It seems like no matter how hard or how long I run, I never get out of breath. I'm never struggling to breathe in races or workouts, no matter how hard. Even in terrible races when I've completely blown up, I never feel out of breath. Instead it seems like my legs are the limiting factor. Am I not pushing myself hard enough? Am I just weird? What's the deal?
I did do semi-competitive swimming for about 8 years in elementary/middle school, if that counts for anything
Wow, I'm jealous. I was actually going to suggest that you try swimming laps, because that sure as hell gets me breathing heavier than running does. But you've been there, done that. Perhaps that's why you don't have breathing trouble during runs/workouts. Swimming is a bitch of a cardio workout.
I can almost relate to what you're saying because my legs definitely give out before my lungs do, but I still find myself breathing pretty heavy during a hard interval session, race, tempo run, etc.
Ticktock wrote:
It seems like no matter how hard or how long I run, I never get out of breath. I'm never struggling to breathe in races or workouts, no matter how hard. Even in terrible races when I've completely blown up, I never feel out of breath. Instead it seems like my legs are the limiting factor. Am I not pushing myself hard enough? Am I just weird? What's the deal?
I did do semi-competitive swimming for about 8 years in elementary/middle school, if that counts for anything
I get out of breath and I am faster than you.
How many elites do you see huffing and puffing at the end of races? None. Don't worry about it, if you're happy with your performances than you're good.
Have you considered that you are feeling flat / over training?
Have you considered that you are feeling flat / over training?
Get on a Concept2 rowing machine and row 2000m. Aim for splits of 1:42/500m. Put the resistance on ~4-5. Rest for 5 minutes.
Then do a 500m aiming for under 1:35. Rest for two minutes and repeat three times. If you can't complete it, you aren't trying hard enough.
Congratulations, you're special. 6 billion people on the planet and you're the only one who can't make himself breathe heavy by running fast.
I would love to see this. Really, I would.
relax guys he's not trying to brag...he's just wondering if other people experience the same thing
and when i'm in good shape, i seem to have the same problem...my legs always give out during races before breathing or anything like that...i dont have great times, just one of those things
haha, YO wrote:
How many elites do you see huffing and puffing at the end of races? None. Don't worry about it, if you're happy with your performances than you're good.
of course they're breathing hard, they just don't show pain
That's because event-specific muscles are the driving force in any athletic endeavor and the cardiovascular system is along for the ride. It would seem you have yet to fully develop muscular strength / force.
I have the opposite problem (legs always feel fine but am limited by lungs/heart/stomach), and have always figured it's because I never crosstrain...I think if I did some swimming like you've done, my breathing power might catch up to my leg power, which would allow me to push my legs hard enough to feel sore. If you're worried about it, I'd say run more mileage, and once your legs catch up to your lungs, you'll be able to run hard enough to get out of breath.
In brief; you cannot make a lot of lactate. With such symptoms, you sound like the kind of runner I refer to as "more-ST" (see Cabral & Hadd thread for more details and definition).
At present, your legs are the limiting factor to your performances (lack of sufficient capillaries, mitochondria and aerobic enzymes), but all that can be fixed with suitable training (which in your case does not need to be very intense ... at least at first).
cmurph wrote:
haha, YO wrote:How many elites do you see huffing and puffing at the end of races? None. Don't worry about it, if you're happy with your performances than you're good.
of course they're breathing hard, they just don't show pain
I have been to a lot of elite track meets and have been luck enough to sit right on the track or even be allowed on the infield during races and I can tell you that these athletes are not breathing very heavily at all. Of course they are breathing more than they would just walking around but it is not the very loud breathing you would associate with the mid packers at your local turkey trot.
I wasn't trying to brag, I am pretty frustrated at times after races when I won't feel the slightest bit tired until my legs just won't go anymore.
Thank you for your advice, Hadd
Hadd wrote:
In brief; you cannot make a lot of lactate.
I agree with Hadd. You're LA levels are probably pretty low and thus your blood acidity is probably relatively neutral during exercise. This means your respiratory chemoreceptors are not picking up on a low blood pH (which is normal during hard exercise due to increased levels of CO2, and increased levels of LA) and thus you're body is not increasing its respiratory rate.
It could also possibly mean that your body is very efficient at metabolizing LA.
Just as different people vary in how they react to various types of stress, so do different athletes respond differently to working hard. I tested two Olympic distance runners, who both ran the same event and weighed about the same and at max work one ventilated 160 liters per minute and the other 224 liters per minute. Some people just ventilate more than do others and the amount is not particularly related to ability or performance. Haven't you on occasion run next to someone who sounded like they were on their last breath (just huffing and puffing loud enough for spectators to hear), and then they run off and leave you. Feel lucky that you don't feel a need to breathe any harder; maybe yu do but just don't feel it.
That's interesting, what you said about low lactate levels. I can only think of 2, maybe 3 instances when I've felt that burning sensation that people talk about. One was in an intense track workout, the other at the end of a huge pr in the mile.
bump. What workouts can I do to help me for a peak race in slightly over 2 weeks?
bump
I have opposite problem, my legs never tire or burn but my bottleneck is my breathing, I can run a 6 min mile but not an 18 min 5k. i can run sub 60 400m. Is it because im a new runner and i cant use my speed yet until i get better cardio?
also the op wouldnt get out of breath even sprinting hed just stop from legs burning?