In and of itself, heavy breathing in and out through the mouth contributes immensely to

perpetuating the state of fatigue, which ultimately requires that we just shut everything
down. When we breathe in and out through the nose, we take in small amounts of
oxygen, and let out small amounts of carbon dioxide, all of which helps the body to
retain balance (the nostrils are obviously quite small). When we run hard, we never
need near the amount of oxygen we think we need. We are used to taking in a lot of
oxygen, but we are in fact better off without it. If there's one thing we do need more of,
it is balance, and for that we need oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to correspond with
one another, never for one to eliminate the other.

According to international standards, optimum breathing for a human being at rest is 6

breaths per minute. That's all. When breathing takes place at that rate, carbon dioxide
is retained by the body in sufficient quantities, and human health is enhanced. My three
sons were all diagnosed with asthma and given inhalers. When we studied the issue of
correct breathing, we trained ourselves to breathe slowly, deeply into the diaphragm,
and in and out through the nose. In a short time, we got rid of the inhalers, and never
came at all close to having an attack of asthma.

While training, we would breathe about 15 breaths per minute, and try to carry that
rate even into races.

In the summer of 2002, the entire Red Hook cross country team switched to nasal
breathing. It was very difficult to do and required a summer's training to effectively
complete the transition. At the outset, all runners felt like they were suffocating, and
had to slow their training paces significantly. Over time, everyone reported a sense of
increased energy levels, and rapid recovery after hard workouts.

That year, the team moved into the B class and made it to the States for the first time
ever as a B class team. They finished eighth at the State Meet - the highest ever
achieved in their school history. Last year, in 2004, remnants of that 2002 Cross
Country team combined with two newcomers and formed a 4x8 team, which made it to
the State Meet with a number one state ranking in the B Division.

Breathing predominantly through the nose, that team was primed to challenge Lomong
and Luka for the State Championship, when one runner came down with the flu. Red
Hook, which led at first in the race, wound up with a third place finishing in 8:06,
nevertheless breaking the prior school record by 17 seconds.

I do not report this to declare that nasal breathing, slowly and deeply into the
diaphragm will create champions in the moment.

In fact, it may slow the rate of one's ability to improve.

This is certainly the belief of my son David that his progress has slowed after switching
to nasal breathing, which he did after his freshman year. It certainly eliminates the
possibility of fast starts in any race, because any initial rapid movement will put a nose
breather into oxygen debt. Nevertheless, nasal breathing sets the stage for an overall
pattern of good health thus providing for a future in the sport that might otherwise be
cut short.

David's health improved dramatically since he switched. He not only had no problem
making it through subsequent track seasons, but missed only one day of school due to
illness in the last three years, and that is unusual for a runner who trains 365 days a
year.
Neither he nor his brothers will ever again return to mouth breathing.
Should they breathe through the mouth, they immediately come to sense a more rapid
heart beat, increased levels of lactic acid (which build incredibly when oxygen cannot
be released from blood to tissues), and an overall stress level which they have been
able to avoid for the last three years.

I strongly recommend that everyone connected with the sport of running read John
Douillard's "Body, mind, and Sport". John, a former triathlete, and director of player
development for the New Jersey Nets, practices Ayurvedic and Chiropractic sports
medicine in Colorado. He has trained prominent athletes in a variety of sports. He is
immensely concerned with the issue of breathing. In his book, he explains that it is
through control of our breathing that we bring our minds and bodies together, an issue
we will take up later. John explains that the body possesses the sympathetic nervous
system, which is considered the fight or flight system preparing us to face emergencies,
and the parasympathetic nervous system which allows the body to function normally
and efficiently upon the basis of a calm and relaxed state of being.

Blood vessels associated with the sympathetic nervous system are located in the upper
portion of the lungs, while those associated with the parasympathetic nervous system
are found in the lower portion of the lungs. Thus, breathing through the mouth into the
upper chest activates the sympathetic nervous system, and places the body into a
stress mode. On the other hand, breathing through the nose into the lower portion of
the lungs activates the parasympathetic nervous system and serves to bring calm to
the body even in the midst of intense activity.

When the body is under stress, it is not only inefficient, but it gets into a pattern
whereby the introduction of certain enzymes and chemical reactions are in effect
tearing the body down. This is no problem if a stressful reaction to a true danger is

called for as when we see a snake in the woods perhaps. Such dangers would occur
only once in a while over the course of a lifetime. But, to be under stress (adrenaline
rush) every time we go to the starting line is just out and out unhealthy. Racing is not a
life and death situation.

Professional football players live an average of 56 years due in part to these adrenaline
rushes they put themselves through with every practice and every game. The body is
not built to treat every moment as if it were life and death. It will just break down.
Through our breathing, we can train our bodies to relax, even in the midst of a race