Breathing is Key

Recently, studies have shown that the way you breathe when you run could cause you to have more injuries. These studies, done at the University of Utah, show that exhalation causes great stress on the body as your foot hits the ground.  It was observed that runners who consistently exhaled as their right foot hit the ground had more injuries on the right side of their bodies. Some runners then played around with their breathing patterns in order to alternate exhalations between their two feet. Runners who alternated their exhales eventually found themselves with fewer injuries and shorter race times.

I personally attempted this the other day while running intervals. I began my run as usual, not thinking about breathing at all. About 20 minutes into my run I started to get a cramp on my right side. I then paid closer attention to my breathing and it turns out I exhale as my right foot hits the ground. So I tried to alternate between my two feet. At first, it was difficult to rearrange my breathing, but after another 10 minutes, the cramp was completely gone. I cannot say with complete certainty that my breathing was why the cramp was gone, but it was certainly interesting. I plan on focusing on my breathing patterns during my next few runs to see if I notice any change. I encourage all of you to try this as well. Not only is it possible that it can prevent injury, but thinking about your breathing also distracts you from thinking about your time or how much farther you need to run.

Don’t forget to breathe!

Danielle Renee ♥