The other day I was tutoring a young man, and the conversation turned to the general idea of how we learn. My thoughts to turned to Noam Chomsky, who wrote extensively about many things, but in particular he wrote about how we acquire and develop language. Basically, he argued, we are wired for language. When we are born, we acquire language provided we are placed under the right conditions for this to happen. Our circuits for language just need tuning and refining. It is all there in our brains ready for the triggers and switches to be turned on.

Speaking to my trustee I discussed the idea of speaking mathematics and training your mind to initiate learning through dialogue. The point being that we are hard wired for mathematics as we are in language acquisition. So for the session I insisted that he spoke out his thoughts when solving the set problems. This practice of focusing your language as you think slows your thoughts down, encourages reasoning and reflection and also promotes deeper 'thought furrows' in your mind. Quality thinking penetrates your mind and has strong comparisons to the Buddhist approach of mindfulness.

It does not take a great leap to deduce that our human minds are different from other animals because we think mathematically, artistically, philosophically, have a complex language and of course we also have the ability to make tools.

"Where is the running?" I hear you cry. Well, our bodies are the heroes. I am amazed just how adaptive and how quickly our bodies change when we begin to exercise. Equally I am amazed that even those people who live unhealthy lifestyles, overweight or simply sedentary in the extreme, can respond so well in such a short space of time to adding some running or basic activity and changing their diet.

The key difference in Chi Running is that the process of running is defined. If you take the example of the tutee, he simply wanted to survive each mathematics problem and get to the end. Many runners who first attend my Chi Running classes have cottoned on to the fact that there must be more to running then simply the end product. Some are intrinsically aware that following this running programme or that running programme have the external measures of time but perhaps the holistic sense of activity is not being answered or even asked. In other words, they arrive home from a running training session in a more stressed state of mind because they have not achieved the specific outcome. In Chi Running the process and signposts of running technique are as important in raising your awareness of the present. Your running furrows become deeper: you appreciate metaphorically and physically each step. Chi Running improves mindfulness, enhances your quality of thought and gives a sense of balance. This is above and beyond the physical benefits of running which there are plenty.

What I would say to those people who are performance based or at an elite level may need to reexamine the question of training. The benefits of mindfulness coaching and meditation together with exercise create, in my view, a more resilient and focused athlete.

In my previous article I discussed the term Dis-ease. Our constructed society focuses on the next thing, the qualification to enable you to ...  the coaching certificate so that you can ... almost a sense of badge collecting. Find a crafts person making something, drawing something, watch their focus on the exactness of that moment, they realise that each part of the process depends on the previous action. There is no ego attached to this; the whole process is an act of giving yourself up entirely to the creative process. Think about treating your running as learning a new skill. It takes time to apply the Chi Running focuses and develop a sense of craft to this but as your senses develop take in each moment; then the act of running becomes a form of meditation.   

In running terms, “grade school” can be thought of as the time spent improving your running technique. Once your running technique is more efficient and comfortable, you can begin to build distance – the “middle school” phase. With good running technique under your belt - minimal style, natural form running with a midfoot strike - and a solid conditioning base, you are fully prepared to graduate to “college,” or half marathon and full marathon distances.

Every year, the number of runners choosing “college” continues to climb. Endurance running is a challenging way to reach physical and mental goals, and it can be a life-changing and joyful experience. Unfortunately, just as an unprepared student struggles when they move up to the next level too quickly, so does a running beginner who takes on too much with an unprepared body and mind. Injury, disappointment, and an unfinished race are just a few consequences of inadequate training.

If you’re a beginner runner ready to get started running with a half or full marathon in mind, a seasoned distance runner, or a performance athlete looking to improve your race times, Chi Running offers an effective way to train for longer distances. Traditional training strategy is to run, run and run some more – it’s only about increasing mileage so you can finish your race. Simply completing the distance is a great goal, but Chi Running believes you can do a lot more than just cross the finish line. You can set a new PR, and spend little to no time recovering, and do it all with a smile.

This is why “grade school,” or the preparation phases of your training, is even more important than running endless miles. As you train for your next distance event, follow these seven manageable phases laid out in Chi Marathon: The Breakthrough Natural Running Program for a Pain-free Half Marathon and Marathon, Chi Running’s course curriculum for mindful, productive training:

• Visioning and Planning: Take time to plan your goals for training and the race itself. Ask yourself why you want to take on the half or full marathon distance. Real purpose helps motivate us and makes training and racing more fulfilling.  
• Technique Training: Learn the Chi Running technique and practice specific Form Focuses on every run. You’ll begin to sense Chi (energy) in your body and learn that tension (and pain) is where chi is not flowing, where injury might occur, and how to relax and make the right adjustments.
• Conditioning: Increase your mental focus and hone your running and energy management skills. Do specific workouts, such as time trials, form and speed intervals, tempo runs, and surges to build your lung and heart capacity and practice running at your projected race pace.
• Mastery: Mimic the specific terrain and conditions of your event and apply the Form Focuses that best suit those conditions.Research the race course, aid station locations, parking, and all other race logistics.
• Taper Time: Don’t over-train. Scale back on your mileage the last two weeks before your race, but don’t reduce the intensity or pace of your runs. This allows you to stay mentally and physically sharp without depleting your energy stores.
• The Event: Make sure you have enough time to prepare yourself on race morning.Stay focused and relaxed. Soak up the positive energy around you at the start line, but don’t get distracted. And don’t start out too fast!
• Rest and Renewal: Relish in your accomplishments and review your race experience. It’s important to keep moving after your race, so spend this week doing light runs and easy cross-training workouts.

Here’s a sample of what Chi Marathon offers:

Ask me the single most important aspect of what raining for a marathon is and I’d answer you in a heartbeat: It’s having your technique perfected while being as relaxed as possible. This is arguably more important, in the long term, than conditioning. Here’s why: the more relaxed and efficient your running form is, the more easily you’ll be able to run any distance and any speed and to enjoy running for as many years as you choose to do so. Whether you’re running for an hour, six hours, or all day, it’s never as much fun if your body is hurting or working harder than it needs to.

Most people think that running long miles is the hardest part of marathon training. We’d like you to disbelief you might have that running a marathon can be easy, fun, and healthy. In my mind, the hardest part of a marathon is the effort it takes you to train your mind to stay focused and maintain good running technique for the whole distance.

As Catherina McKiernan, world class runner and Chi Running Master Instructor, says in the Forward of the Chi Marathon book, “Running is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.”  The same holds true for running a half or full marathon. It can be fully enjoyed by your body, mind and spirit.

To find out how to successfully run a half or full marathon, check out Chi Marathon: The Breakthrough Natural Running Program for a Pain-free Half Marathon and Marathon by Danny and Katherine Dreyer.