How should you breathe while running?

Low and rhythmic. Breathe from the belly rather than the chest, so each breath moves more air for less effort, and tie the breath to your steps: three steps in and two out on easy runs, two in and two out when it gets hard. Use nose and mouth together at anything above an easy jog; nasal-only breathing is a training tool for slow runs, not a rule for fast ones.

Why do I get out of breath so quickly when running?

Usually pace, then technique. Most new runners run too fast for their fitness and the breath is the first thing to complain; slowing to a pace where you could speak in short sentences fixes it faster than any breathing trick. After pace, shallow chest breathing: high, quick breaths that move little air and tire the neck and shoulders. Learning to breathe from the belly off the run, then bringing it onto the run, raises the ceiling.

Should you breathe through your nose or mouth when running?

Both, at most paces. The nose cannot move enough air once you are working hard, and forcing it makes you slow down or panic. Nose in, mouth out, or both in and out, is normal for tempo and hard runs. Nasal-only breathing on easy runs is a useful drill: it keeps the effort honest, warms and filters the air, and trains a lower, slower breath that carries over when the mouth joins in.

What is the 3:2 breathing rhythm for running?

Inhale for three foot strikes, exhale for two. The odd total means the exhale, which is when the core is least braced, lands on alternating feet rather than always the same one, which spreads the impact. It suits easy and steady runs. When the effort rises, shift to two in and two out, or two in and one out for the last hard stretch.

How do you get rid of a side stitch while running?

Slow down, breathe out hard and long through pursed lips, and press the fingers into the spot while you exhale; a few deep belly breaths with a long exhale usually clears it inside a minute. A stitch is most often the diaphragm and the tissue around it cramping under shallow breathing and a full stomach, so the prevention is belly breathing, an even rhythm, and not eating in the two hours before a run.

Do breathing exercises help with running?

Yes, in two ways. Daily slow breathing from the diaphragm makes the low breath the default, so it is there on the run without thinking; five minutes of 4-2-6 or coherent breathing does it. And slow breathing after a run speeds the shift from effort to recovery, which is what heart rate variability measures. Inspiratory muscle training with a resistance device is the other evidence-based tool for endurance breathing, and it is a different thing from these exercises.

Is there an app for running breathing?

Braele, for iPhone, paces the off-the-run part: the 4-2-6 belly breath and coherent breathing that train the low breath, and a cool-down pattern after the run, with a voice that counts and haptics that mark each phase. The step rhythms on the run are set by your feet, not a timer. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever; no account, no ads, works offline.

How to breathe while running

Low, rhythmic, nose and mouth

Getting out of breath early is mostly two things: running faster than your fitness, and breathing high in the chest where each breath moves little air and tires the shoulders. The first is fixed by slowing down. The second is fixed off the run, on a mat, in a week, and then carried onto the road with a step rhythm. The timers below are the off-the-run part; your feet set the rhythm on the run.

Tap a pattern and breathe along right here. Free, no download needed.

On the run

Four rules for the road

1
Slow down until you can talk
The pace at which you could say a short sentence is the pace at which breathing sorts itself out. Most people who "cannot breathe" when running are running too fast for their current fitness, and no technique fixes that. Easy runs are meant to feel easy; they are where the breathing habit is built.
2
Breathe from the belly
Chest breathing moves little air per breath and tires the neck and shoulders, so you breathe faster and get out of breath sooner. A low breath, the belly moving with each inhale, moves more air with less work. It is learned off the run, lying down, and it takes about a week to become automatic on the road; the diaphragmatic breathing page has the drill.
3
Tie the breath to your steps
Three foot strikes in, two out, on easy runs. The odd total lands the exhale, when the core is least braced, on alternating feet rather than always the same one. When the effort climbs, two in and two out; for the last hard stretch, two in and one out. Count for a minute at the start of each run and then let it run itself.
4
Nose and mouth, by pace
Nasal-only breathing on easy runs is a good drill: it keeps the effort honest and trains a slow, low breath. Above an easy jog the nose cannot move enough air, so let the mouth in, nose in and mouth out or both together, without guilt. Forcing nasal breathing at tempo pace leads to slowing down or panicking, and neither is training.

The side stitch

A sharp pain under the ribs, usually on the right, most often from the diaphragm and the tissue around it cramping under shallow breathing, a full stomach, or a rhythm that always loads the same side. To clear one: slow down, breathe out hard and long through pursed lips, and press the fingers into the spot while you exhale; a few slow belly breaths with a long exhale usually settle it inside a minute. To prevent them: belly breathing, the 3:2 rhythm, and nothing to eat in the two hours before a run.

Off the run: raise the ceiling

Five minutes a day of the 4-2-6 belly breath or coherent breathing makes the low breath the default, so it is there on the run without thinking. It also lowers resting breathing rate and heart rate, and raises heart rate variability, which is the measure of how quickly the body shifts from effort to recovery. Inspiratory muscle training with a resistance device is the other tool with good evidence for endurance sport; it strengthens the breathing muscles directly and is a different job from these exercises.

After the run: switch off

Two minutes of the 4-6 breath as you walk it off, nose in, long exhale out, brings heart rate down faster than standing still and tells the nervous system the effort is over, which is where recovery starts. The Braele app runs it from a widget so it is one tap at the end, and logs the minutes to Apple Health next to the run.

Questions

What people ask

How should you breathe while running?: Low and rhythmic. Breathe from the belly rather than the chest, so each breath moves more air for less effort, and tie the breath to your steps: three steps in and two out on easy runs, two in and two out when it gets hard. Use nose and mouth together at anything above an easy jog; nasal-only breathing is a training tool for slow runs, not a rule for fast ones.
Why do I get out of breath so quickly when running?: Usually pace, then technique. Most new runners run too fast for their fitness and the breath is the first thing to complain; slowing to a pace where you could speak in short sentences fixes it faster than any breathing trick. After pace, shallow chest breathing: high, quick breaths that move little air and tire the neck and shoulders. Learning to breathe from the belly off the run, then bringing it onto the run, raises the ceiling.
Should you breathe through your nose or mouth when running?: Both, at most paces. The nose cannot move enough air once you are working hard, and forcing it makes you slow down or panic. Nose in, mouth out, or both in and out, is normal for tempo and hard runs. Nasal-only breathing on easy runs is a useful drill: it keeps the effort honest, warms and filters the air, and trains a lower, slower breath that carries over when the mouth joins in.
What is the 3:2 breathing rhythm for running?: Inhale for three foot strikes, exhale for two. The odd total means the exhale, which is when the core is least braced, lands on alternating feet rather than always the same one, which spreads the impact. It suits easy and steady runs. When the effort rises, shift to two in and two out, or two in and one out for the last hard stretch.
How do you get rid of a side stitch while running?: Slow down, breathe out hard and long through pursed lips, and press the fingers into the spot while you exhale; a few deep belly breaths with a long exhale usually clears it inside a minute. A stitch is most often the diaphragm and the tissue around it cramping under shallow breathing and a full stomach, so the prevention is belly breathing, an even rhythm, and not eating in the two hours before a run.
Do breathing exercises help with running?: Yes, in two ways. Daily slow breathing from the diaphragm makes the low breath the default, so it is there on the run without thinking; five minutes of 4-2-6 or coherent breathing does it. And slow breathing after a run speeds the shift from effort to recovery, which is what heart rate variability measures. Inspiratory muscle training with a resistance device is the other evidence-based tool for endurance breathing, and it is a different thing from these exercises.
Is there an app for running breathing?: Braele, for iPhone, paces the off-the-run part: the 4-2-6 belly breath and coherent breathing that train the low breath, and a cool-down pattern after the run, with a voice that counts and haptics that mark each phase. The step rhythms on the run are set by your feet, not a timer. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever; no account, no ads, works offline.

Five minutes off the run, two after it

Braele paces the belly breath and coherent breathing with a voice and haptics, starts the cool-down from a widget, and logs the minutes to Apple Health next to your runs. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever on the App Store.

Downloadon the App Store