragm. | Closed mouth quickens post-exercise recovery. |
| The body uses oxygen more efficiently. | Harnesses the nitric oxide to kill viruses & bacteria. |
Nose Breathe & Dodge Physical Troubles
Sleep apnea, chronic fatigue syndrome, tiredness, and snoring can ruin your dream of becoming the best long-distance runner out there. All these issues interconnect with breathing difficulties.
Medical doctors, athletes, and coaches sometimes overlook these dismal bodily conditions when considering their objectives. In short, you must achieve a perfect flow state. So breathing exercises for long-distance runners are crucial to realize your goals.
Last Words:
Mastering the art of long-distance running is more than just strength and stamina. It is also about breathing right to keep your body in motion. Set your airway and intake right for more success on the track. These techniques and breathing exercises for long-distance runners could be game-changers for you.