It Was Only 92 Degrees When I Set Out!

I sure hope the heat plays a factor in how far and fast I can run because I felt like a sloth out there today. It was 92 degrees when I started out (according to my iPhone app) and 99 degrees when I came in. What's so amazing about that to me is that when I'm in the shade (even for a moment), I feel like I can keep running, but when I'm in the beating-down-sun, I feel like I just can't go another step.
Today I ran 3.5 miles but it felt like FIVE! I'm going to break each of these posts down into how I ran each mile so I can eventually look back and hopefully see some improvement over time. Mile #1 - I ran 90 seconds and walked 30 seconds; Mile #2 and #3 - I ran 60 seconds and walked 30 seconds (although there were a couple of times that I walked a little longer); and the part of Mile #4 that I did, I ran for 60 seconds and then walked until my heartrate was back down to 75% of my max.

My mental cues today:

I concentrated on keeping my head upright and my chest out for a larger breathing capacity. I used my breathing cadence that I talked about before, exhaling on every fifth step. As I mentioned before, Bernadette felt dizzy when trying to do this and I said that you have to concentrate just on the exhalation rather than on the inhalation. An asthmatic might understand this because you have to get to the completion of an exhalation in order to have the capacity for a complete inhalation, and this is what is difficult for asthmatics since they have an obstructive component to their ventilation which prevents them from completely exhaling, leading to their diminished capacity for a complete inhalation.

Proper breathing technique can better be illustrated if you examine the breathing of a singer (or an instrument player.) Have you ever seen a little "comma" marked in music?


It indicates the place in the music that the composer wants you to take a breath. If you know anything about music at all, you can see that there isn’t a rest or any actual break in the tempo so it has to be a very rapid inhalation in order to be ready for the next note on time. If this breath mark comes after a long phrase, you will have “used up” all your reserve at this point and you’ll be able to inhale more deeply.

So if you’re practicing my “breathing cadence” method, concentrate on exhaling for most of the five steps and then take a quick, deep breath for your inhalation. I think you’ll notice a more efficient, fuller inhalation without feeling dizzy.