Tuesday 13 January 2015

Breathing

Weight: 81.4kg
Distance: 5.50km
Time: 34m:49s
Average speed: 9.48kph

Breathing is more important than you think. You only really think about it when it's gone or other, rare occasions. This is a lesson in how much running on a treadmill can change things.

When I run on the streets and footpaths, I pace myself by my breath. I need to be breathing this hard right now, so I'll run this fast, two steps per breath in, two steps per breath out. If I need to slow down because I need to take deeper breaths, that's what I do, or if I can go faster and keep my breathing steady, I do that. So my pace changes with my breath and it works well. I could run almost indefinitely like that.

On the treadmill, I've gone almost two weeks before even noticing my breathing. This morning I noticed I wasn't breathing to pace. I'd been just letting my breath happen, and I think it contributed to how crappy I'd feel after a run. This morning, at about the 2km mark, I suddenly remembered that breathing was a thing and I paced my breathing to my steps, two in, two out. It helped a lot with the incline section and I felt much better afterwards. Still sweaty in the most horrible way, but better. I must remember this.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - If not for the bathroom renovation, I would not have been running on the treadmill this much.
PPS - And I would not have made these realisations. I guess that's a good thing.

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