As readers, you might get bored of how ecstatic I am after running. It’s not always that way, but recently, I have been truly euphoric after each running workout.

Why? Because I love to move my body, to be in control of how my feet touch the ground, where my eyes lead me, how my breath rate increases, how my heart pumps blood so loyally to my extremities.

I wish there was a way I could shout from the rooftops that “There is a way to move pain-free, injury-free and joyfully. Step right this way, and I’ll show you how!”

This morning I headed out around 7am with Oliver to do our normal park loop, about 30 minutes. Before we left, I did a full course of Body Looseners and really paid attention to my core, keeping it engaged the whole time I did the Looseners. I made a decision before I left to go as slowly as I needed to in order to feel GREAT at the end of my run, like I hadn’t even gone running at all.

And I succeeded! While I was running, I was just focusing on staying calm, breathing, and smiling. I let Oliver off the leash and he was absolutely hysterical, causing me to laugh, as he tore around the frosted grass and splashed in shallow frozen water puddles.

I actually didn’t focus on one particular thing, but just let my body be happy, let it move freely and relaxed. I don’t quite know how to explain how I felt; I’ve never felt that way before when running. It was incredible. I really almost felt like I wasn’t running at all. I simply Body Sensed being at peace.

Now I know what people mean when the write to Danny and Katherine about their success with running and say, “I ran for an hour and couldn’t figure out when I was going to get tired! I didn’t feel like I was doing anything at all!”

There really is something to be said about joyful movement. There’s a fine line between feeling like you’re doing nothing and doing nothing; I think that fine line is joy.

We went to see a show last night at a a local venue, and I had several moments of gratefulness for ChiRunning and ChiWalking and what they have taught me about learning to listen to my body:

1. The band last night consisted of a banjo player, a bassist, a guitarist, and a drummer. Once during each song, I would concentrate on trying to hear each instrument individually, singling it out from the other instruments playing at the same moment: for someone who has no musical talent, it’s a slightly difficult exercise.

   I realized as I was doing this exercise, that it’s very much like doing a Body Scan and listening to my body as I am walking or running: taking a moment to do a Scan, sense any tightness, recognizing it and letting it go.

   I am extraordinarily grateful for the knowledge of Body Scanning: every time something in my body needs attention when I am running or walking (or standing or sitting or washing dishes), I now have the skills to listen, to respond and to learn.

2. The venue where we saw music last night has very few seats. As a result, like most musical venues, we stood for the entire show, about 4 hours.

   Partway through the show, I realized that my back didn’t hurt at all, that my knees were soft, my core engaged and my feet felt perfectly normal. I can distinctly remember in years past, going to see shows, or walking through cities, or going to a museum and feeling absolutely wiped out after only a few hours.

   Thanks to ChiRunning and ChiWalking, I have learned to pay attention to my body all the time and am always prepared to listen and respond in order to keep my body happy, moving painlessly and without injury.

Over Thanksgiving, I have spent time on my feet in the kitchen, at parties, shopping, talking to friends. I have spend a lot of time walking as well, talking strolls with Oliver and Ivan. I can say that the entire holiday has been spent blissfully, listening to my body, learning what it needed, and responding with an appropriate Form Focus right in the moment.

What a gift! There are many of you who know what I am talking about. There are some of you who are learning… Just imagine how many people out there have yet to learn about the gift of pain-free movement!

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.

So, I had the pleasure of coming to NYC to assist Danny teach a workshop on Saturday in Manhattan. A great group of people enjoyed the day with us, and we were all thankful the weather held off and it didn’t rain!

I also had the pleasure of going for a run with Danny in Central Park this morning. After spending all day listening to his lessons yesterday, my head was full of ideas and things to focus on.

The weather was quite chilly and wet as we headed to the park. We were staying on the Upper East Side, and entered the park around 79th, took a tour up around the lake, then weaved our way down to Columbus Circle and then back up to 79th. Not sure how far we went, but it was a full hour and felt very good.

It’s fun to go running with Danny because it really teaches me to be accountable and make sure I’m really in form. I was focusing, as always, on keeping more lower abs engaged and kepping my crown nice and high. Those two focuses almost always do the ”trick” for me and really keep me in my body.

My right knee was  bit stiff starting out, so I kept focusing on not stepping past my hip and really allowing my pelvis to rotate behind me as I was running. After we got about 15 minutes into the run, my knee had loosened up.

We ran along the gravel paths most of the way around, which is more fun and scenic that running on the asphalt, and a bit more protected from the rain! As we turned around the south end of the park and headed north, we were facing a pretty signinficant headwind. By that time, my legs were starting to talk to me, and Danny had a great suggestion: “When the wind hits you like that, really let it take your legs out from you and blow backwards. Just imagine that the wind is blowing your legs behind you.”

The second I got that focus into my head, my ease of running improved immediately. I kept leaning into the wind, kept my core strong, and simply let the wind take my legs behind me.

It was a fun run, and compared to the last time Danny and I ran in Central Park together, I am pleased to say that I have learned a lot about myself, about running, and how to enjoy it all.

Saturday was gorgeous, despite all the rain.  (Seriously, people. If you don’t live in Asheville, I can’t possibly explain the amount of rain we’ve had this year. It’s incredible, and I realized that it’s suddenly autumn and I don’t feel like I really had a true summer.)

We had a great group at the workshop, and spent the day teaching the basics of the ChiRunning technique. The Pool Running Drill is so fun to teach, and I think it brings people out of their heads and into their bodies. If you have the new version of the ChiRunning book, check out this drill on page 100.  Also, the group found the Core Strengthening Exercise helpful, too, on page 74. Thanks to all our Workshop participants. It was great fun!

I have been going out for brief jogs with Oliver and trying to talk him as often as possible. Every time I go out with him, I prepare by getting really clear in my head that I am centered and in control of him and myself. I get my bones aligned and always do the Body Looseners. They’re so helpful and relaxing at the same time. I have felt very strong when I go out walking, and although I can tell my cardio-aerobic capacity is a bit less than it used to be, I am in my body and that feels great.

Recently, I have really been working on my chin down and pelvic rotation. I feel like my core is pretty well engaged most of the time when I am moving, and want to work a bit more on pelvic rotation. With all the hills around Asheville, the downhills are a great place to practice “sticky feet” while walking or running and letting my pelvis rotate and be relaxed.

I took Oliver for a solid 45 minute walk this morning. (That’s my cover for saying that I went for a 45 minute walk this morning.)

It was great. The mornings have been fresh and crisp around here lately and it’s such a nice time to walk. Plus, it makes me feel better knowing I have walked my little buddy a good distance, and have worked my own heart, too.

It’s funny; when I walk at a brisk pace, lately I have felt more aware of my body than I do when I run. I can’t quite explain what I mean, but it’s almost like my body talks to me more when I walk for exercise. I think it’s a function of running more for exercise than walking and that I’m honestly probably more cognizant runner than I am walker.

What a thing to think about! I walk all the time, every day, but when I walk for exercise, with the intention of raising my heart rate for a period of time, the whole scene changes for me. I am able to Gather chi by enjoying the vista and the sounds of birds and water running. I feel less able to issue that chi back through my body back into nature.

I still need to work a lot on my core engagement. And my upper body posture and alignment. Often I catch myself slouching (even as I sit and write this now) and constantly have to remind myself to get tall again.

So when I walk I want to think more about leading with my shoulders and really letting my legs lead. I am going to try using a visualization when I walk for the next week or so (whether it be to the printer or around the park) that my shoulders and eyes are what lead my body rather than my legs (the second one is Y’chi). So when I get out of my chair next (in 20 minutes when I leave, for example) I will imagine that my shoulders are the driving force behind my movement, rather than my legs.

I’ll let you know how it goes: core engaged, leading with the shoulders and eyes, legs relaxed and cooperating with the floor/road.

Yesterday morning I got an itch to go for a quick run, but also needed to get the dog exercised.

LIGHT BULB! Take the dog running with you! Well, he’s just now 6 mos old so I’ve been waiting until he gets a bit bigger. But I figured it couldn’t hurt and he certainly has plenty of energy to burn.

Oliver was looking at me very strangely when I did the Body Looseners, especially the Gumby arm-flinging one. He literally cocked his head sideways and watched me.

We went to Carrier Park, a loop he’s familiar with. I tied the leash around my waist and started off running very slowly, really trying to focus mostly on myself and my own running form, but having awareness around this 4-legged companion running alongside. [Note: Mei Ling, the Dreyer's dog, is an amazing creature to watch when she's running. While I am certain Oliver will be an excellent running companion for me, he's no Mei-Ling, just like I'll never be a Danny Dreyer!]

Since I had the leash around my waist, it brought extra attention to my core muscles, encouraging me to keep them engaged the whole time I was running. Since I was able to keep my arms moving, I focused on keeping them at 90 degrees with rearward momentum. I also thought about keeping my lower legs limp and loose. I didn’t want the dog’s presence or excitedness to transfer to tenseness in my legs.  The whole run felt really good. It was about a 1.5 mile run altogether with a little bit of walking on either end and, of course stretches. During a few low grade downhills I opened up my hips and sped up a bit. Oliver took it all in stride (pun intended) and switched from a canter to a gallop. He looked up at me as if to say, “Now we’re talkin’!”

My knee has been in really good shape lately. The shorter distances are suiting me well, and since I don’t have anything specific I am training for, it’s just about the process and experiment of running just for the sake of it.

For those of you with dogs, if they’re in good enough health to take running or walking, I highly encourage it. Danny and Mei go out running everyday together, and Katherine often takes Mei running and walking, too. She’s one of the happiest dogs I’ve ever met, and as you all know, the Dreyer’s are certainly happy and healthy.  What a model to follow!

I was in Colorado this weekend for a friend’s wedding, and proudly brought my running gear to head out for a short run on Saturday morning.

Denver is the Mile High City: elevation 5, 280. I grew up there, so I have a fair advantage of a few more red blood cells than sea-level dwellers, and because Asheville is about 2,100 feet.

In any case, I went for about a two mile run around the neighborhood and flood plain where I grew up. I have distinct memories of riding my bike and (dreadfully) running the same route years ago. It was such a visceral moment remembering the frustration I felt when I used to run that it sort of alarmed me. But it ended up being a great quick jaunt through memory lane.

It’s a basically flat course, with a few gradual hills. Always aware of my chin now, I kept my crown high and my core engaged and my stride short. When I finally got into a rhythm, I switched my focus to pelvic rotation: because there were a few downhills, I was able to get a pretty good-feeling pelvic rotation and could tell that my feet were landing underneath/behind me and not in front of my on the downhills. That was great feeling.

I passed a few other runners and walkers to whom I desperately wanted to shout, “ChiRunning, follow me, ChiRunning, follow me! I can show you the way!” Strange, I know.

The funny part was at the wedding: I chatted with a few friends/neighbors who said, “Liz, I saw you running in the flood plain today. Was that you? You looked good!” Jaw dropped. Really? You saw me? And I looked decent? I got a good chuckle out of that one.

I did my Body Looseners and walked before running, and walked a bit and stretched after running. I felt great, no soreness, no knee pain, no side aches, just a bit of breath shortness because of altitude. Hoorah!

(I was sore the next day from dancing for 4 hours straight, though… next up: ChiDancing!)

So, remember I last blogged about lovely crisp mornings here in Asheville? Well, I must have been mistaken. When I got finished with my short run this morning I was stretching and noticed that I was literally steaming from my head. Granted, I have a large forehead… It was steamy hot this morning, and very muggy. When I was doing my Body Looseners before I got started, I got attacked by mosquitoes (they love my blood).

Bless Carrier Park in all its flatness. I walked down there and did two laps around. It’s just over 3 miles if you go twice around, like a 5k. I don’t know how long it took me, and I don’t mind!

I started with these focuses: tall crown, engaged core, 90 degree arms. I have a tendency to pull my arms up, so it’s really helped me to start running by standing still and then falling, but setting up the 90 degrees first and then recognizing as soon as I start how low it is compared to how I tend to bend my arms if I don’t think about it. I also worked on a short stride and relaxing my pelvic region to let my legs go behind me to help out my precious knees. No twinge of knee pain whatsoever. !

I wish you could all see Danny run. Seriously, I don’t mean to gloat because I get to see him at his best, but the man is so beautiful when he runs. I sometimes find myself imagining his form when I go running and try to emulate it. I don’t think  I do very well, but it’s fun to try.

I tried to take it easy with my breathing. I recognized about 1/2 way through that I was “efforting” too much, and using my lower legs to propel. I immediately let off and let myself fall. I could tell my PRE changed very quickly and I was able to pick up the pace just a touch by relaxing more. What a gift!

I might go for another run on Sunday. It’s feeling so good again, I am totally reinvigorated and hopeful and mindful of what’s been going on with my body and trying to honor it. I do notice, however, that my PRE is much elevated compared to several months ago… so I take it with a grain of salt because I know what I am capable of. I just have to get out there again!

Standing over a bowl of cereal and a Sudoku puzzle after my run, I rolled a frozen juice can alternately on each foot to help out my plantar fascia. It hasn’t bothered too much lately, but I certainly don’t want to nuture it.

Bon weekend folks!

Hi all!

Seattle was great. The Expo was fantastic (great to see all of you runners there!) and the weather on race day was wonderful; sunny and fairly cool. Sarah and I were in a rearward corral and waited almost an hour to cross the start line, but we kept a positive attitude and enjoyed the many other walkers and runners and the beautiful sunshine.

It was a really lovely course, with enough hills but nothing too killer. Sarah and I walked, but threw in a couple of run “breaks” for good measure. I focused a lot on trying to keep my forward stride short, and the end of my stride long, extending rearward, aided by good pelvic rotation. I kept my core engaged the whole time (that afternoon my core muscles were sore!) and I think that helped alleviate stress on my knee. I kept my arms moving at a nice clip and we definitely made sure to slow down for a picture-op or to listen to the many great bands that were along the route.

The “C” Shape is something I constantly need to work on, and so I spent a great deal of time reestablishing my form during the race using the “C” Shape imagery: core engaged creates the bottom of the C, crown tall/chin down creates the top of the C.

About mile 11, the bottoms of my feet started to hurt. I did a Body Scan, and after a few minutes, was certain my form was in very good condition. I believe the amount of time on my feet the two days prior at the Expo, put some strain on my feet that I wasn’t adequately prepared for.  Sarah and I made it to the finish line in a respectable 3:07, where I soon propped up for a leg drain and ate a banana. We walked back to the hotel gingerly and spent the afternoon lounging around the hotel floor, stretching and rubbing our legs out.

The next several days I had some soreness in the bottoms of my feet (but no where else!), which extended to the lateral side of the top of my feet. Plantar fasciitis was trying to rear its nastiness on my feet. With a couple good doses of Advil, rolling golf balls under my feet and staying off my feet, the plantar seems to be almost back to normal. For those of you who have suffered from plantar fasciitis, I have the greatest sympathy and understanding. And for those of you who haven’t had it, do everything you can to avoid it. As Danny says, “There are a few things in this world I would not wish on my worst enemy.”

Thank you for supporting me along the way, folks. I appreciate it greatly. I’ll keep posting about my running and walking practices, which I am excited to keep developing and deepening. Ivan and I got a dog, too, so that’s sure to keep me motivated for daily walks and runs.

Here’s the keeping yourself centered with mindfulness and strength.