john talks about how the nose is the primary breathing apparatus for humans. among other things the nose filters and warms the air before it enters the lungs. the mouth on the other hand is for emergencies, air goes directly to the lungs shunting all other mechanisms the body has for preparing air.
you never see a deer or rabbit running with its mouth open, panting uncontrollably catching bugs in his mouth… or having a difficult time saying good morning to other deer do you? of course not! that’s because most of nature’s animals breathe through their nose.
by the time this sank in, i was determined to figure out how to nose breathe while i run. it took me quite a few miles but i finally got pretty good at it. in the beginning i used to have to carry a tissue with me, to keep the nasal passages open…and i became an expert at the farmer’s blow.
i now love nose breathing while i run and when i cycle. not only do i feel more refreshed, enlightened, and some what more accomplished (it is difficult after all).
i also use nose breathing when i am recovering from an injury. not only do i feel like more oxygen is flowing through my body making my muscles heal faster…that’s debatable. another reason is that keeps my mind off the injury. it really takes a lot of concentration for me to breathe and run. so i have little or no brain power to focus on anything else. also because it’s so difficult i can only run at a slower more governed pace ( i can’t just run as fast as i want). i always have to run a bit slower and steadier, which keeps me from blowing something out.
today at lunch i decided to nb for my little 3mile run. i started out at what seemed like a snail’s pace…and slowly picked it up till i found my breathing limit. i figured that i started out at about a 9 or 10 minute pace and worked my way down to about an 8:30 pace. that’s not too bad considering i was just out for a jog. also, this was just an estimate, i really didn’t know for sure how fast i was running. until…
i turned my gps on and checked my pace. holy shit! i was running at a 7:20 pace! i didn’t feel that fast. i was still having a little trouble keeping up with the nose breathing but i was able to handle it. as i was running down the path someone yelled at me, “hey, don’t forget to breathe!”
i did forget…. in fact that’s all i could think about. when i got back to work i was so full of endorphins i didn’t feel like sitting at my computer. and after such focused breathing for so long, it transcended the work out to the remainder of the day. since the run, i have only breathed through my mouth while talking….and “they” tell me, i don’t talk much :)
so if you don’t breath through your nose while running or cycling try it! you’ll be impressed with yourself.
let me know how it goes.
later