Myth 1: you must breathe through your nose
Opinion. It is believed that if you breathe through your mouth while running, you can catch a cold, or your mouth will dry out faster. On the other hand, while jogging, you often do not have enough breath - you just want to take a breath of air so as not to fall unconscious.
Understanding. According to a 2017 study, both breathing methods have pros and cons. However, the researchers note that when all the variables are considered together, mouth breathing is more effective, especially at high exercise intensity.
During prolonged aerobic exercise, which is just running, breathing through the mouth provides better ventilation of the lungs, the body receives more oxygen. When breathing through the nose, oxygen seems to be better absorbed, but two participants in the experiment went out of the race during the race due to weakness and panic attacks.
Most experts agree that you need to breathe through your mouth and nose at the same time, as this helps to remove carbon dioxide from the body faster. In an article on human evolution, published in the journal Nature, they write that humans, unlike other primates, run beautifully long distances precisely because they can breathe through their mouths. This helps to receive more oxygen, better cool the body, which means longer run.
Some fear that breathing in cold air while running in winter or late fall will narrow the airways, leading to breathing problems and coughing. However, scientists have proved that such disturbances are caused by dry air, not cold - warm dry air also narrows the airways, as well as cold air, due to dehydration of the cells of the mucous membrane of the trachea and bronchi.
True. It turns out that there is nothing wrong with breathing through your mouth. But it is logical that with excessively dry or cold air, it is better to breathe through the nose: passing through the nasal passages, the air flows have time to moisten and warm up. For example, Scott Jurek in his book "Eat Right, Run Fast" recommends inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth during intense training.
Myth 2: run on grass or soft surfaces
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/nutrition/19best.html
Opinion. Many people think that running on asphalt or other hard surfaces is traumatic because it creates shock loads on the joints of the legs and damages the cartilage tissue.
Understanding. The massive 185-page manual looked at sports research and concluded that biomechanically, the difference between hard and soft surfaces is not significant for a runner. After all, evolutionarily we can adapt to different surfaces by changing the rigidity of the lower limbs. However, there is evidence that covering a treadmill reduces stress on the lower leg.
Another study says the most common causes of injury are age, past injury, exercise volume, body mass index, and running shoes. It's probably better to run on a hard surface in good running shoes and with the right load than soft ones in bad shoes and too hard for your body.
Another study found that all running injuries are due to runners running too hard or too long for themselves, not recovering from a run.
True. It turns out that the surface itself does not increase the risk of injury; in order to avoid them, an individual training regimen is needed, taking into account the characteristics of the organism. But there is a nuance: in the book "Charged to 100%" Renata Shagabutdinova and Eduard Bezuglov warn that it is worth more careful to run on concrete and concrete tiles (this can also include stone paving slabs) - these surfaces do not absorb at all and can slip, which increases the likelihood of damage to joints or ligaments.