Hope you're well. You have always been so supportive of my progress in both the workshops I have attended and through your emails.

In July, I completed my 4th IMLP (Ironman Lake Placid). This one was especially cool because my 18 year old daughter, Jane, was doing her first IM. After the race we decided to take 2013 and work on getting faster and doing shorter races with particular emphasis on running.

Last year at a local 5K, I did the first mile in 7:54 and commented on how cool it was to see a sub-8 after all these years trying to break 9 minutes.

Fast forward one year. I raced this morning. That 7:54 in the first mile was a 7:40 this year, and the sub-26 min. pace was replaced by a sub-25 min. finish. My 24:49 this morning was a 7:59 pace and a 2nd place AG finish. You told me last year I could go even faster. You were right! Holding butterflies, peeling postage stamps, proper posture, riding the unicycle. It all works.

At 62 I've just decided to speed up,
Michael B.

Well, the results, not evidence, are in.  One year and one week after taking my first ChiRunning workshop in Chicago on the 10th of September, here are my PRs (all set after the workshop):

5km - 17.02 (41 seconds faster than 20 years ago)
5m - 29:52 (improvement of 4:30)
10km - 37:56
10m - 1:01:21
Half-Marathon - 1:22:42 (improvement of 8:37, 6:23 faster than the 2011 Chicago Half the day after the ChiRunning workshop)
Marathon - 3:08:08 (improvement of 25:45)

I'm 40 years old and fit into the Clydesdale category, as I weigh 195 lbs.  I only run three times a week and attend yoga classes 4 - 6 times a week.  I would consider my nutrition to be OK.  My diet consists of organic foods if possible, very little red meat and if I choose to eat meat or poultry, I try and make sure it's humanely raised and locally sourced.

Over the last couple of years, there's been a seemingly inexorable move towards minimalist shoes, in no small part prompted by Chris McDougall's seminal book, 'Born to Run'.  I was one of the groupies who went out and purchased two pairs of Vibram 5-Fingers after reading just a couple of chapters.  I was also lucky, but stupid, because I didn't follow the advice and transition into them gradually; however, despite diving straight in, I did not get injured.  One can't go to a race, or a sporting goods store, a running website or magazine where there aren't people plugging gait analysis (in many cases, because they want to sell some shoes) and all of a sudden, everybody is wearing minimalist or barefoot shoes.  And if they're not minimalist shoes, they're the latest models featuring unprecedented support.  In my case, I took Danny's workshop three months after switching to the Vibrams, and that probably helped mitigate the injury risk.  After all, for an old bloke who ran his first marathon (Big Sur, which was also my first marathon) in 3:04 aged 52, Danny must have been doing something correctly!

Research-wise, this is still a nascent area. We're starting to see a trickle of peer-reviewed papers on barefoot and minimalist running, many of which are encouraging, but it's still going to be some time before we can claim that 'the science is settled' when it comes to minimalist running, let alone ChiRunning.  We should also, however, bear in mind, as McDougall points out in his book, that there are no or few peer-reviewed papers supporting the use of regular running shoes with heavy cushioning and support in the heel.  And for those who point to podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons who are quoted about the upswing in injuries suffered by barefoot or minimalist runners, are those injuries attributable to the footwear or poor form?

So why am I writing this?  I thought I would use this opportunity to impart how I have benefited from ChiRunning, what I have learned, what I am still doing wrong, and what I need to do.

Benefits:

My times speak for themselves, but I am not sure that I can impute all of the improvement to Chi Running alone.  The Vibrams have certainly helped, as have regular track sessions, yoga, improved nutrition and regular massage, but my half and full marathon times improved significantly immediately after taking Danny's workshop.  This appears to be more than coincidental.
My times in training are much faster too.
Recovery times after hard races and training sessions have shortened, and there's less soreness.
It's rare that I'm out of breath after a race.
The metronome to regulate and maintain cadence has been critical.

What have I learned?

While Danny's book and video are a great starting point, taking a workshop is even more important.  But it doesn't end there.  If you're serious about making the change, working with a locally certified instructor to point out flaws in form is also critical.  In Chicago, I've been working with Maurice Willis, who has been filming me, reviewing the film, measuring angles and pointing out flaws with hip and chin positioning.
When tiredness sets in during training or races, performing a quick form focus while slowing down definitely helps get things back on track.
The speed improvements will come naturally with correct form.
I don't need a heart rate monitor.  It's a distraction. At best, as Danny says, it's a bio feedback tool to be used to measure progress at various points during training.  I think it's useless in a race.

What am I still doing wrong?

I'm not running from the core and focusing on the 'needle in cotton' principle to the degree that I should.  As an aside, I HATE core exercises and need to rectify that, as well as be more focused on it during training and races.
My pelvic tilt and lean need more work, which will improve through continued focus, coaching, and practice.
My head tends to swing about when tiredness sets in.

What do I need to do?

Practice!
Regularly circle back to the book and DVD and follow the advice of focusing on different form principles during training sessions.  Get down to Chicago's Oak St Beach and run barefoot in the sand so I can see how my feet are landing and if they're in alignment.
Continue to work with Maurice on refining my style so that I am running more from the core.
Hopefully take a one week instructor course so that I can immerse myself more in the ChiRunning principles.

In summary, I can't say that ChiRunning is for everybody, in the same way that I can't say that minimalist shoes are for everybody.  I find it more than coincidental that as I get older, my times continue to improve while maintaining my same Clydesdale weight and only running three days a week.  It's been a year now since I took the workshop.  I'm not one of those numerous uplifting examples of an ITBS or PF sufferer who took Danny's workshop and now runs injury free.  I've managed to stay injury-free while improving my performance.  There's clearly something Danny has nailed with his ChiRunning philosophy.  I'm a believer and intend to continue to seek improvement through the application of the ChiRunning principles.
 

Holland P., North Carolina

I highly recommend the e-Chi Training program - I couldn’t run for 12 years because of chronic piriformis syndrome, and so I started Chi Running after taking a workshop in April with a local instructor. It was my dream to run a 5k without injury, and I did it! Completely pain-free!

The e-Chi training program made me more than prepared for a 5k. I was a bit nervous before the start, but once we got going I just did my body focuses and the time flew by. I had no pain whatesover, I even passed people along the way. There was a steep uphill at the end, so I applied my Chi step and let myself "float up" without much trouble at all. I finished the run TOTALLY relaxed and loose with a BIG smile on my face. I even turned down a free massage because I felt so good!

I have signed up for the intermediate 5k starting next week, and I’m looking forward to it!

Update:

SO, I started my intermediate 5k eChi training program last week. I was a bit discouraged, because I felt like I was struggling with my form. Maybe it was the heat wave we had, but I sure didn't like what was happening. So, I just kept thinking of beginner mind, and let myself be a beginner if that is what I needed.

Today, week 2 - I decided to do my form focus intervals on a local quarter mile track. It was quite a bit cooler outside and I was looking forward to the focuses today - they were all about relaxing. I ended up shaving 3.5 minutes from my 5k race just two weeks ago. I did 5.55 k in 30 minutes. When I saw my watch at the end of my workout my eyes nearly popped out of my head, I had exceeded my 6 week goal in 2 weeks!  So, now I am really going to make sure I take it easy on most of my runs. This just showed me what is possible, I still can't believe it....

       Woke up this morning to 45 and 20 mph winds and almost skipped a sort-of-planned 5K today here in South Florida -- particularly after being on my feet much of the day during the workshop -- but I dragged myself down there.

      I ran 22:00, which was a PR for my newest running life, and probably my fastest in 20 years or more. Won my age group, and 34th overall.

      Focuses that made a huge difference: arms and hip rotation.I didn't do the hip rotation throughout, but I did enough of it, including a couple of bursts, that made a huge difference. And when I started to overstride, I refocused and brought it back in -- and ran faster.

      There's much, much more there, maybe even a couple of minutes, and I just wanted to thank Danny and all his Instructors for a very important day in my running life.

Thank you.

Craig S.
Florida

The one thing I love, both me and my running partner, is the whole concept of Chi Running. We are not the crazy running people who are about the FINISH. We just love to run. With the Chi Running principles, we have so enjoyed running. We ran our first 10K last year, trained with the Chi Running principles and we were injury free. We are so hooked, we went to two clinics and each time we learn something new.

This ankle, ironically, had nothing to do with running. I think I actually was able to train for four months without really noticing the ankle to the degree that i would have if it weren't for Chi Running. But, I am glad that Ryan (the instructor) noticed something with my ankle when he was talking with us about the right sneakers. He asked that I run across the room without sneakers and noticed I was not landing on my left mid foot. Why? Cuz' it hurt and my body adjusted. I scheduled an appointment with a doctor immediately. I could not get into the doctor for a few weeks. The Sunday before the doctor's appointment on our 2 hour run, I just stopped at the one hour mark, stopped, My body felt broken. Now, I feel great.

We are just going to see how these next few weeks go.

Thank you again for your thoughtful advice.

Regards,

Lynn G.

Lynn G.

Click HERE  to read about Lynn's Progress!

I hope all is well with you and the family and the bigger Chi Living family in general. While I've put my official Chi Running instruction on hold for a bit, I'm writing to give you a brief update on what I've been doing in an eventful 2011 as I've learned a few lessons.

I wrote you last year that since I was turning 50 in 2010, I was able to participate in the California State Senior Games and was quite happy to win both the 5K & 10K road races for 2010. Since turning 50, I decided I'd celebrate by making 2011 the year of running different types of races and having fun. I'd start by trying to run my first 50K trail race in March, 2011 in Woodside, CA to be followed by the 2011 Boston Marathon in April, to then be followed by the National Senior Games (5K & 10K races) in June in Houston, TX.

The 50K race: I trained pretty well for the 50K race and using good Chi Running technique through LOTS of hills, I ended up coming in 2nd place for my age group, which I was happy with for my first attempt. The guy who came in 1st place in my age group (who I ran with for about 15 miles or so) was one of my former Chi Running students who told me that Chi Running had changed his life. Needless to say, I was happy all around.

The Boston Marathon: However, I then made a mistake. By thinking I had such a great "base" in my 50K training, I thought I could back off and ran just once or twice in the 3 weeks before Boston. I decided right at start time that I'd try for a personal best (under 3 hours). I figured I'd try to stick with a group who was shooting for under 3 hours and see if I could hang with them. Well, I was more worried about sticking with that group next to me then about my technique. We reached the 10-mile marker with a nice fast pace, but I was already feeling some tension. By the halfway point, they were pulling away from me. I was barely on pace (1:29 for the first half), but I was already in bad shape and it was too late. I thought to myself, just hang on and see what happens. At about 18 miles, something that's never happened to me did happen. My legs completely seized up and I had to stop and try to stretch them out. At this point my mind was melting down and I was really not sure if I'd be able to finish. The only thing I could do was to ask myself what can I do differently? That's when I thought of focusing purely on the Chi Running technique. I realized I could combine ChiWalking with ChiRunning and alternate back and forth. I told myself I would finish no matter what. With that new attitude, I managed to make it across the line in 3:37, which was bittersweet. I missed my qualifying time for next year by 2 minutes, but just finishing was my new joy.

National Senior Games in Houston: Returning home from Boston, I felt a bit "broken." Knowing I had the National Senior games coming up in 2 months, I realized I could take one of two paths. Either feel sorry for myself, or "get back up" and focus on quality training and technique. I'm happy to say I picked the latter approach. Houston, TX was pretty darn HOT and HUMID in June. The 5K race was on a Saturday morning and the 10K race was the next day on Sunday morning. I'm happy to report that I won both races and am the official 2011 National Senior Games Champion for both the 5K and 10K (Age group: 50-54).

Moral of the story: As always, I owe a big part of my success to Chi Running and wanted to mention that even us old-time Chi Runners can have "lapses" every now and then. The question isn't whether we are perfect, it's more about what we do when a problem does pop up and how we learn from it and move forward. I don't consider my Boston experience a failure. Rather, I consider it a very valuable learning experience that helped me to grow!  

Recovery Update: I feel fine. I had a little soreness afterward (left calf/achilles and a little soreness where the right foot was dorsiflexing). It was just so damn cold and wet I got to a point where my feet were numb (it had nothing to do with the Chi method) and I must have sprung off the forefoot a bit (somewhere around mile 9 and 10). I noticed the sensation coming back at mile 11 - that, probably having to do with the electrolyte tab taking effect. I initially thought the numbness was strictly sodium/potassium depletion - it's always hard to remind yourself that you can get dehydrated in the cold and wet too. I then stayed hyper-conscious of my gait. I'm ready to run tomorrow. That sounds like a pretty good recovery time. The only other time I've had to sit out more than a day, since doing the Chi method is when I built my weekly distance amount up too fast (from approximately 25 to 43 miles in one week). That week I did a 20-miler and my feet shuffled through the last 5 miles of it and it put me out for 5 days. I keep telling myself that I have two choices, "gradual progress" or inevitable boredom on the couch.

Clinton H.