Chi Discussion Forum

I started a thread after I got back from a CR Level 2 seminar a little over a year ago about a breakthrough I had made based on the observation of one of the instructors.  Ann-Margaret Mc Killop had noted that my stride was very short because I was not extending my trail leg behind me.  I began to be consciously aware of extending my trail leg on my runs, and I noted an immediate, dramatic improvement in my speed, particularly on my everyday runs.  After working with that thought for a few months, I began to drift away from it, thinking that I had ingrained the new motion in my stride.

Fast forward to a race last weekend, a national championship 8K in Williamsburg, Virginia.  I ran OK, not great; and afterward a friend mentioned to me that my stride looked very short.  I went out the next day, and consciously focused once again on extending my trail leg behind me.  Specifically, I try to remember:

Good, upright posture
Slight forward lean from the feet (ankles)
Extend my trail leg behind me
Let my pelvis rotate (Some people prefer to focus on this, but for me, it works better if I just let it
happen in response to extending my trail leg.)
Quickly get my foot back on the ground underneath me

Sounds like a lot to think about, but it’s really not, as the whole thing just flows.  So once again, I’ve been flying on my daily runs, covering them 30-60 seconds per mile faster than I was going before.
The amazing think is that it seems like I am not expending a lot of extra effort.  My breathing, HR, and perceived exertion may be just slightly more than in my previous easy runs, but they are all a lot less than they were on prior moderate runs at the same pace. 

So my questions for the experts are:
1) Have I really found free speed, that is, a faster pace with minimal or no additional effort?
2) In the past, I found that while I was faster on maintenance runs, I was a little disappointed that races were about the same.  Any thoughts on how to translate these gains to improved racing performances?

Hi OldXCGuy

First of all, congrats for figuring it out - old habits die hard! And second - you have the pelvic rotation focus down - like you said, focus on the trailing leg and ALLOW the pelvic rotation to happen. Very good!

As for free speed, yes, that’s what you are getting for learning how to relax and let your stride increase behind you. Enjoy it! And keep at it - as you found out, old habits die hard.

Regarding increased race performance, keep working on the corrections and see how that translates into future races. My guess is, in the past, when you went to race, your new habits weren’t yet ingrained, and your stride length shortened. Keep working your focuses consistently in the training, and see the races as a way to test your skills. Let go of expectations of results and see what happens.

Hope that helps!

Laura Houston
Certified Chi Running and Chi Walking Instructor
Seattle WA

Laura, thanks so much for your thoughtful reply.  Indeed, I’ve learned that I’m going to need to keep reminding myself of this focus.  One time at a workshop I asked Danny if the form focuses ever become
so firmly ingrained through practice that one no longer needs to think about them.  He thought about it only briefly before replying that no, one needs to constantly be mindful of good form.

To make the transition to successfully applying this focus to racing, I have been working on it in race-paced interval workouts.  So far it seems to be working well.  If I could make the same breakthrough in my race performances that I’ve been able to make in my daily maintenance runs, I would be ecstatic.  If that happens, I’ll be sure to let you know.