Running cadence and breathing patterns

Yesterday's club run was a good one. One of those where a few people turned up who are all a bit quicker than me, but who I can just hang on to for a decent tempo run. I always think of a tempo run as one where I'm working hard and I definitely want to slow down - I usually pray there'll be heavy traffic as we approach a road crossing, or that someone's shoelace will come undone - but I know I can keep going. It's real effort, but its sustainable. And if you can find a few people who find it a little bit easier than you, they won't let you slow down when you're starting to suffer.

I have a fairly consistent breathing pattern on these tempo runs. The first 3/4 of a mile or so I'm breathing freely, unaware of any pattern, feeling light and strong. And then as I start working a little harder I settle into a 3-steps-in 2-steps-out rhythm.

I don't know if everybody breathes in time to their running but I certainly do. I wonder if it is because I'm a musician and I can't help but fall in line with whatever I'm hearing - I'm one of those people who walks in time to supermarket music thinking he looks cool. Often when I'm running, a song will get into my head, with a small section going round and round in time to my steps. Its not unusual for it to be a song I don't really know. The other week I had Rihanna (I think it's Rihanna) singing, 'please don't stop the music, the music, the music, please don't stop the music, the music…' round and round and I couldn't shake it. Awful. If I'd know the rest of the song I'd at least have had a modicum of variety.

Anyway, for effort running, I begin with a 5 beat rhythm - 3 in, 2 out - and it seems to work. As the run progresses and I find it increasingly difficult to get enough oxygen in, I switch to a more simple 2-in 2-out pattern. And I usually stick with this until the end.

The thought that struck me yesterday while we were running was: what will happen to my breathing pattern if I switch to a 180bpm cadence? I'm currently at somewhere around 150bpm (I know, I timed it today) When my cadence increases, will I continue to breathe in time to my steps, in the same patterns, and end up hyperventilating? Or will I have to find a new rhythm? I'm not sure I could manage to breathe at all on a run without reference to my cadence. This could be a disaster. But I suppose it might at least put a stop to that Rihanna song...