Recently there has been a lot of discussion on the concept of running barefoot. There are some purists who suggest we should all be running barefoot, period. Personally, I don’t care for the word ’should’ in any context. It implies someone else telling us what to do or be, when we all have to decide that for ourselves.

But can we just go run barefoot? To help you answer this, consider how long it has been since you ran barefoot. 20 years, 40 years, 60 years?; most of us have not been running barefoot since we first learned how to run as toddlers (*). How many years of shoes, dress shoes, high heeled shoes, perhaps periods of inactivity, or of modern running shoes do you have in you? These are just a few examples of all the stimulus the body is adapting to every minute of every day. This adaptation happens slowly and if we want to reverse the resulting changes in posture, muscle strength, flexibility, balance and confidence; then (more…)

Its week 13 of marathon training and I have managed to keep up with the marathon training plan more or less.  I’m not quite where I should be in terms of the length of my longer runs due to other demands on my time and as the long run is the most important part of marathon training, I will have to decide at some point if my April marathon is too soon.  

Running continues to get better and better.  I am running more often and for longer which gives me the opportunity to practise even more.  The habit of engaging my core and staying aligned has become deeply ingrained.  (more…)

In a previous post (Running Motion for a Midfoot Strike), the ChiRunning motion was described as a midfoot (full-foot) landing with a heel lift/knee bend. Along with this motion, it is also very important to keep the legs and feet relaxed.

Running with a relaxed midfoot (full-foot) strike allows a subtle forward lean (fall) from the ankles to propel you forward with no resistance. If the legs/feet/ankles are holding tension, then the hinge (ankle) is stiff which acts as a brake against your forward fall. Relaxation also removes a significant amount of stress from the lower legs and feet. The statistics indicate that 65-80% of all runners get injured each year in some way. And most of those injuries are at the knee and below. Could it be that we are asking a relatively small part of our body to do a very big job? If we can relax the lower legs and feet, then we can (more…)

In my last post the plan was to follow a pain free marathon training program from ChiRunning in order to prepare for the Nashville Marathon on April 24th, 2010, and I have started that training which is now into the fourth week of base training, with a slight twist.

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In ChiRunning, the approach is to land midfoot (full-foot) under your column and create a wheel slightly behind your column with your heels/feet. Visually, this running motion is similar to the Road Runner cartoon.

To create this wheel, the focus is to allow the knee to bend and to not consciously lift the knee. Lifting the knee can bring the leg forward; and allow the foot to move horizontally and land in front of the body. Bending the knee creates an arc with the heel and keeps the heel/foot moving vertically. See the diagram below showing this orange arc. (more…)

A student said to me during the week, when we were talking about their running form, “I don’t think I can change.”  I just want to say to anyone out there learning ChiRunning that you absolutely can change. You have it within your power.  If you are diligent about practising the form focuses as often as you can, integrating them into your daily life and your running at every opportunity, you will form new movement habits that will allow you to enjoy running more and be able to run injury free for the rest of your life.  It takes discipline and effort to improve though.  (more…)

It’s week 4 of marathon training and it’s not been a good week as I managed to pick up one of the many bugs which seem to be affecting everyone I know, as a result I wasn’t able to run for a week - a whole week!  Running is part of my life and now that I can run injury free, it is rare that I cannot go out running so I found it frustrating to say the least.  However, on the bright side, there is always something I can be doing to practise my running form.

This week’s goal in the Beginner Marathon Training Program form phase was Passive Lower Legs.  During the time I was unable to run, I was able to practise some of this week’s form focuses when out walking.  Limp lower legs, relaxing everything below the knee: calves, shins, ankles, feet and toes; the slow motion walking exercise and circular feet amongst others. (more…)

The way we stand and move are habits formed over time from our life experiences. Making adjustments to your posture and motion will take time; but with consistent focus and practice, not nearly as much time in which those habits were formed.

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When I first picked up a ChiRunning Book about four years ago - in pain, injured, frustrated and confused; I first realized my running philosophy was a bit off and then I realized my running technique was a bit off also.

On the surface, ChiRunning is about adjusting running technique to improve efficiency and prevent injury. Underneath, ChiRunning in rooted in simple principles of nature that if applied can dramatically change your running experience.  The same is true for ChiWalking and your walking experience.
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Many of us have heard the concept of “running is a metaphor [or mirror] for life”.

There have been many ways to apply and learn from this concept. Just Google the phrase and you will see many posts on the subject.

A few days ago a great quote came across my path:

“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are” ~ Chinese proverb

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