Do you jog or run? If you do, how do you synch your breathing with your pace?

Today I jogged 5.0 km of last year’s 10.6 km Mäntyharju Pyhävesi-juoksu route. +10°C, sun, a bit windy, snow on the ground, Asics summer shoes, 91.7 kg. With this spring temperature it felt relatively easy, as I was wearing just one layer of long-sleeved clothing.

Therefore I could afford to experiment a little with my breathing. I started out inhaling 4 steps, exhaling 4 steps, for about 3/6 of the route. Then I changed to inhaling 3 steps, exhaling 4 steps for about 2/6. The last 1/6 bit I inhaled 3 steps and exhaled 3 steps.

It feels good to apply a longer inhale-exhale sequence at first, as it forces me to slow down my pace. Towards the end I then breathe a little faster, which allows me to step up the pace somewhat. There’s probably some optimum, which I may figure out over time.

Currently I’m jogging twice a week, and I’m trying to add 500 metres every time until I reach about 11 km. If all goes well, that should take me another 6 weeks.

I’m collecting my jogging stats on this page.

(Image: Creative Commons Attribution: bbaunach – and BTW, it’s an ashtray )