So you feel you have great posture when standing on both legs, what about on one?  Running after all is just a series of one-legged posture stances.  Most people carry muscular imbalances, the majority of my students are more stable on one side than the other. Again, there are ample opportunities to practice a one-legged stance during the day.  Waiting to cross the road, brushing your teeth and so on.  You may find that you can do this without a problem on your ‘good’ side but find it difficult to stay aligned on the weak side.  What is important is that you remain structurally aligned with a level pelvis and your lower core engaged.   Practice in front of a mirror to start with, notice that your body may drift more on the weaker side, if this is the case, stand side on to a wall to keep your body from drifting and practice until you feel you can balance on one leg on that side without using the wall to help you.   Pay attention to how balanced you are on your foot; you should feel your whole foot on the ground.  Ensure your entire leg is pointing forward, don’t allow your knee to travel in towards the midline.  If you notice the other hip drop, engage your lower core and level your pelvis.  If you intend to add either distance or speed to your running week and you have balance and stability issues, you are much more likely to get injured

Take the time to develop a sustainable body, one that will allow you to run for years to come.  You have the power to do so if you become mindful about how you use your body throughout the day.

More details about the posture and one-legged posture stances can be found in the Chi Running book.

Happy running.
Michelle

Michelle Muldoon
Senior Chi Running & Chi Walking Instructor
London, UK
www.corerunning.co.uk
 

I run because I love it in the same way as someone else spends a lot of time practicing his or her passion whether that is swimming, playing a musical instrument, cycling, doing yoga or painting for example.

It’s a highly focused period of time away from the frenetic pace of life.  It’s an opportunity to be mindful, in this case about how I am moving; to be in the present moment.   Sometimes it can feel physically hard especially if I am doing an interval session at the track but even then I am working on my Chi Running technique to allow it to feel easier, to run with less effort, less impact, to literally run myself into a relaxed state no matter what the pace.

These runs are not all the same.  In terms of training, they all have a purpose depending on what I am training for but they all have one thing in common.  In each run, I am working on some aspect of my technique.  Mostly these days, I am trying to learn how to relax, the holy grail of running in my view.   I mean relaxation, how hard can it be, right? Turns out that for many of us, it’s actually quite difficult.

So to those who don’t understand, I am not pushing myself too hard.  I am not running for running’s sake.  I am choosing to pay attention, to listen to my body, to quiet my mind while slowly improving the quality of my life through running.

Why do you run?

Happy Running.
Michelle

London
http://www.corerunning.co.uk/

I had some tests done at the time to determine my training zones and the aerobic zone is where I have done most of my running.  Although I have seen some improvements in pace for the same heart rate, there has not been enough for me to want to continue what I am doing.  Frankly, running was becoming less enjoyable and I couldn’t let that happen.  I may be busy trying to unleash my inner athlete but I also run for fun and the pure enjoyment of it.

I am still a huge fan of a heart rate training approach though and so have looked at other ways to use it.  I rarely race but as I mentioned in my last blog, I recently ran a 5k and have decided to use the maximum heart rate reached in that race as a basis for my training.  This has given me a few more beats per minute to work with and allows me to run more fluidly.  Most importantly for me, I am able to run without having to stop and walk because my HRM tells me I am no longer in the zone yet again.  This was soul destroying especially when you have put months of work into it.  Mentally, this has a negative effect and only causes your heart rate to rise in any case.

I am a tall long-legged creature.  Having to run as slowly as I did for a few months is fine but not on an ongoing basis.  My body was screaming at me to stretch out, increase the range of motion, run fast for goodness sake!

I was reminded recently by fellow instructor Ryan Miller about the four chi skills taught in Chi Running; too often, he said, the focus on running form is just on the mechanics.  I thought how right you are.  As a reminder to you, the four chi skills are: focus your mind; body sensing; breathing and relaxation.  Body sensing was the key one in making this decision.

Stay mindful of what you are doing and why.  Most importantly, listen to your own body, if after giving it your best shot something doesn’t feel right, change it.

Three weeks in, I am much happier with my running and enjoying this new phase of my training.  If you are training to heart rate, I would be really interested to hear your experience.

Happy running.

Michelle
 

Since my last blog, I’ve continued to run over the summer but not with the same consistency.  My travels had me running in different places and I enjoyed some hilly terrain in scorching hot weather.  I still ran to heart rate and just walked the uphills when I needed to and enjoyed taking advantage of gravity on the downs. 

No huge change in the stats but my pace continues to improve for the same heart rate.  Over the next few months with more consistent training and a steady increase in volume, I look forward to more progress.  I have neglected the faster stuff for a while but this will be back in the plan again from next week and as before the summer with more of a focus on increasing range of motion rather than speed.

What I have added to my training are strides.  After every run I do a few short repetitions of relaxed sprinting.  With all the slow running I am doing, these give me the opportunity to again work on my range of motion and remind my body how to run fast!

My long runs are close to two and a half hours and I love them.  Anything under an hour seems like a short run to me these days.   My running form is always paramount and all this time on my feet practicing my Chi Running form has improved my balance and stability.  I can maintain my form on the longer runs and in fact often feel stronger on the run the longer I am out.

On Saturday I decided to run in a local 5K and surprised myself by running a PB despite all the months of the long slow stuff and the lack of any speed work over the summer.  Progress is being made in all areas and I am as motivated as ever to keep on training to heart rate.

Happy Running.
Michelle

I am still running to heart rate and though my progress has been slow the heart rate numbers are yet again tumbling and the pace is increasing.  I am doing a lot of running.  The long run remains key for me as I build distance and continue to develop my aerobic base.  As I prepare for a marathon next year, I will be running further than I ever have before on a regular basis.  The harder session once a week has changed to shorter, sharper intervals where my focus is on improving my range of motion and stride length.  This will not be run to heart rate but be more specifically form related.

As long as I follow the pyramid of form, distance and speed as prescribed by Chi Running, I won’t go wrong.  When I started heart rate training, I was expecting to see results quicker but this was not the case for me.  No two bodies are the same, each person responds in different ways.  We all have different issues that we have to deal with in life day to day.  The same was true when I started my Chi Running practise.  This was not easy for me, it has taken years of practise to will my body into alignment and it’s paying off.  Running has never felt better.

So don’t give up!  There will be frustrating times along the way either with your Chi Running practise or your training, there will be obstacles that try to take you off course but trust in the process, listen to your body, you will be surprised by what it can do.

On a separate note, Chi Running was featured in the New York Times last week.  Even across the pond, I can appreciate the significance of this and I am delighted to see it.  There is plenty of discussion taking place in the comments section, so if you want to get involved in the conversation, here is the link to the article.

Happy Running.

Michelle

Meanwhile back home, I am enjoying running more than ever and continue to train to heart rate.  Things didn’t go so well for a while when I began to feel tired and I seemed to be going backwards in the process.  How could running so slowly be tiring me out?  Some blood tests showed that an iron supplement would be a good idea and I have begun to feel the benefit of taking iron after a few weeks.

Having noticed an increase in pace a couple of months back for the same heart rate, this had dropped back and was frustrating me a little.  However, I was reminded by my running coach last week of the progress I have made.  My heart rate response is much improved and my average heart rate for a given run is steadily coming down.  As with Chi Running, the key is gradual process and patience.

We have also adjusted my running training, the volume has increased and I run a harder session once a week instead of every 2 weeks.  This morning, I had a breakthrough with my training.  There was a significant increase in pace for the same heart rate.

Here in the UK, we have been experiencing a heat wave for the last week.   This is a pleasant change from the never-ending rain which preceded it.  Although the heat presents its own challenges when training to heart rate, I have surprised myself by how comfortable I have felt while running.  As always, small adjustments in my running technique help keep my heart rate down.

One of the running focuses I have found to be most beneficial is keeping length through my body.  Out on a run, you may find that you begin to de-compress a little without noticing.  Focus on lengthening your body right through to the crown of your head and notice the difference this small adjustment can make.

Happy running.

Michelle
 

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
 

I have found heart rate running training fits very well with Chi Running.  Gradual progress applies to this kind of running training and non-identification is key.  I have been practising Chi Running for nearly 6 years now, applying the running focuses (like midfoot strike, lean, etc.) is second nature to me.  However, that does not mean I still don’t have to work at it, it just makes it easier for me to be running while keeping an eye on heart rate too.  When I first started Chi Running I would not have felt ready to add something else into the mix too.  Practising my running technique alone and the process of re-wiring my body was more than enough to be getting on with!

What I have learnt over the last few months is that certain elements of my form will lower my heart rate.  If I let something slip like my cadence for instance, my heart rate will rise.  If I re-focus my heart will come back down again.  If I lose my alignment, it will rise, if I re-focus on staying tall and aligned, it will come back down again. 

Best of all running has become incredibly relaxing.  Mostly I believed I was relaxed when running but having taken a step back, I realise there are different levels of relaxation.  By allowing myself to run slower, perform each movement with the least amount of effort, I have been able to dig deeper and really tune into my body.

I am beginning to see the fruits of my labour as the pace increases for the same or even lower heart rate.  I am running most days, I do not feel fatigued in any way.  I usually want to keep going and when my run is over, I can’t wait to get back out for the next one!

Happy running.

Michelle

Except for the harder sessions, these runs are very slow but my heart rate has finally settled down and I can run without having to stop and walk occasionally to bring my heart rate down.  This is progress indeed and inspires me to keep going with the training.  I have had failed attempts with this kind of training in the past, losing patience and not sticking with it.  This time I am really enjoying it, I don’t know if it’s because my running technique continues to improve or I seem to be able to relax more while running.  I do know that this time, each run seems to get more and more enjoyable.  The slow pace has allowed me to truly listen to my body, to become more relaxed and to explore how relaxed I can get whether it be using nose breathing or making adjustments in my alignment.  Just generally looking for tension anywhere in my body and trying to let it go.

Stability is crucial to good pain-free Chi Running technique. I sense that stability now with each foot strike. The less unnecessary movement that takes place through every stride the better. The more stable we are the less likely we are to get injured and to waste energy. Once we have that stability, and for some of us that can take a long time to achieve, we can further explore what the practise of the pain-free Chi Running technique has to offer.

Happy New Year and happy running!

Michelle
 

Amongst other things, we all had our running technique analysed. I have much to be pleased with and some things to work on.  Since my last blog, my foot has healed well and I am doing more and more running.  Form intervals continue to be part of my running training and crucial to honing certain aspects of my technique.  If you read my blog, you will know that I have always been interested in heart raterunning training but have never managed to stick with it!  Although in the pain-free Chi Running technique, we prefer to use a heart rate monitor as a biofeedback tool, experience tells me in my case, I need to spend time on conditioning and developing a good aerobic base.  This will be a challenge and require me to run very slowly over the next few weeks and months.

With the help of a fellow instructor, I have decided I am up to the challenge this time although it requires a lot of discipline and a serious dose of non-identification as I am overtaken on a regular basis in the park!  The last two weeks have seen me return to regular training and already I am seeing some improvements.  In terms of form, running very slowly requires me to pay close attention to how I am moving.  It is crucial to maintain a running action even when running at a very slow pace. It’s important to stay away from a shuffle, keep the cadence up, relax your ankles and lower legs and maintain your alignment.  The lean is minimal.

After the unseasonably mild weather, the temperature finally dropped here in the UK this morning which had the added benefit of keeping my heart rate down and allowing me to run at a slightly quicker pace. Roll on winter!

Happy running.
Michelle