This analogy helps further when developing the idea of practising with control and the common error of aiming too high for speed and impressive short times early in the development of mastery when of course all good musicians would say learn to play slowly and well and only increase your speed when you have mastered the basics. This is true of many many things in life not only music and running.

The best recreational activities are the ones that can help us become a more focused, compassionate individual who grows and becomes more sensitive to the needs of others and is much more in tune with what the present can give. They also impact on how we interact in other areas of our lives. In a study at Southern Illinois University it was concluded that individuals experiencing leisure activities to the fullest have:

• A feeling of freedom
• Total absorption in the activity at hand
• Lack or focus on self
• Enhanced perception of objects and events
• Little Awareness of the passage of time
• Increased sensitivity to body sensations
• Increased sensitivity to emotions

So by using the metaphor of an instrument that requires constant tuning and developing a mastery by practice we can see that really we are approaching a deeper state of awareness in ourselves. In gaining mastery of ourselves we must have the correct effort, complete focus and a deep calm resonant state to perform at our best.  

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

I am smiling as I write this because when I discuss the reasons why I love running with these people, they are fundamentally the same as the reasons why they love running. Increased clarity of thought, focus, sense of balance, mastery of breath and improved feeling of well being.

I , though, have an obsessive background. I have a feeling that if I pursued ultra marathon running or iron man events I would ask all to follow in my wake, my sense of personal balance would be lost.

Also I have the t-shirt in two ways, one physical and one mental. In my brief stint in the armed forces, I spent two weeks surviving in the New Forest. We were chased by Royal Marines, starved, forced marched for 24 hours and I lost about 2 stone in weight, I know about exertion and focus and to be honest I survived. I come from the generation whose parents fought in World War II. My Father never talked about it, but I got the sense that because he survived the atrocities and true horror of war he was content with this so called mundane life. He would repeatedly say, "You have no idea!" Perhaps because our path is not full of life and death choices that some of us strive to be questioned in an extreme manner? In addition nursing a terminally ill child for two years leaves deep scars that heal well if you know what to avoid. Running to the point of extreme endurance I think would open these wounds again. Leave well alone . But you enjoy them ok!

Another key issue that seems to reappear in the distance running literature is achieving a sense of enlightenment, a sense of deep realisation of who you are and your place in the Universe. Many people come to running after surviving ill health, psychological problems or simply feeling overwhelmed about their responsibilities in the world. A good way of thinking about this is seeing a stable and wholesome self as securely suspended by strong cables. These cables would represent love, family, community, relationships and basic needs. If you replaced these cables by very many fine threads then perhaps you could see these threads as quick fixes, short relationships, meaningless friendships, materialism and a sense of always reinventing yourself according to your immediate position. It takes a great force to break many thick cables and sadly it does happen but more often than not a simple swipe of a sharp blade will cut many or all the threads. Many people have a life suspended by a multitude of thin threads. They feel that these are required and that allowing more thin threads to further suspend their lives will bring meaning and purpose to their lives.

I have been challenged to re-think and re-script many times in my life. My conclusion is that one needs to identify those threads that need to be replaced by strong cables. However, and this is important, if you are not compassionate to yourself, allowing yourself time to grow in physicality and emotional maturity, then you will never find these cables out. In other words, what do we really need to live? The level of maturity a person has is how much they can dispose of and still be content.

Unbelievably, running does just that. If you allow yourself to focus on running as a process for you and not simply an outcome to be squeezed into a challenge frame of mind, then you learn to be compassionate to yourself, your awareness of who you are becomes heightened and, if following a form-based approach to running, then your understanding of what a moment can bring becomes clear. When I teach Chi Running I emphasise that I am not teaching a static, fixed running movement that is rigid but an awareness that the window of balance is fluid, this moves depending on the surface, gradient or just with you.

This has strong links to Iyengar yoga asanas where the appearance of a static posture is very deceiving, when in posture the movement is either internal, focusing on energising lines and alignment or external by focusing on small body corrections to allow for the further flow of energy to run smooth across and around your body.

An example in my own running practice has been focusing on my hands during running. Such a small thing, I hear you say. Well, my right wrist has a habit of dropping and my thumb does not point "thumb to nipple" ... instead it moves horizontally. It takes a good deal of concentration to focus on correcting this, but strangely my running feels more fluid when the alignment issue has been corrected. The parallels to yoga practice are clear. It took me a good two years to turn my arms correctly in a certain yoga posture. The result? A more aligned, controlled and engaged running technique that was controlled by me.

So much to think about , in the next article I am going to give you my secrets on how to defeat stress and anxiety and allow a more compassionate self to flow out into the open. 

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

That ‘s a definite shift, I would always want to know my weekly mileage. I could go back and have a look as I do use a Garmin but it doesn’t seem to matter anymore. I do know I am running for longer and at least 5 days a week with greater ease and even more enjoyment. The continual practice of the Chi Running technique has allowed that to happen.

This morning, I came across a journal I kept when I started to practice the Chi Running technique. I had forgotten just how many injuries I had back in 2006. Seriously, there was not one part of me from hip down that didn’t trouble me in some way or another. As Danny says “technique is king” and so it has proved for me. It’s been a gradual process but so worth it.

I’ve also been inspired by Danny and Katherine Dreyer’s new book, Chi Marathon, a book I’ve been waiting a long time for. Not just a marathon running training plan, although there is one in it; this book will take you through a seven phase technique based program which will have you at the start line of your marathon more prepared than you thought possible. It’s a book that will change how you approach marathon running and might even change your life.

So, armed with years of practice and this book, I’ve decided 2013 will be marathon running year for me. I would like to spend a year focusing on heart rate training without the distraction of marathon training and hopefully be in my best shape for running a marathon in the autumn of next year.

Happy running.
Michelle
 

Like my daughter and my dog, I love to play and I love to run through the woods and over hills and on winding, twisting paths because that is play to me (and to them). In terms of running, trail running is my truest love. When I’m out in nature, my senses come alive and I feel my body respond to every slope and turn, every new aspect, every new challenge. My mind drops away completely, no problems, no issues, just me and nature and the present moment.

If you love trail running, or want to, but are concerned about staying safe and injury-free, I’d love to teach you what I’ve learned from running thousands of miles of trails in the Rockies of Colorado, the Coastal Range of California and the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. Eighty-five percent of the events I’ve raced have been trail races, usually of 30-50 miles, with a couple of hundred milers thrown in.

Chi Running was discovered while training for these events, as I melded my running with my T’ai Chi Master’s lessons to create “intelligent movement.”

Everything you learn in Chi Running (good posture, lean, a midfoot strike, pelvic rotation…and every other Form Focus) not only becomes more necessary, but requires more refinement on the trails. If you have studied your beginner running techniques, you’re ready to  get started running on hills and teaching your body to respond to the nuance of trails. On the trails you are forced to change the Form Focuses, sometimes moment to moment. Soon, all of those focuses will become the natural way you move, your body responding to every nuance underfoot, feeling the gentle rise, then steep rise, the abrupt downhill where you lean back to control your speed, and the gentle downhill (my favorite part) where you learn to lean forward and enjoy the free ride.

Hills and Trails, our newest training DVD, offers you the fundamentals of running hills – up and down, easy and steep – easily, which is an essential aspect of trail running. It then takes you to the trails to learn what I’ve been practicing over the years and miles.

Yes, trails do present some challenges; rocks and roots, mud and gravel, getting lost, and my real nemesis – poison oak or ivy. The challenges have kept me alert and my instincts fine-tuned. Trail running is my play, my inner work and one of my greatest joys. I return from a road run feeling great. I come back from a trail run a different and happier person. Get started running those Hills and Trails today.

Some runners, on the other hand, love running a good hill because of the great cardio workout it offers, but they end up wasting so much energy blasting uphill that they can burn through a significant amount their fuel. The pushing and pulling and straining are the perfect ingredients for muscle strain. And, what seems like the easy part, relaxed running downhill, is where the most impact happens and has the greatest potential for injury. For those of us who live in hilly areas, we can’t just go out and run without encountering some hills.

I Love Hill Running
I can feel my body shift into the uphill and downhill Chi Running Focuses as my feet feel the changes underneath. As a matter of fact, I find flat running more difficult because the running is more repetitive and less challenging. I have spent a lot of time investigating how I can run hills more efficiently, have fun, and an make all of my hill running an asset when I’m racing. My number one secret is that I rest on the uphills and take full advantage of gravity on the downhills (while minimizing the impact, of course). 

To run hills well you first need the basic Form Focuses of Chi Running as part of your tool kit. Don’t try to learn Chi Running on hills. Learn the Form Focuses and the Chi Running natural running form on the flats and then use them to make hills easy. When running hills you’re going to modify the Form Focuses and break a few Chi Running rules. The trick is learning to rely more on your technique so that you can rely much less on muscle strength. It’s a great place to up the ante on your Chi Running skills; practice your gears, feel your lean and let your pelvis rotate.

Uphill Focuses:

• Shorten your stride and “shift” to a lower gear
• Use your upper body by swinging your arms forward and up (rather than rearward)
• Lean into the hill but don’t bend at the waist
• Don’t step ahead of your hips – avoid “pulling” yourself up the hill with your legs
• Relax – especially your lower legs – no pushing with your toes
• Keep your heels down to avoid overusing your calves
• Use the image of being a balloon floating up

Steep Uphill Focuses:

• The Lateral Stride (there’s a great lesson on this in the new Hills and Trails DVD)
• Use Granny gear – very, very short stride
• Lean into the hill with the uphill shoulder
• Walk when you need to

Downhill Focuses:

• Focus on the movement of your lower body
• Arms swing out the back
• Let your pelvis rotate – legs swing out the back
• Keep your cadence steady and let your stride length increase
• Use your lean to regulate your speed – lean more or straighten up to increase or decrease your speed

Steep Downhill Focuses:

• Arms relaxed at your side
• Lower yourself down the hill with a heel-to-toe footstrike, in the grounding stance
• Keep a short stride and allow your cadence to increase
• Zigzag to reduce impact

You can view all of these Focuses in the Chi Running DVD Hills Made Easy. If you love trail running, or are thinking of beginning running trails, the DVD Hills and Trails has all of the information about hill running along with lots of great information about trail running.

Next time you see a hill in the distance, rather than avoiding it, or letting it burn through your energy, you’ll feel a different kind of challenge. Use your skills and intelligence to get started running hills with ease and confidence.