I just wanted to tell you that I’m so grateful to know you, and when I look back it’s interesting how meeting you at REI for the Chi Running demo has affected so many things that are going on in my life (for the better) right now.

      After REI and then taking your Chi Running workshop, I was finally feeling brave enough to start running again after hurting my knees badly in 2001, training poorly for a full marathon and a few half races after that. You got me feeling comfortable enough to try another half marathon, so I signed up for your team for the Women’s Half Marathon last Fall. I met Laura K. at the Sole Sport’s team kickoff and instantly bonded with her.

      She and I motivated each other continuously via emails etc. during training and occasionally ran together closer to our “hood” since it was hard for both of us to make a lot of the group training runs, being so early in the morning and far from where we lived. Through Laura... I met Amy D. at a Sole Sports running event. Again... Instantly bonded with her. Through Amy... I’ve met a handful of amazing, inspiring, ACTIVE women that I adore. They’ve got me totally hooked on all these fun-themed races that go on all over town, and it’s a blast! Those girls got me to run the craziest 5 mile hill course yesterday at 5:30 a.m. - something I would NEVER have done before, and I was totally able to “hold my own.”

      I’m at that weird almost 40ish age range where I’ve been feeling a major shift amongst myself and many people in my life. And it’s just life... I love them all. People get busy, a lot are not really interested in participating in or training for exercise “events,” people have husbands, kids.... etc., and I’d been feeling a bit bored and stale. I’m so grateful to have come into this “active community” where people are so cool, supportive and inspiring.

      Seriously, I would not be running right now NOR would I have met all these amazing new people currently in my life (many of which you know) if I hadn’t met you. At REI. Hahaa! Because of you, I have made some fabulous new friends with similar interests, I’m in better shape than I’ve been in, in awhile, I’m Chi Running comfortably, smartly and just overall feeling good about life.

      I’m so excited for you doing this full marathon! What a great thing to do on your birthday. Happiest of birthdays to you and may this new “birthday year” bring you much fun, joy and happiness! I hope that I’ll have the chance to see you more often in person than on Facebook.

Thanks again Coach! 

Michelle S.

Arizona

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 feel fortunate that Curt Munson, owner of Playmaker's in Okemos, Michigan, introduced me to Chi Running in 2006.  I have considered myself a Chi Runner ever since; running injury free since then.

I'm not sure I can express the depth of my sincerity when I say I am a rabid Chi Runner   When I decided to run the 2012 Chicago Marathon, I decided to train using your Chi Marathon training program.  The new book is awesome, and I have recommended it to many of my running friends.

The information contained in Chi Marathon is nothing short of magical.  Every page, every chapter seemed to hit the mark.  I understand much of the material was presented in the first book, but for some reason it all came together with greater clarity in Chi Marathon, and each week I found myself improving my form, my pace... and my enjoyment and confidence.

My Chicago Marathon experience on Oct. 7th was the best I could have hoped for.  I am 62 years old, and ran my first marathon @ age 55.  Since then I have run 25+ half marathons, many 5K's and 2012 Chicago was my 5th marathon.  Until Chicago, I have never been able to break 5 hours; nor finish my marathons feeling good.  Since 2006 I have been obscessed with reaching my goal of "anything under 4:59:59".

For Chicago I downloaded Podrunner music with a 180bpm tempo.  The music kept me totally focused on form, lean, footstrike, relaxing, and conserving energy.  I sailed to the finish feeling fresh in 4:54:56.  I could have run further, and a little faster.  I had minimal soreness post race, and comfortably ran 3 days later.  I haven't been able to wipe the smile of my face since.  Thank you for such a wonderful gift. The Chi Running technique is truly revolutionary, and I thank you for sharing it.

Cheryl Hansen

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.
 

Barbara F.
Cape Canaveral, FL
 

Yvonne E.

I ran a half marathon yesterday in 1:38:16 which is 40 seconds off my PR! I ran the whole thing focusing on what we discussed in the class. I'm not perfect, but I had a number of friends who commented after the race that I had an extra set of gears on the last 2 miles. I set a target pace of 7:30/mi and due to rain and chaffing issues, I had to change my socks. The last 2 miles according to my Garmin were in the low 6 min./mile pace. I had a friend video me at the finish and noted that I'm not heel striking or dorsiflexing as much! That's worth every penny. I feel pretty good today. My hips are sore, I'm not sure why, but it is minor. No calf, shin, knee or hamstring pain!!!

P.S. I run a lot with a group and last night we did hill sprints for extreme cardio.  I couldn't believe how much easier it was using the hill technique you showed.  We usually do 25 sprints, but a friend of mine was held up at work. I did my 25 sprints, then did another 25 with her using the method learned. Great comparison.

Thanks again, the class was worth every penny!

Todd G., Witchita, Kansas

I narrowly missed out on going under two hours at the Bristol half marathon in September – 2hr and 26 seconds! I followed your Half Marathon race plan, and your advice, to the letter. At mile 9 to 10, I decided to lean more and try and relax more – and it when I looked at my watch, that mile had taken 9 mins and 28 secs. Aaaggghhh that had not been my plan.

Anyway, last weekend I had another half marathon – the last of this year – and I have to say I couldn’t get excited about it at all – even during the race I felt what could perhaps be described as relaxed .... and guess what? I did it – indeed my time was 1hr 58 mins and 40 sec and I was delighted.

So now it’s 3 or 4 months of strength and conditioning work, and practicing Chi Running techniques, so that I can be even faster next year...

Margaret R., United Kingdom