Oh, if only I had followed that piece of advice! But I had good reasons not to wear cycling gloves this morning:

1. I had other gloves on
2. I was running on flat terrain
3. I was running on concrete

So why would cycling gloves have been helpful? Because about 20 minutes into running, I found myself sailing toward the sidwalk, hands thrown out, eyes wide - BAM! I hit the concrete, hard.

Having removed my "real" running gloves because I was too warm, and admittedly distracted by my monkey-brain as it flitted all over thinking about anything and everything, my poor palms were exposed to the ravages of cold, hard cement. And, of course, there were cars driving by, on their way to work and school; if I were driving one of those cars and had seen me falling down on perfectly flat terrain, I would have probably laughed!

Oliver was with me, but I can't blame him for tripping me; he was (oddly) running a safe distance behind me on his long leash. Maybe he knew my fate before I did!

As I sat up to assess the damage, he came over and licked my face, glad I was on the same plane as he. There's nothing like a scraped knee to take you hurtling back to the memories of childhood. Plenty bloody on palms and knees, I got up and "walked it off". After several minutes the sting had worn off and I finished running gingerly and with more focus.

At the moment I fell I was so angry with myself, I was almost in tears, but within a few mintues, all I could do was laugh.

Luckily, I have only peripheral damage; my bones and ligaments appear to be intact, thank goodness.

A few things to consider if you're a twinkle-toes like me:

1. To prevent falling, pick up your feet while running. Remember that this doesn't involve lifting your knees, but instead leaving your knees down and lifting your ankles.
2. Stay focused. I was thinking about how I can incorporate more walking into my exercise routine and what that would look like on a daily basis and - BAM, I was on the ground. Remember to think about what you're doing!
3. Stay soft if you fall. One of the most-recommended ways to fall, whether it's from your feet while running, or from a bike or from a ladder, is to stay limp. Children are prime examples of this; they fall all day long, and although they have plenty of bruises and scrapes, most often no structural damage happens because they're so relaxed.
4. Assess the damage. If you fall, before you get up and start running away from the scene of the crime, make sure you're okay. Check to make sure your ankles, wrists, elbows, knees and neck are okay. If you're a bit bloody, that's okay. In my case I just left the wounds alone until I got home where I washed them out with warm water, soap, hydrogen peroxide, and applied a bit of antibiotic to keep them clean.
5. Laugh it off. It's always fun to tell a good story about yourself, and when I got to the office, we all got a good laugh out of my antics. Typing and doing everyday activities is going to be a bit of a hassle for a few days, but I plan to just grin and bear it!

After running the Houston Half Marathon, I have been taking it very easy. I have been traveling a fair amount, working a lot, and playing a lot. My goals this spring are going to be slightly different than in the past: I would like to try to see how I can integrate the pain-free and injury free Chi Walking technique and Chi Running technique into my daily life as a practice, without the long-term goal of an actual race on the calendar.

In the past, I have used a race as the motivation to continue to run and remain steady with my running practice. This spring, I would like to experiment more using Chi Walking as exercise, continuing to practice the Chi Running technique, and do it all without a specific goal at hand.

My dog and my waistline are reason enough to maintain a steady fitness routine, not to mention the immediate, incredible post-workout high I get after a good running or walking workout. I recently took a Pilates class as well, and I am excited about practicing that more and discovering how new muscle strength and usage can help me with my running and walking.

As always, I find myself using both Chi Running and Chi Walking focuses throughout my daily life. Whether I stand evenly on both feet in line at the grocery store, keep my crown tall as I sit in front of the computer, engage my core when the dog pulls fiercely on the rope, or remember to breathe when I get flustered or pressured, I am grateful for the many skills these techniques provide me in my running and walking life and in my daily life. Oliver the dog is grateful, too.

After assisting at the Chi Running Instructor Training in Fort Lauderdale I decided to visit to my brother and sister-in-law who live on Grand Cayman. I was looking forward to vacation time, but my brother put me to work. First, he arranged for me to teach the pain-free Chi Running technique to some of their friends, next was a talk on the Chi Walking technique to his Rotary group and then came the invitation — how would I like running on a relay team in a race called Off The Beaten Track? I had less than a week to train for the heat and humidity.

Although it can get hot in northern California where I live it doesn’t get humid. On my first day on the island I started running before it got too hot, but I melted after only two and a half miles and dragged myself home. My legs felt like lead with less than three miles on them. Not good. The following morning I started by walking then relaxed into running, but the biggest shift came when I turned on my metronome. I realized immediately that in the heat my stride had become sloppy and my cadence too low. No wonder my legs had felt heavy! It’s harder to run when your cadence is too low. Over the next couple of days I was able to increase my running distance to eight miles with the help of the Chi Running focuses and especially C-shape, y-chi, cadence and circular feet.

I was assigned the last leg of the relay so it was after 11 a.m. and over 80º when I started running. The reason the race is called “Off The Beaten Track” is that it covers a variety of terrain — in fact, in my leg, I had sand, rock, asphalt, concrete, grass and a bit of bush whacking. There are no racecourse markers. Runners are responsible for familiarizing themself with the course. The previous runner on my team got lost so when I started running I was feeling some pressure to make up time. I focused on my alignment, keeping my stride short and kept choosing an y’chi and soon found I was able to relax and enjoy running. Whenever I felt the heat sapping my energy I would lengthen my neck and visualize my C-shape and instantly feel lighter. It was these focuses and more that enabled me to run the distance and not do any walking — unlike some of the people I passed. 

Although I felt good despite the heat and humidity and had beautiful scenery to enjoy while running my two beach sections, the true gratification of this event was being part of a group of 100 plus runners who, along with sponsoring organizations such as Grand Cayman Central Rotary, were able to raise over $20,000 for Facing Africa — a charity dedicated to helping children in Nigeria and Ethiopia who suffer from a disease called NOMA, an acute and ravaging gangrenous infection affecting the face. NOMA victims are mainly children under the age of six, caught in a vicious cycle of extreme poverty and malnutrition and the mortality rate is around 90 per cent. I’d definitely go off the beaten track again!

“Listen to your heart” is usually an admonition to listen to your deeper emotions and desires, but with the health crises of today, “listen to your heart” should be a reminder to pay attention to the health of this vital organ whose moment-to-moment work keeps you alive. Heart disease is the number one killer in the world, many of those lives lost prematurely to a preventable condition. Walking 4-5 times a week not only prolongs your life, but increases your health and the quality of your life as well. If you listen to your heart both literally and metaphorically, it will speak well for your whole body and being which crave fresh air and regular exercise.

Aerobic and Cardio Chi Walking Workouts
There are two walking workouts that keep your heart, as well as your mind, digestive system, immune system and nervous system, functioning at optimal health: the cardio workout and the aerobic workout.

The aerobic workout should be your primary type of fitness walking. It is the long, steady, consistent walk that supports the heart by strengthening the delivery system that transports blood and oxygen to your muscles and organs. When you walk consistently for 30-60 or more minutes, you build more capillary beds in your lungs and muscles, which creates greater efficiency for your heart as it pumps blood throughout your body.

Your aerobic walking should be done at a moderate, but not too slow pace. Using a metronome, you could be walking at 65-70 strides per minute. In the Chi Walking technique you keep your stride very short and therefore your pace is slightly faster than regular walking. You should be able to comfortably talk while walking at your aerobic pace, without slowing to a stroll. Keep your arms at a 90 degree angle and keep your shoulders forward over your feet. This will help you move forward with less muscle usage and greater efficiency. If you walk 5 times a week, 3 of your walks can be aerobic walks. The longer, the better—and the more often, the better. You can safely walk 7 days a week, but 5 walks a week for 45 minutes is enough to make a huge difference in your health and level of fitness. Start with 3 walks for 20 minutes. The key is to get out there and walk. The aerobic walk also burns fat, the more fat, the longer you walk, so that’s an added incentive.

The cardio walk is a different kind of workout for your heart. In the cardio workout you want to increase and then lower your heart rate in order to give your heart a workout.  You’ll be increasing the strength of you heart in much the same way as lifting weights increases the strength of your muscles. You should do a cardio workout twice a week. Walking up and down hills is a great cardio workout. If you don’t have hills, you can increase your heart rate by increasing your speed in 1-2 minute intervals. Warm up for 10 minutes, walking at an aerobic pace, then increase your pace for 1 or 2 minutes, depending on your level of conditioning, then drop back down to your aerobic pace for 1-2 minutes. The metronome will help you find and keep the best pace for the slow and the faster intervals. When you first start, you may just do 5 intervals and then increase over time as your heart gets stronger.  Make sure you cool down by walking at an aerobic then a strolling pace before you finish your workout.

There is powerful medicine in your walking shoes, only if you use them, of course. Walking to heal or prevent heart disease is a great reason to enjoy all the benefits of regular consistent exercise. When you walk regularly and improve the health of your heart, walking will feel effortless and you’ll have the energy and vitality to truly follow your heart’s deepest desires, whatever they may be.

Resources to help you master the Chi Walking basics:

• Chi Walking Book
• Chi Walking DVD

This was my second half marathon but the one I had properly trained for. I had decided to start running at a given pace based on my running training and what was possible for me at this time. I started out running at a slower than intended pace trying not to get caught up in the “go out too fast and die later mentality” knowing that if all went to plan I could make up the time later.  I had written some form focuses on my hand to remind myself later on in the race when I might fatigue. It’s a little harder to stay mentally focused in a race situation with so many distractions but most of the time I was able to body sense my form and stay in the moment.  When I got tired, as I did in the latter stages, I used various focuses to help me, such as alignment, core engagement, lengthening the back of my neck, circular feet, relaxed lower legs and letting my arms dangle from my sides occasionally.

The race went very well.  My target running time was 2:07 and my chip time was 2:07:55.  This is by no means a record breaking time but a good time for this runner now, given my history and the outlook for me as a runner a few years ago.  The best thing about running this race is there was no recovery time. I went out for a run the following day and felt good; I had no DOMS and no issues since, just a great feeling of achievement.

The title of the blog is ‘Running and Non-identification’ because I have spent the last week practising non-identification.  In the Chi Running book, Danny Dreyer, founder of the pain-free Chi Running technique, describes it as “getting your ego out of the way”.  We are all obsessed with times and PBs.  Everybody wants to know how the race went but what we really want to know is what time the race was run in.  I would love to be able to say I ran it faster, I’m only human but that time is not now.  I have already entered my next Half Marathon in May and I look forward to seeing where Chi Running and consistent training can take me.

For now I will leave you with a quote from Danny:

“Your goals must come from your body and from your present reality, not from other people’s ideas of what’s cool. Don’t think outside of yourself. Let your goals be an expression of who you are, not something that will impress someone or earn praise.”

Happy running.
Michelle