Pre-Run Breathing
A warm-up activity that focuses and energizes kids, reminds them to breathe consistently, and helps them breathe better
Instructions:
- Have your runners put their hands on their stomachs and take in a series of full, deep breaths through their noses.
- Have them feel their stomach expand as they breathe in and contract as they breathe out.
Performance Points:
- Make sure the stomach expands on the inhale and contracts on the exhale. This is diaphragm breathing and helps runners take in maximum oxygen.
- Breathe in for a two second count and out for a two second count.
- Focus on breathing for a full minute.
- The goal is not to alter natural breathing patterns, but to promote full and consistent breathing while running.
Training Specifics:
Duration / Reps: Do Pre-Run Breathing for a full minute.
When: At the beginning of the running session
Benefits:
- Focuses and energizes kids in preparation for the running session
- Reminds kids to breathe consistently when they run
- Helps kids breathe better, which enables them to run longer and stronger before getting tired
- Helps to prevent side cramps
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