Chi Living Blog

LA Times reviews the metronome as a great tool for runners.

2009-06-29T05:59:17+00:00

Here is an excerpt from the L.A. Times fitness article giving a glowing review of the Seiko DM-50 metronome as a crucial tool in any runner's arsenal:

Seiko DM-50 metronome: Not an athletic product per se, but a musical instrument aid seen in orchestras, this clip-on beeper provides an audible marker for runners aiming for an ideal cadence.

Likes: It works. A favorite tool of top L.A.-area coach Steve Mackel and other adherents of the popular ChiRunning method, the metronome's high-pitched squeak trains runners to increase their cadence to an ideal rate of 180 steps per minute. The higher the cadence, the lower the fatigue and injury rate, because time on the ground with each foot strike is minimized. The quantity of beeps is adjustable from 30 to 250 per minute, and volume is also adjustable. Weighs 1 ounce and clips on the waistband of running shorts.

Dislikes: None.

Price: $24.95-$34.95. (800) 586-3876; http://www.metronomes.net/SeikoDm50.htm
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You can view the original article by subscription or purchase only here, at latimes.com >>

Resources to help you master the Chi Running basics:

Seattle Rock n Roll Expo!

2009-06-25T10:07:42+00:00

… here we come!

I arrived in Seattle last evening, and am headed out the door in a few moments to set up the booth.

Look forward to seeing some of you at the booth today and tomorrow, and great luck with the 1/2 and full marathons!

A bunch of ChiRunning fans will be on the course, and we hope you’ll come by the booth to say hello!

Trail Running and Poison Ivy

2009-06-23T11:29:55+00:00

I’ve received a lot of ChiRunning email lately responding to my blogs about trail running. One topic that has popped up more than once is poison ivy, that nasty little plant that loves to make your skin look like an overcooked cheese pizza. I’m highly allergic to it, so I can empathize with all of you out there who spend a good part of your summer running in places other than your favorite trails, because they’re covered with the stuff. I flatly refuse to let a little toxic plant ruin my trail running so I spend a couple of hours a week covered from head to toe, in 80º heat, clearing trails near my home here in Asheville. I’ve never run in a place where poison ivy is the predominant ground cover.

Apart from resorting to clearing trails, I have found a great way to prevent the onset of a rash or to cure an infestation before it grows into a full-blown systemic case (which has happened every summer since I moved here three years ago).

Here’s what I do. When I return from a run where I know I’ve brushed up against poison ivy, I immediately throw all my running clothes in the washing machine with plenty of soap and a small amount of bleach…even my shoes! I then take a shower and pretend that I’m trying to scrub my skin off of my bones, using plenty of soap. I use a soap made from Jewel Weed which is an antidote for poison ivy, but any strong soap will work. Never take a bath after being in poison ivy or if you have an existing rash! Always take a shower.

As soon as I get out of the shower and dry off, the first thing I do is swab my legs with hydrogen peroxide to neutralize any oil residue that might still be on me. So far (knock, knock) I haven’t had a single case of it this year…and I’ve waded through plenty of it!
If I happen to get a rash (it starts of as little blisters on your skin) I immediately reach for the hydrogen peroxide, in which I soak cotton balls, and scrub the little blisters hard enough to break them. Then I repeat the hydrogen peroxide scrub about 4-5 times a day until the rash dries up and goes away. This technique has worked 100% for me and since I discovered it at the end of last summer. Since then I’ve never had a case of poison ivy last for more than about 3 days, which is completely acceptable compared to the usual 3 weeks (after a round of steroids) it used to take to get over it. So, now you don’t have to let a little poison ivy stop your summer trail running fun, you can go running in the hills to your heart’s content.
Happy trail running,
Danny

Running Seattle has turned into Walking Seattle!

2009-06-19T12:27:19+00:00

Hi all -

I have decided that I still want to participate in the race in Seattle next week, but will be walking instead. Fellow Instructor Sarah Young and I will proudly ChiWalk the music-filled, fun Seattle course together, donning ChiWalking coolmax shirts!

There have been so many lovely comments from all of you, and I am inspired to get deep and listen to my body. “She” wants to run, but walking is the smarter more gradual choice right at this moment.

Who knows, maybe while we’re walking the 13.1 miles of the race I’ll have a breakthrough by listening and responding to my body continuously and have the chance to get to the bottom of it. I have heard so many fellow ChiRunners and ChiWalkers say that by listening and responding they’ve had “ah-hah” moments and been able to achieve another level of understanding. I think of this as an opportunity to get better at listening, and by walking, I believe I am taking the first step.

I took a nice walk yesterday morning and jogged for a couple of minutes throughout. I was frustrated because it didn’t feel great… I stopped because I was having a hard time getting my mind to focus on running form focuses through the frustration of the “squeaky knee”. What focus I do know I need to work on is the C Shape over and over and over again. Even as I sit here and type this, I am trying to keep my chin down, crown tall, and core engaged. So as I walk around between now and … (forever!) I will be working on my C Shape.

Visualization is a nice tool. It’s such a vital part of creating a mind-body connection. I think the process of visualization allows your mind communicate to your body what you want to acheive, with out your mind having to be “bossy”. What do you think about that?

Off to practice a walking C Shape.

Happy Friday to all.

Running is all about Form — and Gradual Progress

2009-06-10T09:26:13+00:00

I think of Gradual Progress as the framework around which ChiRunning can be learned. One step at a time, things should be incrementally and fully learned before moving on to the next step. It’s not the only way to think about ChiRunning form, but for me, is an important one.

As you’ve read in my blog, my knee has been bugging me and I have tried to work through it to see what would help and what I was doing incorrectly. Because the condition of my knee (and even more so, the condition of my form) has not improved, I have been disappointed and embarrassed to blog about it. I can walk the talk, but it’s going to take some deeper more mindful work. Here’s what I think happened:

My training regularity from August ’08 through the race day in January ’09 was dedicated and mindful. I worked hard on my form, and did decently well, but when it came to race day, I had (and still have) leagues of room to improve. While I do think that I went a little hard during the last couple of miles without keeping my form together (eg, I was taking longer strides, but in hindsight, don’t think I was keeping my core engaged/pelvis level), it has been the months since the race when my own running form has been the problem, not the race.

Danny’s been using the term “feel what it feels like” a lot lately, and it’s the perfect little phrase to continually remind me I need to get into my body, every chance I can. It’s 6 months after the race and my knee hasn’t gotten any better. I want to get better and stay better, I don’t want to have knee issues again.

I will be using Gradual Progress for real as I take the time to learn again. Thank goodness I know about ChiRunning. It will guide me through this process, through beginning to run again mindfully, and through my daily activities. Thank goodness for ChiLiving, a business that does so much good for people and encourages us all to go deep.

Katherine and Danny wrote a great article recently about teaching and letting your mind and body really communicate. I am going to read it again myself: Mind over Body vs Body over Mind (June 2009).

Chi Running and Chi Walking: the Perfect Marriage to Survive, and Enjoy, a Hilly, 50K Trail Run

2009-06-09T07:59:41+00:00

In the “ultra” running community, The McDonald Forest 50K is considered to be one of the most challenging 50K’s anywhere. Located outside of Corvallis, Oregon, this trail run includes 6,700 ft of uphill, windy and perilous downhill, lots of mud and streams and logs to navigate. For me, this was the perfect venue to test my theory that a collaboration of Chi Running and Chi Walking would be the most powerful, efficient, effortless, safe and enjoyable way to complete hilly, long distance runs.

Although I had run a number of marathons in recent years and even Chi Walked one marathon, it had been almost 30 years since I ran my only other ultra, a 50K in The Bay Area of California, so I was not at all sure how this current undertaking would go. What I did know was that I would have an athletic adventure and that I would be called upon to use all of my knowledge of both Chi Running and Chi Walking (see footnote) to make this adventure a positive experience and a personal success.

I awoke on race day to sunny skies, a good sign given the history of rain and mud in this race’s past. A short while later, I waited, one of 200 men and women of all ages, a fit looking group surrounded by a welcoming forest on an old logging road. Then we were off – the first steps of a very long journey with the whoops and yells of excitement masking any anxiety I may have been feeling – “only 31 miles to go” someone shouted!

The initial terrain of level roads and trails soon was transformed into steep uphills and, in response, my Chi Running form shifted smoothly to Chi Walking and my personal project had begun. With increased lean, small steps, quick turnover, strong and high arm swing, and lateral strides when needed, I moved forcefully up the trail, passing those runners who tried to keep running or who walked with arms at their sides while exhibiting no particular form and no recognition of the changing angle of gravity as it almost pulled them back down the hill with each step.

What goes up must come down and there were certainly plenty of “downs” during this run. Returning to my Chi Running form on the downhills, I felt very confident darting down the hills as I varied my form between the usual lower body focus on gradual hills and, more often, the steep hills form in which I lowered my center of mass, increased my cadence while landing under my column with very short steps keeping my weight line on the backside of my feet and legs. Staying on the upper edge of my maximum speed zone, it was essential that I keep good balance and the capacity to respond to the unexpected – such as slippery surfaces, roots, rocks, etc. – as more than once I almost slid off the trail and had to grab a passing branch to help control my momentum. At times, I felt like I was dancing down the hills, a downhill version of T’ai Chi perhaps, keeping core strength, good alignment and lightness afoot as I worked with, not against, the force of gravity and the force of the trail coming at me.

Whenever possible, I used the speed and balance of this downhill form to pass runners who moved less adeptly, braking and pounding as they seemed led by their feet out in front with upper body vertical or even leaning back toward the hill. Overall, whether gradual or steep, I found that Chi Running downhill was the place I most frequently caught up to and passed other runners.

The back and forth dance between Chi Running and Chi Walking proved to be especially useful in the latter parts of the 50K run when, on both level and slightly downhill terrain, I sensed that a leg muscle was on the verge of cramping. In spite of good Chi Running form, those times when I had had to catch myself from “slipping out” on steep downhills had over stressed my hamstrings. Resting my “hams” with Chi Walking, while re-focusing and totally relaxing my legs overall, allowed me to keep moving forward at a steady, albeit slower pace. Once recovered, off I went again, Chi Running with renewed lean, pelvic rotation, relaxed legs and all around zip.

And soon I was there, the finish line banner drawing me forward for the final strides. Six hours and forty nine minutes after I began, I had completed an incredibly challenging and hilly 50K trail run and I had done surprisingly well. As I caught my breath and released tears of joy and relief, I heard the Race Director say to me, “You’ve just won your age group”, (FYI: 60 – 69) and he handed me a classy mug as a memento of my accomplishment. As I broke out in a big smile, I realized that I had done it. The “marriage” of Chi Running and Chi Walking had been a success.

Postscript:

1. In terms of “recovery”, an important aspect of distance running and typically a key benefit of the Chi Running and Chi Walking approaches, my experience was as hoped. A dinner and dancing outing on race night was followed the next day by a walk and playing in my usual Sunday ice hockey game. My recovery was quick with no noticeable negative after effects.

2. My observations of other runners and the inefficiencies they showed on both uphills and downhills has led me to develop a new specialty in my Chi Running/Chi Walking practice; offering workshops geared to ultra trail runners, including and emphasizing hill running.

Footnote:

1. See the Chi Running and Chi Walking books by Danny and Katherine Dreyer for more information about the similarities and differences between Chi Running and Chi Walking.

Keith McConnell is a Certified Chi Running and Chi Walking Instructor residing in Eugene, Oregon with a practice throughout the Northwest. He teaches running and walking classes at the University of Oregon, serves on the board of the Oregon Track Club Masters and, as a licensed psychologist, also provides services in Sport Psychology and Life Coaching. Keith can be contacted at drkeithcoach@msn.com.

Running with a Midfoot Strike vs. Running on the Balls of Your Feet

2009-06-09T05:59:23+00:00

There seems to be quite a debate going as to which way of running is best: a midfoot strike, or running on the balls of your feet. My response is that one is not necessarily better or worse than the other, because they are used for different situations. In Chi Running, we focus on the midfoot strike as we primarily support people who run for longer distances, meaning more than one mile.

My take on the difference between running on the balls of your feet (BOF) and running with a midfoot strike (MFS) is that the human body was initially designed (or evolved, depending on your belief system) to be able to respond to the needs of the moment. Here's an example of how it might have all started. I want you to visualize being chased down by… OMG… a saber-toothed tiger! I think that we'd all agree that the best way to run would be at a lively, full-on sprint ... on the BOF. That's why it's called the "fight or flight response." Running to escape danger kicks in your sympathetic nervous system and triggers your body to produce adrenalin so you can make a quick get away. Your body also kicks into a high-level glycogen burning mode because you really need something akin to rocket fuel to get out of there. Running this speed for more than about a half mile also raises your blood pressure rate as a result of insufficient oxygenation (shallow, fast breathing), which ultimately overloads the adrenal glands and breaks the body down (that's why it's called an anaerobic pace).

Now visualize this scene: You're living in the same time period as the poor fellow in the first example except you're not being chased, but you're hungry for a steak dinner. Now, if you have only very primitive weapons available to you with which to be the hunter (instead of the hunted) you would probably have to resort to chasing down a deer for dinner, (or some other animal that depends on speed for safety) in which case your goal would be to outlast that poor little short-twitch critter by chasing it at a comfortable pace but not stopping to let the animal rest. When an animal is exhausted, it's easier to catch and kill. This slower mode of running allows you to breathe more deeply which kicks your body into a parasympathetic response, producing those nice, blood-pressure-lowering drugs serotonin and beta-endorphins which in turn produce an overall calming effect and feeling of well-being. Running in this mode does a couple of other things. It lowers your blood pressure and begins to burn a very economical fuel-mix of glycogen and body fat, since you're going to be running slower but longer. This more relaxed mode of running requires that you run with—you guessed it—a midfoot strike. This is not to say that you can't run fast with a midfoot strike. The Kenyans seem to do just fine doing a midfoot strike and holding a sub-5 minute mile pace for a marathon distance!

OK, you can tell everybody you heard it here first ... there are definitely times when I run BOF! That's right. When I'm out trail running and I come upon a short steep section of trail with lots of roots and loose rock, believe me, I have no qualms about prancing through it on my BOF. But, I know that I'm not going to be on my BOF for more than a few seconds at the most, so I have no problem with it. I won’t be stressing or injuring my calves by doing anything more than a little "dancing." I also know better than to try to run more than a very short distance BOF, because it is neither an economically or ergonomically efficient way to cover long distances.

What does it feel like when I run any distance BOF? I feel lots of tightness and fatigue in my calves and shins because I'm using them more. What's the Body Sense if I run for a long distance BOF? Pain and fatigue, which is my body telling me that something isn't quite right about what I'm doing. Now, I could simply train my lower leg muscles to get strong enough to handle this way of running, but why would I want to train my body to work harder than it needs to just because I'd rather not listen to what it's trying to tell me? For running longer distances, the MFS is really the most economical way to run, as well as also being easier on my legs.

In Chi Running, when you lean from your ankles and when your foot lands under your body of mass and immediately swings out the back, you will be landing with a safe, efficient midfoot strike. If you are reaching with your legs, are upright or leaning slightly back as you run, as most people do, you will be heel striking and most likely pushing off the balls of your feet to propel yourself forward. This is not efficient and can cause a host of injuries if done for more than a very short distance.

The BOF and the MFS both came about from their respective needs and one is not better or worse than the other, simply because they each have their own specific applications. If you try to use one to do the job the other was designed for, you'll be working against the "laws" of the body and you'll either burn out your legs by running BOF for long distances ... or have the other problem of trying to sprint with a midfoot strike to save your life … in which case you might just get eaten.

Resources to help you master the Chi Running basics:

Chi Running DVD Trailer

2009-06-02T04:44:09+00:00

A brief, informative video on the Chi Running technique.

Core Strengthening Series Part V: The Table Exercise

2009-06-01T12:15:40+00:00

embedded by Embedded Video

Trail Running 101 (cont.): How to Run more Confidently

2009-06-01T11:17:02+00:00

When I ask attendees at my ChiRunning workshops, I’m always amazed at how many runners don’t run trails. I suppose there are lots of reasons why someone might be a bit shy about heading out into Nature with nothing but dirt to land on. Could it be the wild animals that lurk in the woods? Or maybe it’s just the serial killers. Whatever the reasons are for anyone, I’m sure it’s based in fear of some sort. There have been only a very few times in my 35+ years of trail running that I’ve felt fear. I’ve never been chased by a wild animal and certainly not by another human being (with the exception of my competitors in racing events). I have been caught in a lightning storm at 11,000′ elevation in the Colorado Rockies and I’ve jumped over a rattlesnake that I mistook for a rock. I’ve run along trails where one misstep could result in a vertical plunge of a couple hundred feet. But, generally I feel trail running to be much safer than running in a city. So, if we can take some of the fear out of running on trails, maybe we can turn more runners on to the joys of running “pavement free.”

Here’s my contribution to dissipating some of the fears that might come up. I’m guessing that one of the reasons for not trail running has got to be either the fear of running on an uneven or slippery surface or even worse…falling down on an uneven or slippery surface. So, here are a couple of tips for you newbies.

Running Downhill on Loose Gravel
If you’re running downhill on a single-track trail and the surface is loose dirt or gravel there are a couple of things to do. If there is grass growing along the sides of the trail I suggest running there where the traction is better. The next best thing to do is look for spots on the trail where your feet won’t slip. These could be buried rock, roots or any place where you can see solid ground. If you begin to train your eye to see only the solid places on the trail, pretty soon all of the loose footing will disappear from your field of view and all you’ll see will be the multitude of safe places for your feet to land.