Recently there has been much discussion and debate about how to run with respect to foot strike. The advice ranges but it is in general focused to how to land the foot. Much of the advice is also purist in nature – meaning a position that there is only one ‘right’ way to land properly for all people and all running situations.
My only advice to you if you come across positions like this is to run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. The position is not intended to serve you, it is intended to serve the source. A true coach or advocate, in my opinion, would share options so you can make your own decision.
As mentioned above, most of the advice I see is on what part of the foot touches the ground (first or in total). There is probably more to it than that; for example the position of the leg/foot when it touches the ground and the direction the foot is moving when it touches the ground may also be important factors.
But Foot “Landing” is still only one component of foot strike. A second important component is
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There is much confusion and misinformation about the Pose Method and ChiRunning techniques; and they are sometimes stated as the same or similar. Although the Pose Method and ChiRunning both suggest engaging gravity via a slight forward lean and simply picking up your feet to keep up with your forward fall, there are many significant differences between these two running techniques.
Here are just 3 Significant Differences between Pose Method® and ChiRunning®:
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Still wondering what this ChiRunning (‘chee-running’) is all about? Or maybe looking for a refresher of the basic ChiRunning principles?
Below is a short video entitled “ChiRunning Simplified!, Efficient and Injury Free Natural Running Technique” which provides a summary of the principles, position, motion and benefits. Plus it provides a simple analogy and helps answer the question “How do you run?”
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A very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all. Thank you all for being a part of life’s unique experiences. Grateful. Period.
At the beginning of the year my goals were (from 2008 Running Year in Review):
- Continue running with a primary emphasis on health goals and not time goals.
- Continue to run happy, healthy, injury-free, and empowered with the tools to help me stay that way.
- Deepen my [ChiRunning] ‘practice’ by working on my breath, my relaxation level and my
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As in a previous post (ChiRunning® … Land, Peel and Lift), the ChiRunning motion of the heel/foot creates a wheel or circle as we move forward.
Another key to this running motion is a Relaxed Midfoot Strike. Running with a relaxed midfoot (full-foot) strike allows a subtle forward lean (fall) from the ankles with no resistance. It also removes a significant amount of stress from the lower legs and feet. The statistics indicate that 65-80% of all runners get injured every year in some way. And most of those injuries are at the knee and below. Could it be that we are asking a relatively small part of our body to
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The 47th Annual JFK 50 Mile Ultramarathon was held this past Saturday November 21, 2009. It is the oldest 50 Mile Ultra in the USA. It was my third 50 Mile Ultra Marathon and my 2nd JFK50 (see last year’s JFK50 Mile Ultra Marathon Summary here). Some new thoughts on the prep and then road, trail, towpath, and road to the finish …
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A quick post today referencing the embedded video which shows the elements of running technique utilized by children. Note the running technique used for efficiency and fun!; a mid-foot (full-foot) landing and a subtle lean(*) for propulsion. This is very similar to so many other examples of how running ‘naturally’ instinctively utilizes these elements of
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In Born To Run by Christopher McDougall, Chapter 28 is a very interesting read about the how and why humans might be ‘runners’; and how ‘African hunters chase antelope … and Tarahumara Indians would race after a deer’ (page 227) in what may be called a Persistence Hunt.
Below is a great video showing Persistence Hunting by the San people of Africa’s Kalahari Desert. Note the running technique used for
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Recently there has been a lot of focus on the concept of running barefoot. Some purists suggest we should all be running barefoot, period. Personally, I don’t care for the word ’should’. It implies someone else telling me what to do or be, when we all have to decide that for ourselves.
But can we just go run barefoot? To help answer this, consider how long it has been since you ran barefoot. 20 years, 40 years, 60 years?; most of us have not run barefoot since
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In ChiRunning®, the #running approach is to land mid-foot (full-foot) under your column and create a wheel behind you with your feet. Visually, this is similar to the Road Runner cartoon, see an example of this here: http://smchurchi.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/roadrunner-original.jpg.
The focus is to allow the knee to bend and to not consciously lift the knee. Lifting the knee brings the leg forward and allows it to land in front of the body (Blog: ChiRunning Natural Running Technique). Bending the knee creates a vertical arc with the feet. See the diagram below showing
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