"To begin running, you don't need buns of steel. You don't need iron muscles. You don't even need a masochistic mindset." So starts a WebMD blog post by Jeanie Lerche Davis.
"It may surprise you, but even the most sports-challenged of us can become runners, and do it without sustaining injuries.
How? Learn to run using your mind-body connection, drawing from traditional Chinese medicine, explains Danny Dreyer, a nationally ranked ultra-marathon runner in the San Francisco Bay area. He lays out his plan in his book Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running.
In Chinese culture, chi (pronounced chee) is the subtle energy force that flows through all parts of your body, he says. By practicing mental focus and relaxation -- principles from the ancient practice of T'ai Chi - you can train your body to stay centered, relaxed, and move efficiently..." (read whole article)
Lisa Katayama starts her chi running blog post: "It's a brisk Saturday afternoon in San Francisco, and I'm standing outside of Sports Basement with a metronome in my hand. Several hundred feet away, a guy in a funny hat is running around the empty parking lot at a consistent 85 steps per minute. His upper body angles forward as his legs cycle backwards to the beat... beep beep beep. It looks kind of ridiculous, but the guy is actually demonstrating an innovative exercise regime that combines the concepts of Tai Chi and mindfulness meditation with athletic techniques used by Kenyan Olympic sprinters. It's called Chi Running, and it's directly related to recent debates around natural vs power running and the case against heavy-duty sneakers.
Most conventional athletic coaches and sports apparel companies advocate power running — running for max speed, personal records, high performance, lots of muscle (think European sprinters with giant legs surging forward and arms pumping furiously). Chi Running takes advantage of a force that comes naturally to all of us — gravity..." (read whole article)
Here's a video on chi running posture.
Is this just a new fitness fad or a technique that will help you enjoy running more while staying injury-free? To me, aside from the West Coast touchy-feely stuff, it sounds like common sense and worth a try. No barefoot running for me but this might make sense. Stay tuned.
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