In the past week, I’ve gone running three times. Lately, that’s a lot for me! I’ve been making the time to get outdoors and enjoy the crisp fall mornings.

Sunday I went running for 3.8 miles with the dog, surprising myself, and the dog as well. We had great weather that morning and going running sounded like just the perfect thing to do. I was focused only on not stepping past my hip and landing midfoot. I felt great the entire run, and couldn’t believe when I got home to map it that we’d run that far; I felt like I’d barely done anything!

Yesterday morning, I took Oliver the dog and went running at the park near my house, where we happened upon a Great Blue Heron standing in a puddle of water, the remains of three days of solid rain. Oliver stopped dead in his tracks and simply watched in awe, as did I. That was a nice way to start the morning.

Then, today, I went running with 5 other Certified Instructors; this weekend is an Instructors-only event here in Asheville, to work on our form, our teaching, and our business practices… I took them to one of my favorite little forest areas that Danny introduced me to. My focuses were landing midfoot, and on the trails, keeping my lower legs as limp as possible. I can distinctly remember, not too long ago, when the idea of trail running with other people would have been absolutely out of the question for me. What progress, thanks entirely to ChiRunning.

It was a glorious morning for ChiRunning, and when we finished, I felt so inspired and refreshed. I usually run solo, so running with others was very nice. I highly encourage any of you who usually run solo to try to find the right time and place and partner(s), and have a bit of a social time. It was so much fun to go running together, watching our forms, commenting, speeding up and slowing down, laughing and enjoying moving our bodies together, painlessly and joyfully.

Thanks everyone!

As you’ll see from the photo on the November newsletter, Asheville is ablaze with color. As the leaves fall to the ground, they bring the color to our feet… combine the leaves with rain, however, and you get a somewhat treacherous path.

We took Oliver for a hike yesterday in the drizzling rain. We went up the Blue Ridge Parkway to a nice area of the mountains. We encountered other dogs along the way, which is always fun to watch: they tear up and down the path, apparently oblivious to rocks, black mud, slippery leaves and steep drop offs. Ah, the joys of being on the trail!

I discovered something about shoes: I tend to wear the NB 790s all the time when I hike or run. Yesterday, because of the rain, I chose to wear a different pair, a cross between a hiking boot and a running shoe. They’re very comfortable, but have a much thicker bottom than the 790s. I found myself moving much more slowly than I normally do, somewhat terrified of falling down the slippery slopes. To counteract the “negative” effect my shoes were having on my mobility, I focused on a few simple things:

• Small steps, making sure to land on a solid piece of ground, with as much of my foot as possible.
• Keeping my core engaged. The more I kept my core engaged, the more I was able to maintain balance and center my hips over my feet, to prevent slipping.
• Kept my eyes alternately looking up and forward (Y’chi) and keeping my eyes on the ground, watching where my feet should go.
• Limp lower legs: it sounds difficult to do on a slippery surfaces, but the more I kept my core engaged, and trusted my balance and foot placement, the less I needed to effort with my legs. So especially when traveling uphills, I just tried to imagine that my leg muscles weren’t engaging. Like if I had a pair of magical muscle-watching goggles, I wouldn’t see any shift in effort in my leg muscles as we walked uphill along rocks and roots and leaves.

Of course, I also had to keep my knees a bit soft as Oliver loves to tear around the trail and I didn’t want to get clipped and end up on my rear-end… What fun to watch him! It’s so inspiring to see my dog run, as Danny has mentioned about running with Mei Ling. There is so much joy that comes from moving freely.

Go out there and move happily and freely. There are very few other feelings quite as liberating.

Oliver trodding happily on the leaf-covered ground.

Certainly, there are days that are easier than others. Today, I had planned to run 10 miles, but it appears from the map that I cut it a little short. About 9.69 miles in 1:45. Not great, but a little better than last week, I think.

This route is all uphill and then all downhill. I’ve done it in the past, and ran it at lunch (long lunch!) sometime last winter. I remember it going a bit better than today.

The going was steep at the beginning, and so I just took it very easy, really let my legs just get warmed up with small steps. I used my arms as much as possible and really tried to keep my core engaged for the whole run. My heart was pumpin’ pretty good, but I felt really pretty good. I practiced focusing my y’chi and it is amazing how it just simply pulls you in. I felt good until about mile 5.5, when the steady downhill just started to do a number on my knees. I tried to really make my lower legs move in circles, and landed on my heels a bit more on the steeper parts. I think the real problem is the lack of total mileage I have put on my legs in between my long sets of running. The circular heels helped for a little while, but eventually I just had to slow way down and take it easy.

The last part of the route is flat, and I felt better during that part. I was able to really stretch my legs out and right now, my knees don’t hurt too much. I did sit most of the day after my run on the back of a motorcycle, so I got a little stiff, but the sharp pain I felt before in my right knee is no where to be found!

I suppose I am not the best model right now for how to train for a 1/2 marathon! I will say that as much as I do love to run, I love other things (hobbies) as well. Things around the office have been extraordinarily busy and I have been poor at managing my time to get out the door for mid-week runs. I feel very confident about my abilities as a runner now, though signing up for Seattle was probably not the smartest thing I have ever done. I am excited about it anyway, and will have a great time at the expo and with all the fellow ChiRunners out there.

Really looking forward to hearing from those of you who are going to be there. You’ll come by the booth, right?

Bent Creek is lovely. It’s a mainstay for me when I go running. I know the terrain, I know the parking areas, I know the hot/cold areas, I can get flats and hills, trail and gravel… It’s a great place to go running.

So I went out there today. My dad was in town for a couple of days, so on the way back from the airport, I decided to just go do my run @ Bent Creek. I did almost 8 miles (I think, this mapmyrun.com is great, but the maps aren’t always really clear.) In any event, this is the closest approximation I have for what I ran.

Started off running about 9.30 am, which was a little later than I like to start, but luckily it wasn’t too hot. I ran into a bunch of other runners (not literally, but there were a ton of people out there today). It was nice to see some smiling, happy faces on people running by. I hope I looked as happy as they did. Sometimes I wish I had a running buddy, but on the long runs, I really like to go at my own variable pace…

Since I wasn’t sure where I was running exactly (I was going for time, 80 minutes), I just tried to focus on my form, really thought about keeping my pelvis level, my chin down (crown of my head high) and not letting my feet land in front of my hips. I had bursts of energy here and there and used the downhills to my advantage and went quickly.

I would say overall I felt really great. I hate to admit this, but since last week (about 7.5 miles) I hadn’t run at all, not all week! So I wasn’t sure how today would go, but I think it went okay. The race in Seattle is hilly, so I am going to try to make my next long training runs on/near/including hills to make sure I can hack it.

Really looking forward to running the 1/2 in Seattle, though a little disappointed that I won’t be going faster than Houston. I guess that’s not the ultimate goal, because all I really want to do is finish the 1/2 marathon with a smile on my face…

My knee is talking to me a little bit this afternoon, but a little arnica creme and some careful walking is taking care of that.

I feel like everytime I write a new post, it’s about running in the rain.

So, guess what? I did my LSD run in the rain today… I ran this route, about 7.5 miles. Wasn’t sure when I left to go running this morning how I was going to do. Surprised myself with it, and am glad to say that it went well.

It’s a hilly route, and the hills are pretty steep. As I was running, I was trying to imagine any knee pain that might come about, and really thought about not letting my foot land in front of my hip. I was really working the uphills with my arms, trying to imagine that my legs were very small and not requiring lots of oxygen. When I got to the top of the hills, I kept running, kept leaning: it’s a great little trick to KEEP leaning into the hill as you crest them as you are running. Danny taught me that when we ran together months ago, and I can’t explain it, but it really works to keep your momentum going after finishing an uphill running section of a route.

I didn’t take my watch with me today because I knew the route was about 7 miles and wasn’t concerned with what time it took, I just wanted to make sure that I got the distance running in for the week. Starting last week with 6 miles, each weekend LSD from now until the taper week will be one mile longer than the previous.

Last week was supposed to be 6 miles, but I couldn’t hack it and only ran 5… then this week I managed to run 7.5, and next Sunday is 8 miles. We’ll see how that goes.

I discovered something today: I get bored on flats. Yep, bored. My parents always told me when I was young that “anyone who is bored is boring” so I have always avoided using that term, but I couldn’t think of anything else.

I guess I could play with my Gears more, but on an LSD run, I just want to get through it safely and with enough energy at the end to make it home without walking. I suppose music might make flats are more tolerable… but thankfully the Seattle race is pretty darn hilly. Looking forward to it!

Hope you all are doing well and that your spring training is going well.

I can’t get over how lovely the mornings are this time of year… Brynn and I hauled ourselves out of bed this morning at met @ 6.30 to fit in a quick running workout before work.

We did this route, which we’ve done before… it’s around town and pretty consistently hilly. We ran it in about 26 minutes, and it’s just shy of 3 miles, so we had a pretty decent running pace.

Miraculously, my knee doesn’t hurt yet, as I think my Form Focuses are helping me get through these runs more mindfully and without hurting myself.

I don’t have a whole lot to report, except that running up the first hill, I was feeling my legs beginning to beg for air, so I shortened my stride and worked my arms harder… lo and behold, my legs chilled out and I felt pretty good. I was focusing on ‘tracking’ my feet so that big toe/pinky toe left the ground at the same time. I think that’s helping my knees. I also know I am trying very hard to focus more and more on not letting my feet hit past my hip. It’s such a strange sensation, but gosh my knees really appreciate it.

Thanks for reading, folks. Here’s to cool mornings! … and as Brynn said, “It feels so nice to get running out of the way and done with. And major bonus, I started work only 15 minutes later than normal!  Score!”

I like to have it out of the way, but I really actually do like the act of running, too…

It was an absolutely stunning day yesterday. I got out on my running route at 8.30 am, when it was still cool.

I ran this very hilly 6.16 mile route. It’s all uphill for the first part and then all downhill for the 2nd part. The downhill run is more gradual than the uphill portion, so I got a very sufficient cardio-aerobic workout in.

I went running on this route during lunch time in October. Just to show you the change in my conditioning level: at that time, I ran the 6 miles in 60 minutes (last ~.16 was a cool down walk), but when I went running yesterday, I pooped out at mile 5 at about 57 minutes and walked the last mile. Quite a bit slower, wasn’t it? I reread my blog about running this route last fall, and had described it as “glorious”. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say that yesterday.

I think I had eaten some funky food the day before and it was having an effect on my belly, so my running was compromised. The neighborhood that I ran in is lovely and a ton of Chi flows around Asheville, so I felt good about that… Overall, I felt alright, but certainly not great. I really tried to keep my arms pumping on the uphills, keeping my stride very short. Running on hills forces my stride to be shorter, which helps my knee. Good lesson there.

I felt great to have gone running yesterday, and managed to get in a good stretch afterward.

Here’s to the hills!

hey folks.

went running this morning. it was a lovely day, and I was glad I went.

It was also a bit rough, but I added a good hill and still managed about 3 miles in 33 minutes, so I felt okay about it! Danny wrote a pretty important article awhile ago about running hills. Read it here, it’s a great set of focuses/thoughts to get you through the tough ones.

The thing about running is that I can do it now and not feeling like I am dying. Really, when I was running along today, (jogging, really) I realized that I didn’t hurt. I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to curl up and sit on a bench and not take another step. Even though my poor heart and lungs are feeling a bit creaky, I could still do it, I could still feel good about getting up early to go running, to see the sun rise. My muscles felt fine, and I just tried to take it easy.

Danny has a great video blog on avoiding heel strike when running, which he says is best done by not stepping past your hip. When he first told me about this last fall, I didn’t like it. It didn’t seem natural, but now, as I keep my core engaged, keep my head tall, and take small, baby steps, I can feel what he is talking about.

I focused on keeping my neck long, crown high, arm swing at a true 45 on flats, using an exaggerated arm swing on the uphills, and on some of the hills I ran sideways, as described in the book.

Here’s to never giving up running. I will get out there again soon.

… so while most of Asheville was gearing up for St. Patty’s Day celebration by drinking green-tinted beer, I went for a run with Brynn.

I have one word: Rough.

Don’t ever stop running. I am totally motivated now to not take such a long ‘break’ from running. I could totally feel it today, and even though we only really ran about 3 miles, it was rough. We weren’t particularly slow (given my lack of training) but still, it was uncomfortable.

But, I still felt leagues better and more efficient than I used to when I was a non-enlightened runner.

We ran this route, which I have run before, but we shortened it just a bit. It was probably closer to 3.4 or 3.5 miles, which STILL put us at a good 10 minute pace, but I could just feel it.

At the end of my training for the first 1/2 marathon, I had about a 165-170 HR and fairly low PRE (4 or 5 on a scale of 10) for a similar run. This time, my heart rate peaked at 185 and my PRE was about 6, pushing 7. I even got a little nauseated at the end, which was annoying and alarming.

This route has some pretty minor false flats, but I could feel them, and just used my arms as best I could to keep my momentum going. I concentrated on high ankles to create a midfoot strike. I tried to stay nice and tall, too, which I noticed at the end really helped my lean be more efficient and I had a last minute burst of quickness to finish off the run.

I am gonna get out there again tomorrow, I believe. Apparently Seattle is not the flatest route, and I have great training tools here in Asheville with all of these crazy hills.

There are a bunch of ChiRunners participating with me at the Expo and the race, so please holler if you’re going to be there, too.

Here’s to NEVER STOPPING. Ever. It’s way too hard to start again.

it’s been rainy and overcast for several days in Asheville. I woke up this morning thinking of Gene Kelly singing ‘Singin’ in the Rain!’ and so, I think it’s an appropriate song to adapt to running. What do you think?

I’m [running] in the rain
Just [running] in the rain
What a glorious feelin’
I’m happy again
I’m laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun’s in my heart
And I’m ready for [running!]
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I’ve a smile on my face
I [run] down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just [runnin'],
[Runnin'] in the rain

I think it’s perfect. My friend Brynn and I headed out in the cloudy gloom yesterday late afternoon, about 4 pm. It was raining, but fairly light and we thought, why not? Anyway, we tried to go to the Blue Ridge Parkway where a trail leads off the road; I took a little hike there a couple of weeks ago, but unfortunately, when we arrived to the Parkway, it was blocked at the first entrance. We decided to just go ahead and run anyway on the road (no cars, right?!) and go until we were ready to turn around.

It was uphill the entire 1st half of the run, curvy and windy up the mountain. We actually did really well, and I felt surprisingly good for how little I have run in the past couple weeks (sigh). I really started easy and kept it that way for the whole run. I didn’t feel to bad, and the sinus business I have been battling for the last 7 days wasn’t too problematic.

I focused on really keeping creepy slow, small legs, small strides and big arms. I was also really trying to just lean into the hill and feel what it was like to let the gravity and the road pull me along.

I really felt good and today I feel good too. I am not sore, not achey, nada. So wonderful! I STILL can’t believe when I ‘just go out for a run’ that I don’t have any soreness or pain during or afterward. It’s a true miracle. I have a friend who was on the triathlon team with me in college, (maybe I’ve written this before) but she is as astonished as I am with how easy running is for me now.

I can’t wait for the warm weather. I think I’ll be out there more than I have been lately. I have to confess that with the lack of running, I notice that my pants which fit very loosely about 6 weeks suddenly fit again. Hmmm… I suppose I need to do a little something about that!

I have been going to the gym, lifting weights, going on the stationary bike, going to yoga class, etcetera. Running just takes the cake for keeping those few annoying pounds off, though.

Danny wrote a really good article about weight loss and how running/eating habits can work together. Click here to read it.

On the downhill part of yesterday’s run, I kept leaning, kept relaxing, tried to play with my pelvic rotation and keeping my feet behind my hips. Danny did a video blog about that recently. Click here to watch it.

Here’s to keeping on your feet, keeping that body moving, and still enjoying food (but maybe in smaller quantities for Liz!)