Gimmicks, Devices, & Pseudoscience, Oh My!
Don’t get caught in the Monkey Trap
One of the things that Breath Runner has tried very hard to do is to ensure that we can back up everything we’re saying with reliable sources. It’s a challenge, as the Breath Runner Method has no “direct” peer-reviewed research. It’s a new concept, even if it’s based on an old — VERY old! — idea. People have been syncing cadence to breathing patterns ever since Armies learned how to march in formation. For runners, this entrained method of cardiorespiratory locomotion (as the scientists like to call it) is a fundamental, evolutionary aspect of running. Researchers at the Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, state, “Humans naturally select several parameters within a gait that correspond with minimizing metabolic cost.” However, in that very report, the study participants were pretty much evenly divided between how they chose between minimizing metabolic energy, minimizing movement time, or none of the above (could not be explained by minimizing a single metabolic cost). So what does this mean for us? It means, essentially, that running is a complex activity, and there is not a single, ultimate “right way” to run that works for everyone.
Equally confounding is the fact that there is so much scientific, peer-reviewed research out there that it’s extremely easy to cherry-pick through papers which adhere to one’s pre-conceived notions; also known as Confirmation Bias. One area which is rife with such abuse is in the diet and nutrition realm. To help address this, the International Food Information Council published a paper called, “10 Red Flags Of Junk Science”. They created this list to help “anyone determine the credibility of scientific findings.”
Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
Dire warnings of danger from a single product or regimen.
Claims that sound too good to be true.
Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study.
Recommendations based on a single study.
Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
Lists of “good” and “bad” foods.
Recommendations made to help sell a product.
Recommendations based on studies published without peer review.
Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups.
We welcome anyone to go through our website and find were we may have strayed from these ten points. If we have, we will correct it and publicize that correction. We have reached out to researchers and medical professionals asking for their thoughts and corrections; to date, no one has taken issue with anything we have said or how we have said it. In fact, one doctor not only reviewed the website, they became a Breath Runner! Here is an actual text message we received from them:
* “How do people run long…” is what they meant to say.
It’s not just us that’s concerned with the ‘infotainment influencers’ who boast the greatest training methodology, or nutritional supplement, or other wellness ‘hacks’. Rick Prince, founder of United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA), a science-based endurance sports education company, just published an article entitled, “Beware of Shiny Objects.” The same day that hit my inbox, I got another email from Dr. Peter Attia, promoting a video on his YouTube channel entitled, “Why rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is the best metric for identifying Zone 2 training”. We really enjoyed both of these, not only because they are full of excellent information from highly regarded experts, but also because they basically were echoing things we had already written! We talked about the “Shiny Object Syndrome” (not an actual syndrome, and not exactly what we had called it) in our post New Year, New You. And we talked about the variations and vagaries of Zone 2 in our post entitled (*ahem*): Zone 2.
More than just that, though; both emails, for me, were cautionary tales of blindly following the latest piped piper off the cliff. Both of these experts were saying, in principle, that the most important thing we can do as runners, as athletes, is for us to do our own due diligence and find those things — whether they are devices, metrics, or foodstuff — which work for us, individually. I’ve long since lost count of the number of posts I’ve seen on social media by people honestly inquiring what their “correct” heart rate should be for this Zone or that. And many well-intentioned people (often numbering in the hundreds) respond with well-known tropes such as “220 minus age” as a way to determine the “correct” heart rate. There’s just one problem with that formula: it doesn’t work for individuals. It is meant for age-group populations. It may well get you a ball-park estimate of your heart rate zones, but then again, that ball park may be in a completely different city from the one you live in. The only way to know for sure what your *exact* heart rate parameters are is to undergo a metabolic test under the supervision of a qualified medical expert or coach certified to conduct such tests. Even then, as we have previously written, there are literally dozens of influences, both internally and externally, which can change the numbers on a day-to-day or even an hour-to-hour basis.
One of the primary areas of focus for us, and one of the foundational principles of the Breath Runner Method, is the strengthening of the respiratory muscles through the process of running with deep, controlled breaths. Again, syncing run cadence to breathing is not new. It’s been around for a LONG time. And it’s a proven concept of using breath patterns to sustain high effort running, especially sprinting. We like to think that our contribution to this august lineage has been the addition of the long breath patterns, the 7-Step and 9-Step patterns. To our knowledge, this has never been used as part of a systematic training protocol. Again, if anyone has knowledge of this, let us know and we will correct our statements. It should be noted that when we first came up with the Breath Runner Method, we envisioned the long breathing patterns primarily as a pacing metric; a way to hold us back in our efforts, yet do so while encouraging quick feet and good running form. Over the past year or two, as we have researched running, respiration, and training modalities, we gained certifications in Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Polarized Training (a.k.a., the 80/20 method), breathwork, and became a Certified XPT Performance Breathing® Coach.
What we have learned through this process is that the benefits of deep, controlled breathing while running at a relaxed pace were far beyond our expectations! Yet even as impressive and extensive the performance gains are, it’s still a matter of basic physiology. All the hype in the world won’t make the improvements appear if the fundamental aspects of training aren’t in place. A good, full night’s sleep; a healthy balanced diet; LOTS of reasonably low-effort, long duration training spiced with bouts of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT); and most of all, consistency. On ALL of these. These are the things which make us perform at our best.
Human Performance Specialist Robert Wilson says, “When identifying indicators you might choose to help you pilot your health and performance more effectively I recommend asking the following: Is it valid? Is it reliable? Is it accessible?”
Well, let’s apply these metrics to the Breath Runner Method and see where we stand.
Is the Breath Runner Method valid? I think so, and while there’s no studies that we can find that directly relate to it, it does seem that there is good scientific evidence to suggest that we’re at the very least heading in the right direction. A recent study published by Dr. Eric Harbour, MSc, and his team from the Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Salzburg, Austria, entitled Breath Tools: A Synthesis of Evidence-Based Breathing Strategies to Enhance Human Running, states, “While direct experimental evidence is limited, diverse findings from exercise physiology and sports science combined with anecdotal knowledge from Yoga, meditation, and breathwork suggest that many aspects of breathing could be improved via purposeful strategies.” This is an expanding field of research, with new tools becoming available to make it possible to do testing of the various metabolic parameters in real time without adversely affecting performance while the test is ongoing.
Is the Breath Runner Method reliable? How reliable is your ability to breathe while running? There are no batteries that need to be recharged, no software to download, no WiFi, Bluetooth, or cellular connection required. All you need is your running shoes. You don’t even need a watch, although the Breath Runner Method training plans use time rather than distance for the vast majority of workouts. Only the long runs of the Half Marathon and Full Marathon training plans (and eventually the Ultramarathon plans we will be producing soon) use a fixed distance. It has been our experience that once accustomed to Breath Running, the shifting between the various modalities is rather intuitive. It is also our contention that by giving what we feel is a better, more actionable pacing metric which encourages good running form, it decreases the incidence of running related injuries, and therefore allows for more consistency in training (but this is speculation on our part, pending studies).
Is the Breath Runner Method accessible? Is it limited to a certain class of runner? Is it bound by strict rules or limitations which define its usefulness? Can it be used by para-athletes, neurodiverse athletes, or athletes facing other challenges, whether physical, mental, emotional, or a combination of all three? We have found it useful for ALL. We have had Breath Runners who are world-class para-athletes. We have introduced it to kids. We have used it with Run-Walkers. Again, strap on your sneakers and go run. Settle into the rhythm of the pattern needed/chosen, and go enjoy yourself. What if your mind wanders and you lose track of your breathing pattern? So what? It’s a metric; it’s there for a purpose, to be sure, and the more it’s used, the greater its effectiveness, but in the end, it’s a means to a goal. It is not THE goal!
Are there other ways to strengthen one’s respiratory muscles? Absolutely! Are they valid? Yes, but then again, buyer beware. To select the most appropriate device, it is also necessary to consider one’s specific health condition, the nature of the respiratory impairments (if applicable), and the purpose of the training. Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT), also known as Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) — breathing through a device which restricts airflow — has been shown to help with “intermittent” sports (like soccer, lacrosse, or other sports which require short bursts of high intensity running and lots of walking and easy running), but it remains unclear if it’s useful for endurance sports, where it’s primarily low to moderately hard exercise for a prolonged period of time. Then again, it’s been shown that HIIT training is an effective way to build respiratory muscles. So is yet another gadget needed? Even health professionals are sometimes overwhelmed by the amount of disparate and conflicting information out there. It’s no wonder, since the Health and Wellness industry is a $4 Trillion business (TRILLION!! With a T!). The level of misinformation is legion. And we haven’t even touched on the issue of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), and what it’s impact has been in it’s very short existence so far, and what it means moving forward. We’re not Anti-AI, but we’re not using it to pump out a thousand social media posts a week, either. We are, however, moving forward, cautiously.
We feel we can say with confidence that the Breath Runner Method works. Beyond the inherent respiratory muscle training that’s “baked in” to it, Breath Running helps us settle into the appropriate effort level, given the environment of the day, and given the physiological challenges we may be facing. It helps train us to run with quick feet, even at an easy pace, which is proven to reduce impact forces. Less impact on bones, joints and tendons means less recovery time between runs, which enables a more consistent training schedule. More running means the better we hone our running economy, which allows us to run faster with less effort. Notice the lack of advertising on our website. We’re on social media, but we’re not blasting into every fifth frame while one is enduro-scrolling™ (insert LOL emoji here). We have some things to sell, but we’re not shopping for yachts, yet. We like our gadgets too. We just don’t want to be messing around with them while we’re running, and we certainly don’t want to be incapable of running if we don’t have them available. We don’t need to make up a bunch of crazy half-baked claims to hype the Breath Runner Method. We’re confident that if you try it, you’ll like it. We’re just trying to do a better job of explaining how it can help your running.
Welcome to Breath Runner — it’s like running on air!
