Walk, Jog, Run – CHI RUN

 
CHI RUNNING

I would like to have a little chat about running as a form of health and vitality.

Growing up running was my weakest link. At school there was cross country and sports day track events.

But none of these ever worked for me. Running was a major chore. A pain in the butt. Running on the playing field as a part of football or rugby was fine. It was a part of the game. But just putting on some running training shoes and going for a run was painful.

I knew it was a great way to stay in shape but it just didn’t work for me.

It wasn’t until I was about 28 years old that I met a girl who ignited my passion for running. We started off doing small 1km runs and built up to 10km fun runs. I soon enjoyed the thrill of the chase. It become about beating my best time over set distances. I loved being fast.

A couple of years later while living in Prague a friend introduced me to the idea of half and full marathons. His name was John and he convinced me to sign up for the Prague Half Marathon 5 months away.
So I bought a training app for my phone and got all psyched up in eager anticipation of my first half marathon. John and I  trained regularly together and in no time at all the event day was here.

I loved it. There was about 7000 runners all racing through the back streets of Prague. I found my pace with a good bunch of guys all heading for a finishing time of around 1 hour 40 minutes.

(This is an image from the Prague Half Marathon I ran in. The boy in the blue shirt is my son who was ready to cheer me on).

I can tell you there is a great sensation in finishing long distance events. The sense of euphoria and accomplishment stays with you for a good time after the event.

At this point I would like to bring up the downside. A lot of people along the way were pulling out. Torn muscles, sprains, cramps. Muscle aches. Joint pain.

To put it simply, road running is heavy impact on your body. Your joints in the knees and hips especially.

At the end of my second half marathon the following year I could notice some aches within my body that I had not had before. It was becoming a problem. So I set myself the task of solving my running body ache problem.

It was soon after this that I signed up for a sprint triathlon and during this process I came across a book called CHI RUNNING by Danny Dreyer.

I watched a few videos on youtube about the concept and also bought the book. I can honestly say that the running style/method works wonders for me.

You will see below a video which gives you a basic run down of the technique. But in simple terms the method works with the bodies natural alignment and forward falling action linked with meditative focus to allow your body to run fluidly and consistently without causing extra pressure on the body.

You get yourself into a pure pleasure zone and just go with the run.

I can say without doubt that CHI Running has raised my enjoyment and running ability.

If you are a keen runner or in a place where you would like to start. I highly recommend chi running to aid your health and fitness without damaging your body in the process.
Chi Running can be found here

For now I leave you with the video and I hope you have many fun days out enjoying your runs.

 

Wishing you health, vitality and happiness.

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