How to Breathe while Running

I distinctly remember my first race. I was in elementary school and was selected to represent my school in “County-Wide Field Day” – an annual competition that included everything from the standing broad jump, to the softball throw, to the mile run. I ran and won the mile (and won it every year I competed which, of course, made me really like running!).

During that first race, I paced myself using my breathing. It wasn’t intentional but I remember that I found that if I breathed in for two steps and out for two steps that I ran fast and kept myself from slowing down even though fatigue was setting in. I thought “in in out out” and my pace never lagged.

I never practiced this breathing pattern before the race (in fact, I never practiced running at all but I grew up in the country so we ran, walked and biked everywhere), but quickly found that I could control my performance using my breathing.

My “in for two steps, out for two steps” pattern is called a 2:2 rhythm. There are, of course, several different rhythms that runners use, depending on how fast they are running. It could be 4:2 (in for four steps, out for two) or 3:2 on easy runs. It could be 3:2 or 2:2 on faster runs and even 2:1 or 1:1 on your most challenging efforts.

I never think about my breathing when just going for an easy run but when I do a workout or a race, I use breathing to help find and control the perfect pace. You can do the same.

Over time, I thought less and less about my breathing and you will too, but if you are new to running or struggle with pacing on workouts and during races, then I suggest you focus on your breath and see what happens. I bet you’ll find that if you focus on your breathing, you’ll even out your pace and have more successful workouts and races. For seasoned runners, I suggest that every now and then (and especially when you are getting back into workouts and races) that you revisit your breathing.

Play around on your next workout and see what breathing pattern seems to fit your pace.