"I consider myself to be a relative newbie to Chi Running.  This app is amazing for all experience levels of Chi Running.  It is FULL of information with helpful Chi Running lessons and stretches.  Even more impressive to me is the all inclusive nature of the app.  During the runs you have your metronome and Danny reminding you of the Chi focuses you're working on. Look no further if you want to know your distance, time, pace, elevation gain, calories burned. LOVE it!"

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

We began training shortly after that. Our goal was to walk the Portland, Oregon marathon and finish with a 15 min/mile pace. We met our goal, with considerable effort and discomfort, and concluded that that was about as fast as we would ever walk. But we caught the marathon bug and decided to do another. We walked our second marathon in Maui, Hawaii, but we were in a lot of pain by the end.  At this point, we had not yet heard of Chi Walking but, lucky for us, that lacking was soon to end.

After reading the Chi Walking book and watching the DVD, we enlisted the help of Eugene’s Certified Chi Walking Instructor, Keith McConnell, to fine tune our technique and take full advantage of this pioneering approach to walking. In no time we were Chi Walking with ease, efficiency and steadily increasing speed. Over subsequent months, we completed several more marathons (always finishing hand in hand) and cut over an hour off our initial marathon time – down to five and a half hours - who would have thought we “older types” could ever walk  that smoothly and that quickly! Thank you, Keith!

Also, on those rare occasions when we’ve had physical discomfort, e.g., my right knee was bothering me on a walk recently, all it has taken to handle it is to do a body scan and then re-focus to good Chi Walking form. Voila, soreness gone!  All in all, Chi Walking has become our science and our art – a magical way to walk – leading to a more mindful and healthy way to live. We recommend it to everyone whether or not they ever want to walk a marathon – Chi Walking works!

Jim & Sue Mehrwein, Springfield, Oregon

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

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

Barbara F.
Cape Canaveral, FL
 

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....