Everyone stumbles upon possibilities in life, and I decided to take a closer look at Conscious Breathing at the end of April. At the time, I’d contracted the flu and the following colds and sinus problems had worn me down, and I had just decided to back out of the Stockholm Marathon and my Iron Man goal. I then coincidentally discovered nasal respiration and its advantages.

As I like to try new methods and thought that Conscious Breathing sounded both exciting and logical, I taped my mouth shut that very night. I realized after a few nights of taping it shut that I had more energy and a pleasant calm fell over me, especially during the morning hours. I quickly signed up for a course and, with curiosity, began the 28-day breathing training on the 14th of May.

The impossible (nasal breathing) was possible in less than a week

On day 4 of the 28-day program, I went out for a jog for the first time while only breathing through my nose, and ran for 5 kilometers (just above 3 miles). I was forced to walk after the first half mile, as my breathing was shot, and after that alternated between walking quickly and jogging for the last miles. My time was 36:23, which is an average of 11:43 minutes/mile (7:13 minutes/km).

Four days later I ran 10 kilometers (just over 6 miles) with nasal breathing only. I felt really good for the first 5 miles, at which point I had to significantly lower my pace in order to keep breathing through my nose the whole way. My final time was 67 minutes and 8 seconds. On average, that’s 10:48 per mile (6:41 minutes/km). My conclusion is that what seemed impossible to do was accomplished in less than a week, which is significantly faster than anything I could have imagined!

WHAT A RESULT at the Stockholm Marathon!

After 20 days of Conscious Breathing retraining and “AHA!” moments and increasingly better results, I completed my third Stockholm Marathon, completely opposite of the decision I had made earlier in the spring after all the health issues that had been bothering me. It was windy, raining, and only 37 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius), and I finished after slightly more than 5 hours.

That isn’t a very good time, but that performance was caused by awful health for a large part of March and April. My long-distance running training was virtually non-existent compared to what the experts recommend. I had no idea whatsoever about my fitness level, and had relied solely on the energy I had recently acquired thanks to focusing on my breathing.

By the time I had crossed the finish line, my legs were obviously incredibly tired, but otherwise I was very energized. After earlier long distance races, I would spend a long time completely out of it, feeling sick and having a hard time eating and drinking.

This time I was fine eating the “goodies” from the bag they gave me right away. It was a completely new experience for me. I thought my normal state would be to feel as poorly as I did in the past, but this time that state had completely vanished, it was amazing! I used approximately 40% nasal breahting during the race.

My whole body burned with energy after my tape race

On the 29th of July the Falkenbergs Stadslopp (Falkenbergs City Race) took place. The race is 10 kilometers, and I had decided to run with my mouth taped in order to raise awareness of the benefits of nasal breathing. After the race there were some festivities, and I wasn’t in bed until one o’clock.

Shockingly and completely unplanned, I woke up at six o’clock. My whole body was boiling with energy, and I decided that I would run a half marathon later in the morning, to see what my body was capable of.

I have never experienced such a positive reaction from my body so soon after physical exertion. What little stiffness resided in my limbs was soon gone, and I performed the jog with enduring power. The 13.1 miles (21 km) took 1 hour and 58 minutes, and to me, that’s a really good time, as I hadn’t really focused on running.

I hadn’t ran that far since the Stockholm Marathon nearly 2 months earlier, and I’m extremely excited that my body responds so well without much training, a hard race yesterday, and so little sleep on top of it all. It’s amazing, where will it end?

28-Day Conscious Breathing Retraining

Activity

Taped mouth	27 of 28 nights
Breathing retraining with the Relaxator	approx. 15 min/day
Physical activity with a closed mouth	approx. 60 min/day

Physical test before and after 28 day training	14 May	13 June
Push-ups	36	45
Chin-ups	5	7
Pull-ups	10	11
The plank	1,44	3,07
10K Run	60:44	52:58

The breathing retraining has made me stronger and more endurant

Ever since I started using Conscious Breathing it feels like I gather much more energy than before, and I can, because of that, accomplish a whole new level of training compared to before. The physical tests above prove that the breathing retraining has made me stronger and more endurant.

I have also noticed a major change to my sleep. I’m often awake around six o’clock without setting an alarm. I feel like I’ve cut my need for sleep by a good hour since I started focusing on Conscious Breathing.

Regular exercise with nasal respiration, often taping my mouth shut at night, and breathing retraining with the Relaxator have given me new insights and results.