After taking Danny's level 1 workshop and reading Born to Run I was a convert to Chi running with minimalist shoes--my distance grew and time went down. Last year I really began to focus on "being a runner" again--started running very regularly, increasing distance, running faster, and took Chi Running 2, which gave me some important pointers about my form and technique. That was October. On Thanksgiving Day I participated in a five mile Turkey Trot--I did it for fun with no expectation or idea of how I was doing, and I came in 3rd in my age group!

In addition to making me feel great about myself (and about turning 50!), getting back to running has also helped me achieve my original goal of connecting to my son through running. He's now about to break a 4:30 mile, so we can never run together (at least not past the end of the driveway), but we talk about running all the time and share stories and training tips. I think it's really helped him feel supported throughout his own journey to elite running, and for that connection I am the most grateful.

Thanks again,

Linda Cowen

Because of an old ankle injury that tends to swell when I run, I've become a faithful walker. Yesterday, I walked four miles in an hour . . . I'm not up to marathon standards but I am feeling so good and so fit and, best of all, so pain free.  

Lynn has been walk/running faithfully, and mixing this up with really vigorous weight training because he is still building professionally and needs his core, shoulder, and leg strength for daily work as well as the benefits of increased aerobic capacity. He looks wonderful and feels awesome.

All in all, we are doing very well thanks to your amazing Chi Wisdom.

Please pass our love along to Katherine and the Chi Living team.

Jane's fingers, both our hearts

I have been a reluctant runner on and off for several years, having had to run for the military. As a doctor, I am acquainted with the anatomy of the human body. However, my first few forays into half marathon training were fraught with various different pains. I had very bad foot pain during my first half marathon. My second half marathon, I started having significant hip pain, a condition I had diagnosed myself with called Trochanteric Bursitis. I was able to complete both races but in a significant amount of pain.

At a point shortly afterwards, I had basically stopped running altogether in favor of cycling, which I found to be less painful to my body. I found that I could cycle for several hours and feel relatively refreshed afterwards. But with running, I always felt "beat up" after running for any significant different.

It was not until one of my patients had recommended that I try Chi Running that I decided to give it a try. In short, after reading the book and implementing Chi Running into my runs, I found that I was able to run more than 3 miles (which had seemed to be my limit) without pain. In fact, within a matter of 6 weeks of Chi Running, I was able to complete a half marathon without pain (except for calf cramping because I was going so fast!) and was able to achieve a personal best. This included cramping at around mile 10, at which point I had to slow down but not stop, thanks to Chi Running!

Since then, over the past year, I had trained with the Chi Running marathon book for my first full Marathon in December 2011. Needless to say, with Chi Running, I was able to train up successfully for the full marathon and to do so while avoiding injury!

All this time, I have been lauding the praises of your book, not only Chi Running but also Chi Walking! I talk of your books to my patients at every opportunity and many of them have purchased and implemented your techniques to help them stay active and fit. I have at times felt like an infomercial salesperson when I speak of your books, but the proof is in the pudding! I use myself as an example and many of my patients have given me feedback on their responses to the Chi Running.

I work at a large health organization and we have a health store within the building that I work. I have asked the staff to stock the Chi Running and Chi Walking books for my patients. It has been a hit so far, and the first few patients that have bought the books were not even my patients!

I wanted to thank you once again for your book and allowing me to run more naturally!

Dr. Joe Sumaquial, CA

      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

Cheers,

Sue B.

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

    The money I spent to take a private lesson from you was some of the best money I've ever spent. I knew I was learning about Chi Walking as we were working and practicing but I did not truly know how much until I started walking again. We had out of town company right after my lesson so I did not walk again for several days. When I did go walking I did my "regular" walking and then practiced my Chi Walking. I was frustrated because I was slower doing Chi. I had made the goal to be faster doing PF Changs than I had been during Disneyland Half Marathon so I decided that I would concentrate on Chi Walking after PF Changs. I would go back to my "regular walking". The next day I started out but discovered that my feet were not striking with the heel first but mid-foot first. I stopped and started again, trying to achieve a heel strike - I could not do it unless I concentrated very hard. I gave up on the idea of heel striking and went with the midfoot. I concentrated on improving my pace, not worrying about my alignment or my arm movements. I had naturally shortened my stride. My average pace before my lesson was 15 - 16 minute/mile. My pace has been steadily getting faster. I did 10 miles with a 14:45/mile pace. My son, who did Disneyland Half Marathon in 1:20, went with me twice during the Christmas Holidays. He commented that I was moving pretty fast for someone who was walking, In fact, he said I was faster than some runners he has observed. That made me feel really great. 

    I am not not supposed to run because of 3 knee surgeries and spinal stenosis and my husband is very firm in wanting me to not run. I did a small amount of running during the Disneyland Half Marathon and did confess this to my husband, I really wanted to finish within the time limit. After one of my recent walks I was reading off my lap times - 14:10, 13:39, 13:24, 13:34 etc to my husband. My husband accused me of running but I had only walked. He was amazed. Even though I am not doing the Chi posture, it has helped me when I have experienced pain during my walks. One day when I was doing a long walk my back started to give me a fair amount of pain. I thought I might have to stop but decided to try getting my body in Chi alignment (reverse crunch). My pain went away. It came back when I starting to lean so I did the reverse crunch and the pain went away again. Another time, I noticed my left ankle was bothering me so I stopped and did the ankle rotations to relax my ankles. When I started up again my ankles were loose and did not hurt at all.

You are an amazing instructor and I truly thank you. You and Chi Walking have made a tremendous difference in my walking.

Linda S.

Phoenix, AZ

Sunday's race (Chicago Marathon, 2012) became a great success for me!

For one full year I have been practicing the ChiRunning technique, last sunday Chicago marathon was my first marathon using it. I still cant believe I returned from injury stronger than ever with my old times back (3:30 as predicted), during the race I felt confident, fast, relaxed, and strong; but the very best thing is that I managed to walk to the subway station and my hotel and have a next day jog just as if nothing ever happened. This is the first time as a runner that I am not hurting a single bit. I returned home yesterday and today went to the track to jog 8km but especially to tell my friends my wonderful experience, that ChiRunning works like a charm and that I was able to receive advice from the man who created it.

Thank you so much Danny, your advice on my shoulders was incredible. Thank you for your contribution to making running so fun, natural and safe.
Hope to see you in Costa Rica for the seminar, please keep me informed.
I look forward to some day share a run with you.

Your guatemalan friend,

Carlos J. Soto

At the age of 60, I finally read the ChiRunning book and discovered my cadence was way too slow, which meant I was overstriding and hitting on my heels too much. I re-engineered my form according to the book, and I literally can not believe the results. My left hamstring was still weak and sore when I started this new approach, but it actually became stronger as I practiced!  After just one month of ChiRunning, I can recover from a 14 to 16-mile run in just one day, instead of 3. I have had no hints of injuries in my training, I even added some steeper downhill routes that used to kill my knees ... not any more!  

My sincere thanks to Mr. Dreyer and ChiRunning for giving my running a new life, when I was at the point of giving it all up!

Sincerely,

Bob - Utah

My name is Randy Pumm and I took your Chi Running workshop in Edmonton last year. I had signed up for Ironman Canada, but had never been able to run more than 10km because my knees would hurt or I would pull my left calf muscle.

I promised that I would let you know how it all turned out...