Danielle here:

So on my current running schedule I run four days a week and either walk or cross train two days a week. Unfortunately it’s now been six days since my last run and I blame it on this stubborn head cold I’m battling. I figure it is hard enough to breathe and run when I feel healthy, let alone when I can’t even breathe when I walk! This got me thinking, what is the best way to breathe when you run? There are several times when I feel my body could go another two miles but I’m gasping for air and feel that awful burning in my chest. I know it’s probably a matter of just slowly conditioning my lungs, but I poked around on the internet and in some of the Runners World magazines my fellow blogger, Ryan Foran, passed on to me just to see what some more-seasoned runners had to say about it. What I found looked liked math! There were several different step ratios for all types of  runners and races. There’s the 2:1 (two inhales, one exhale), the 3:2 and on it goes. There’s also several different theories on breathing through the nose, breathing through the mouth, or a combination of both. I found this blog and liked the text and videos and think I will try and incorporate the 3:2 ratio during my next run, Friday morning. I’ll let you know how it goes but in the meantime, any words of advice on how to increase mileage without hyperventalating or collapsing from a lack of oxygen? Happy breathing!