One of the most exciting recent developments by Chi Living is the Chi Walk-Run program. Based on the foundations of Chi Running and Chi Walking, this collaborative approach offers another energy efficient and injury-free way to be active and to stay fit, for now and lifelong.
New opportunities for aerobic activity and its benefits arise from Chi Walk-Run that may be harder to attain with a strict walking-only or running-only approach. Many runners are finding that, rather than being a sign of weakness, it can be a very positive experience to add intentional periods of walking. It provides an opportunity to reinstate and deepen your practice of the Form Focuses, recover if feeling fatigued, and extend your time on your feet if you’re training for a distance event.

Many walkers find it possible and rewarding to extend themselves into “new” territory by including some running in their workouts. If you’ve been practicing Chi Walking, running may be much easier than you think. Both runners and walkers are attaining increased personal value and significant health benefits by a combination approach.

The Chi Walk-Run e-Chi Training program (and printed program and DVD) teaches you how to safely transition between running and walking while getting you up to the 5K distance in eight weeks. Transitioning smoothly between walking and running is the key in reducing impact, saving energy, and preventing injury. It’s the perfect program for beginners who want to try both techniques, and it’s also a great way for runners recovering from an injury to regain their conditioning and strengthen their technique.

While the Chi Walk-Run program tells you when to walk and for how long, walk-runners will begin to Body Sense when they need to take walk breaks as they move through the program. These choices are based on personal goals, self-awareness of physical and mental states as well as an awareness of outside factors, such as the terrain  around them. How much walking and running is best suited to your goals; how are you feeling today; what level of effort are you looking for at this time?

If you currently walk or are planning to begin a fitness plan including walking, you may find that Chi Walk-Run is a further step forward that you can take. In the months since the formal introduction of Chi Walk, many walkers have found this to be true. Likewise, if you currently run or used to run, adding walking to your fitness regime may make your overall workouts more enjoyable; again, many runners have been re-vitalized by the new Chi Walk-run approach.  Perhaps your personal health and fitness goals would also be enhanced by this exciting and innovative approach. Chi Walk-Run, it’s a step in the right direction.

During the three and a half months of running and walking training in which we met every Sunday morning, I provided the Chi Walk-Run trainees with input on Chi Walking and Chi Running and gradually introduced them to the practice of doing both walking and running in their workouts. Depending on their prior experience and preferences regarding how much walking or running they wanted to do in the Half or Full Marathon, I designed their training schedule accordingly.

In contrast to highly structured, pain-free Walk-Run programs which often prescribe strict time periods, sequences and ratios for walking and for running, I emphasized individual decision-making by the participants as to which they would do and when they would do it. Some began with a desired goal of doing their Marathon event 75% walking / 25% running while others  were aiming for  95% running with just 5% walking. In fact, these original goals re. walking vs running were often  revised as the training period went along.  Thus, at a given point in the running and walking training program, some people might be doing 10% Chi Running while others might be doing 80%.  This kind of diversity added to the typical diversity of walking and running speeds so that using my bicycle to track the participants and give them feedback was essential. I always got a good workout as they did their weekly “long” walk, run or walk-run.

In order to assist the trainees as to when to Chi Walk and when to Chi Run, I highlghted a number of variables to conisder. For example, I taught and reinforced (1) awareness of self, i.e., self-monitoring for energy and physical status (2) awareness of surroundings, e.g. level or hilly terrain, and (3) timing, e.g., at what stage in the workout or event were they.

The other major skill area unique to the Chi Walk-Run training concerned the actual transition from Chi Walking to Chi Running and back (see earlier blog: http://www.chirunning.com/blog/entry/transitioning-between-chi-walking-and-chi-running/ ). Given that they might be shifting back and forth 10 to 20 times in a half marathon alone, it was important that they do so as smoothly and efficiently as possible; to do otherwise was sure to be an energy drain. For example, a quick, sudden shift takes effort and effort is what we are trying to minimize in the overall Chi Walk-Run approach. Since gradual, thoughtful transitions are key, I spent considerable time teaching and observing transitions. One of my favorite exercises was to have them take at least 40 steps during the transition from walking to running so that an observer would have difficulty identifying when they actually began running. Give it a try as transitioning that gradually takes patience and practice.

I’m happy to report that on the big day of the Eugene Marathon, my group of Chi Walk-Runners were ready and they performed accordingly.  All of them completed their goal and did so in terrific fashion.  Using my bicycle to get around, I observed them a number of times during the morning and was pleased to see them Chi Walking, Chi Running and doing effective and smooth transitions between the two. For many, it was a first to complete the distance (Half or Full Marathon), for many of the walkers, it was a first to include any running in their undertaking and for the runners, it was the first time they had consciously included any walking in their long distance events. Smiling faces and quick recoveries were the order of the day for all of the Chi Walk-Runners. It was a real accomplishment and the beginning of many good, pain-free workouts and long-distance events awaiting them down the road. 

P.S. Check out the terrific Chi Walk-run DVD and 5K training program now available through the Chi Living store.

Lifelong health and fitness requires personal acceptance of different phrases, like: use it or lose it – just keep moving – or, you’re only as old as you act.

Lifelong, pain-free fitness is a realistic goal, as long as you keep moving while you age. In this blog, I’d like to explore a couple of very doable approaches to physical activity that will certainly enhance one’s health and fitness and can be done at all ages: the Chi Walking tehcnique and Chi Walk-Run.

Before I say a few things about Chi Walking and Chi Walk-Run, I’d like to mention an interesting AARP pamphlet I read recently which was extolling the health benefits of walking including a clever 1913 quotation by George Trevelyan: “I have two doctors, my left leg and my right leg” - in other words “get up and walk” (and maybe you won’t even need a doctor!). I was also interested to see reference to a new National Institute on Aging “get off your duff” campaign called “Go4Life”. Clearly, these days there is more and more attention and interest in keeping older adults healthy, active and fit – and repeatedly, walking is seen as the best way to do so.

So, how do Chi Walking and Chi Walk-Run fit in the lifelong health and fitness equation? In my view, they are absolutely center stage and invaluable in terms of what these pioneering approaches can offer to help create a healthy and fit aging process. As we know, running, and even walking, can lead to injuries and can become difficult to do, especially for older adults. Chi Walking, Chi Running, and the new, integrated form called Chi Walk-Run move walking and running to new levels of effortless and injury-free movement. They share key ingredients derived from T'ai Chi having to do with alignment with nature, core strength and energy efficiency, all of which lead to an easier and lighter form of movement.

As one enters “older age”, Chi Walking and Chi Walk-Run may become the recreational and fitness workout activities of choice. The former may be the primary approach to aerobic and cardio fitness with its steady, one-foot-on-the-ground approach but the latter can offer variety and the intermittent increased intensity that comes with running even if the running is not much faster than the walking. As outlined in Danny Dreyer’s recent article about health, fitness and the heart, aerobic activity is the first priority in one’s fitness workouts with periodic cardio activity an important complement to it. Chi Walking and Chi Walk-Run offer opportunities for both aerobic and cardio exercise.

My personal experience as I have walked and run through 6+ decades of “the ages” leaves me committed to and optimistic about continuing to do so for the rest of my life. Over the past eight years as I have become a Chi Runner, Chi Walker and now a Chi Walk-Runner, I am even more convinced that I can meet my personal goal of lifelong, pain-free health and fitness. I intend to keep moving and do so with nature (gravity), ease and injury-free as I continue to move through the ages. Check out Chi Walking and Chi Walk-Run and give them a try. They sure are working for me!

When there is snow on the ground, or ice for that matter, the Chi Running tehcnique can still be a  very effective way to safely do your running workout. Having an aligned posture with your relaxed legs swinging behind you, and with your foot placement under your body definitely helps you to stay on your feet, no matter what the footing. There may be some Winter conditions, however, when even the Chi Running technique might not be enough to comfortably deal with the snow, ice  and rain and that is where Chi Walk-Run comes into the picture. As a complement to Chi Running, Chi Walk-Run brings another level of stability into the picture by offering the runner the option of gearing down to a whole different mode of motion which, by its very nature, i.e., always having one foot in contact with the ground, provides another degree of stability on uncertain terrain.

I have found that switching to Chi Walking from Chi Running at certain times during Winter running can be invaluable. Obvious examples involve hills: for example, running down a slippery hill can be treacherous but with a quick adjustment to Chi Walking, I once again have solid footing with a midfoot strike and away I go. Likewise, when running up a hill, slippery footing is a common occurrence; switch to Chi Walking, and up I go. But even on level ground, I often switch back and forth from Chi Running to Chi Walking when Winter weather is a challenge. For me, having the safe and stable footing that Chi Walking provides me leads to more confident and relaxed movement.

As I described in an earlier Chi Walk-Run blog, the transition from walking to running and vice versa can be smooth and quick and that is true no matter what the weather. After checking your form and your surroundings  (self- monitoring and general awareness are key to effective Winter running and walking), and assuming you are Chi Running, it is a simple matter to switch to Chi Walking: just reduce your lean and your cadence slightly until you are into the Chi Walking form. When the footing so merits, a return to the Chi Running technique merely requires a gradual increase in cadence and lean until you are Chi Running again. The only difference from running in more comfortable conditions is the increased importance of being aware of the weather and the conditions of your running terrain. Ice, snow or heavy rain? Dress for the Wintery weather then give Chi Walk-Run a try. You’re sure to survive it and enjoy it!

Whether you get going now or wait until 2012 has arrived, one program that is proving to be very “user friendly” for helping meet fitness and health goals is Chi Living’s new pain-free Chi Walk-Run approach. We all know that getting and staying fit is key to a healthy lifestyle and is the best prescription for healthy aging (view PBS video, Younger Next Year) . Why, then, do so many people have trouble getting going on a fitness program and why do so many stop fitness activities soon after beginning them? Motivation and personal commitment are important aspects but, again, it is critical to have a fitness activity that is both do-able and enjoyable in order to succeed to get moving and keep moving.

If you used to run but no longer do, or if you have always wanted to run, but have never done so, Walk-Run may be for you. If you think walking is not enough of a workout or you haven’t done it much, Walk-Run may be for you. If you just can’t seem to find a fitness program that attracts you, Walk-Run may be for you. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on your fitness undertakings, Walk-Run may be for you. If you want to move to the next level in your fitness endeavors, Walk-Run may be for you. How can Chi Walk-Run offer so much and meet such a myriad of personal needs and situations? Read on!

The pain-free and injury free Chi Walk-Run program offers a straightforward, understandable, accessible and interesting approach to aerobic activity. It offers variety and the opportunity for new and changing challenges. The benefits come quickly and are reinforcing and personal motivation is enhanced due to the option of mixing walking and running in do-able and changing ratios. Although any walk-run program has benefits, learning the basics of the Chi Walking technique and Chi Running technique, provides the foundation to implement the unique, awareness-oriented and collaborative approach of Chi Walk-Run. As you move into the end of the year holiday season, give yourself a present with lifelong value – read the book, view the DVD, contact a Certified Chi Running/Walking Instructor. Above all, get moving soon and mix up some walking with a little running and see what you think. Walk-Run, especially Chi Walk-Run, may be for you. Begin Fitness Now!

As you know from the Chi Walk-Run DVD, the first step in learning and using Chi Walk-Run is to learn the Basics of Chi Walking and Chi Running. The DVD as well as other Chi Walking and Chi Running resources (DVD, books, classes, etc) will take care of developing that foundation; then, the question is when and how does one make the transition from walking to running, and vice versa.

Briefly stated, the transition (or change) process from walking to running, or running to walking, is an individualized decision combined with some general principles and timing guidelines. First, it is key to pay attention to yourself, to "Body Sense" so that you are aware of your own energy as you decide to continue with what you are doing as opposed to making the transition: exertion level? heart rate? attitude? current form? And further, what's going on around you: are you running or walking on level terrain, uphill, downhill? what point in your workout or race? personal goals? aid station coming up? how long have you been either walking or running?

Once you've decided that it is time to make a change (note that I'm emphasizing the "choice" aspect at this time even though there also may be pre-set time periods for each mode), in order to make the transition as easy and energy efficient as possible, it helps immensely to bring into focus your cadence (turnover rate) at that time and then to increase or decrease it as desired. For example, if you are Chi Walking, you may want to increase your cadence as you begin to transition to Chi Running, say from 130 to 140 to 150 or more since your Chi Running cadence will soon be in the 170 - 180 steps per minute range. At the same time, as you start to transition, you will be increasing the minimal lean of Chi Walking to slightly more lean as you transition to the "first gear" of Chi Running. Awareness of your walking and running technique allows for these changes in form as well as retaining certain aspects of form that are the same in Chi Walking and Chi Running, e.g., 90 degree arm swing and a good pelvic rotation.

In a hilly trail run in Corvallis, OR recently, I had many occasions to transition between Chi Running and Chi Walking. Although I began the 15K race intending to run as much of it as possible with a fast finishing time in mind, I knew that the many steep hills would mean that I would frequently be Chi Walking - cooperation with gravity translates to Chi Walking being more efficient than Chi Running when dealing with steep uphills (see: http://www.drkeithcoach.com/articles/mcdonald-forest.pdf). On the other hand, Chi Running is the choice when going downhill. This strategy worked very well and, as well as attaining my target time overall (1hr 30 mins), I had the satisfaction of Chi Walking past many competitors who insisted on trying to run on the steep uphills or who were forced to walk but did so more as a last resort with no awareness of their inefficient form while doing so.

Although Chi Walk-Run is not the only Walk-Run program that exists, it has a number of features that make it unique and more beneficial for the trainee. I plan to address this topic in my next blog. With the above ideas about transitions and dealing with steep hills, you have plenty to work, or play, with: be aware, Body Sense, and enjoy your Chi Walk-Running.

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.

At the beginning of this year I was, as far as I knew, in excellent health and was doing my typical fitness and recreational sport activities; running, walking, tennis, ice hockey, cycling, etc. Little did I know that in the preceding months, the beginnings of cancer were taking hold deep inside of me, in my prostate gland (PG), to be exact. An elevated PSA score (the screening that may identify the existence of prostate cancer) had led me to have a PG biopsy which had confirmed that I had prostate cancer. What a shock!

After doing considerable research about the prostate gland, prostate cancer and the various treatments for it, I took a deep breath as I concluded that this kind of cancer is very treatable when identified early as mine had been. I soon decided to have robotic surgery to remove the PG totally; other options, such as radiation and the “wait and watch” approach did not appeal to me. I wanted a decisive and clean procedure and surgery seemed to be the treatment that provided that degree of certainty.

In preparing for the surgery, I followed a principle central to the Chi Running technique and the Chi Walking technique, namely to set up the proper conditions for energy to flow, for balance and awareness, and for movement to occur with relaxation and ease while working with the forces and the environment in which we live. In terms of my surgery prep, that translated to increasing the strength of my immune system, enhancing my healing capacity and improving my fitness level and overall physical, mental and emotional balance. In support of these intentions, I continued with my usual physical fitness routines and the overall support I always get from my life partner, Kathy, and I added acupuncture, body work, nutritional and herbal supplements, infra red sauna heat, a prostate cancer support group, and meditation and awareness focusing. I tried to get as ready as possible for the self-inflicted “invasion” I was about to experience in the interests of my long term health and well being.

My final time running before the surgery was one of my favorites, a hilly, 20 K trail run above Eugene that had a relay component such that I could share the run with Kathy as a team we aptly named the “Swift Young K’s.” (FYI: we finished first in the 120 year, combined ages category!). As I was running and walking, I felt the freedom and flow that goes with such a run but I was also aware that there was some nervousness in the back of my mind about the surgery that was now only a few days in the future. Body Scans and Chi Running and Chi Walking focuses were particularly helpful that day as they gave me something other than surgery to think about.

And the day arrived and, before I knew it, the surgery was over – efficient and painless and, in what seemed like an instant, I had awakened in my hospital room. My recovery had begun, and  healing now became my primary life focus. After a day or so of discomfort and limited movement, I was soon walking comfortably and frequently while applying good Chi Walking technique to my delicate physical condition; movement was important to getting all my different systems back to normal functioning.

Within two weeks of surgery, I completed a 5K walk as part of the annual Prost8K event put on by the Oregon Urology Institute to raise funds to provide free PSA screenings to the community. I was not trying to be a “hero” by walking a 5K so soon after surgery, I really just felt energized and healthy enough to do it and, fortunately, my experience validated that self-assessment. I was excited and relieved to be out in the world again and happy that I had come through the surgery well enough to be there.

Getting to be a runner again took a little longer but it still was only about 5 weeks post-surgery when we completed running a 5K in Missoula, Montana while pushing a carriage carrying our 9 month old grandson, Cormac (his first race ever!). After that, I really felt like I was back. Now it was a matter of supporting some deeper healing and trusting in another central tenet of Chi Living, the principle of Gradual Progress - patience and small steps -  and I am glad to report that this next phase of recovery and healing is well under way.

P.S. 1 in 6 men eventually get prostate cancer; men over 40 should include a PSA screening in their medical exams – it could save your life; it did mine!

I have to confess that I did not pay attention to the principle of Gradual Progress in two distinct but directly related areas, one in my "speed" running training, specifically in my track workouts, and secondly in my recovery from the running injury resulting from this first omission.  I had been doing interval repeats with some other runners and got overly focused on how fast I was able to run them. One day I set a new running speed PR and the next day I was feeling some tightness and discomfort around the area of my left Tensor Fascia Lata muscle.

My second "error" was ignoring the principle of Gradual Progress in the recovery from what initially was a minor running injury. Having registered for and having travelled to the Austin half Marathon, I unwisely decided to go ahead and run it even though I was still feeling  discomfort in the TFL area. I basically talked myself into a 13.1 mile race instead of backing off and letting my body have some time off to recover from my initial mistake in judgement. Two wrongs sure do not make a right in terms of ignoring the Gradual Progress principle.

Although my knowledge of Chi Running (good form, relaxed muscles, pelvic rotation, etc.) got me through running the Half Marathon without intense pain and with a respectable time, even the Chi Running technique could not protect me from myself.  Perhaps my runner's ego and some "magical thinking"  had led me to proceed but it didn't work and, sure enough, after running the race I was much worse off than before it. And for several weeks following the run, I paid the price - my running had to be minimal or none at all and my recovery from what could have been a minor and brief injury turned into an ongoing problem which only recently has seemed to clear up. 

So, what did I learn that might be useful to others? Patience, self-monitoring, taking a long term perspective - and above all, paying attention to the principle of Gradual Progress in your running and, if you do  end  up with a strain or some other running related injury, paying attention to the principle of Gradual Progress in your recovery. Attention to issues of Pre-hab in your running will likely prevent the need to have Re-hab later (see discussion of Pre-hab vs Re-hab by David Stretanski at http://www.echifitness.com/). However,  if Re-hab is ever necessary,  the guiding principle of Gradual Progress will make Re-hab shorter and more successful. That's my learning from this recent running experience. I hope it will be of value to others too!

Without a doubt, the key to being able to enjoy and do well at all such varied organized races is the Chi Running technique and the Chi Walking technique with all of their positive features. Good posture and running technique are at the foundation of effortless and aware running. No matter what kind of event I am in, I am always engaged in self-monitoring and adapting to the conditions around me. Flexibility and focus, working with, not against, nature make it possible to enjoy the variety and the variety gives me the opportunity to be a true, pain-free Chi Runner and Chi Walker. I wonder what kind of variety you've experienced in your running or walking undertakings!

This week, another new adventure as my gal friend Kathy and I head to Austin, Texas to run the Austin Half Marathon. Our first time there ensures another taste of variety and another "spice" for our running and walking lives. Off we go!