Is it possible to forget how to run properly? When we were children we could run all day. We could do that because our body naturally fell into the proper alignment. It seems that most of my knee/ITB problems are that somehow along the way I stopped running like a child. Now I am learning how to run properly. I've been looking into Chi Running since I first heard about proper running technique from a seminar I went to at Fleet Feet Midtown that was put on by Dr. Justin Lau. He didn't call it that but I had an idea that was what he was talking about.
It turns out that proper alignment is as easy as falling down. Imagine standing tall with your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles in a straight line. Now imagine falling forward and letting gravity propel you. This is just the start of Chi Running. The more you look into it, the more it feels like learning to swing a golf club which I found incredibly hard to do. These are the things that are now running around in my head when I attempt to run properly: straight line from head to ankle, lean forward, shoulders relaxed, elbows at 90 degrees, hands firm but relaxed, landing on the midfoot, feet taking small quick light steps as they sweep the ground away and behind you. If you want to go faster, then lean further forward but with the same cadence in your feet.
I didn't want to invest in a book that I might not get anything out of so I checked out the book "Chi Running" by Danny Dreyer from the library. I haven't read too much, most of what I have learned has been through watching a couple of videos on youtube and listening to a couple of podcasts of people that have tried it and detail what they have learned in their podcast. By the way, if you haven't checked into podcasts, you really should. I listen to a lot of them while running and walking and they are a lot more interesting then listening to music all the time. You can go to ITunes and select podcast and then search for what ever interests you. I like one called ITunes Celebrity Podcast. Usually it is musicians that talk about music and other musicians that inspire them both today and in the past. I've listened to ones from Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, Cindy Lauper, and many others. I also listen to running podcasts. One I particularly like is called Running with the Pack. The two people that do this one are from Penn State so you get to hear about things that go on on the East Coast plus they talk about new products they have tried, races they have done, all sorts of stuff. I diverge, sorry. Anyway check them out and maybe I will do a post on podcasts soon.
I hope that I can get my running technique corrected in the near future so I can start training for some longer runs. Right now I have the Bay to Breakers in May to do and am hoping to be ok by then even if I have to run/walk it. It's only 7 miles and it should be absolutely wild. I'm doing it with my friend Rubi who has never ran in a race before and trains only on a treadmill. She is a fun lady so we will have a blast.
Tonight I am practicing my chi running as chi walking because I can't run until I get the technique mastered. My ITB was really inflamed from the last run I did over a month ago, which was an 11 miler so I am being cautious.
Here is a link to a fun Chi Running Video. I hope you like it.
No comments:
Post a Comment