Here are 4 Components of Running Technique Alignment:

Internal Postural Alignment

Posture is the most important element in the Chi Running technique. It is the ‘framework’ for all the other elements. Your posture manages the force of gravity acting down on you. Efficient posture aligns your shoulders over your hips over your ankles with a neutral head position and feet pointed forward. It also maintains a level pelvis to stabilize both your pelvis and your posture line.

When your posture is aligned your structure efficiently maintains your position, against the downward force of gravity, with limited effort from your muscles. In motion, postural alignment also engages proper muscles and limits the use of compensating muscles.

See a related posture presentation here:
- The Key to Posture for Efficiency and Injury Prevention

Directional Alignment

For increased running efficiency you can also focus on having as many parts of your body moving in the same direction as you are – horizontally forward. If there are parts of your body moving from side to side, there is wasted energy and possibly unnecessary stress on the body. The most common forms of excess running motion are rotation in the legs/knees, hips sliding side to side, shoulders/torso rocking side to side, shoulders rotating, and a side to side arm swing crossing your centerline.

If parts of the body are moving vertically, then again there is effort and potential stress in that direction. The most common causes of vertical motion are pushing off with the feet/toes, lifting the thigh vertically and allowing the knee to ‘sag’ or bend at mid-stance.

[Note: In the Chi Running technique the knees stay ‘soft’. This means slightly bent or not ‘locked’, and not enough to significantly engage the quad muscle.]

When your effort and motion is aligned forward you can add efficiency while reducing stress and impact.

External Alignment with the Forces of Nature

There are two big forces of nature you can use to your advantage and cooperate with. The first is gravity which will pull you forward if you tilt your posture line from relaxed ankles. The more you lean into gravity the more focus you need on maintaining your aligned position. And the more relaxed you must be to not resist the forward pull of gravity.

The second is the force of the approaching ground. When you allow your feet to land midfoot (or fullfoot) under your posture line and allow them to move to the rear as the land, you are cooperating with this very big force. You can enhance this cooperation by allowing your pelvis to rotate back to soften impact and extend stride length. There are even ways to use this force to your advantage.

See a related article here:
- A T’ai Chi Lesson for Your Running: Cooperating with the Force of Gravity and the Force of the Road

When your body’s position is cooperating with the external forces of nature, then the body can move with these forces for external propulsion and minimal resistance.

Mental Alignment with Your Intention

An even higher level of alignment is your mental focus on your intention. Your intention is where you are headed and how you plan to get there. With this alignment, your eyes are focused down your path and you senses are focused on your body.

When you are aligned mentally, then the body and mind are acting congruently as a team.

Alignment and Relaxation

If you wish to run efficiently while reducing stress, impact and injury; then your alignment internally, directionally, externally and mentally are all focus points that can enhance your running form. Two questions to ask often: How can I be more aligned? How can I be more relaxed?

[Note: If you are a walker (aren’t we all ...), then Chi Walking is a great way to apply the same principles of nature to walking and hiking. And applying more focus to walking can lead to higher levels of running technique since we get to practice our running all day long].

Please share your thoughts and any questions in a comment below.

Enjoy,
David Stretanski
Chi Running®/Chi Walking® Certified Instructor
NJ/Northeast USA

Training for this running event has been pure joy. I have been using our Pain-Free 1/2 Marathon Training Program (Beginner) and it has stood me well. The running form focuses, specific workout types and the reminders about weekly lessons have proved very valuable.

My mileage is up: last weekend was my 12 miler LSD, the weekend before was 11 miles. For that, I practiced my running technique on a great path near Lake Okoboji in northwest Iowa where I was visiting family. When I returned from my run 1 hr and 47 minutes later, my family was rather shocked that I was upright, unhurt, not sore and ready to enjoy the day with little recovery… Leg Drains have become my best friend.

This weekend I am running the last portion of the Lake Lure Triathlon with friends as a relay … really looking forward to that, as well as my big 13 miler training run LSD. I plan on running the Asheville Half course, to prepare myself, both physically and mentally for race day.

I’ll keep you posted…

It is an exciting time for distance running! Running technique once barely considered by running coaches, is now the main topic of discussion amongst distance running enthusiasts. The old school heel-toe running form has yielded to the midfoot strike. Even the fastest runners in America are tweaking their running form. Danny has been saying for years that Chi Running is paradigm shift. I’m feeling now, more than ever, that the paradigm has shifted.

I am so happy to see running form being talked about and examined in scientific studies, blog posts, and message board discussions. The examinations of running form, as well as the incredible amount of personal success stories are signs that distance running is moving in the right direction. We still have a lot to learn as far as preventing injury and maximizing enjoyment of running, but we are certainly off to a great start.

I’ll be perfectly honest. I’m a total geek when it comes to distance running. I spend a great deal of time searching my iphone for the latest discussions on running form. While I have been thrilled with the recent rise in chatter surrounding running technique, I have been wondering if more balance is needed in the discussion.

I have found the main benefit of the Chi Running technique to be that it is a holistic practice. This is an often overlooked, yet highly critical element of the Chi Running approach to distance running. With the Chi Running technique you are aiming to improve your focus, relaxation, awareness and presence.  While the discussions on biomechanics and technique are valuable, it is important to first look at how you are going to approach running from an emotional standpoint.

Many people read an article or two on running technique and think if they can get their bodies to match the description from the text they will be pain free and full of joy. Transformation comes from within. If you are looking to improve your running technique, start internally. Begin with body sensing. How do you feel? This is where barefoot running comes in. It is much easier to get in tune with your body when you are barefoot.

Many runners I’ve spoken to recently have researched the information, read Born to Run and have a good intellectual understanding of good running form. The problem is they don’t have the ability to feel this form in their body. This is where the Chi Running technique and Yoga come in. Working with a good Chi Running instructor or a Yoga teacher will help you learn the internal art of body sensing. Body sensing will allow you to intuitively correct your running form and help you prevent pain and injury before they surface. The more you practice body sensing, the more in tune you will be with your body throughout the course of your day.

For a great opportunity to practice body sensing and learn to apply these techniques to your daily life please join me at the Kripalu Yoga Center in Western MA for a 5 day Chi Running and Yoga retreat.

Whether it was the beautifual, wild trails outside of Missoula, Montana or the dirt roads and trails around lakes in central Ontario or Quebec, Mother Nature consistently offered us natural and enriching experiences we would not have had if we hadn’t made running integral to our trip. Every morning, off we would go, exploring wherever we were, earning the “way to go” comments of our hosts, and always coming back with some story of our adventure – a vigorous workout, a fox that we saw, a loon calling to us, an unexpected sight, a shared experience.

Beyond the fun and informal runs we took, it turned out that our pre trip planning and a little luck also gave us the chance to run in two very different organized runs. One, the Missoula Marathon where we both did the Half, and the other, a 5K community run in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, Ontario.

In 2009, a comprehensive Runners world survey led to The Missoula Marathon being voted the Best Marthon of the Year. In light of that recognition, we decided to schedule our trip to have a first hand look at this marathon while simultaneously giving us the chance to pay a visit to Kathy’s pregnant daughter and husband in Missoula. So, what was it like to run in the year’s best marathon event? “Fantastic” is one word for it yet other descriptors are much calmer and understated in tone – e.g., informal, friendly, well organized, community supported – an event that was not a big or over crowded extravaganza. The entrants numbered less than 5,000, so this was not another New York or Chicago marathon; yet the size was just right to get the sense of feeling a part of a large group of like minded, running and walking friends.  From its early 6 a.m. start on a perfect day for running to the postive mood of its finish, and even its low key Expo the day before the race, everything fell in place smoothly.  We left Missoula glad to have had that unique “we tried the best” experience.

Fast forward a week, as we were fortunate to come upon a local 5K run that was a fund raiser for community programs in a neighborhood of Ottawa so we decided to give that race a try. In the spirit of community and family which were so prevalent at this event, we also decided to run the race as a couple, running together, experiencing the vibes that go with cooperation and relationship support rather than the more common feelings that come up when we would try to run as quickly  as possible. And this different approach led to a whole different experience. Awareness of our fellow runners, the people cheering us along the city streets, the time to check in with each other and to absorb how fortunate we were to be healthy and fit enough to share in this activity -  all in all, a special run on a special trip.

So, if you are not already a practitioner of “Running while Travelling”, I do suggest that you give it a try. You can’t go wrong!

I have been a proponent of good running form, as the primary way to run more efficiently and injury-free, since I began teaching Chi Running in 1999. For the better part of eleven years now I’ve felt a lot like a salmon swimming upstream. And, because of the recent media interest in running technique, I no longer feel like the voice in the dark.

I believe that the shift in the paradigm started in 2004 when Dr. Dan Lieberman (Harvard) published a study which showed that we humans were designed to not only spend most of our time on our hind legs, but to run (either after game or away from predators). Lieberman also recently published another study, which received wide recognition, showing the difference in impact between habitually shod and unshod runners. The recent upsurge in the popularity of minimalist running has also been partly spawned by barefoot convert Chris McDougall’s book Born to Run.

I totally agree with recent studies showing that over-built running shoes are a big contributor to the 65% annual injury rate. But the Chi Running book sets out to put the responsibility for injury-prevention on the runner, not on the shoes. If you’re running in a way that creates impact and injury to your feet, ankles, knees or hips you’ll need to look farther than a change in footwear to get to the source of your problem or you could be just as much at risk for getting injured as the next runner. It always comes down to running technique.

Running barefoot or in minimal shoes allows your feet to accurately sense the ground and allows your body to find its own natural balance and alignment. This works wonders towards helping runners and walkers avoid many of the more common impact injuries. The best way to consistently guarantee that you avoid running injuries is to adopt a “barefoot-like” running style. This means that, no matter what shoes you’re wearing, or whether or not your even wearing shoes, you’re always trying to run in a way that creates the least amount of impact, imbalance and extraneous effort in your body.

Here are some of what I would call the barefoot-like characteristics of Chi Running:
• Allow your feet to land under your center of mass in a soft, midfoot/forefoot strike with your lower legs completely relaxed
• Lean forward from your ankles
• Allow your upper body to gently fall forward with each stride while your legs swing rearward
• Take shorter strides (which allows for a midfoot strike under your center of mass)
• Run with a quicker, steady cadence (170-180 strides/minute) at all speeds

These are only a few of the Chi Running focuses, but they are each crucial components to effortless, injury-free running. And, most importantly, they can all be done with or without shoes. For a complete list of the Chi Running focuses please refer to the end of Chapter Four in the Chi Running Book.

Happy Trails,
Danny

Some running shoes have a good enough tread that they can be worn on both road and trails, but many runners have a selection of road and trail running shoes and base their choice upon their intended running route. The other day I started running a flat road run but switched gears and found myself running up a gnarly, hilly trail. Oops. Wrong shoes.

There was one section of the trail that was covered in eucalyptus leaves and I found that my feet started to slide out from under me. I started to regret my decision to change course in the middle of my run, but then I remembered an old article that Danny had written, Make the Most Out of a Bad Run. I realized that my choice of running shoes that day had inadvertently given me the opportunity to focus on a couple of aspects of the Chi Running technique that would help me navigate the terrain. Since the soles of my shoes were completely smooth and had no grip, I quickly realized the only way I could get up the hill was to focus on lifting my ankles and eliminate any push off. Just to see what would happen, I tried pushing off for a few steps. Sure enough, my feet slid backwards and I lost stability. Then, I focused on relaxing my lower legs and lifting my ankles. What a difference! Then, I included the focus of my arm swing to bring my elbows forward to give me that “lift” up the hill (see page 176 of the Chi Running book) for a description of how to swing your arms when running uphill. Aha! Now, I was really moving.

I picked a dirt road — which also happened to be covered in eucalyptus leaves, for the downhill portion of the run. Again, I decided that the only way I could run downhill efficiently was to focus on running technique. My running shoes were of no help. I found that thinking about the C shape created the balance and stability I needed. I paid extra attention to letting my pelvis rotate and just focused on letting my stride open up behind me. My feet seemed to barely touch the ground. In fact, the whole experience was so positive and I was having so much fun I decided to do the loop again! I was excited to discover that what had initially seemed like bad planning gave me the opportunity to practice my running technique. It reminded me that there’s a reason for the choices we make and that we have a choice to make the best we can of them.

Resources to help you master the Chi Walking basics:

• Chi Walking Book
• Chi Walking DVD

Resources to help you master the Chi Running basics:

• Chi Running Book: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless Injury-Free Running
• Chi Running DVD: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless Injury-Free Running