 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
THE MILE
Getting my breathing right
Dear Coach Ed,I run a lap every weekday at school. It is usually cold. The mile is my least favorite thing to do. School has ended up making me hate running. When I'm done running, I'm as red as a tomato. Running has started to sound fun (Carol's note: We hope this is because of KR) and I want to start training to get a better time on the mile. Do you have any breathing tips? Heather from California Dear Heather, This is the question I get asked the most by adults and young runners. As you become more fit your breathing while running will improve. There is no magic solution to this problem but maybe I can help with a few suggestions. Try running more slowly! I know you want to run a better time for the mile and by running more at a slower pace your fitness will improve. Here is how it works. If you can run a mile in 8 minutes go on a training run and run the mile in 10 minutes but keep going. Maybe go a mile and a half. Sometimes try 2 miles but keep the pace slow. By running slower your breathing should feel much better. By running farther you are conditioning yourself for a longer period of time. So you are getting more fit. Now one day a week don't run far at all. Run for 30 seconds real fast then walk for about a minute or however long it takes you to catch your breath then repeat that about 5 times. Do this for 4 weeks then see how fast you can run 1 mile in. I'm sure you will find a big improvement. Remember not to start off too fast when you begin your mile race. Ease into a nice steady pace. Keep up the good work. Heather, the mile is great event. And Heather, just to be on the cautious side, if your breathing doesn't improve see your physician to rule out asthma. Coach Ed
|
Ed Poirier, "Coach Ed", recently was invited by the United States Olympic
committee to attend a workshop and training seminar at the Olympic training
center in California. 