For most of my years as a runner, I have always seemed to struggle to keep my heart rate down at a reasonable rate. A couple of seasons ago I was doing a series of 10 km races on the road and over the course of the final mile, I would notice my heart rate creeping higher and higher, often beyond 180 beats per minute and sometimes touching on to 200 beats per minute. Though I think the latter may have been problems with my heart rate monitor itself.
The best way to bring your heart rate down while running is by using asymmetrical deep breathing. Breathe in through your nose for 8 steps and out through your mouth for 4 steps. Combine this with reducing your pace/effort level for 10 breaths whenever your heart rate gets too high.
Let’s unpack the secret to running with a lower heart rate and being able to run faster with a lower heart rate.
The Biggest Challenge When Starting Low Heart Rate Running
When I started attempting to run with a lower heart rate my biggest challenge was trying to keep my pace really slow, slow enough to stop my heart rate from creeping up. It seemed that no matter how slow I ran my heart rate never was able to stay right down within the target range that I needed.
I would be glancing at my watch every couple of paces while trying to run slower and slower and slower in a futile attempt to keep my heart rate where I wanted it to be.
The Stop And Walk Method To Keep Heart Rate Down While Running
What I used to do when my heart rate climbed above my target range was that I would slow down to a walk and then continue walking until my heart rate dropped into my target range, and then gradually start running again. The problem that I had with this strategy was that my heart rate read just end up fluctuating up and down continuously.
My heart rate would climb and I’d walk for a while, then my heart rate with fall, then start running for a short while again before needing to walk as my heart rate couldn’t stay down. I would be trapped in a vicious Loop of never really being able to get a handle on what type of pace I needed to run to keep my heart rate low.
Even today when I’m out on the trails I still walk up most of the hills because I’m able to walk up hills at just about the same speed that I run. The benefit of walking up hills while trail running is that I’m able to keep my heart rate down at a much lower rate while walking hills than what I’m able to do when attempting to run up the same hill at the same speed.
The strategy of walking up hills works in trail races as well. If I try to run up the hill I might get to the top a handful of seconds quicker but will be gassed out when I get there. By walking up the hill I am able to start running as I reach the crest of the hill and carry more speed up and over the hill. It is a strategy that makes me faster over the duration of the trail race.
How To Slow Your Heart Rate While You Are Running
The way to slow your heart rate down while you’re running first requires you to back off on the pace that you’re running. Don’t stop and walk unless you’re running uphill. Focus on your breathing pattern at the mechanics of your breathing.
Next, you will need to deliberately slow down your breathing. Take slow deep breaths for approximately 6 to 10 breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Your in-breath should be for about eight steps and your out-breath for approximately four steps. So you will be taking a really long inhale and a 50% faster exhale expelling all of the carbon-dioxide quickly. The result is usually a 5 to 10 beats per minute reduction in heart rate every time that I do this.
When I first started using this method, I struggled to be able to make an in-breath for about eight steps. What I did at the beginning was to breathe in for 4 steps, and breathe out for two steps. Then, I gradually increased to where I am now able to breathe in for 8 steps and out for 4 steps.
Why Does Asymmetrical Deep Breathing Reduce Heart Rate While Running
There are a number of reasons why asymmetrical deep breathing reduces your heart rate the first of these is that you are consciously slowing down the pace that you’re running at rather than subconsciously speeding up which happens all too easily.
The effect of asymmetrical deep breathing will be on your autonomic nervous system. There are two branches to the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic system is your fight or flight response to danger and it has the effect of increasing your heart rate. Conversely, the parasympathetic system is all about rest and relaxation encourages the heart rate to drop.
You can increase parasympathetic activity with nasal and diaphragmatic breathing and slow down the breathing rate, and consequently the heart rate.
This is an experiment that you can easily do at home or wherever you are reading this right now. When you breathe in through your mouth you tend to forget your lungs from the top in other words your chest expands as you breathe in. conversely if you breathe in through your nerves it engages the diaphragm and tends to fold your lungs from the bathroom getting more oxygen into your system with each breath.
This method of asymmetrical deep breathing is something that I was able to practice at various times during the day while I wasn’t running so that I could get to do the method properly when I was out on the trails.
Putting Asymmetrical Deep Breathing Into Practice While Running
The next time you’re out on the trail and you start noticing your heart rate creeping up try asymmetrical deep breathing as a way to bring your heart rate back down again.
Take 6 to 10 of these asymmetrical deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose for 8 steps and out your mouth for four steps while concentrating on reducing your running pace/effort level.
If this is your first time trying asymmetrical deep breathing then breathe in through your nose for four steps and out through your mouth for two steps.
Now observe if your heart rate comes down as quickly as mine does. It might take three or four sets of asymmetrical deep breaths before you start noticing a more significant reduction in your heart rate but keep practicing.
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