Nose Breath Training for Runners: How Karen Cut 45 Minutes Off Her Marathon Time

If you’re a busy runner, you already know the problem:
You want to improve your marathon time — but you don’t have space in your life for “more training”.

That’s exactly why nose breath training can be such a game-changer.

In this case study, I’m sharing how Karen (a busy working mum) integrated nose breathing into her existing marathon plan — and knocked 45 minutes off her personal best on a tough, hilly course.

The Runner: Busy Mum, Full-Time Job, Marathon Goal

Karen ran the Edinburgh Marathon last year and wanted to improve her time.

Four months later she signed up for the Loch Ness Marathon — a stunning route, but also known for being hilly and challenging. She was already following an amazing marathon training programme, so instead of adding more sessions, we layered in nose breathing for running on top of what she was already doing.

Why Nose Breathing Helps Marathon Runners

Nose breathing is not about being “perfect” or forcing yourself to run slowly forever. It’s about training breathing efficiency so that your body can handle effort with less stress.

For runners, nasal breathing can support:

• Improved breathing control under fatigue

• Better pacing and steady effort

• Improved CO₂ tolerance (important for endurance) and delayed muscle fatigue

• Calmer nervous system response on race day

In short: you stay more controlled when things get hard.

The Challenge: Nose Breathing Feels Hard at First

Karen experienced what most runners experience when they start nasal breathing:

• Her nose started running

• She felt strong air hunger (feeling like you’re not getting enough air)

• The urge to mouth breathe straight away

• Worry that it felt “wrong”

This is normal.

Nasal breathing is a skill — and like any skill, it needs to be trained gradually.

How We Made It Work (Without Adding More to Her Week)

Karen’s biggest barrier wasn’t motivation.
It was time.

So our approach was simple:

We integrated nose breathing into runs she was already doing.

Each week, I checked in with Karen and adjusted the plan based on her training schedule and energy levels.

We used:

• Nasal breathing during warm ups and dog walks

• Short nasal breathing intervals during easy runs

• Breathing resets in daily life (not extra workouts)

• Recovery support for hills and fatigue

This meant Karen didn’t need to “do more”. She just trained smarter.

The Result: 45 Minutes Faster on a Hilly Marathon

Karen ran the Loch Ness Marathon and achieved a major PB.

Here’s what she said:

“I wanted to improve my marathon time so experimented with Tricia's Nose Breath Training. I knocked 45 mins off my PB on a hilly course so it certainly helped!”

Cutting 45 minutes on a course like Loch Ness is huge — and it shows what can happen when you train the breathing system alongside your running.

Who is this for?

This approach is ideal if you’re:

• Training for a marathon or half marathon

• Already running consistently but feel stuck

• Getting breathless early in runs

• Struggling on hills

• Busy and don’t want more sessions added to your plan

Want to Try Nose Breathing for Running?

I work 1:1 or in groups with runners to integrate breath training into real-life schedules — without overwhelm.

If you’re training for an event and want to improve your performance, recovery, and pacing, you can get in touch via my contact page.