This is the first of a few posts on the subject of physics in the running gait cycle. This post is a little long with some more technical content but my intent was to keep a potentially complex subject simple. A previous post (The Gravity of Running, Lean) provided a way to feel the pull of gravity on an aligned column. If you can feel this effect and it works for you, leave it at that and keep practicing. If you want to dig a little deeper to see what might be causing this effect, then this and other posts here may be helpful to you.
Recently a number of opinions have surfaced online that oppose this body sense of falling
This past Saturday was the NJ Ultra Festival at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta NJ. There were five events: 100M, 100K, 50M, 50K and Marathon. I was running the 50M event. This was my sixth ultra at this distance.
The event is a 10 mile route repeated to make each event distance. There were also partial laps to make up the one, six or two mile add-on distances. There was an aid station at the 6 mile mark. After each out and back you returned to the Start/Finish area which also provided aid. Each route started via a fairground road for about 1 mile, then right onto a utility maintenance trail for about
Recently a client came to a ChiRunning private session … and the first thing she said was “I want to be the ball“. Prior to the session I emailed her some “homework” to review. The homework included viewing the ”ChiRunning Simplified!” video which provides a simple analogy. The analogy suggests that running one way might feel more like you are a block sliding a block across the ground and running another way might feel like you are a ball rolling along the ground.
The comment reminded me of the movie Caddyshack from way back … in early high school. Below is the “be the ball” clip from
Two years ago today a brief 9+ minute video project was completed and posted. The video introduced the key ChiRunning concepts in a very simple way and was appropriately named ”ChiRunning Simplified!“. The video provided a summary of the ChiRunning principles, position and motion that can result in significant benefits. Plus the video provided a very simple analogy to put these potential benefits into perspective.
Yesterday was the 2012 FebApple Frozen 50 Ultra at South Mountain Reservation near Maplewood NJ. There were multiple distances at this NJ Trail Series event – 10M, 21M, 50K, 50M. I was running the 50K.
This event is mainly on a 10 mile loop on very hilly technical trails, plus a 1 mile adder if you are running the 21M or 50K. For the 50K you do the adder 1 mile first, then complete three loops. Unlike last year (Blog post: 2011 FebApple Frozen 50), the trails had no snow on them. This meant more
Recently a client, now great friend, was proud to report that she had passed on the opportunity to have a GPS watch. This was big; she was once a distracted with music pushing through type of runner, disconnected and a thirst for more *validating* data.
But now she has transformed herself into someone who is “happy being in tune and listening to my own body“. Interesting choice of words … in “tune” and “listening” … which implies she is now creating
Some time ago I posted What’s Your Cadence? about compatibility between runners when it comes to cadence. That post suggested picking your running partners carefully and/or paying close attention to maintaining your own cadence when running with others. But I often see running advice that suggests everyone should run at a the same 180 cadence (90 one side). The advice is sometimes justified by suggesting that is what the elites do. But is there only one “right” cadence?
Let’s look to another “machine” to see if there are some clues to the answer. If you look at most cars, their general
Fellow ChiRunning Instructor Bryan Huberty (Miami FL) won the Bahama Marathon this past weekend in 2:42.53. This is what he had to say:
“I just want to get this out there. I won the Bahamas Marathon yesterday and the other two I have won ([Miami] A1A in 2010 and Trailbreaker in 2009) thanks to ChiRunning.com. Reading the book, becoming an instructor and practicing it everyday in training AND racing has changed my life. It has made me an injury-free, relaxed and efficient runner who truly ENJOYS running pain-free. We believe in “no pain-no pain” NOT “no pain, no gain”. So, although the media wanted to talk about the Packers game and the conditions, they didn’t mention that my biggest BIG UP is to CHI RUNNING! I have Danny Dreyer and the whole ChiLiving crew to thank for that. This is marathon number 20 for me. Never had a major injury and
In a previous blog post (Going Running or Being Run?) I described a visualization that has worked extremely well for me. It is also probably the most popular focus point based on participant feedback. This balloon visualization keeps you tall, aligned and forward into gravity – many of the points you need to support a ChiRunning position, motion, (minimal) effort level, lightness, etc. etc. The balloon is imagined floating up and forward due to a light breeze at your back.
This blog consists of posts from a range of subjects; from my running to running technique, to posture to fitness to health to mind/body to life lessons. All variants of a similar topic on lessons we might consider for a full, meaningful, energized life. Here are the Top Ten EverChi Fitness Blog Posts of the 2011 Year based on
A very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all. A brief post on the 2011 Running Year …
Running Focus
My primary focus was and probably always will be to run (live) healthy, both physically and mentally. Events are tests of health, not of fitness (related blog post). To increase health, I focused on
We have probably all heard the statistics which suggest running is hard on the body. The numbers you hear range, but they indicate a high % of runners get injured every year in some way that inhibits their running program.
But of course it does not have to be that way; a focus on technique can go a long way to reduce this *hardness* and bring running back to a place where it is enjoyable, supportive of consistent mobility and of overall health.
Yesterday was the 1st Annual Staten Island Trail Run Festival at Willowbrook Park. I had just heard of this event 2 weeks before; and at first I thought … a trail 50K on Staten Island? … where? Well, it turns out there exists The Greebelt – about 2800 acres of parks and natural areas with an interconnected trail system. This event was only three weeks after my JFK50 Mile Ultra, but I could not resist the opportunity to explore a new area. My recovery after the JFK50 was minimal and I was comfortable getting back out there for a long event. I planned to use it more as a training run to safely explore a bit at first, then consider the safe plan from there.
Our “civilized” world dramatically removes us from our natural environment. This greatly affects our health and longevity in a number of ways. A significant example of this is probably where you are right now – in a C.H.A.I.R. It does not matter if it is a desk chair, a lounge chair, a couch, or a car, train, bus seat. Google images for chairs and you can see how much of a mine field exists out there …
In general, too much sitting reduces mobility – and just as in nature, our mobility is directly tied to our longevity. But the reality is our lives, homes, travel, jobs utilize chairs for most of our day. So how do we manage this public enemy?
The 49th Annual JFK 50 Mile Ultramarathon was this past Saturday November 19, 2011. It was my 4th consecutive JFK50 (see previous year’s summaries: 2010, 2009, 2008). This year’s training approach resulted in a course PR by 38 minutes over last year.
Preparation:
Preparation this year was very different than in previous years. My training for this event began way back in May when I started a 3-4x/week core strength training program. The main focus was core strength, but I also did a lot of overall strength training. The core training consisted of exercises like
