Great example of good positioning of the sheetmetal screws.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned in a past blog that my running buddies and I used to screw sheetmetal screws into the bottoms of our running shoes whenever the conditions got especially treacherous. Well, a good friend just sent me a picture of his newly enhanced running shoes and I thought I’d pass it along, so you could see how it’s done. Be sure to use 1/4″ screws unless you’re into S&M.

I was also recently sent a pair of Yaktrax to try out. I like them. They’re super easy to put on, they stay on, and they work great to keep you from slipping on ice or packed snow. They’re light weight and they don’t feel as weird under my feet as it thought they would. By that, I mean that my feet remain pretty flat in them. They don’t throw me off balance in any way and they don’t feel like I’ve got something strange stuck to the bottom of my shoe. I’d recommend them to anyone crazy enough to head out for a run regardless of how nasty the conditions might be…or how deep the snow.
All the best,
Danny

Since the release of Dr. Lieberman’s study I’ve had a few requests from folks wanting me to show my test results from a gait analysis I had done at the UVA human performance lab. They’re curious to see how my Ground Reaction Force (GFR) chart compares with the one shown in the Nature video showing a barefoot runner (I’m assuming Lieberman himself) landing on a strike plate with a GFR chart beneath.

In the tests I did at UVA, I was wearing three different pairs of shoes (I was never tested barefoot): tai chi shoes, NB-MF800’s and NB-790’s. I’ve pasted in three graphs below. The first two are of a barefoot runner running with a heel strike, a barefoot runner running with a forefoot landing and the third graph is of me with the graphs of all three of my tests overlaid onto the same chart in three different colors.

GRF for a Heel Striker

GRF for a Forefoot Striker

GRF for Danny

Notice the differences in GFR between the three runners shown as a multiple of Body Weight measured during the initial weight-bearing phase. The Barefoot runner had a multiple of 1.85 x Body Weight. To make the comparisons fair, let’s assume all three tests were done with a runner who weights 150 lbs., that would mean (with a GFR of 1.85 x Body weight) that his heels were absorbing a force of 277.5 lbs. upon impact. Let’s say that his heel has an area of 5 sq. inches. that would mean that his heels were experiencing an impact of about 55.5 lbs./sq. inch. Ouch!!!

In the second figure, the runner is landing on his forefoot and his GFR is 2.64 x Body Weight during his support phase which figures out to 2.64 x 150 lbs. = 396 lbs. Now let’s say that the area of his forefoot is approximately 16 sq. inches. That would mean that his foot would be absorbing about 24.75 lbs./sq. inch. … or less than half of what the heel striker feels.

In the third figure I’m landing in a midfoot (or fullfoot) strike which means that the entire bottom of my foot is landing as my foot hits the ground. My GFR was measured at 2.47 x Body Weight or 2.47 x 150 lbs. = 370.5 lbs. Now, if the surface area of the entire bottom of my foot is roughly 30 sq. inches. (I’m a size 9.5 shoe), that would mean that the impact felt by my feet would be approximately 12.35 lbs./sq. inch. or half as much as the forefoot striker. That’s less than 25% of the impact per square inch the heel striker feels and half of what the forefoot striker feels. You can also see that my GFR was the same no matter which shoes I was wearing. I imagine that it would still have been the same had I been tested barefoot… possibly implying that there’s something to be said for working on improving your running technique. It’s about the runner, not the shoe.

I’ve used 150 lbs. as a standard weight for all three runners because I don’t know how much Dr. Leiberman weights. I also used the size of my feet in my calculations because I also don’t know his shoe size. BUT, the point I’m trying to make here is that whether or not you run with shoes on, your impact with the ground will be most if you land in a heel strike because there’s a lot of force going into a relatively small area of your foot. Subsequently, if you land in a forefoot strike, you land with more area of your foot touching the ground and it spreads the force of impact over a larger area thereby reducing the amount of impact per square inch. And lastly, if you land in a fullfoot strike, you spread the impact out over a much larger area and lower your impact per square inch even more still.

Since greater impact with the ground can most likely be directly related to greater incidence of impact injuries, this all boils down to one big question. How do you lower your impact with the ground so that you don’t hurt yourself when you’re running. My premise is that although some types of shoes can reduce shock and impact, it’s the runner who, in the end, is responsible for learning how to manage his or her impact with the ground in a way that consistently works. This is the need that is presented to every runner and it is one of the main reasons why ChiRunning was developed.

Dr. Liebermans study was a good beginning into seeing the difference in impact forces between shod and barefoot runners. Next, I would like to see a study comparing the difference in impact between heel strikers, midfoot strikers and forefoot strikers; with bare feet, with minimal shoes, racing flats, and with your basic high-heeled running shoes.

There are times to run with a forefoot strike. There are times to run with a fullfoot strike. And, there are times to run (believe it or not) with a heel strike. I’ll cover these in a future blog.

Run well…be well,
Danny

They’re predicting that the days are going to be warming up this week, thank God. It’s been a difficult time for those of us who insist on doing our ChiRunning outdoors. I’ve still been going out regularly, but I must say, there have been a couple of days where the only thing urging me outside was my dog. When I have gone out for runs, I’ve limited them to a slower pace than I’m used to. There’s something about running in the cold that tells me it’s not the time to push the pace. With snowy vistas and sub-freezing temperatures outside my body is telling me to just stick with maintaining my aerobic base until conditions warrant going any faster. I’m fine with that.

Another reason I take it more slowly in the winter is for injury-prevention purposes. Running on refrozen slush or mud is an invitation for a rolled ankle, so I have to practice my “dance steps” through the rough spots while constantly searching out smooth running routes. One of the exceptions to the ChiRunning “rule” of always landing in a midfoot strike is that I negotiate most of the really rough, uneven sections while running on the balls of my feet. I know I’m on my toes for only brief periods, so I’m not worried about stressing out my calves or shins.

Wintertime has never struck me as a time to do anything fast. So, I just spend my time taking in the stark beauty that surrounds me, stopping occasionally to take in a view that is only offered during the winter months.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are richly endowed with deciduous trees, providing great shade and shelter from the rain in the hot summer months and mind-boggling colors in the fall, but which allow very few expansive views of the horizon anytime except winter. When I first moved here I felt claustrophobic when running trails. Having spent most of my life in Boulder and then in Northern California, I was used to seeing hundred-mile views on a daily basis. So, there are things about winter running here in Asheville that I appreciate.

I’ve also always enjoyed the quiet of running in the snow. Right after a fresh snow here are less cars, less people…and everything is covered with a white silence that feels deeply peaceful and calming. Winter is a time to go inward, to rest and gather for the coming spring, and the harsh weather offers us all the perfect opportunity to slow things down in many ways.

Have a great winter,
Danny

I got really spoiled living in California. I was in the Bay Area and I think I saw it snow maybe twice in the nine years I was there. Winter running there is no problem at all if you didn’t mind getting rained on every now and then. But now that I’m living in Asheville, NC where there’s actually some semblance of winter, I’m having to resurrect some of the adaptations to my running that I learned growing up in Colorado.

Here are a few clothing options for those of you who are adventurous enough to insist on running outdoors through the snowy and cold winter months. If you’re a beginning runner you might find some of these tips helpful. If you’re an old-timer, I hope you’ve figured some of this stuff out already. If you live in a temperate climate, you can skip this blog and thank your lucky stars. My next few blogs will be on alternatives to winter running…for those of you who wake up to snowy days finding that there is absolutely nothing in you that wants to go brave the elements.

Upper body layers
1.) I’ve found that a good, thick wicking, sip-front turtleneck top works great for any temperatures from 25º- 40º. If you have trouble maintaining body heat you can add a lightweight nylon vest with a high collar. Your arms don’t need as much protection from the cold as your torso does. If you’re still having trouble keeping warm add on a lightweight windbreaker over everything. It’s amazing how well you can heat and cool your body by merely covering or uncovering your neck and upper chest area to regulate your body temperature.
2.) Wear a good hat made of fleece, wool (ideally with a non-wool lining on the inside of the headband) or some other wicking material. It should be comfortable, stretchy and be able to completely cover your ears.
3.) Get some gloves that will completely block the cold air. I’ve tried every type of glove and mitten in the world to keep my fingers warm and I’ve found that insulated leather gloves work best in temperatures above 20º. For colder temperatures I have to resort to mittens, or I can forget about having any fingers when I get back from my run. You can stretch the lower range of your mittens or gloves by wearing liners.
4.) Cover your face if it’s below 20º out. If you want to stay healthy you have to protect your lungs from getting too much cold air. If you’re in a climate where you’re running in temperatures below 20º it’s also important to protect your nose and cheeks from frostbite (this suggestion is for you diehards). The best thing I’ve found for this is wearing a dust mask (also called a particle mask) available at most hardware stores. It’s worth it to pay for the higher quality ones because they won’t collapse against your face if they get wet from your steamy breath.
Lower Body Layers
1.) Running tights are great in temperatures between 20º and 55º depending on how sensitive your legs are to the cold. If it’s below 20º I’ll wear lightweight warm-up pants over my tights. (A note for men: the best thing for keeping your private parts from freezing off is to wear windproof briefs.)
2.) Smartwool socks…nothing works like these.
3.) A good way to block wind from freezing your toes is to cover the top of your socks (toe area) with good ol’ duct tape. Another option is to get some running shoes with Gore-tex uppers, which do the same thing. (it still amazes me that the shoe companies haven’t jumped on this obvious market need)
4.) If you run in icy conditions often you might consider taking one of your old pairs of running shoes and “equipping” them with ¼” sheet metal screws drilled into the bottoms. The screws aren’t long enough to stick into your feet and they’re much more practical than trying to run in something like Yak Trax.

All I can say is, if you’re going to run outdoors through the winter, be smart about it. It won’t help you a bit if your running program comes to a screeching halt because you’re either sick or nursing running injuries.
Stay warm,
Danny

I’d like to clear up a bit of confusion about #ChiRunning that seems to crop up every now and then. Some runners have come to ChiRunning workshops expecting their running to feel effortless by the end of the class. Then they write us afterwards and complain that they didn’t feel as though they got their money’s worth from the class.

I feel unequivocally confident in stating that ChiRunning can be effortless and injury-free, BUT the process of learning is distinctly not effortless. If it were, it wouldn’t be called a mindful practice. If anything in your life feels effortless, it means that you have already attained some level of mastery with it. And, it follows that if you want to master anything you must take the time to put a lot of practice and concentration into all aspects of it…mind, body and feelings…everything in your power to do the best with it that you can. We are all surrounded by a result-oriented, instant gratification society. But, if someone wants effortless running to come easy they’re missing the whole point of what we’re trying to teach.

Everyone’s body responds to learning something new in a very individual way. Some folks find it easy to feel the correct leg swing, while others find it easier to feel what good posture feels like. Are all of my runs effortless? Hardly. But the more I use the ChiRunning focuses the higher the odds are that my runs will feel effortless.

Mindful work takes immersion, concentration, surrender…and sometimes even a good dose of “suspended disbelief.” It’s not a path for lazy people and nothing that is truly life-changing happens overnight. There are exceptions to every rule, but we’re not marketing exceptions.

“The Practice becomes the goal.”

Danny

Another race day today. I ran in the Asheville Citizen Times Half Marathon. The week immediately following my 10K Trail Championship race I ran easy but hilly runs and then, since these two races were only two weeks apart, stepped right back into resuming by training for this race. In order to do race specific training, I did most of my training runs on the half marathon course, which is an extremely hilly course meandering through the neighborhoods on the north side of the city. I basically trained right up to the race, doing 6-7 mile runs every day (with the exception of a bike day) until the Friday before the race, when I “tapered.”

My strategy during my training runs and during the race was to use my legs as little as possible on all the uphill sections, while at the same time exaggerating the use of my upper body (forward armswing and increased lean). On the downhill sections my objective was to lean into the downhills and allow my stride to lengthen as much as possible. I was basically trying to run as fast as I could safely manage on all the downhills by cooperating with the pull of gravity.

On the uphills and flats I was also toying with a new concept I’m working on with my stride where I’m using my obliques to drive my pelvis (the active use of pelvic rotation) which in turn drives my legs. Running this way allows me to hold a good pace on the uphills without using any leg muscle per se because my legs become simply an extension of my pelvis. It is proving to work incredibly well, and tonight as I’m writing this blog I don’t sense even a smidgeon of fatigue or soreness in my legs. For those of you just learning the ChiRunning technique, I don’t advise attempting this technique until you are at the point with your running where you are adept at neutralizing your legs, using them strictly for momentary support between strides and never for propulsion. I’ll talk more about this technique in future blogs and I hope to incorporate it into future “advanced” ChiRunning courses. Let me know if you’d be interested in hearing more.

The physical details: I finished first in my age group with a chip time of 1:37:38, an average pace of 7:27/mile. I’m guessing the course had a total elevation gain of over 1000′. I ran the race in a pair of the new Newton shoe called the Isaac. We had absolutely perfect race weather with heavy cloud cover and temperatures in the 60’s-low 70’s. The race was extremely well organized and supported with aid stations about every mile and a half! The volunteers were fabulous.

If you’d ever like to run a challenging but beautiful 13-mile tour of Asheville I highly suggest training for this one. It’s right up there in my list of the most beautiful race courses.

Katherine and Journey and I were out on a run today around the lake near our house when we ran into a neighbor. As she stopped to say hi, she said, “I promised myself that the next time I saw you I’d tell you what has happened to me since you told me something at a neighborhood party last year. You told me to take it easy running the uphills and to let myself fly on the downhills. I always thought I had to work really hard to get up the hills so I wouldn’t lose any time in my races. But, you know what, since I’ve been following your advice and going easier on the uphills, I’ve actually been doing much better in my hill running. I’m not so tired at the top of the hill that I have to spend most of the downhill recovering my strength. Now I just treat the uphills like they’re the resting phase of my runs and I can blaze down all the hills and more than make up for any lost time.”

Then she continued, “I was in a leadership class last week and they were telling us all of the same principles… like, ‘maximize your strengths’ and ‘treat your weaknesses with respect.’ It’s all the same stuff that I’ve been practicing in my hill running and I find it working well in the rest of my life.”

It was so nice to hear her story and how she’s been using her ChiRunning practice to teach herself great principles to live by. For myself, the longer I practice ChiRunning, the more I find out that it’s not about the running. It always comes down to what I come away with, that I can then apply somewhere else in my life.

Let us know what transferable knowledge you’ve come across in your running practice. I’m sure everyone following this blog would love to hear your story.

All the best,
Danny

Yes, you can say you heard if first right here in the blog. All of my ChiRunning race-specific training paid off and I actually won my age group at the 2009 USATF National 10K Trail Championships last weekend. But, let’s be clear about this. It doesn’t mean that I’m the fastest 55-59 year old trail runner in the U.S. It just means that I was the fastest old guy who got it together to show up on race day.

The race was extremely enjoyable as well as being an extremely challenging experience. In the 6.2 miles of the course there were 1310′ of vertical gain (climbing) and the same amount of vertical loss (plummeting).
The race started literally on top of a mountain and was shaped like a cloverleaf where you had to descend the four sides of the mountain in separate loops, returning to the top of the mountain at the end of each loop. The best word I could come up with in describing the course was “treacherous.” It looked like it had been built by a work crew using only weed-eaters and pickaxes the week before and I had to rely on my wits (as well as my hands) to keep myself vertical a few times. The views were off the charts but, as you could guess, I didn’t have much time to take them in. I was busy using every ChiRunning focus in the book.

I don’t mean to sound like I didn’t like the course. On the contrary, I thrive in these conditions. I get to put everything in know to the test and this event felt like a final exam in a graduate course. I finished the race in 1:02:46, a mere 16 seconds behind my training partner, Billy Jonas. The winner of the race ran it in a totally unbelievable time of 39 minutes and some change. Do the math. That’s a 6:20/mile average for the course I just described! I figure the guy who won had one of three things going on: a.) he’s bionic… b.) he’s carrying a major death-wish… or c.) he forgot to do one of the required loops.

Hats off to Jason and his outstanding race crew for putting on such a “well-run” event. Y’all did a great job!

I’ll be running the Asheville Citizen Times Half Marathon on September 12th and I’ll be using the same race strategy…pass every gray-haired guy I can find.

Keep on Truckin’
Danny

In case you missed it, there was an article in last Sunday’s NY Times about how the “barefoot running” trend is effecting the shoe industry. Actually, it’s not so much a barefoot trend as it is a current upsurge in the questioning of the running shoe company’s ability to produce a shoe that actually has any effect on running injuries. ChiRunning was named as one of the organizations helping to promote good running technique and endorsing more of a minimal shoe approach to running.

The big debate is whether or not building more cushioning and structure into running shoes has the advertised effect or if it’s just another case of corporate marketing looking for an effective way to sell shoes to an uneducated populace. Well, in answer to the first part of the debate, as we’ve seen by the percentage of runners who get injured every year, nothing has changed since running shoes for the general public began being produced in the 1970’s. If anything, the injury rate has gone up. And, in answer to the second part of the big debate, yes, it seems to have been a very good marketing ploy that sold gazillions of shoes to people thinking that they’d be safe in their running by buying the right shoe.

I’m so thankful that articles like this are starting to surface in the national media. More attention needs to be paid by the shoe industry to make shoes that fit the needs of an ever-growing population of runners who are working on changing their running form, to prevent injuries, instead of thinking that the right shoe will do the job. For ten years now ChiRunning and ChiWalking classes have been teaching runners and walkers how to run and walk pain-free, injury-free and faster. Check out our schedule of classes if you’re interested. And, while you’re there, check out the results of a West Virginia University poll done with 2500 ChiRunners which reports remarkable findings on the effectiveness of running technique improvement on injury rates.

There are a number of forward thinking shoe companies out there that are working on producing less of a shoe and that’s good news for those of us who are no longer willing to suffer through the over-built “corrective” shoes that have been the norm since the running boom started in the ’70’s. actually almost all of the running shoe companies sell shoes that are perfectly good for the midfoot striker…but many runners are scared away by the model name “racing flat.” Most racing flats have all the great attributes a midfoot runner craves: lots of flexibility in the sole, great ventilation, very minimal lift in the heel and (until the secret gets discovered by the shoe companies) a cheap price. I wear NB-790’s which cost $45 online (while the supply lasts) and which, in the past few years, have been one of the best selling running shoes NB has ever produced. But, as with all great running shoes…they’ve decided to quit producing what I’ve considered the perfect shoe. Go figure. I’m now looking at FiveFingers, Adizeros, La Sportiva, and yes, even the Nike Free for the next “ideal” shoe.

Viva la revolution!
Danny

p.s. Since the article in the NY Times came out it is the 8th most emailed article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/business/30shoe.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Blog 8/24/09

Well this is it…the week I’ve been waiting for. The USATF National Trail Championships are this Saturday. I’ve booked my hotel room and downloaded a map of the course and I’m ready to roll. Last Saturday I did a Time Trial on my practice course. It’s roughly 6 miles long and very hilly trail running, so I figured it would be a reasonable mock-up of the actual race course (most likely easier than the real course which has 1300′ of vertical gain… and, of course, another 1300′ of loss as well). Three months ago best time on my practice course was just under an hour…58 minutes and some change. Last Saturday my training partner, Billy Jonas, and I ran it in 47:10 which tells me that all of my conditioning work is paying off. Since I haven’t been on the actual course, I’m not making any predictions on how I expect to do.

Here’s my race strategy. What I do plan to do is focus for the entire race on all the ChiRunning hill focuses I’ve been practicing… lots of upper body and arm swing on the uphills and as much speed as I can ask of these old legs on the downhills. As is traditional for me, I don’t plan to push the uphills much since that’s the place where most runners burn through their stored glycogen too quickly. I’ll be racing in a pair of La Sportiva Crosslite trail shoes designed for fell running. They’ve got incredible traction and they’re flexible, flat and lightweight…couldn’t ask for a better shoe for this event.

I’m taking it a little easier for the rest of this week…stoking up on my carbs and spending as little time sitting in my office chair as I can get away with (it’s deadly on my hamstrings and back). You’ll be the first to know how I do.

Happy trails,
Danny