Danny and Katherine Dreyer have completed the development of the first DVD and Program on the Chi Walk-Run approach. Based upon the foundations of Chi Running and Chi Walking, the Walk-Run approach offers another energy efficient and injury-free way to move forward.  Concurrent with the release of this interesting and informative DVD and the accompanying Program, a new blog has been launched to focus on Chi Walk-Run and I am pleased to have been asked to take the lead in making this blog a reality.

In this, my first Chi Walk-Run blog, I would like to introduce some of the basic ideas/issues of the Walk-Run model and to share my recent experience completing a Half Marathon using the Chi Walk-Run approach. What do we mean by Walk-Run, who might find it of interest, when is it most useful, how can it be learned, etc.?

Briefly speaking, combining walking and running (more specifically, Chi Walking and Chi Running) in your fitness workout is pretty straightforward and creates new opportunities for aerobic activity and benefits that may be harder to attain with a strict walking-only or running-only approach. Some people choose to be “runners”, some choose to be “walkers” but there are many people who would like to do both  – and to feel good about doing both. There are also people who aren’t aware that combining walking and running is even a possibility - they may see walking as “less than” running or they see running as “too competitive” or “too strenuous” but it hasn’t occurred to them to combine the two forms of movement for increased personal value overall.

Rather than simply prescribing how much walking and how much running to do in a workout or race, and calling that a Walk-Run program,  we at Chi Living take a more individualized approach to Walk-Run that emphasizes energy efficiency, self-awareness and personal choice and responsibility. Within a reasonable and sometimes variable ratio of walking to running, we suggest that people be guided by a self-monitoring process. How much walking and how much running is best suited to your goals? How are you feeling today and what level of self-perceived effort are you looking for at this time? Perhaps you would like to work up to totally running certain events.

Let me use my experience of doing Walk-run in the recent Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon in Northern California to exemplify what I am talking about. My preparation for this race included a number of my usual Walk-Run workouts so I felt “ready” for completing the Half using this approach. (FYI, sometimes I run all of a race and other times I may totally walk a race).  At the Humboldt Redwoods, over the 13.1 miles, I probably went back and forth between walking and running about 20 times, varying one or the other to a mile or so. My ongoing guiding principle/coach was “energy efficiency” which included such things as my attitude, my body sensing (physical state) as to what suited me at a particular time, the terrain (level? uphill? downhill?) and what could handle it best, working with gravity in general, and more. Without getting into the mechanics of transitioning from walking to running and vice versa, let me just say that the actual process of keeping both Chi Walking and Chi Running in my awareness with the focus on one of them at a time, was very manageable and very valuable. There was a true sense of teamwork with walking and running being equal partners, allies in a shared undertaking and purpose; and there was a smooth transition between the two.

The half marathon was pain-free and injury-free as I never felt tired nor stressed nor strained by what I was doing. Compared to doing a Half either totally running or totally walking, it felt even more pain-free and effortless. At the end, I was still full of energy with a completion time not much more than if I had tried running the whole distance. One of the fun aspects of  Walk-Run in this event was the “leapfrogging” I did with my runner-gal friend whose running was faster than I walked but slower than my running speed, resulting in a hand-in-hand, joint finish that we both enjoyed immensely. And, needless to say, my recovery from the half was pretty much instantaneous – no sore muscles, no super tired feeling, just a relaxed calmness after completion and in the hours and days to follow. For me, it was a clear validation of some of the benefits of the Walk-Run approach.

Next blog, I’ll say more about fitness workouts using Chi Walk-Run and describe some of the “mechanics” of putting Chi Walking and Chi Running together in his way. In the meantime, give it a try – I’m sure you’ll find it a positive and rewarding experience.

This caught my attention. The Park Ranger finally explained what he meant. He has seen so many visitors come to the caves with their cameras and camcorders all caught up in taking pictures and videos that they don’t actually enjoy the wonders of the caves for themselves. They get back home and look over the pictures and videos that don’t do justice to the actual experience of the caves. They missed the cave!

Well, I thought about this with my running. The Park Ranger’s words have come back to me several times while running long distances. “Don’t miss the cave!” In other words, “Don’t miss the run!” I remember Danny Dreyer telling a group of people running at the Omega Institute that while running when he sees a beautiful view in nature, he will stop and enjoy the sight.

Sometimes I catch myself focusing on how many miles I'm running, what my running pace is, or focusing on trying to stay up with other runners around me that I miss the run. I didn’t notice the bald eagle flying ahead of me. Or I didn’t notice the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the road. Or I didn’t appreciate the simplicity of just being able to move and feel the wind and sunshine and fresh air over me.

I am learning to stay present and centered when running to enjoy my surroundings while applying my Chi Running focuses. So, the next time you go running, remember, above all else, “Don’t miss the run!”
 

I prepared for running this marathon using the Chi Running technique that I have been practicing. It was very enlightening to reflect on my experience of running this trail marathon. After the run, I felt fine. The Chi Running focuses helped me to run efficiently and to not get injured. In fact, the day after this marathon, while visiting the Grand Sable Dunes in Michigan, my son and I had a blast going down a steep sand dune to the shores of Lake Superior. This is a trek that few people take because the climb back up is not easy. You have to climb up on all fours slipping and sliding trying to get back to the top. So, one day after running my first trail marathon, I was climbing back up a steep sand dune with no problems. No aches and no pains. I also went bike riding with my son 2 days after the marathon with no problems.

This experience of feeling fine after the Grand Island Trail Marathon made me think back to when I ran my first marathon in 1998. It was 13 years ago at the Air Force Marathon in Dayton. This was my pre-Chi Running technique days. After that marathon, I remember going to my friend’s house near-by where I had stayed the previous night. I was going up the stairs to the guest room and recalled what a painful experience that was. I took one step at a time. I groaned with each step. My whole body ached. It seemed like it took forever to get to the top.

Wow, 13 years later, what a difference! After running a trail marathon, there I was climbing up a steep sand dune having a great time. I keep proving to myself that it was worth it to change my running form to learn the pain-free Chi Running t5ehcnique. I want to keep running my whole life long and the Chi Running technique is helping me to do that, stay pain-free and injury-free and to enjoy the rest of my life when I am not running.

Form Intervals make your walks more interesting and keep your mind from wandering to lingering projects, family obligations, etc. Instead, your mind becomes engaged in moving your body well, strengthening your core, relaxing all other muscles. The Form Focuses teach you how to move from a centered and relaxed place. When it’s time to work on that business report, your mind will be clear, efficient, focused and more creative.

Practicing Form Intervals is a kind of “maintenance” for your walking technique. It’s like a check-up visit – you get an evaluation of where you are and what areas may need improvement. It also keeps you from slipping into old, bad habits or picking up new ones. Form Intervals train your mind and body to better communicate while allowing you to do more with less effort.

In any given walk, you can practice single focuses, several focuses or focus pairs. Here are some different ways to do Form Intervals:

The Form Focus Walk: Before going out for your next walk, pick a few Chi Walking Form Focuses that will help improve the efficiency of your walking technique the most. Set your countdown timer on your watch for one-minute intervals. Move through your chosen focuses, practicing each one for one minute at a time. Continue cycling through all your focuses for the entire walk.

One-on-One-off: Choose a Form Focus and practice it for one minute. The next minute, don’t do it. Pay close attention and Body Sense the difference between using the focus and not using it. Here’s an example:

• Try it with the “C” shape. Walk one minute with the “C” shape and then rest for a minute. Notice how holding the “C” shape changes your walking technique. Do this one-on-one-off for ten minutes.
• Then, switch to allowing your pelvis to rotate. With each step, focus closely on allowing your hips to be pulled to the rear each time your legs straighten out behind you. Rest for a minute and notice what your hips and legs do when you aren’t concentrating on rotating your pelvis. If your pelvis doesn’t naturally move, you may notice that your legs have to work harder to push you forward, and your hips may feel tight.

Double Focuses: Choose Focus Pairs. Do one focus for one minute, then the other for one minute, then practice doing these two focuses at once at the same time for 1-3 minutes.

Relaxation Intervals: Devote an entire walk and all your Form Intervals to relaxing different parts of your body. Focus on areas where you hold tension, such as your hips, lower back, shoulders, etc. Really relax and loosen those parts of your body. (Make sure you do the Body Looseners before you start your walk.)

One Focus Walk: Devote an entire walk and all your intervals to practicing one Form Focus, such as pelvic rotation. Do one-on-one-off, or set your countdown timer to go off every two minutes to remind you to go back to your focus. Re-engage that focus as often as possible and feel what your stride is like when you practice that one aspect of the Chi Walking technique really well.

When you practice in this way, your Form Focuses become such an effortless,  ingrained part of your movement that just a quick reminder will adjust your body into correct form; thought and movement, mind and body as one.

Here’s a sampling of Chi Walking Focuses to get you started:

Start with Good Posture

• Align your legs
• Lengthen your spine
• Level your pelvis

Upper Body & Arm Swing

• Curl fingers with thumbs on top; relax hands
• Hands don’t cross your center-line
• Lead with your forehead, drop your chin
• Shoulders low and relaxed

Lean

• Lean from your hips
• Relax lower legs and ankles
• Lead with upper body, feet will follow

Lower Body

• Soften knees
• Lift your ankles
• Land on front of heel, roll forward
• Allow pelvic rotation to happen

You’ll find more Form Focuses to make your walking technique easier and more enjoyable in the Chi Walking DVD and book.
 

The best way to maintain and improve good running technique is through Form Intervals. Everything you practice while running using your Form Intervals will train your mind and body to be able to do more with less effort. Form Intervals are foundational preparation for hill running or speed intervals, especially since in Chi Running, increasing running speed and easily running hills comes from technique, not harder work.

Maintenance of your pain-free running form is essential. Slipping into old, bad habits is easy if you are not mindful of your technique. We also get a lot of letters from people who have the Chi Running book and DVD but did not practice the technique consistently. The consequence is often injury, or pain, which reminds them to get back to practicing the Form Focuses. As expected, the pain disappears and the ease and joy is back in their running again.

Form Intervals make workouts more interesting and keep your mind from wandering to that business report due. Instead, your mind becomes engaged in moving your body well, strengthening your core, and relaxing all other muscles. The Form Focuses teach you how to move from a centered and relaxed place. When it’s time to work on that business report, your mind will be clear, focused and more creative.

Here are some different ways to practice running with Form Intervals:

1-on-1-off: This is the best type of Form Intervals for running beginners. Choose a Form Focus and practice it for one minute, then don’t focus on it the next. Pay close attention and Body Sense the difference between using the focus and not using it. Here’s an example:

• Try it with the “C” shape. Run one minute with the “C” shape and then rest for a minute. Notice how holding the “C” shape changes your running form. Practice for one minute-on-one minute-off for ten minutes with the “C” shape.
• Next, switch to bending your knees out the back. Focus closely on bending your knees and letting them go out the back with each stride for one minute, then rest for a minute and notice what your legs do when you don’t concentrate on bending your knees. You may find that you tend to shuffle and that bending your knees takes some attention, but it is worth the attention in terms of energy efficiency and injury prevention.

Double Focuses: Choose focus pairs. Do one focus for one minute, then the other for one minute, then practice doing two focuses at once for 1-3 minutes.

Relaxation Intervals: Devote an entire run and all your Form Intervals to relaxing different parts of your body. Really let each part of your body loosen and relax. (Make sure before running you start with your Body Looseners.)

One Focus Run: Devote a run and all your intervals to practicing one Form Focus such as pelvic rotation. Practice for one-on-one-off or set your countdown timer to go off every two minutes to remind you to go back to your focus. Re-engage that focus as often as possible and feel what your stride is like when you do that one aspect of the Chi Running technique really well.

Body Scan of Focuses: Once you know the Form Focuses pretty well, you can scan through the focuses and use them for different parts of your body during a run, focusing on one focus for 1-2 minute intervals. Start your run with your feet, focusing on landing with a midfoot strike for one minute, then one minute of not pushing off, then one minute of loosening and relaxing your ankles, then one minute of bending your knees when you land and then one minute of bending your knees as the leg goes out the back (always, always have your knees bent). Move onto your pelvis: one minute of leveling your pelvis, one minute of rotating your pelvis. Stop and do several minutes on any area that you are unsure of or that gives you some trouble. Move up the body and check in with all your Form Focuses, noting where you need to go back and do some extra work.

When you practice in this way, your Form Focuses become such an ingrained part of your movement that just a quick reminder will adjust your body into correct form; thought and movement, mind and body as one.

Below is a list of some Chi Running Form Focuses. In any given run, you can practice running with several focuses or focus pairs:

Start with Good Running Posture 

• Align your legs
• Lengthen your spine
• Engage your core
• Sit Up in Your Chair
• The "C" Shape

Upper Body & Arm Swing 

• Bend elbows to 90º (don’t pump)
• Curl fingers with thumbs on top; relax hands
• Hands don’t cross your center-line
• Swing elbows to the rear
• Shoulders low and relaxed

Lean

• Upper body ahead of your feet
• Feel your core engage as you lean more
• Your lean is your gas pedal

Lower Body

• Relax lower legs and ankles
• Lift your ankles
• Midfoot strike - Feel the Bottoms of Your Feet
• Create a Circular Stride

Cadence & Gears

• Set metronome to 170-180 strides per minute (spm)
• Cadence always remains constant
• Stride lengthens as your running speed increases

You’ll find more Form Focuses to make your running technique easier and more enjoyable in the Chi Running DVD and book.
 

There are two ways to deal with exercise-induced pain. One is the widely accepted (but not recommended by us) use of painkillers to mask it. Painkillers help get rid of the symptom but almost never address the cause. An alternative way to deal with running pain is to listen carefully to your body to decipher what you could be doing that is causing pain to occur. Chi Running teaches the invaluable skill of “Body Sensing” – or, creating clear communication between mind and body. When mind and body listen and respond to each other effectively, we can accurately evaluate running pain and make beneficial changes to our pain-free running technique that will last a lifetime.

Common causes of running pain:

• Lack of movement – An area that is stiff, tense or does not move enough can cause running pain. Gentle movement and increasing your range of motion carefully is important.
• Improper movement – This includes creating too much impact from heel striking (rather than the preferrable midfoot strike), reaching too far forward with your stride, pushing off with your feet at the end of your stride, or asking certain parts of the body to do more work than they are designed to do.
• Overuse – Overuse is not only caused by too much repetitive movement. Lack of movement and improper movement are often the cause of overuse in other parts of the body. If your hips are too stiff, your legs have to overwork; if your running posture is not aligned, your muscles have to work to keep you standing; if you heel strike instead of midfoot strike, your knees absorb the brunt of the impact.

When you first feel pain, stop and ask yourself:

• Is the pain coming from a muscle or joint?
• Is the pain coming from a ligament or tendon?
• Does it only occur upon impact with the ground?
• Is it only on one side of my body?
• Is it general running pain or is it specifically located?
• Does it only happen at the beginning of my workout or does it take a while to come on?
• Does it go away with movement? What movement helps it go away?
• Are any aspects of my movement asymmetrical? Which side seems (or feels) to be moving more correctly?

Here's an example. Last week while running, I felt pain in my right knee. First, I felt around my knee for soreness and found a tender spot on the medial side which felt like an inflamed tendon. Rather than go straight for the ibuprofen, I asked myself, "Why?" I looked at my foot strike, knowing that most knee pain comes from impact. I could feel a slight “braking,” and I heard a scuffing sound on the pavement. When I looked down, I noticed that my left foot was landing slightly behind my hips, while my right foot was landing in front of my hips, causing me to heel strike.

Next, I asked myself, "Why is my right foot swinging too far forward?" I checked in with the opposite side of my body and discovered my left hip was not swinging to the rear as my left leg extended out behind my body. My pelvis wasn’t fully rotating. As Chi Running teaches, pelvic rotation allows your feet to land underneath your center of mass rather than out in front of your body. When your feet land underneath you, you easily land with a midfoot strike instead of heel striking.

To get my left hip to open up and swing more fully to the rear, I went to my local track and began running clockwise, which forced my left side to swing bigger on the curves. This had an immediate influence on reducing my knee pain. For a week now I've been increasing my pelvic rotation on my left side while monitoring my foot strike, and the pain is gone. I could have accepted knee pain as an inevitable side effect of running and popped a pill to feel better for a few hours. Instead, I’ve been able to achieve relief and prevent long-term damage simply through Body Sensing.

By asking your body the right questions and truly listening to the answers, you'll be able to trace your ache or pain back to its origin and make the correction where it counts the most.