Runners: Avoid Injuries with a Technique You Probably Haven’t Seen
If you’re making this mistake, you could be placing yourself at an increased risk for injury and all the lame-ass things that come along with it:
- loss of running/training time
- getting slower
- losing endurance
- losing strength
- losing your mind!
I first discovered this method back when I was out on a run and started feeling that old familiar IT band pain. That pain had been gone for a long time, but now it was back. “Shit!”
I had let up on my program of tissue self care which included myofascial release and yoga practice. I tried to run through it, but a week later it was worse and starting to keep me from simple lifestyle activities such as going down stairs. I was frustrated!
Then I took a few slow breaths to relax and decided to recommit to my program of tissue maintenance.
But I had an epiphany when I took my breathing break to cool off. The breathing! Through yoga and the heightened breathing awareness that comes with it, I had realized that I was always stepping on my right foot whenever I exhaled.
And I knew from my experience in strength, conditioning, and fitness that we apply greater force during our exhalations. I was always pushed harder on my right leg whenever I was running because my out breath always coincided with my right foot step.
That means higher ground impact force on my right side.
So I started a program to fix my muscle imbalances and shifted my breathing to a different pattern where I would alternate which foot touched the ground on the exhalation.
The breathing part was easier than I though it would be. All I had to do was ensure that I took an odd number of steps on each breath. could inhale for 5 steps, exhale for 4.
I could inhale for 4 steps and exhale for 3, or inhale for 3, and exhale for 2. Or if my oxygen demand was really high with a faster, higher intensity run I could inhale for 2 and exhale for 1.
Recently I discovered this technique is actually a thing called “rhythmic breathing”. Budd Coates wrote a book about it. In Running on Air, he describes how to use this method. It is a great book with awesome descriptions and instructions.
I implement the technique in a different way than he suggests. I emphasize breathing through my nose and therefore my breathing rate is slower. For example, on a slow run I will take 9 steps per breath or about 20 breaths per minute at a 180 steps/minute cadence.
Coates suggests starting at 5 steps per breath at your slowest speed which is 36 breaths per minute at a step rate of 180 per minute.
How You Can Do This
1. Start by walking.
2. Pick an odd number of steps and begin to walk.
3. Divide the number of steps as evenly as your can. For example 9, would be 4 and 5; 7 would be 4 and 3.
4. Take the highest number of steps on the inhalation, and the lower number on the exhalation.
5. Walk for 5 minutes to get accustomed to this pattern.
6. Begin to run using the same pattern.
7. If you get out of breath and can’t maintain this pace. Then start over at step 1 and choose a lower number of steps per breath.
You will have to experiment to find what works for you.
Author:
Nick Ortego is a health coach specializing in biohacking for runners. He integrates modern methods with the ancient wisdom of yoga to help runners get the most out of every aspect of life. He is the owner of N 2 Action, a wellness studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offering personal training, health coaching, yoga, and fascial stretch therapy.
