Something quite astonishing happened on my 15km run yesterday - I was off-road at the time and running quite well up a slight incline. In good stride, breathing quite hard but running well. It was warm and I was sipping regularly from my Camelbak when I suddenly realised to my astonishment that I was sort-of reverse circular breathing, i.e. I was breathing normally through my nose whilst sipping and swallowing through my mouth!
Of course, once I realised what I was doing and
tried to do it consciously, I couldn't, and resorted to the half-choking while I stop- breathing-so-I-can-swallow routine.
Later, when I was enthusiastically telling the family about this, #1 son Googled it and said that it made sense, as the instructions he found online for learning circular breathing fell closely in line with the cheeks-puffed, sucking-through-a-tube action of Camelbak hydration.
I tell you what though, it makes quite an incredible difference when you're running hard. To be able to breath normally through the nose instead of having to stop breathing altogether in order to swallow makes one heck of a difference when you're really pushing it.
I'll have to practise the technique and report back.
Anyhow, 15km on-and-off road yesterday with a good mix of brutish hills and nice, fast, flat stuff as well. A good outing, even if my quads are now sore, and a good weekly total of 53km to be nicely back on target. The legs now have two days to recover before my penultimate long run of the training schedule - 32km on Wednesday, or if need be, Thursday.
Can't wait.
15km 1h36m
YTD: 374.8km
Maaaaarvellous March.
