Two things I have had issues with while running - running out of breath and knee pain on my left side. But early last summer my boyfriend's brother in law introduced me to a book that he had read that had really helped him, called Running On Air by Budd Coates. Coates, who has his M.S. in Physical Education and Exercise Physiology, noticed while running that his most prevalent injury was to his left hip flexor. He found an article on Breath Play, by Ian Jackson, a coach and distance runner, which related breathing cycles with running cadence. He also found a study by Dennis Bramble, Ph.D., and David Carrier, Ph.D., of the University of Utah, explaining that the greatest impact stress of running occurs when one's foot strike coincides with the beginning of an exhalation. This means that if you begin to exhale every time your left foot hits the ground, the left side of your body will continually suffer the greatest running stress. A light bulb went off in my head!!
He set off to create a pattern that coordinated foot strike and breathing so that you could land alternately on your left foot and then right foot at the beginning of every exhale.
"When your foot hits the ground, the force of impact equals TWO to THREE times your body weight, and as research by Utah's Bramble and Carrier showed, the impact stress is greatest when your foot strikes the ground at the beginning of an exhalation. This is because when you exhale, your diaphragm and the muscles associated with the diaphragm relax, creating less stability in your core. Less stability at the time of greatest impact makes a perfect storm for injury."
"So always landing on the same foot at the beginning of exhalation makes the problem worse. It causes one side of your body to continuously absorb the greatest impact force of running, which causes it to become increasingly worn down and vulnerable to injury. Rhythmic breathing, on the other hand, coordinates foot strike with inhalation and exhalation in an odd/even pattern so that you will land alternately on your right and left foot at the beginning of every exhalation. This way, the impact stress of running will be shared equally across both sides of your body."
- Budd Coates
When running, try to breathe in for 3 counts then out for 2. When running fast or sprinting, breathe in for 2 counts and out for 1; or 2-1-1-1 (in, out, in out).
I used this technique while training for a marathon and I didn't have any problems with injury (although I did make sure to stretch a lot!)!! And I did my first one in 3:57, which I was totally okay with. In the past I've had to bail out of races because of how bad my knee hurt. Love this book and I definitely recommend it for a read if you're a runner!!
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