Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Marine Corps Times

Tips for tuning up your breathing, stride

When you're counting down to the last few days before a race, whether it's the local 10K or a big-time race such as the Marine Corps Marathon, it's time to do more than lace up your running shoes and buy a new running outfit.

Your breathing and stride -- two related actions in a long or short race -- are probably the best areas for a final touch-up before the event.

While most runners eliminate breathing glitches by the time a big race arrives, it doesn't hurt to add finishing touches to your lungs to maximize your race-day performance.

Particularly in the week before a race, eliminate exposure to pollution -- indoor and out. Avoid smoky places such as bars or restaurants. Try to schedule workouts in the middle of the day, if possible; if you must run in the evening, try to wait an extra hour, closer to sundown, for heavy traffic to subside to avoid rush-hour running.

Add breathing exercises to your day, as well -- nothing elaborate, just conditioners to expand your lungs a bit.

Try this one, for example. Begin by lying flat on the floor with your arms at your side. Concentrate on your diaphragm -- picture it moving down as you inhale for a deep breath, then picture it pushing the air out at the end of the breath. Count to 10 while inhaling, hold the breath for a 10 count and exhale through a count of 10.

Perform this exercise for five minutes, three times a day. It will help with lung expansion and teach your body to breathe from the diaphragm, promoting deeper and more efficient breaths. Try this breathing technique during last-minute training runs, as well. It's tough to hold a 10 count on the road, but it will promote more efficient breaths.

Depending on your access to different running locations, one effective final breathing conditioner is high-altitude running. A workout at 5,000 feet above sea level or higher for a week or two before the race promotes much more efficient oxygen intake and forces your body to get as much out of each breath as possible.

Shorter is better

Breathing is only part of that last-minute polish, however. While stride becomes mindless after months of training, a few efficiency tweaks can also add miles of endurance.

Start by determining your stride length. The easiest way is to run about 30 yards on soft ground -- not mud, but something that will yield clear footprints.

Return to the starting point and run back through the footprints, shortening each stride by one foot length. It's not much, but it will feel like a substantially shorter stride.

The shorter stride allows for more efficient breathing and actually moves the body forward with less effort, saving a little extra energy for later in the race.

To increase your speed, you don't need to lengthen your stride again. Instead, increase foot turnover with the short strides. In the end, your speed will increase, but your breathing will remain under control.

Tagline: Christopher Prawdzik is a runner and freelance writer in Northern Virginia. E-mail him at runnerslifeccp@yahoo.com.