The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Adventure 2021

   When training for running/hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, there's a lot of time spent alone in thought and contemplation...hours and hours on end...and what I kept coming back to was the BREATH!
     I listened to an audiobook by James Nestor titled, "Breath",  and it really made me think about how we breathe, how we can breathe more effectively, and how our breathing can control pain.

     During those hours of training and the hours on the trail, I discovered some really powerful tools I use when I run to help with pain, fatigue, leaking, and endurance.  I have passed these pearls onto my clients and I'm so excited by the results I want to shout it out to everyone!
     1.  A diaphragmatic breath/umbrella breath/belly breath allows the system to act like a cylinder where the diaphragm lowers on an inhale which relaxes the pelvic floor and on the exhale the pelvic floor rebounds very subtly and unconsciously which engages the transverse abdominis and multifidus to provide stability and support. This breath pattern also decreases leaking and pelvic pressure.
     2.  If I can't find an ease of breath from the low belly while I'm running that usually means I'm holding something tight which can lead to pain over time.  If I shake out my body, stack my shoulders over my hips, and drop down out of my ribs the ease comes with the breath again.
     3.  If I start to feel tension, pain, or a stitch then I focus on a longer exhale.  My preferred breathing pattern during a run is a 2 second inhale and a 5 second exhale (based on the James Nestor book).  
     4.  If I'm going uphill or running faster, I may not be able to do a 2 second/5 second breath pattern because I'm out of breath!.  That's okay, I take a few bigger inhales, catch back up on my breath, then start again.
     5.  I recommend an app called Breathe by Joachim Nohl.  It's a black background with an orange circle.  I set different parameters based on the book to practice my breathing on a daily basis and have even used it when I run.
     So go enjoy your next run or adventure and think about your breath!

We started our day at 4am in 20 degrees, refrozen snow and ice, on the descent. There were a few falls...

The trail in the middle picture depicts the ascent for 7 MILES and the picture above shows a picture of me in the "I surrender" posture!