Too Many Chefs
Warning: Spoiler Alerts!
In the third season of the TV show The Bear, the fictionalized portrayal of the behind-the-scenes pressure-cooker (pun intended) of what it takes to operate in the highly competitive world of fine dining restaurants, there is talk of ‘haunting’. It’s mostly portrayed as humorous, adolescence-level teasing and jump-scaring. But not all haunting is so innocuous.
The nemesis of the show’s main character, Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), is the asshole Chef David Fields (Joel McHale), the personification of every insecure person’s worst nightmare of a boss. Domineering, intimidating, and (allegedly) too good at what they do to be questioned on their tactics. For monsters like this, their currency is humiliation, and they are wealthy in that regard. Doling out degradation and shame without regard to the impact they are having on the serfs within their fiefdom, their single-minded quest for perfection reeks havoc on all involved.
Unfortunately, the kitchen is not the only place thugs like these can be found. Headline-making stories of abusive coaches in all manner of sports are disappointingly commonplace. The damage these individuals inflict — often while deludedly thinking that in order to prepare their athletes for the rigors of competition, they’re doing The Right Thing by being ‘tough’ on their athletes — can not be underestimated. These “experts of their realm” talk of things like Excellence, Commitment, and Dedication, but in reality, they are just inflicting emotional and/or psychological harm on their athletes, often with life-long reverberations.
© 2024 Mark Remy / Laurelhurst Media, Portland, OR. All Rights Reserved.
A common refrain quoted by ‘experts’ from all domains, from sports to industry and beyond, is: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” The message is obvious: the more criteria, parameters, and other such specifications one can measure, the more accurately and positively one can manage, and by extension, improve. This quote is usually attributed to Peter Drucker, a management consultant, educator, and author, whose work is considered bedrock to many of the philosophical foundations of modern management theory. There’s just one problem: according to the Drucker Institute, he never said that.
Nevertheless, that quote has taken on mythological stature within management — and often sports — circles. Other versions have expounded on the concept, such as the decreed ‘Pearson's Law’: "That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially." (attributed to British mathematician and biostatistician Karl Pearson). Another version: "When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates." (attributed to American religious leader and author Thomas S. Monson). For many coaches, the hidden mantra of ‘More Is Better’ is pervasive and unassailable.
Interestingly, the so-called “Drucker quote” actually comes from Dr. W. Edwards Deming, an economist, industrial engineer, management consultant, statistician, and writer. Initially educated as an electrical engineer and later specializing in mathematical physics, he helped develop sampling techniques still used today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But there’s a problem with this ‘quote’ as well: it’s not what he said, either. Or, more accurately, it’s only part of what he said.
The actual full quote of Dr. Deming reads: “It is wrong to suppose that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it – a costly myth.”
Whoa, wait — WHAT?! Plot twist!!
Far from extolling the virtues of numerical supremacy, Dr. Deming was, in reality, offering a contraversion of reliance upon data for data’s sake, especially when human beings are involved in the equation.
Similar to the fervent management philosophies which work so well on paper, yet often lead to unintended, sometimes even horrific, consequences, the sporting world is resplendent with tales of superhuman efforts invoked to overcome the most arduous challenges, a seemingly never-ending chorus of experts, elite athletes and coaches glorifying The Grind, and, of course, a $100 billion a year fitness industry dedicated to selling you the latest, greatest products, techniques, and guidance to get you the best version of you you can possibly achieve, in the shortest amount of time possible. While we all love to hear the tales of excellence achieved — and who doesn’t want a way to make our own personal journey towards Top Performance easier and/or better? — for many, these adumbrate drill instructors simply impose feelings of inadequacy and/or incompetence.
But what if the Evil Coach isn’t a coach at all? What if instead it’s a mindless device, strapped to your wrist? These miracles of miniaturization, incessantly recording and chronicling accelerometer data, tracking satellite positions, and numerous other metrics, are cycling the never-ending reams of 1’s and 0’s through a black box compilation of analytical computations, designed to assign values to the various angle vectors and velocity patterns we create with our movements. They can track our heart rates by the micro-second, our sleep patterns by phase duration, our daily wanderings by the centimeter. By virtue of their speed-of-light processing capabilities and pre-programmed algebraic formulas, they give us preternaturally precise valuations of not just what we’ve done, but quite judgmentally, deign to tell us just how well they think we’ve done it. Have we ever stopped to consider that nobody really knows what all these minuscule micro-computers are actually measuring? That there is no standard of what gets measured, nor how the data gets calculated? That these digital oracles are giving static and definitive values to what are actually and naturally rather imprecise and mercurial states of affairs?
One study identified 423 unique fitness tracking devices from 132 different brands.
“The wearable landscape is in constant change. New devices and brands are released every year, promising improved measurements and user experience. At the same time, other brands disappear from the consumer market for various reasons. Advances in device quality offer new opportunities for research. However, only a few well-established brands are frequently used in research projects, and even less are thoroughly validated.”
In the proverbial blink of an eye, tasks like running, which for generations were recorded with a stop watch, marked down in a binder, and analyzed by a human who used the information to inform what they were experiencing (the runner) or seeing their own eyes (coach), seem to have been handed off to an omnipotent digital clairvoyant, ensorcelled within inanimate materials, whose pronouncements are absolute. No longer, it seems, is it permissible to deviate from the stratagem these e-sorcerers proclaim as The Most Precise. If anything, the scramble is to give even MORE power of prognosis to the cybernated prodigy: A.I.
There is undeniably a seductive appeal to the computational precision that these devices, apps, and programs offer. Yet, for humans, this level of perfection can come with a heavy price. Perfectionists often set unrealistic and/or unattainable goals for themselves or others. There is an unrelenting quest prove their self-worthiness by focusing on ‘exactness’, but in our tumultuous world of physical reality, they find it infuriatingly difficult, if not impossible, to get the pieces to fall into place. The harder they try, the more their endeavors seems to crumble around them. Their efforts, it seems to them, are never enough, and that can lead to the view that they’re ‘never good enough’. These attitudes can lead to feelings of demoralization, low self-esteem, and possibly trigger serious compulsive behaviors, such as eating disorders or exercise addiction in those who are inclined towards those extremes.
Research has shown that certain app visualisations and/or feedback messages can unintentionally contribute to unhealthy behaviors, such as “chasing” metrics instead of simply noting trends. One doctor stated that in clinical care, they “actively discouraged [people with eating disorders] from using those apps and various wrist monitors that count the steps and activity levels” as they can become triggering, sustaining the individual’s obsessional, restrictive, and rigid behaviors. Another study found that while activity data from wearable devices may be a resource for self-care, the data may simultaneously constrain emotional well-being and could create uncertainty, fear, and anxiety in some. And in yet another study, published in BJPsych Open, participants reported eight negative consequences of using a fitness app:
Fixation on numbers
Rigid diet
Obsession
App dependency
High sense of achievement
Extreme negative emotions
Motivation from ‘negative’ messages
Excess competition
Even if one is not themselves a perfectionist, being constantly compared to “perfect” achievements can be detrimental to one’s mental health. A quote which, for us, succinctly summarizes the phenomena: “When you chew enough glass, you learn to like the taste of your own blood.”
So how do we break free of the tyranny of these digital demi-gods decrying unmet goals, invoking negative emotions, and inducing ceaseless rumination over What Might Have Been Had We Only Been Better?
As we at Breath Runner have said before, “Our bodies do not operate on Artificial Intelligence. Our bodies utilize Analogue Intelligence!” Especially for something like running, care must be taken to account for the non-statistical, enigmatic factors of body signals. Not just signals from one’s legs or muscles; the full panoply of physical, mental and emotional signaling. Learning to listen to our bodies, to operate within the actual, physical realities we are experiencing on the day, and to quiet our minds enough to be mindful; these are health-positive, proactive behaviors which will benefit us in lasting and valuable ways that extend far beyond just better running.
©️ Endurance Essentials by Gordo Byrn. All Rights Reserved.
To be clear, we at Breath Runner are not “anti-technology”. Far from it — we have most of the digital toys, and use many of the cutting-edge analysis tools that are publicly available. But we also understand the time and place such technology are appropriate, and acknowledge the technical limitation of many components, and the fact that there is as of yet no standardization, either in their design nor in the algorithms they use. Yes, competition in the marketplace is a good thing, and the ability for unique, vibrant, and creative design is essential for progress. But even among the most rabid of capitalists, certain realities cut through the noise. As one A.I. startup founder told the Financial Times, “No industry can thrive without regulation in the long run. It’s mayhem.”
The Good News is that there IS a “technology” we have found which works, and works well, in all conditions, in all stages of training. That technology is: syncing our breathing to our run cadence. By using our body’s natural “computational” powerhouse, our brains and Central Nervous System (CNS), in conjunction with our body’s massive processing capacity, which is our ability to absorb and use oxygen and nutrients to power our activities, together in a synchronized fashion, we can harness the power of our innate Analogue Intelligence. This allows us to meter our efforts, maximize our aerobic capabilities, and tap into our body’s natural ability to keep negative emotions at bay. Combined with a comprehensive, polarized training plan, runners of all abilities can find new levels of health performance which will have benefits far from the trail. Instead of the detrimental “No Pain, No Gain” idiocy, try “Avoid Unnecessary Pain for Realistic, Achievable Gains”! You can still use your smart watch if you want. You just don’t need to listen to the bots.
Visit Breath Runner for more information.
Slow Growth to Fast Running
Why the Long Road can often be the shortest path
I’ve been struggling a bit trying to find the best way to describe the benefits of Breath Running (that doesn’t make me sound like a either a supernal guru or a huckster). I’ve been going down endless research rabbit holes trying to expand my understanding of human anatomy, biophysics, and all manner of training technique, in order to elucidate what I have discovered and how it can apply to anyone and everyone, regardless of ability or experience.
It’s becoming clear to me that trying to find solid research that directly relates to Breath Running is scant at best, and most of that research is wide of the mark anyway. Most studies I’ve found either look at people (or animals) running and then seeing how their breathing patterns occur, or focus on set breathing patterns at Top End efforts to see if they make a difference (the few studies like this of which I am aware show that they do, but only slightly). While both of these angles are important to investigate, they fail to look at the unique aspect of the Breath Runner program, which is: using breathing patterns synced to cadence as a way to regulate pace, especially at low effort levels.
Since I can’t seem to find directly relevant research, I’m going to just do my best to expand on what I’ve already published (if you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to take a look at the Breath Runner Handbook on my website). I welcome anyone with knowledge about the medical side of things to contact me directly and share their wisdom!
Why should a runner sync their breathing with their cadence? This is the Big Question. The short answer: Because it works! But there’s sooooo much more to it, both solidly evidence based reasons as well as other more subtle, nuanced aspects.
Let’s start at the Low End — the low Rating of Perceived Effort (RPE) / low heart rate / low lactate level end of the run spectrum. This should be a runner’s ‘bread and butter’, the type of running that makes up the vast majority of their training. For many, it’s a chore. It’s discouraging, it’s demoralizing, and it’s just not fun. Science tells us unequivocally that it works, but for many, it is difficult to wrap their minds around how running slowly can help them run faster. To try to help make the concept understandable, I’ll offer up what I call the Catering Hall Theory.
Imagine if you will, a catering hall: a building with all the requisite physical requirements needed to host events like weddings, corporate parties, etc. It has walls, a roof, and a floor, maybe even a basement. Throughout the building runs plumbing, gas, electrical, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. There’s the main banquet hall, possibly other smaller banquet or multi-purpose rooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, offices, and storage. Focusing primarily on the banquet hall/rooms, there’s tables, chairs, lighting, dishes, cutlery, tablecloths and other such decor items. The kitchen is loaded with it’s pots & pans, utensils, and appliances needed to prepare meals at scale. Then there’s all the other various items, from pens and paper, computers and printers, and everything else needed in the office, to soap and toilet paper in the bathrooms, mops and buckets and cleaning detergents in the storage room. Then there is the personnel required: the manager(s), kitchen staff, wait staff, cleaning crew, etc. When the personnel have the necessary things, the catering hall is ready for action! How well the catering hall performs is primarily a function of the personnel; how technically well-trained they are, how well synchronized their actions are between groups, and how well they perform day-in and day-out, week after week, month after month.
If the catering hall is able to host events several days a week, sometimes even two or more events on the same day, with minimal need of personnel, and minimal loss of material (glassware, utensils, etc.), then the catering hall will have the best chance of making a profit and prospering! But once in a while, it’s inevitable that a party is going to require maximal staff, and/or get a bit out of control, or that just normal wear & tear may cause an issue at an inconvenient time. Maybe a chair or two gets broken, or even a table. Maybe a major kitchen appliance breaks down, or there’s a plumbing issue in the bathroom, or the HVAC conks out unexpectedly. These things happen, even to the best run catering hall. If this is something which occurs relatively infrequently, then it’s usually no big deal. There’s some extra equipment down in the basement. There’s enough prudent reserve in the operating budget to pay for some new appliances, or system repairs, etc. Even if it’s something that causes the catering hall to have to close down for an extra day or two, or run at reduced capacity for a bit, chances are that it won’t make a difference in the long-term health of the business, as long as it’s an infrequent event.
But if every week there’s a wild, max-effort event, then things are going to get strained after a bit. Maybe replacement hardware or appliances are on back-order, and can’t be replaced immediately. Personnel that are pushed to their limits constantly will start to quit, or worse, become surly towards the customers. Damages begin to mount, and the time needed for repairs grows, while the money needed is dwindling. If this pattern continues unabated, eventually the catering hall is out of business.
Now replace “catering hall” with “your body”. The building represents your bones, organs, and muscles. The personnel represent your metabolic self, your hormonal, neurological, and digestive systems. And of course, there’s Upper Management - your brain, your thoughts and emotions.
So let’s get back to basics. IF you’re serious about training for running, then you need to:
Train your muscles
Train you cardio-pulmonary system
Train your digestive system
Train your hormonal (endocrine) system
Train your nervous system
Collectively, these systems and components are all wired together in to a 37+ trillion cell electrochemical spacesuit known as “Your Body.” That’s what you’re training: your WHOLE body. Yes, some parts will be given greater emphasis than others at points, but when you’re running, every part of your body is involved. For beginners, I find it’s helpful to prioritize training by flipping that list upside down and viewing training through that lens:
Train your nervous system
Train your hormonal (endocrine) system
Train your digestive system
Train your cardio-pulmonary system
Train your muscles
We’ll get to each of these as we go along. But here’s the BIG take-away: If you don’t properly prepare your body for the abuse you’re about to subject it to, then chances are you’re going to end up sick, injured, frustrated and demoralized. In other words, if you’re new to endurance running (for the purposes of this writing, endurance running encompasses everything from a 5K run (five kilometers, or 3.1 miles) up to a marathon (42K, or 26.2 miles) and beyond), what you need to do first is begin ‘training in order to train’. You need to “wake up” ALL the systems in your body, allowing them a chance to begin adjusting to the new demands. Once you’ve built up a foundation of basic strength and endurance, then you can begin training to race.
It has been my experience that when people decide to get up off the proverbial couch and start training for their first race, the first thing they do is they go outside (or to the gym) and see how fast they can run. And on their next run, they try to run as fast or faster, and a little bit farther. And on the next, faster and farther still. Guess where this usually takes them? That’s right - back to the couch, R.I.C.E.ing (R.I.C.E. = Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation; a protocol for treating musculoskeletal injuries developed by Dr. Gabe Mirkin in his 1978 publication, “Sports Medicine Book”. Take note, however, that this is NO LONGER the preferred protocol. In the face of overwhelming evidence that rest and ice can actual inhibit or delay recovery, Dr. Mirkin publicly recanted his original position).
I am of the opinion that many, if not most, novice runners have HEARD that what they need to do is do a lot of slow(er) runs at the beginning of their training. But being new to running, they really don’t know what that entails, nor do they understand why it’s so important. Well, this is my goal - to explain how Breath Running can and does help them to train within the appropriate effort realms for the task at hand (i.e., follow the training plan).
I like to have runners start with a 9-Step breathing pattern. This can be either a 5-Step Inhale, 4-Step Exhale (5/4), or vice versa (4/5). I generally use the 5/4 pattern for Warm-Ups. Why?
It trains the nervous system. In order to inhale across five steps, and then exhale across four, it requires that I keep my stride length relatively short and quick. This does two things at once: One, it’s patterning my neurological system for a fast cadence. Later on in my training, when I really start to push the pace on intervals or hill repeats, my Central Nervous System/Peripheral Nervous System (CNS/PNS) will already be use to a high cadence pattern, so I’ll require less energy to be diverted away from my muscles and into my CNS/PNS than I would otherwise. Note: this is a working theory; to my knowledge, no research directly examining this exists. But there is research which shows that a higher cadence helps prevent injury!
It trains the hormonal (endocrine) system. Two, even though my feet are “speeding up”, my breathing is staying “low and slow.” This intentional slow breathing is signaling to my parasympathetic — my “Rest and Digest” — system. By breathing in a slow, methodical, intentional manner, I am helping my body to stay relatively relaxed, with a relatively low heart rate and low stress levels, even though I am exercising!
It trains the digestive system. When we run, we bounce. It’s a normal part of the run gait. It’s best if we can minimize the bouncing, of course, and this is yet another part of the reason to have a relatively short, relatively rapid cadence. But if we’re running, we’re going airborne with every step, so bouncing is part of the process. All that bouncing causes quite a workout for our internal organs, especially what is arguably the largest and heaviest organ, our digestive tract. Our digestive tract is held in place by a web of fibrous sinew appropriately called convective tissue. By keeping both the vertical aspect of the bouncing and its intensity low, our bodies can better adapt and strengthen these connective tissues, rather than just repair damage.
It trains the cardio-pulmonary system. The process by which endurance is achieved is a long and arduous one; it can’t be rushed. When exercising at a low effort level, our heart rate can still be 50% to 65% of our maximum sustainable heart rate (HRmax). Even at this modest level of exertion, our bodies are being flooded with signals asking for more resources. The increased heart rate is moving higher volumes of blood throughout the body; the left ventricle of the heart, the one which pushes the blood out to the body, needs to get bigger and stronger. The arteries also need to be able to be flexible enough to expand as this increased volume of blood pushes through. More Red Blood Cells (RBCs), which carry oxygen to the muscles and other body parts, are needed.
It trains the muscles. At the muscular level, the additional workload is signaling the need for more muscle fibers and more mitochondria, the organelles which power our muscles. To get the oxygen down to these tiny powerhouses, we need ever more capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in our bodies, throughout the muscle beds. This is a very simplistic overview of an incredibly complex process. But at the end of the training day, the majority of our effort in running is muscular.
To re-cap: when I start my runs, I usually begin by running for the first 5 minutes in a 5/4 breathing pattern. I’m able to gently ‘wake up’ and warm up my muscles, joints, and ligaments, while centering myself mentally by concentrating on full, expansive breaths. Then I’ll switch to a 4/5 pattern for the next 5 minutes, which I find brings my pace up approximately 10%. It’s still a 9-Step pattern, so I’m still running very easy and relaxed, but I find that on the flats, the shorter inhale, longer exhale, just allows me to run at a slightly quicker pace. Often my Long Slow Distance (LSD) training runs stay at 4/5 the rest of the time.
So how does this make me run faster? Because — and again, science backs this up — by staying a relatively low heart rate, low lactate production effort, breathing deeply while holding a relatively high cadence, my body builds strength and stamina. Over time, this allows me to move better with less effort. I can offer a Real World example: after I developed the Breath Runner concept, I began training for some late season half marathon races. When I started training in March, a 9-Step, 5/4 pattern equated to roughly an 11:30ish min/mile pace. When I ran the first Half Marathon race in late September (staying super conservative, as I had two more Halfs scheduled over the next 3 weeks), I ran the first two miles using a 5/4 pattern; I averaged 8:55min/mile.
Of course, this is a N-of-1 study. Yet I’m hearing from others who have adopted Breath Runner strategies and have seen impressive results. Aum Gandhi, Co-Owner of the digital magazine Run-Tri-Bike & professional ultra-runner, told me, “I’ve been applying your breathing techniques to my easy runs and see a drop off of 5 BPM during my Zone 2 efforts.” Again, the key: SLOW GROWTH to Fast Running. This does not happen overnight. It takes weeks and months of steady, consistent, progressive effort. There were plenty of speed-work, hill-work, and various other types of workouts scattered throughout that seven month training block that I did, with the vast majority done in the low to mid-aerobic effort level. So why do Breath Runner? I’m convinced that the action of deep, intentional, controlled breathing while running does more than just allow for a greater exchange of air through my lungs (although that too is part of it!). Stay tuned as I attempt to describe this complex but essential process of breathing while running, step by step (pun intended).
WHAT IS FIMCETS HAHA
WHAT IS FIMCETS HAHA
Prescriptive, not Directive, effort management
Let our bodies do the deciding. A radical idea, it would seem. Yet with a simple examination of the various internal and external stressors and influences with which our bodies have to contend with every hour of every day, it seems to us a rather logical way of approaching training. There is a caveat or two (dozen) which must be considered when basing one’s training strictly on numerical values (such as heart rate). These are easily remembered with the simple acronym:
“WHAT IS FIMCETS HAHA”.
- Weather - Illness - Fueling - Heat
- Humidity - Sleep - Injuries - Activity
- Altitude - Moon Phase - Hydration
- Time of Day - Cold - Allergies
- Terrain
- Stress
OK, so the acronym thing is a joke. But all the things listed are not; ALL of these things, individually and especially in combination, can markedly affect our heart rates (and consequentially, our lactate levels) throughout the zones, sometimes positively, most of the time negatively. When training is based exclusively on heart rate, these things need to be factored in. How exactly a runner is expected to do that, however, remains — for us, at least — mysterious. We have not been able to find the formula(s) which gives the appropriate correction factors for these variables.
What we at Breath Runner have discovered is that by syncing one’s breathing pattern to one’s cadence, the body will naturally and effectively apply its own “correction factor” and settle into an appropriate pace and heart rate for the given effort. The more time spent in these appropriate “zones”, the more efficient the body becomes at motoring along within those effort levels, meaning: less effort to do the same amount of work. Meaning: we get faster.
There’s been a lot of attention lately given to VO2max. What exactly is VO2max?
V = Volume (of)
O2 = Oxygen
max = maximal
VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen our bodies can utilize during exercise. What’s important to stress here is that VO2max is NOT how much air one can move in and out of their lungs. That’s Lung Tidal Volume. A normal uptake of air by a person at rest is usually around 6 liters per minute (6L/m). During exercise, pregnancy, illness, or other conditions with increased metabolic demand, the need for oxygen increases because the body’s cells need more oxygen to function under those conditions. At peak ventilation, healthy adult males can move well over 100 liters per minute (females over 90L/m) in and out through their lungs. VO2max is determined by how much oxygen muscle mitochondria can pull in and utilize for energy production at maximal exertion. As a general rule, the higher one’s VO2max, the better the performance of which they may be capable. Also, VO2max has been shown to be among the best predictors of longevity in humans. VO2max usually declines with age, approximately 10% every 10 years after the age of 30.
So what does all this have to do with our fictional acronym? It’s again to point out how nebulous some of these metrics which society latches on to can be. VO2max is important, no doubt about it, and we need to do our level best to keep it up as high as we can. But its upper limit is genetically determined. It can be influenced by exercise up to a point, but once it is at its genetic limit, it’s not going any higher. Is this a problem? Not necessarily. As the saying goes, Hard Work beats Talent when Talent doesn’t work hard. World class endurance athletes have been shown to “max out” their VO2max and yet continue to get faster year after year. How? Economy of movement. Their bodies just become evermore efficient in its uptake of oxygen and deployment of aerobic power.
And that’s the take-away message here. Avoid the Red Queen fallacy.
The Red Queen Fallacy is essentially a mistaken belief based on unsound argument. It suggests that unless the Latest Greatest Thing is employed, all gains will be lost. In the endurance world, it goes something like this: We want to develop our fitness quickly; there are companies selling computerized gadgets that promise to make us more fit, quickly; therefore, we need these gadgets in order to develop fitness quickly or we won’t succeed!
To be clear, Breath Runner neither favors nor opposes computerized gadgets. We have some of them, and we use the ones we have. For instance, we have a watch — very good quality, made by a well-known and reputable company — which tracks all kinds of metrics while we run. By and large, we find these metrics very helpful for post-run analysis. But our watch also likes to do things like try to tell us our VO2max numbers, based on parameters given and algorithmic modeling. We don’t pay attention to these kinds of numbers, because as good as this company is at what they do, we know that those numbers are more a product of the Marketing Department than derived from exercise science. Without a full metabolic assessment done by an actual exercise scientist (or at least a very conscientious coach trained by an exercise scientist), there is no possible way they nor we can know what our VO2max actually is. And unless we get tested regularly, it’s impossible to track if it’s improving or not.
And more to the point: our bodies don’t care what the algorithms say. Our bodies do not operate on Artificial Intelligence. Our bodies utilize Analogue Intelligence! We have a squishy grey supercomputer between our ears that has millions of years of product development behind it. It’s really good at fine-tuning data input to achieve remarkable things. As a species, we’ve figured out how to play with numbers, and so numbers have become our ‘thing’. Which is not a bad thing! But like most things in life, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
Every moment of every day, our bodies are in constant conversation with our brains, sending information on everything (EVERY single thing) that’s happening within and around our bodies, to the limits of our five senses, and our brain is compiling, processing, and analyzing all this data at light and chemical speed. Then it’s sending out instructions, corrections, and/or alerts throughout our system; instantly, relentlessly, and without regard to what imagined parameters the imaginative side of our brains have come up with as a way for us to understand what is happening. It has been said that Albert Einstein once said, “We only use 10% of our brains.” Well, not only didn’t he say that, it’s not even close to being the truth. Our brain accounts for only around 2% of our total body mass, but uses around 20% of our total metabolic energy. Research has shown that upwards of 90% of that energy usage is devoted to the operation of the sack of plasma we call our bodies, leaving the remaining 10ish% for “specific” activities, including exercise and thought.
As good as our computers are, they’re still no match for the processing power of our brains. And computers will always have one immutable flaw: they were designed by us, using that tiny, tiny fraction of our imaginative brains. We know that our imagination, the “thinking side” of our brain is flawed; we’ve identified over 140 logical fallacies to which we are prey. Which means, when it comes to computers: GIGO. Garbage In, Garbage Out. The slightest error of a percentage, the tiniest transposition of numbers, an insignificant detail left out, and that error will exponentially propagate throughout the computer, which by the time the information sought reaches us, it’s distorted in ways we will never know. Error corrections can account for basic numerical deviations in spreadsheets, but not fundamental flaws in the architecture of the computer’s design itself.
The 90% of our brains which seek systemic homeostasis, however, rarely experiences this kind of computational foible (disease or injury notwithstanding). Our bodies, brains and all, know what they need, and primary among those needs is the Need to Move. We instinctively know concepts like Easy, Medium, and Hard. What if we allowed our primary vital signs to regulate our exertion into the “bucket” which we know will allow us to best adapt and improve our performance?
Welcome to Breath Runner. We think we’ve figured out how to do exactly that.
Zone 2
What is “Zone 2”?
In 2012, exercise scientist Dr. Stephen Seiler coined the term “80/20 Training” and a few years later “introduced” the endurance world to Seiler’s Hierarchy of Endurance Training Needs, based on his extensive study of the training patterns of the world’s best athletes in endurance sports. His conclusion? The old saying, “No Pain, No Gain” was WRONG.
His ground-breaking research, since verified by many other researchers around the world, showed that the VAST majority of an athlete’s training should be done in “Zone 2”, according to the endurance sports media. Until others claimed that they shouldn’t. People chimed in on social media with tales of glory and tales of woe. Influencers influenced. And here we are today, with as many variations of “Zone 2 Training” as there are of opinions.
We at Breath Runner are big fans of Dr. Seiler and the other researchers who have done the hard work to help us understand the dynamics of a quality training program. Here’s a short - and woefully incomplete - explanation of what all these Zones are about, and what we at Breath Runner have settled on for a balanced training program.
Is It 3 Zones, 5 Zones, or 7 Zones?
The answer is: Yes. And there’s even more models out there. These are representative of the three most popular currently in use (in a very generic form; not for actual use).
These three models have two things in common: Heart Rate (as expressed as a percentage of Heart Rate Reserve, or the difference between one’s resting heart rate and their maximal sustainable heart rate), and Blood Lactate levels (as expressed as millimoles per liter per kilogram of body weight).
What’s important to understand is that what each of these is attempting to do is put a numerical value on an effort level, in order to help us better understand the intensity of our training and the effects of those efforts and intensities.
Things they all have in common
Something that all these models have in common is a point known as VT1 and VT2, or Ventilatory Threshold 1 and 2. Ventilatory Threshold is a key term in endurance sport. VT1 refers to the point at which the demands of exercise begins to cause a buildup of lactate in the bloodstream. Why is this important?
If we’re exercising below VT1 (sometimes referred to as LT1, or Lactate Threshold 1; they’re basically the same thing), then that means we’re operating using the aerobic glycolysis system (also known as Lipid Metabolism) as our primary energy system. The reason that is significant is that aerobic glycolysis is a ten-step process which utilizes stored fat deposits as its primary fuel source, and requires a high volume of oxygen in order to produce the nucleotide Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is what our mitochondria use to produce the energy required for muscle contraction. Aerobic glycolysis (also referred to as aerobic metabolism) is a very efficient way for our bodies to generate energy, as the primary waste products are carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and heat. We can exercise in this realm for literally hours.
Once we “breach” VT1, the glycolytic system (often referred to as simply glycolysis) comes into play in a more pronounced way. Sugar in the form of glucose (the most basic form of sugar) becomes the primary fuel, with fats reduced to a supporting role. At this effort level, one of the by-products of this energy production is a metabolite called lactate. When the demand for both oxygen and ATP exceeds supply, as occurs during intense exercise, lactate production increases. This can be measured in the bloodstream.
Lactate vs Lactic Acid
We have to take a moment to clear something up. Most of us have been taught in middle school science that ‘lactic acidosis’ (lactic acid) is what causes the burning sensation is our muscles when we work out really hard. This is NOT true! The fact of the matter is that it is impossible for a non-diseased living organism to produce lactic acid which exists in the body for more than a few milliseconds.
When energy is produced via glycolysis, an end product is the momentary appearance of the molecule Lactic Acid: C3H6O3 (three carbon atoms, six hydrogen atoms, and three oxygen atoms). But a split-second after it is produced, it sheds one ionized hydrogen atom (H+), becoming Lactate: C3H5O3- (three carbon atoms, FIVE hydrogen atoms, and three oxygen atoms).
It’s the accumulation of the ionized hydrogen ions in the bloodstream which causes the burning sensation in the muscles. Part of lactate’s job is as a buffer to minimize the hydrogen ion buildup by acting as a supplemental fuel source. When this buffering process can’t keep up, that’s when our muscles start to burn. If glycolysis did not produce lactate, muscle fatigue and blood acidosis would occur more quickly, and exercise performance would be even more severely impaired. It’s important to remember that the body's inability to clear excess blood lactate is caused by an inadequate supply of oxygen down to the mitochondria. Training helps “teach” the body how to lower the production of lactate for a given effort level, and thereby allows more work to be done at a lower metabolic cost.
Back to the Zones
The point of this entire discussion is this: Our bodies don’t care what model you choose to use. They only know Effort, Effect, and Time. Our bodies know what amount of effort is being asked for in the moment. Our bodies know the effect of the cumulative efforts, and the amount of time at various efforts - in the moment, in the day, over the course of the past several days, and over the course of the past several weeks. Our bodies strive for homeostasis, the state of equilibrium. They want everything to be on an even keel, so to speak. Our bodies are rapacious accountants; they keep a rolling inventory of every molecule of resources available, spent, and required. If denied the resources needed, our bodies will make do with what they have, in whatever way they need to do it. For example: Under-fueled? Our bodies will find the fuel, even if it means scavenging body parts. Work at too high of an effort for too long, and the body will start shutting down sectors in order to meet demand, until there is nothing left. Injury, illness, or worse are the result.
So HOW does one stay at an appropriate level of effort in a way that allows the body to do what it does best, which is simply keeping everything operating in a harmonious manner? We at Breath Runner believe it’s by using our breathing as a way to modulate effort. Our breath is a primary, direct indication of the level of strain our bodies are experiencing, in real time. If we “assign” our effort levels to be regulated by syncing our locomotive efforts to our respiratory abilities, we have given our bodies the ability to control the controllable. Over the weeks and months and miles of training, the balanced efforts of a LOT of low to moderate effort running with the occasional bouts of high intensity, our bodies acclimate and strengthen in response, and become ever more efficient at the movements.
And that’s the whole point of training, isn’t it?
Speaking of which, Breath Runner Training Plans are now available on TrainingPeaks! More to come! Stay tuned!
Success is Dependent on Effort
Success is Dependent on Effort
“Success is Dependent on Effort.” - Sophocles
A simple and easy to understand axiom, to be sure. But when it comes to running, or exercise in general, the question gets far more complex. What effort(s) will ensure success? This is the great mystery that athletes, coaches, and scientists would all like the answer to! At least an answer a little more tangible than what is currently the best answer available: “It Depends…”
What kind of race are you running? What is your definition of “success”? Winning, Placing, or Finishing? Are you competing for money, medals, or personal wellbeing? Against whom are you competing? Others professionals, others in your age group, or against yourself?
In the past few decades, scientists have broken through many of Mother Nature’s tightly held secrets, and have offered a path forward on how we can measure various parameters of performance in real time (i.e., modern heart rate monitors, power meters, etc.) as a way to better gauge effort during exercise. Advances in understanding of biological systems and their insanely complex interactions have led to breakthrough performances of record shattering times and/or scores for the world’s best athletes. Unfortunately, currently there has also been a commensurate increase in misunderstanding and misinformation about the various nuances of, well, everything. We at Breath Runner have been trying to do our level best to make some of the basic tenets of exercise science understandable and actionable for anybody interested in running, novice and experienced alike. So let’s dive in!
What is effort as it relates to running? For the purposes of simplicity, Breath Runner uses five “zones” of effort: Easy (Zone 1, or Z1 for short), Medium (Z2), Hard (Z3), Very Hard (Z4), and Maximal (Max)(Z5).
Why is it important to understand this? Because we create and use energy in different ways dependent on the effort level. There are three major ways our bodies create the energy used in exercise:
Phosphagen system (ATP-PC system)
Glycolytic system (anaerobic glycolysis)
Oxidative system (aerobic glycolysis)
Why should I care about this? Because: Time. Each energy system has an associated time frame.
Phosphagen system: seconds
Glycolytic system: minutes
Oxidative system: hours
No matter what, you will use all three. Depending on the length and difficulty of your goal race, the proportional allotment of each of these will vary.
What is my run/exercise experience level? At first this may seem like a strange question, but it goes to the heart of understanding the importance of knowing what an appropriate effort level is for a given effort, how efforts should be divided up across different phases of training, and most importantly, how you yourself know what is and what is not an appropriate and sustainable effort level for a successful outcome (however you may define that).
A depiction of the Stress Bellcurve.
Whether you’re a “newbie” to running, hoping to just make it around the block without stopping, or a world class athlete looking to bring home Olympic/Paralympic Gold, there is a time and a place to go “above and beyond” with effort, but the vast amount of training time should be in a relatively light to moderate effort. It’s the How & Why of that ratio that is the key to personal success.
A foundational concept of Breath Runner’s training program is that while all the electronic “toys” we use are great for data collection and analysis, we can only know what our bodies are telling us in the moment when running. Our personal sense of effort ultimately drives our abilities, and if we spend too much time at or over the proverbial Red Line, we risk injury and/or illness. Pretty much every exercise scientist and world class coach agree on one point: Consistency throughout the training cycle is the most important factor in Race Day success.
Follow along as we attempt to de-mystify the science and explain the logic behind the training! As we like to say, Harmony Through Balance.
Why the Odd Numbers?
Why the Odd/Even (or Even/Odd) Breathing Patterns?
This is a concept developed by Ian Jackson, in his seminal book The BreathPlay Approach to Whole Life Fitness (published in 1986). The basic concept centers around body balance. When Ian, a runner and amateur jazz ballet dancer, began to pay attention to his breathing patterns while running, he realized that his exhales were always on the same side. He felt “lopsided.” Coincidentally, he remembered that the string of running injuries he’d had were also all on that same side. So he started to breath in an odd-even pattern when running, and sure enough, he recounts in his book, “all those niggling injuries just went away.”
Scientists have found that focusing on one’s breathing while running can help to balance the autonomic nervous system and improve heart rate variability. But how do even/odd breathing patterns while running help prevent injuries?
When the exhale begins, it is because the diaphragm “releases”; it stops contracting and relaxes back to its neutral position. But herein is an important point: the diaphragm muscle has no directly opposing (reciprocal) muscle. Pretty much every other skeletal muscle in our body has an opposite. This is how we move our limbs. When one contracts, the opposing muscle relaxes, and vice versa. The diaphragm — an upside-down bowl shaped muscle that divides the thorax (upper body) from the abdomen (lower body) — when contracted, ONLY pulls downward. And it’s able to do this because it is anchored along the bottom of the ribcage and wrapped around the spinal column. When it pulls down, it creates a vacuum in the thorax. Since nature abhors a vacuum, air rushes in to fill the space, that space of course containing the lungs.
Illustration by Brian Fallon. Copyright © Breath Runner 2024
When the diaphragm relaxes, it rises back up to its “resting” position, and air gets pushed out. So here’s a key point: because of the way the diaphragm is linked to the ribcage and spine, when it relaxes, so do many other deep stabilizer muscles around the spine and pelvis. Not all, of course, but with enough of these deep stabilizer muscles relaxing all at the same time, as the foot is coming down, it puts stress on the skeletal system and many of the leg’s tendons and ligaments.
Consider: when we run, every time our foot lands, we land with two to three times the force of gravity , depending on how smooth versus bouncy the running style . So for example, if a person weighing 155 pounds (70 kilograms) has a running gait which puts them at the 3G (three times the force of gravity) level, then every time their foot lands, their foot, their ankle, their knee, and their hip all have to suddenly “single leg press” 465 pounds (210 kgs).
Now, think about where the leg bone (femur) joins into the hip: off-centered near the bottom of the pelvic bone. The other leg is airborne. So that 3Gs of force upon the upper body is traveling downward, with the fulcrum, or pivot point, off to one side!
Illustration by Brian Fallon. Copyright © Breath Runner 2024
Now consider what is happening at this very moment, when these tremendous forces are hitting, if we are beginning our exhalation, and our deep stabilizer muscles surrounding our spine and pelvis are simultaneously relaxing. What’s holding us up?
Granted, these things happen over the course of milliseconds. But let’s do the math: if on average, a runner’s foot spends 0.2 secs per step on the ground, for a cadence of 90 (counting one leg only), that’s 18 cumulative seconds of these forces reverberating through the body every minute. Run for an hour, and that’s 1,080 seconds, or approximately 3 minutes 20 seconds spent carrying those forces. If this fictional runner averages a weekly load of 12 hours of running, then that’s 40 minutes.
Across a 24 week training cycle, that’s 16 HOURS spent carrying three times the force of gravity off-centered on one leg. If this runner uses an “even/even” step pattern , then that equates to some 2 hours of not just carrying these lopsided forces, but carrying them when the deep, core stabilizer muscles are taking a break, leaving the skeletal system, tendons and ligaments to handle the load, all on one side of the body.
THAT, in large part, is the reason the Breath Runner program uses an odd-even (or even-odd) breathing pattern. It distributes these forces more evenly across the body.
More About Zones
An illustrative comparison of Breath Runner Step Patterns, Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Training Zones. Note that as fitness improves, Training Zones shift, allowing for much greater aerobic training.
In this digital age we live in, it is important to remember that we are in fact analog beings. We use numbers to comprehend data and compartmentalize concepts, but the cells in our bodies don’t care what those numbers or concepts are. Most training plans use a traditional 5 Zone model for expressing physiologic effort levels, and these zones are usually defined by either running pace or a percentage of maximal sustainable heart rate. While these are perfectly valid metrics which have been used successfully for decades, they are also misunderstood and therefore misused by many. We have a different approach
A foundational concept of Breath Running is that by conducting training using specific breathing patterns, the body will seek out the appropriate pace and heart rate for the intended effort level on the day. Breath running acknowledges that no two days are exactly alike, and therefore, no two runs will ever have the exact same set of numbers. Instead of relying on such ever-changing variables, we allow the body to adapt to the demands of the run as it needs.
This graph is VERY generic, meant just to give a general idea of things.
A review of the different aspects of the Zones:
% of Max HR (Percentage of Maximum Heart Rate): This is probably the most commonly used metric upon which training is based. It’s probably also — in our opinion — the most misunderstood by those who do not possess specific training in establishing this protocol. There are many different ways to calculate “maximum” heart rate; almost all of them are inaccurate. The only way to truly know one’s actual maximally sustainable heart rate is to go to a lab where the runner can get fully wired up with EKG monitors, computerized Spirometry units capable of tracking both oxygen inhaled and carbon dioxide exhaled, and have continuous blood lactate monitoring done while going through a series of specific interval efforts. And they’ll need to constantly re-test in the lab as training progresses, because as fitness levels change, all the corresponding physiologic numbers change.
Note: “Max Heart Rate” is NOT the highest number at which the heart can beat. Trying to go there can literally be life-threatening. Do not attempt!
Rating of Perceived Effort or RPE: This is one of the easier ways of tracking effort, but it obviously comes with some huge drawbacks. Namely, what one person perceives as a “Hard” effort, another person may perceive as merely “Moderately Hard”. And what does “Easy” feel like when one is new to running? Almost nothing about running is easy when first starting out! Some like to use the concept of going at a pace at which they can hold a conversation. That’s generally a good — yet nebulous — metric; one person’s conversational pace may be their walking pace, while someone else may be able to happily chat away across an entire marathon. And what’s a “conversational pace” if you’re running by yourself?
Rate of Lactate production based on Molar concentration (millimole per liter — Mmol/L): This is a VERY accurate way of determining effort, because — obviously — it is very scientific. Lactate is a fuel which our body uses to create energy in the cells. As we undergo ever more strenuous effort, the amount of lactate circulating in the bloodstream can be detected. The point at which the amount of lactate being produced exceeds the capacity of the body to clear it from the cells is known as the Lactate Threshold (LT). The challenge is, of course, that constant blood sampling while exercising is required to determine this. If the runner is not on a treadmill in an exercise performance laboratory, that’s unlikely to happen. Lactate threshold can be inferred by things like pace or heart rate, but caveats apply here as well (inaccuracies in determining heart rates, the need for constant re-testing, etc.).
% of Goal Race Pace: This is similar to percentage of Max Heart Rate, but the main drawback is also glaringly obvious: How does one determine “Goal Race Pace” in the first place? There is a big difference between “I want to go [this] fast!” and “This is the pace at which my body can actually maintain (assuming proper fueling throughout).” If a runner is experienced, they will have a pretty good sense of what a realistic goal pace is for them, and can set their training accordingly. But for the novice runner, trying to base training on this metric is pretty close to just wishful thinking, and most likely will lead to injury if the goal pace was set too high.
Respiration Rate or Breaths per Minute (BPM): This is a very accurate metric which correlates closely with Lactate Threshold. But unless one is able to count their breaths while keeping track of time, it’s not very practical. Or is it?
Note the “J Curve” pattern; there is an exponential increase in respiratory rate as effort increases. This is roughly the same trajectory found by scientists when they are taking continuous blood samples during ramp testing, tracking lactate levels in the bloodstream.
Out of the five methods for determining Zone Intensity, it appears that A) drawing blood to scientifically determine lactate levels, or B) syncing respiration rate to step count, are the only truly accurate methods available.
An illustrative comparison of Breath Runner Step Patterns, Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Training Zones. Note that as fitness improves, Training Zones shift, allowing for much greater aerobic training.
Breath Runner is not trying to diminish the role or importance of knowing one’s heart rate zones or paces; far from it! We are simply offering a different TRAINING modality, in which the preoccupation with numbers - especially during early season base work or for the novice runner - can be “moved” to where they are most useful: trend analysis. When actually running, we find by just focusing on our breathing, using the various step patterns as a metric to gauge effort, our bodies naturally select the optimal “zone”, and our performance over the ensuing weeks and months reflects this optimization of effort.
Give Breath Runner a try! We think it’ll work for you, too! Need to get started? Training plans are now available via TrainingPeaks!
About Zones
Endurance events like running are all about moving for a substantial amount of time at a physically sustainable rate. In races, it’s preferable if that rate that is slightly more sustainable for you than the other people in your Age Group. The way one becomes able to motor along at these elevated effort levels for such extended lengths of time is by training one’s body to become acclimated to, and strong enough for, such feats.
While getting stronger is an obvious goal of any exercise, when it comes to endurance sports like running, it’s important to remember that you’re not just training your muscle fibers. You’re training your cardio-vascular system (not just your heart and lungs, but your ability to absorb oxygen efficiently at a cellular level while simultaneously clearing waste products caused by the increased efforts from the muscle cells). You’re training your digestive system, because for runs/races lasting an hour or more, you need to be able to take in nutrition AND effectively absorb it in order to continue to move at a rapid pace for such long periods of time. You’re training your endocrine system, your body’s system of hormones and other chemical messengers, that during prolonged exercise are furiously racing around your body trying to patch things up like a frazzled event planner trying to orchestrate a high society wedding in a demolition zone. And most importantly, you’re training your brain, both physically and mentally. The very thought of running for a duration of anywhere from 30 minutes to several consecutive hours is dismissed out of hand by most people as impossible, or at least as only possible if one is possessed by demonic forces or severe psychiatric disorders (all of which may be true, but that’s a different discussion for another day).
Self-propelling one’s body across vast distances and over prolonged periods of time requires a certain degree of suffering. Such suffering is not for the faint of heart (literally, as well as figuratively. Please check with your doctor and/or cardiologist before starting a new exercise regime). Learning to push yourself through challenging workouts, day in and day out, week after week, is how both your body and your mind becomes accustomed to this unique and decidedly masochistic behavior. As two-time Ironman™ World Champion Chris “Macca” McCormack says, you learn how to “embrace the suck.”
The good news is that coaches have found, and science has confirmed, that there are specific effort levels which will help enable specific adaptations. These levels have been quantified into “zones”, usually defined by a percentage of one’s maximum sustainable heart rate (but they are other ways as well). While there are many variations of zones (the number of zones, the range within zones, etc.), a commonly used matrix looks like this:
Example of generic training zones - not intended for actual use.
It should also be noted that there is a range of effort within any given zone, and there is usually some degree of overlap between any two adjacent zones. In other words, there’s usually variability intentionally built in.
The bad news is, many people (especially those who are not working with a coach) do the vast majority of their workouts in inappropriate zones, and therefore are not able to reap the rewards for their efforts come race day. Most commonly, they unwittingly end up training at too high of an effort too much of the time, and never reap the benefits of deep aerobic training. This is often referred to as “Grey Zone” training.
Grey Zone* training is basically training either too hard when the training plan says to take it easy, or not going hard enough when the plan says it’s time to do so. Usually, it’s the former (going too hard on easy days), which results in the latter (not having the energy available to go really hard when needed). A very simplistic summary of this would be to say these athletes unwittingly operate at too hard of an effort to allow one’s body to make the necessary adaptations to gain efficiencies at the cellular level. Many then find themselves unable to sustain the more intense efforts, which means that they’re not getting the neuromuscular adaptations that they’ll need for real performance improvements.
*While “Grey Zone” is a commonly used term, in reality, there’s no such thing. There’s easy, medium, and hard efforts, and the boundaries are defined by the ability (and inability) of the body to clear excess amounts of lactate.
There are a number of different training methods out there which specify a given heart rate or running pace in order to attempt to keep athletes within the “appropriate” training zone. Many of these are scientifically validated and most are used extensively throughout the running community. But I have not found very many which incorporate structured breathing into the run training. I find this odd, since utilizing oxygen effectively is one of the most important aspects of improving one’s running performance! As internationally-recognized exercise physiologist and former cycling Time Trial (TT) record holder Dr. Andrew Coggan, Ph.D. says, “It’s an aerobic sport, dammit!” And as far as I am aware, there are almost no running plans which base an entire training regime upon breathing, especially for beginners. Until now, that is!
There’s more to breathing than just taking breaths, just like there’s more to life than just being alive. If you search the Internet for breathing techniques, you’ll be flooded with a mind-numbing number of suggestions, many proclaiming desirable health results like weight loss, improved mental clarity and better blood pressure, to fantastical claims that border on the occult. We at Breath Runner are not going to engage in arguing about or fact-checking any of these. We’re just going to present what we’ve found as it relates to running and other endurance sports, and how we’ve discovered ways to incorporate these findings into Best Practices, always with the option for you to do whatever works best for you.
What’s the big deal about breathing, anyway?
To begin to understand why Breath Runner taken this unique approach towards run training, a bit of a fundamental refresher course is in order.
If you’re serious about training for running, then it’s necessary to:
Train your muscles
Train you cardio-pulmonary system
Train your digestive system
Train your hormonal (Endocrine) system
Train your nervous system
Collectively, these are known as “Your Body”. That’s what you’re training - your WHOLE body. Yes, some parts will be given greater emphasis than others at points, but when you’re running, every part of your body is involved. For beginners, we find it’s helpful to flip that list upside down and prioritize training through that lens:
Train your nervous system
Train your hormonal (Endocrine) system
Train your digestive system
Train you cardio-pulmonary system
Train your muscles
We’ll get to each of these as we go along. First, Number One: the nervous system. This includes that grey, squishy supercomputer between your ears. When we speak about training for running, most automatically think about the legs. But the reality is that when we begin training, the thing that we’re REALLY training is our brain. Everything else follows.
So, what’s that got to do with breathing? Think about that old adage on how long you can survive without various necessities. Without food, you would perish after a few weeks. Without water, you would perish after a few days. Without oxygen, you will perish within minutes. On average, ten minutes without oxygen will result in severe, irreparable brain damage. Now compare that to the industry advertiser’s and social media influencer’s “priority” list for training. It is our opinion that no amount of things you wear or consume while running will ever do more for you than simply breathing as fully and powerfully as possible.
Breathing is a decidedly unique feature in our physiology, being that it is both autonomous — it requires no thought to operate — and yet it can be completely controlled by our thoughts. Have you ever been threatened by a toddler who told you that if you don’t acquiesce to their demands, they’ll hold their breath until they turn blue and pass out? This illustrates the power of the Brain-Breath connection. Our mind is so powerful that even as a child, we can consciously override our basic physiological need for oxygen! But our brains are clever enough that they are hard-wired to self-protect and will render our puerile selves unconscious so that our autonomous system can restore the life-sustaining flow of air before any serious damage can occur.
It has been known for years - Millenia, actually - that by focusing on the pace and depth of our breathing, it can have significant positive effects on our mind and body. More recently, scientific studies have revealed several regions of our brain linked to body awareness, attention, and emotion become innervated when we pay attention to our breath. In the past few decades, the importance of linking breathing to running in a focused manner has attracted the attention of some of the sport’s top coaches and athletes. To date, it seems to have been reserved for the elites, a way for them to gain that extra edge needed to conquer other elites in races. But what if focused breathing techniques could be brought down to a level where these incredible benefits would be something available to mere mortals?
Welcome to Breath Runner! We think we’ve found a way!
Sprinting
Sprinting is very short duration, VERY high effort running. Because of it’s nature, sprints are mostly — if not entirely — anaerobic efforts, and therefore are beyond the level where a breathing pattern is meaningful. Just RUN!!
After a sprint effort, it is possible to use breathing patterns to gauge recovery. The amount of time it takes to go from just gasping for air, to a 3-Step Breath pattern, then to a 5-Step, and so on, can signal how soon one can be ready for repeat sprint efforts (i.e., HIIT — High Intensity Interval Training). Tracked over time, the time it takes to recover from maximal effort sprints can be an indicator of increased metabolic efficiency and improved aerobic conditioning. Likewise, an increase in recovery times after maximal effort sprints might indicate over-training, illness, or other issues which may require deeper investigation or medical intervention.
Breath Runner rarely uses any maximal effort sprints in our training plans, and if and when it is called for, we always urge extreme caution.
It should be noted that with the extreme level of exertion required for maximal effort sprinting, the risk of injury becomes exponentially greater. Lack of appropriate warmup and/or strength conditioning prior to sprinting can result in muscle and/or ligament strains, sometimes even tears or ruptures. Also, due to the nature of sprint efforts, one approaches their maximal heart rate. This level of exertion can trigger unknown or undiagnosed cardiac issues, leading to severe health consequences, strokes, and possibly death. Extreme caution is advised, and at the first sign of ANY non-normal or unusual feelings, sensations, dizziness, disorientation, or vision issues, one should STOP EXERCISING immediately and seek appropriate medical assistance.
As always, it must be noted that one should always seek qualified medical advice as well as obtain medical clearance from one’s doctor or appropriate healthcare provider before starting any kind of nutrition, weight loss, and/or fitness program. The materials and content contained within the Breath Runner training programs, as well as our emails, newsletter, journal entries, and/or the Breath Runner website as a whole are for general health information only and are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any and all specific medical questions should be presented to one’s own physician and/or healthcare provider.
Three Step Breathing Patterns
The Three Step breathing patterns used in Breath Runner training programs roughly equate to “Zone 4” or higher (Zones will be discussed in a subsequent journal post), or 5K (if known) or faster pace for training runs. A few notes about Three Step patterns:
• Feet WILL be fast! This is the pattern which should be used when approaching one’s maximum sustainable effort.
• VERY useful for Hill Running. REALLY work the exhale!
• Inhales need to pull DEEP into the lungs. However, because of the effort level, “belly breathing” (as it is commonly known) becomes difficult and impracticable. Think “expand the base of the ribcage,” or “fill the breath sideways” as ways to focus on deep, expansive breaths at high effort.
• Exhales should be STRONG but controlled. Fully engage the Transverse Abdominus, the girdle-like muscles which wrap 360 degrees around the abdomen, in order to push the air upward and out in one controlled but emphasized effort.
• Control the arms! There is a need to “pump” the arms at higher running speeds, but don’t let them flail*. Keep the shoulders down and elbows back, trying to minimize cross-body action.
*The exception to this is downhill trail running, or running down very steep gradients. It has been shown that due to the technical nature of following steep and-or uneven terrain at high speed, keeping the arms wide and allowing them to move “inelegantly” can provide for better balance control, and thereby allow for faster and safer downhill running.
• This pace SHOULD begin to hurt after a few minutes! Embrace the suck! Remember, the faster you run, the sooner you’re done!
It also must be stressed once again to NEVER artificially restrict your breathing when stressed. As your approach your maximal limits, you need to do what you need to do in order to sustain that effort. These suggested breathing patterns are meant as GUIDELINES, not rules. The concept is simply that a 3-Step pattern is metric to be used to help gauge high-intensity efforts IN TRAINING, such as during short, fast interval efforts. Any and all breathing patterns can certainly be utilized on race day, but the point of a race is to go as fast as possible from Point A (the Start line) to Point B (the Finish line). Your training is meant to help you build your strength and stamina to allow your “fast” to be as fast as it can be for you. Throughout the course of your training, you should have developed a sense of what is an appropriate, sustainable effort for you personally for the distance of the race being run.
Five Step Breathing Patterns
The Five Step Breathing Patterns used in Breath Runner training programs roughly equate to a “Zone 3” (Zones to be discuss in subsequent journal posts) or 10K pace (if known) for training runs. A few notes about Five Step patterns:
• Effort is significantly higher than Seven Step. Focus on “getting comfortable being uncomfortable.” The good form honed during the Nine and Seven Step patterns are coming into focus at this effort level. Hold that form while working to hold pace.
• Five Step patterns can still be a “governor” on effort (keeping effort level under control), but the longer the time spent in this pattern, the more the pattern will morph into being a source of support for sustaining the effort.
• Just breathe! The demand for oxygen (or, more accurately, for removing carbon dioxide) is such that nasal breathing is becoming impractical for most. Never artificially restrict breathing when under stress!
• Pay attention to arm carriage. At these elevated effort levels, the upper body becomes an important part of run form. Try to keep elbows behind the armpits, and don’t cross hands over the midline (sternum). Keep arms bent 90 degrees or less at the elbow (hands should be relatively close to the armpits).
Again, a key concept of the Breath Runner training program is to use breathing patterns to control efforts, which allows the body to habituate to the demands of running. Rather than trying to impose an arbitrary “hard” value (be it pace, heart rate, etc.) and expecting the body to respond to that — no matter what — we have found that by using a breathing pattern appropriate to the intended training effect, it will give the body the opportunity to better adapt to ever increasing volumes and/or intensities needed for goal races. Herein is a core concept that we can’t stress enough: Breath Runner is NOT about improving your breathing (although that may well be a beneficial side-effect). It is about targeting the efforts of your training, using the most instantly available and objective metric — your breathing — as a guide, instead of focusing on things like numerical metrics, vaguely defined goals or other such things which can lead to unproductive efforts. The Breath Runner training program is designs as to provide a template to build health and stamina in a way that puts the body’s needs first, and allows performance to develop in an organic and sustainable manner.
Next up: Three-Step Breathing Patterns
Seven Step Breathing Patterns
The Seven Step Breathing Patterns used in the Breath Runner training programs roughly equates to “Zone 2+” efforts (“Zones” to be discussed in subsequent posts) or approximately Half Marathon pace (if known) for training runs. A few notes about Seven Step patterns:
• For the 4 In/3 Ex pattern, it’s one smooth, continuous inhale for four steps, then one smooth exhale for three steps. For the 3 In/4 Ex pattern, it’s one smooth inhale for three steps, and one smooth exhale for four steps.
• Still need Fast feet! The relatively long inhales and exhales of the 7-Step patterns still require cadence to stay reasonably rapid. Keep stride distance (the distance between steps) sensibly short to accommodate the higher cadence.
• Keep Running Tall! While the effort level has increased slightly over the Nine Step patterns, effort levels should still be deep in the aerobic zones. Stride should feel natural and relaxed. Minimize unnecessary upper body movement.
• Should still be able to nose breath for the most part, at least during the inhale. Don’t attempt to suck air in; rather, allow the lungs to fill from the bottom up. Put the emphasis on the exhale, as this may help strengthen core muscles.
There is an additional 7-Step breathing pattern that may appear in Breath Runner training plans: the Five-Step inhale, Two-Step exhale. This is usually reserved for specific applications, such a relatively long, not terribly steep hill intervals (an example: a four minute uphill run on a 4% grade). The long inhale requires the overall effort to stay low, but the short exhale pattern requires a STRONG, forceful exhale. We have found that this forceful exhale helps generate an extra “boost” to the step, which helps build leg muscle strength. There is also an “enhanced squeeze” of the core in order to expel the air on exhale. We have found that this is akin to doing several dozen (possibly several hundred, depending on the exact length of time) mini-crunches. It’s like there’s strength training “hidden” within run training!
Again, it must be emphasized — these breathing patterns are GUIDELINES, to be used as a way to gauge and control effort. Never artificially restrict your breathing for any reason. If you feel the effort becoming unsustainable, that is your body’s signal that you’re going too hard! Back off the effort; walk if necessary. You always want the breathing pattern to feel like it’s a natural extension to the effort required.
Next up: Five-Step Breathing Patterns
Nine Step Breathing Patterns
Here’s a quick review of the various breathing patterns used in the Breath Runner training programs. It’s important to remember that these are meant as GUIDELINES, not requirements for running. They’re a metric; a tool available for use by one and all.
The Nine Step Breathing Patterns are primarily used for Warm Up, Cool Down, and roughly equate to “Zone 2” (to be discussed later) or approximately Marathon pace (if known) for training runs. A few notes about Nine Step patterns:
• For the 5 In/4 Ex pattern, it’s ONE smooth, continuous inhale for five steps, then ONE smooth exhale for four steps. For the 4 In/5 Ex pattern, it’s one smooth inhale for four steps, and one smooth exhale for 5 steps.
• Fast feet! In order to be able to inhale for five steps and exhale for four steps, or vice versa, cadence must stay reasonably rapid.
• Run Tall! Good running form is essential. Keep ribcage centered evenly above hips, creating a strong “body canister” which allows for maximum diaphragm deflection. “Lead from the sternum” or “ears over ankles” are helpful cues to remember to lean slightly forward (without bending at the waist!) while running. Keep eyes forward and jawline parallel with the ground.
• Nose breath if able! Nasal breathing helps reinforce the importance of running at a relaxed pace suitable for the effort level. It can also help strengthen respiratory muscles.
• Focus on the exhale — strong yet smooth and controlled throughout. Allow the air to naturally flow back in on the inhale, filling up “from the belly”* first. This deep, rhythmical breathing will pay HUGE dividends over time!
*Important caveat: When we talk of “belly breathing” in running, what we’re suggesting is to ensure that deep breaths are taken, as opposed to shallow, “upper-chest” breathing that often happens with inexperienced runners. Because of the dynamics of running (the way the muscles surrounding the hips and abdomen are engaged), traditional “belly breathing” — intentionally attempting to allow the belly to distend — is impractical. Instead, focus on expanding the bottom of the ribcage with each inhale (some call it “breathing sideways”). However you want to imagine it, as long as you’re filling your lungs as completely — but without stress or strain! — as possible, is up to you. Again, these are guidelines, not rules.
Next: Seven Step Breathing Patterns
What’s breath running all about?
There’s multiple reasons why we think the Breath Runner program is a great idea for most runners, not the least of which are: balancing stress across the body, increased overall body control which may make the run smoother, and improved breath efficiency. But the key feature that sets the Breath Runner program apart is simply by syncing breathing pattern to run cadence, it can control effort in real time. If one links their breath pattern to their cadence, it becomes a simple, direct metric which serves as the basis for controlling effort.
Most runners understand there is a need for short, high effort runs in training. There is also a need for long, low effort runs and some middle-effort, middle distance runs throughout a training program as well. Balancing these efforts and the time and/or distance needed to achieve the desired outcome on race day is considered by many the ‘Holy Grail’ of run training. As with most things in life, exactly what is needed, in what particular dosage, by each individual runner, carries the caveat, “It Depends.” No two runners are exactly alike, and therefore no training program, no matter how well constructed, will be executed to the same level of effectiveness. Run too hard, too much, and burnout and/or injury awaits. Running slow all the time teaches your body how to run slow, not fast. There needs to be a balance.
How best to “equalize” individual differences, and both simplify and maximize training effectiveness, is the goal of Breath Runner. Using “Step Patterns” allows the runner to dispense with concerns over other metrics which many runners find difficult to follow (because it requires constantly looking at a watch, smartphone, or other device) or is just annoying (for the same reasons). What’s an easy run if you’re new to running, and every run feels hard? What’s a “conversational pace” if you’re running alone? What’s the best pace for “race pace” for a distance you’ve never run before?
Welcome to Breath Runner! I think we’ve found an answer!
A.I. or A.I. for training?
In this day and age of digital wizardry, the question we’ve been asking is: Which is the better way to train? Using Artificial Intelligence, or “Analogue” Intelligence?
Most know that Artificial Intelligence for run training is the latest, greatest iteration of computing power, promising to gobble up incomprehensible amounts of disparate data from multiple sources, analyze it all lightning fast, then deliver personalized results and prognosis for continued progress.
“Analogue Intelligence” is our term for “listening to our bodies”.
As we note in the Breath Runner Handbook, complex things happening under constrained timelines seem more “advanced”, so we tend to gravitate to those things and the people who appear to have “mastered” them. But so often it’s illusory; little more than a sleight of hand trick. Or, more accurately, computerized chicanery, thanks to the micro-computer strapped on our wrist. These modern marvels of miniaturization spew forth numbers and algorithmically produced conclusions about performance that do not necessarily reflect one’s personal and physical reality.
So which is better? Why not a bit of both!? There’s a lot of promise in the future of digital A.I. training. However, there is the need for some common sense to be applied as well. Allowing the body to help dictate the parameters of effort while training seems like a sensible approach to us. Breath Runner neither opposes nor wishes to over-ride any well designed training plan, whether it be a “Golden Oldie” or the latest greatest thing.
Learning to use one’s breath as a way to help gauge and/or support effort and heighten cognizance of one’s internal demeanor is important no matter what training format is used. Body awareness is a skill. We can help you learn it!
Discover the art of Breath Running and redefine your relationship with the sport. Visit BreathRunner.com to revolutionize your experience, and embrace the hidden potential of your breathing for improved performance and overall health!
Training to race?
I just asked a question on social media: Are you training to race, or do you find you’re racing your training? How do you keep yourself in check on what are supposed to be those long, slow runs? How do you ensure that you’re training in a way that benefits race day goals instead of running like you’re racing every time you strap on your shoes, and leave yourself flat on race day?
These are points which I hope to delve into over the coming months to help make clear my vision for an effective, sustainable training program using breath running techniques. I’ve been using these techniques with my athletes for over two years now, and have found them to be very effective. I look forward to sharing these insights! If you’re interested in learning more about Breath Running, you can read the Breath Runner Handbook now at http://www.breathrunner.com/handbook
Training plans are now available via TrainingPeaks! And check out our Breath Runner apparel also available on the website!
Running is simple. So why is it so hard?
Most everyone knows that running is a fantastic exercise that offers numerous health and fitness benefits. At its most basic level, running simply involves propelling your body forward quickly by alternating your legs in a rhythmic motion. We’ve been doing it since we were little kids! So why does it seem so daunting to the “newbies” — those who didn’t grow up doing Track & Field all through their school years — who have decided to start using running as a way to get back into shape?
While running is simple, there are some proper techniques, training principles, other considerations which can help you get started and progress as a runner. There are countless books and magazine articles detailing each and every little thing that can possibly be discussed. And yet, it is difficult at best to find anything which relates to one of the primary drivers of running performance — our ability to breathe effectively while running.
Most information offers breathing techniques to do while at rest, or while doing relatively static exercise positions. Some will discuss linking breathing patterns to cadence, but usually only at very high effort levels. But using breathing patterns as a primary source of governing effort? That is almost unheard of. Until now.
Welcome to Breath Runner! We think we’ve found a way for those just starting out to find the right mix of effort to make their journey more effective and enjoyable, as well as those with experience to unlock untapped potential!
Have a look at the Breath Runner Handbook and follow along here in our journal as we unpack the methodology and logic behind this exciting process! Want even more exclusive content? Join the Breath Runner Club today!
BREATH RUNNER BASICS
The primary purposes of syncing inhales and exhales to step count is to control pace, balance muscular recruitment patterns and to maximize aerobic effectiveness. It’s important to remember the breathing patterns outlined here are meant as both a tool and a metric. The various breathing patterns are tools used to maximize aerobic potential, stabilize perceived effort and to encourage efficient cadence. They are metrics in that they are used to regulate pace and thereby maintain the appropriate effort for the intended effort.
In our handbook, we will provide a basic overview of these breathing patterns, the logic behind them and their intended application. It must be stressed that breath running neither replaces nor competes with other time-proven training techniques for running. If anything, breath running is meant to be additive; a compliment to other concepts.
What we at Breath Runner have found is that by adopting a specific breathing pattern that matches the cadence while running, it can be effective in creating efficient “full” respiration and improving running economy for several reasons:
- Rhythm and coordination: Matching the breathing pattern to the cadence establishes a rhythm that helps coordinate the movements of the respiratory and locomotor systems. This synchronization can reduce the energy cost of breathing and make the overall movement feel more fluid and effortless.
- Diaphragmatic control: A specific breathing pattern encourages runners to engage their diaphragm, the primary muscle responsible for efficient breathing. When runners focus on their breathing, they are more likely to use their diaphragm effectively, which can result in deeper, more controlled breaths that enhance oxygen uptake and utilization.
- Reduced oxygen cost of breathing: When the breathing pattern is matched to the cadence, the respiratory muscles work more efficiently, reducing the oxygen cost of breathing. This allows more oxygen to be available for the working muscles, potentially improving running economy.
- Stress reduction and relaxation: A consistent breathing pattern can help runners maintain a relaxed state during their run. When the body is relaxed, it uses energy more efficiently, which can contribute to improved running economy. Additionally, focusing on breathing can help runners manage stress and anxiety, which can further enhance their overall performance.
- Prevention of side stitches: Adopting a specific breathing pattern can help prevent side stitches, which are sharp, localized pains in the abdominal muscles, often caused by shallow, rapid breathing or diaphragm spasms. By focusing on a specific breathing pattern, runners can reduce the likelihood of side stitches, allowing them to maintain a more consistent pace and improve running economy.
When's the last time you thought about your breathing while running?
We at Breath Runner don't mean when you’re running hard, giving it a lot of effort; we mean from the beginning of the run, throughout the entire run, all the way to the end.
When's the last time your breathing dictated the pace of your run?
This is what Breath Running is all about. Taking the single most important variable involved in running — the ability to consume and utilize oxygen — and actually making it the priority. Not “a” priority — THE priority.
Breath Running is a concept whereby runners pace themselves by coordinating inhales and exhales with cadence (a.k.a., Steps Per Minute, or SPM). Nobody knows exactly when the idea to use breathing patterns to help with pacing began, but military armies have marched soldiers while having them chant songs since at least Alexander the Great marched on the Balkans more than 2,000 years ago. More recently (“recent” being at least the last 50+ years, maybe more), top level coaches have used breathing patterns to help their elite runners and other endurance athletes to be able to maximize their aerobic function.
The more oxygen a runner can take in and process, the greater their capacity to run longer and/or faster, generally speaking.
We at Breath Runner have taken this basic concept and organized it into a program that we believe can help the novice and the elite alike.
Are you ready to start your adventure? Join our team!