Issue 46, April 1990 - Orienteering in Ireland

JOANNA HELPS YOU BREATHE MORE
EASILY
Men are bcucr at breathing than women. Or, more precisely. women are even worse at
breathing than men. A more anti-feminist statement can hardly be devised. but this one is
true.
The activity of breathing is given scant notice by orienteers. Many coaching manuals
don't even mention it. yet faulty inefficient breathing is common. I have seen some otherwise
outstanding oriemeers, especially women, pass through the finish feebly puffing in (l state 01
cxhuusrion very unlike the way "professional" athletes finish their runs.
Also, when I have been Out. I have met several ladies who have complained to me about
getting out of breath easily: I hope that my advice has helped them. In this article I will discuss
several ways in which one can improve breathing.
Unless one has a cold or a nose blocked for a different reason one should breathe
through one's nose during normal activity. The passage to the lungs this way is longer. the air
is warmed and dust is filtered Out. My generation was taught that you look stupid if your mnut h
is forever hanging open and I still think one docs - but it isn't good for thc lungs either. Only
when more air is needed for hard work or is needed quickly should one breathe through rhc
rn o ut h ,
Most people use only the top section of their lungs whether breathing through nose or
mouth and this is eventually what causes trouble. The same stale air stays in the lower part and
eventually one has to top up using shorter and shorter puffs.
The solution is very simple: One must never suck or sniff the air but use ones muscles to
enlarge the lungs and lei the air flow in. Some people think that this is a slow way of genln!;!
air in but this is a mistake. Air can only go where the pressure is lower, i.e. the volume is
enlarged. and then it flows very quickly indeed. You cannot accelerate rhls process as it is u
tundamcnrat one of physics. If you give the air only a little space ncar the top, i.e. suck. you
gain only a small amount.
There are several strong sets of muscles in the body that are capabl:c of increasing the
lung volume and here men have the advantage. For t.hem it is much easier to use the ubdominul
muscles which pull down the diaphragm and with it the lungs. and this should be their normul
way of breathing. Women have far less control of these muscles and usc them only in all
emergency. The reason is a shortage of space in a woman's abdomen so thai the diuphragu:
when fluucned puts more pressure on tile organs. When we lie down the altered distribution (>1
weight makes this easier and then we usually breathe "correctly". This explains why sleep i~
more refreshing when one lies down than when one dozes off in a chair - morcso for womcn
than for men.
Women have to use the muscles attached to the lower ribs for most effective breathing.
111 my next article I will describe these more fully and suggest some exercises that will help in
using them more regularly.
Juunna Taylor. TYOC (from SCOOP). Joanna is a bassoonist as well as an orienteer.
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ODDS In' ENDS
"JII/~
..--:::.0-;:
The most recent issue of CompassSport
celebrates tbe 10th birthday of the magazlnc.
Ned Paul, the original editor, throws some
light on the trauma, the midnight-oil
burning and the other fun-filled moments in
the mag's career... Wick low National Park
announced: The Office of Public Works. which
already owns a substantial area around
Glend atough formerly the property of the
Forestry Department, plans to acquire more
areas of upland in Co. Wieklow to create a
National Park. Areas of forest will become
OPW properly when the tree crop is felled ...
World Cup Sprint-O in Denmark: Irish team
invited to travel but unlikely to be taking
part due to cost... A recent innovation at a
badge event in England was the provision of
photocopied map corrections which you could
take back to your car to put on your map in
comfort, like your control descriptions. How
come nobody else had the idea? ... SCOOP.
South Central's Own O-Paper in England has
revealed that the 1993 Jan Kjcllstrorn Trophy
at Easter will be in their area at Mytchett.
Woclmcr/Longrnoor. Ash Ranges and Long
Valley. These areas (in the Aldcrshot region?)
'// ,"'-
/,1' 'Ted says it always rains
wherever he is."
.~~
'J_"i.~'__:""'" .lJo''''''· ~
,/"
have familiar names from previous lK's and
provide fast running with small contour
features, tank tracks, etc. ... Night-O: why do
we have to have it in the winter only? Surely
there's scope for events later in the year if
we're prepared 10 stay up a bit later until it's
properly dark? ... Crusaders Athletic Club has
applied for affiliation to lOA, the first such
club to do so. Hopefully it will mean that some
more runners will get into orienteering and
may also have the useful side effect of getting
more orientccrs into running. AJAX have of
course been affiliated to BLE, and tile IHRA
have done the same ... A recent letter to
Orienteering North America was signed by
Mitch Collinsworth whose orienteering
affiliations rejoice in the names Syracuse O.
Club (SOC) and Syracuse Nordic O-Team .
Delightful!
MAPPING AWARDS
The British Orienteering Fcderation
has awarded ccrti ficates to Ian Jam ieson of
Lyo for his first map. Gosford Forest near
MarkethilJ in Co. Armagh, and to David Blair
for the cartographic excellence of his map of
Go rtin Glen used for the Senior Home
Intc rnat io n al and NI Championships l ast
October. Congratulations to you bothl
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