Breathe

It may not be one of the most obvious components of running, but your breathing technique can make or break your performance. Breathing in and out through your mouth is important for runners as it allows for more air to get into and out of your lungs in addition to encouraging a relaxed composure by limited use of your facial muscles. Maintain a slightly open mouth while taking short and shallow breaths. Breath with your diaphram (belly breathing) as this also maximizes air into the lungs and the ability to let carbon dioxide out. The stomach should move in and out with your breathing vs your chest (though there is some small movement of the chest you cannot prevent). Determining a rhythm or pattern for your breathing can also be helpful. A 2-2 rhythm means you take 2 steps (eg. left and right) when breathing in and 2 steps (left and right) when breathing out, a 3-3 adds an additional step and so on. You may have to mix up you rhythm depending on terrain and duration of the race, some will add an an additional step to their pattern for a few minutes to calm themselves down or re-group. And last but not least, attempt to maintain a quiet breath, if you can hear yourself gasping loud and clear, it may mean that you are running too fast for you, a comfortable pace should mean calm and controlled breathing. Now that's a breath of fresh air!