7 Day Running Challange - DAYs 2 & 3

You may have read my previous blog on DAY 1 of running. If not, maybe check it out so you can know what I'll be talking about in this blog.

On Tuesday, here in Texas the weather was in the 20s! I still stuck to my running goal for the day of 1 mile, but I ran in place. Haha! As you might imagine it's different from the real thing. But, I still kept my same pace and slowed down to walking (in place) a few times. I wasn't as tired as actual running makes me until the end, which was about 17 minutes long.

On Wednesday, the weather wasn't as cold; high 30s, so I went for my usual "run".

Even though I was in my room doing this for one of the days, making it smell like a gym, I practiced the Rhythmic Breathing technique from The 4 Keys to Proper Running Breathing article I included in the DAY 1 blog. It's basically this:

The 2:2 Breathing Pattern
Inhale while stepping left, right. Then, on the exhale step left, then right.
After mastering this one, move to a 3:3 pattern—inhale, step left, right, left; then exhale, step right, left, right.

It's really simple, but does take some concentration at first. After a bit though, I was able to synchronize it easily with my foot steps. It's different having an actual method for breathing while running so it's something to get used to. For the first 5 minutes, I stuck to the 2:2 pattern. Doing it this way, I didn't feel like I was getting enough oxygen most of the way through. But, when I switched to the 3:3 method, I felt fine. On Day 3, I started with the 3:3 method and switched to a 3:4 method; inhaling 3 steps, exhaling 4 steps. This was the best method for me. But for you it may be something different. It's really what makes running easiest for you and what makes you most comfortable.

What I enjoyed about Rhythmic Breathing was not getting tired right away as I usually do, and my calves not giving out as fast. The Rhythmic Breathing option is one I would try again. I still have 2 more techniques to try out before I completely stick to one. I'll be talking about them and my experience using them soon.