It keeps me motivated When you run every day, you start to look at life differently. Instead of asking yourself the question ‘should I go running today?’ the whole thing gets reframed. You start asking ‘when will go running?’ instead. This whole thing has a ripple effect and I’m sure it makes you more determined
I’ve written several blogs on this principle before. I just keep coming back to the belief that this is one of the fundamental cornerstones for runners, and wanted to put this right at the top of my list for client advice in the next phase of my coaching. I meet so many runners who have
Here are some of my thoughts on The Mindful Athlete, along with some key quotes from the book. Most of us accept that being mentally focussed when we are running is important, what if we could go further? Have you ever had one of those runs where everything just ‘flows’ and becomes easy? You can’t
I was pleased that I stayed pretty much mentally focused and present in my own body for the entirety of the run. Just 1 mile. I’d say it felt like a 2 out of 10 for effort. When I checked my watch it was a 6 minute 41 second mile. I can tell you for
A friend mentioned Dynamic Running Therapy on facebook a short while ago and when the book title ‘Run for your Life’ grabbed my attention I was immediately hooked. This book, subtitled ‘mindful running for a happy life’ brings running and therapy together. We seem to be scared of the therapy room (for some reason) in
I thought I’d put a few thoughts together to summarise some of the key messages from the Chi Marathon book by Danny and Katherine Dreyer. “I had won three major marathons, Berlin (1997), London and Amsterdam (both 1998). I had very fruitful years with four world cross country silver medals, one European cross-country gold medal,
Do you want to take your running further in 2017? Whatever your goal, Chi Running can help your running to feel easier and more efficient. Here are a variety of ways to become more efficient. They are all basic principles of the current understanding of good running technique and fundamentals Chi Running technique. Run Tall
I go to Huddersfield parkrun every week and I can’t see me ever stopping this fantastic habit. It’s not just running … it’s parkrun. Some of the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things are just amazing. One chap is just about to finish running 2000 miles this year after suffering a heart attack on
Why Geneva? We headed out to Geneva to run Becky’s (my wife’s) first marathon. To be honest we hadn’t heard of the event when it popped up in a Facebook advert. We looked at the cost of the event (£50 each) and then waited until Easyjet flight prices from Manchester (£50 each) were announced. It
This blog caught my attention. I thought I’d post a response. The blog suggests that there are three reasons why we struggle to do things that are good for us (eg eat well, exercise.) 1. Lack of Awareness – we aren’t aware of what to do. 2. Lack of Permission – we don’t give ourselves permission to do what we
I just got back from an inspirational workshop with Patrick McKeown, leading global expert on the buteyko breathing method and developer of The Oxygen Advantage approach to breathing for runners. The day included a combination of the theory and science behind the Buteyko method and how it applies to running. We had plenty of practical
The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick Mckeown – a book review from a Chi Running perspective. The books starts with some essentials on how breathing works. I love the title of the website ‘The Oxygen Advantage – Simulate High Altitude Training.’ This is a great introduction and easy for the non scientist to follow. It’s fascinating to find
I’ve absolutely loved reading around this subject, and the latest book that I have read is one of the best if you are interested in the mindful (and even spiritual?) side of Chi Running Walking… or if you are just interested in stress reduction. The book is ‘How To Walk’ by Thich Nhat Hanh. Each
If you don’t recover between training sessions then you can quite easily over-train; which in turn can lead to a weakened and vulnerable immune system, illness and a limited ability to adapt to the stimulus of training sessions and improve performance. There are several things you can do to avoid over training; including simply evaluating
The Chi Running book has a whole section on Chi Living and also discusses diet. Diet plays a central role in becoming a better runner. I recently qualified as a Sport and Exercise Nutritional Advisor and am avidly reading through various books around the theme of nutrition for runners. See my previous blog on Finding Ultra,
I talk to my clients about the idea of gradual progress, but I don’t really get enough time to focus in this in depth during a workshop. I’ve noticed that we all vary in our understand of what gradual really means, so thought I’d write in a bit more detail than my previous blog on this
I’ve just got back from a wonderful ‘Introduction to Mindfulness’ workshop lead by my good wife Becky, a trained mindfulness teacher. So I’m fresh and full of ideas for how mindfulness and Chi Running overlap (if indeed they differ at all.) In this series of three short articles on ‘The Mindful Runner’ I have already explored
What do we mean by mindful fitness? How about running with greater awareness, more mental presence and focus? In my last newsletter I wrote a piece on running mindfully ‘on purpose. ‘ Read the full text here on my blog. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn… “mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in
From one of the best City Marathons in the world, to a classic Cumbrian fell race. I ran a totally contrasting challenge just 3 weeks after the London Marathon. You can read my blog on the London Marathon here. Fairfield was a totally different (and wonderful) experience. These photos testify to the amazing views. I really enjoyed
Chi Running and Walking are more than just a way of moving our bodies, more than a running technique. They are a way of practicing being present in each moment of our lives. Are you interested in finding more relaxed flow and focus in your running? Do you want to explore ways to mentally and
I absolutely loved the whole experience of training for and running the London Marathon. I normally run and compete on hilly trails and fells, so this was a bit of a departure. I found myself really enjoying my training sessions because running on the flat is so easy compared with running off road and on
These are my thoughts on this inspiring book from my perspective as I train for a marathon next April, as well as with my Chi Running hat on. I mentioned I was reading this book recently whilst on a training run with my club, Holmfirth Harriers. I was immediately asked what advice the book had
When I was out running the other day, a friend asked me how Chi Running helps to focus your mind. I explained how I think I use my mind as much, if not more than by body when I am running. My intention is to stay in the present moment, using my mind to listen
Is technique important in running? Is the mental side of things important? Are the mental and physical parts of ourselves interlinked? Most people would answer yes to all these questions, but few have explored the combination of the two, or indeed the link between exercise and the spiritual side of their life. From long distance
Make sure your peanut butter has one ingredient. Peanuts. Give the jar a good stir and smell the goodness, then slap it on to wholemeal toast. This is a really great product, and one which would make a great addition to any runner’s kitchen cupboard. As part of the diet of an athlete, runners are
I’ve read all these and they are great reads. They all all highly relevant to the Chi Runner (or in fact any runner.) Why not pick your next read now? You will find blogs on most of these in my book reviews blogs.
If you are considering changing your running technique, here is an infographic with ideas on how to go about this:
Phew! I just completed my first Ultra Marathon. Why did I enter? When I took up Chi Running a few years ago, I had made a decision to run regularly and be determined about becoming injury free – hence Chi Running. Chi Running was developed by Danny Dreyer, an ultra runner from the U.S. and together with
I got a few comments on my last blog about diet and exercise – thanks folks. It’s interesting that diet, and the question of whether to change what we eat, is a topic very close to our hearts. I did make an assumption our diet isn’t perfect in my last blog on this subject. I
To get the discussion started, I got in touch with Gina Battye, who I met recently whilst she was juicing oranges for my children! Gina is the founder of the worldwide Health and Happiness Movement, best-selling author of ‘How to Beat the Biscuit Tin Blues’ and international inspirational speaker. She looks at it his way in
The 20th of July found me running my 3rd Holme Moss Fell Race. The course has 3300ft of ascent over 18 miles of rugged moorland in the beautiful Peak District. Chi Running principles involve focusing on alignment and relaxation, and so these became my main aims for the race. Given that I had competed minimum
This progressed to 10 minutes of flat walking. Then I moved on to10 minutes of walking on a hill. All this was done at a slow-medium pace. Why am I saying all this? Because 8 weeks later I’m walking for 30 mins, with a 5-10 minute run in gear 1 in the middle of it
We’d have never dreamt it would one day become a race. As we cheered on the runners and took photos, what struck me was how relaxed and happy the lead runners were. These people are running 100 – 268 miles of wind, ice and snow (yes, it started in the snow this morning)… and they
One of the beautiful things about Chi Running is that you can practise the focusses in every day life, and indeed whilst walking. I have taken the last few weeks to focus on elements of my running form whilst walking. After all, if you can’t do something walking, you’re not going to be able to
The intimidate observations of ice formations and snow draw me in to want to spend a whole day wandering amongst the ice and snow just looking and taking in what I see. As I mentioned above, it’s so easy to walk past nature’s beauty especially the smaller ‘every day’ things that hold such simple
Each instructor had their own interests that complemented their skills as an instructor as well as their own advice to bring. Personal training, Chinese medicine, Neurology, NLP, Tai Chi and Piano teaching (yes, that’s got a lot to do with posture!) were amongst the experiences shared as well as the Chi Running itself. This meant
If our thoughts, feelings and actions are locked in a response cycle, how about intervening in to this cycle at the level of actions? Making physical changes in the way we breathe, speak, stand etc. can have a big effect on how we feel Just try this: Stand slumped over and flop your arms down
The findings can be summarised as follow: Would be minimalist runners should be aware: There should be a focus on relaxing and focussing on posture. It’s easy to over lean. Avoid over striding. You will be lighter on your feet. This is not a panacea for all running injuries. The aim is not to
Further Consolidation Next I will be required to further study, practice of teaching, and follow on assessments. I will be required to submit extended video evidence of myself teaching chi running before I become a certified Chi Running instructor (I’ll also be setting up insurance and membership of professional bodies etc.) Qualification I will
Whoever you are, whatever shape your body is and however you feel inside, I am sure that if you go out and exercise, there will always be people looking at you and wishing they could do what you are doing. For me, my horizons gradually shifted to further and further distances and longer and
based approaches similar to those used in Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates and Mindfulness meditation Uses your bodies energy centres to allow flow when you are running. The position of the pelvis and subsequent use of core muscles all come in to play here. Emphasises that good running form should come before a focus on speed
levels of Adventure. In one such level of adventure, one experiences a sense of mastery and ‘flow’ where the energy in your body is at harmony with the energy around you / of the universe / whatever you want to call it! In discussion, Colin very much links this with the yoga understanding of energy
and finding that point where you are no longer relaxed but starting to strain. Personally I have found the idea of body sensing in Chi Running very helpful indeed. I have a list of bits to work on throughout my training. I also notice for certain (this is very clear on video analysis) that my
The strength of this book overall is the brilliantly detailed anatomical diagrams. If you are a visual person, this book will really help you understand the inter connected muscles and tendons that are involved in running. The Chi Running and Chi Marathon books mention the way that core muscles and elasticity of tendons are
The race continued for about 2 and a half miles uphill over boggy, snow covered moors. It was as much as one could to not to fall over in the the bogs, and opportunities for overtaking only came when you chose a sneaky, quick shortcut across a difficult bit of ground, or where you
Having read the book I think that there are undoubtedly some training habits that the Kenyans have, for example so many people devote their whole life to running in Kenya, there is a huge amount that is about motivation and learnt cultural attitudes. Many of the Kenyan people have their lives and
It’s really important to make those patterns positive imprints. That ritual come easily become a sacred part of your life: time for you, a time to take care of your body and your health, a time when your mind focuses on the moment, an how you feel, and on what you need. When I put
This week I tried a Chi Walking session along this icy road. The tracks in the road acted as a nice prompt. I use the right hand track as a guide to remind me and help me visualise the type of alignment I was aiming for. Sometimes I walked right along the tyre track itself with
long race or run I would forget what I was doing and start thinking about my working week, for example. But I feel like I’m let off the hook a bit now. Danny Dreyer, founder of Chi Running and Chi Walking says in the ‘Chi Walking’ book that your mind will always wander. The skill
Now I been Chi Running for a while I must say that one benefit is that I am now increasingly more able to focus my attention on my movements and be more intentional with my running form. I think that one of the things that Chi Running means for me is moving more intentionally
I’m certainly going to experiment with using path junctions and natural features to guide my mental focus rather than an electronic beep. I’ll let you know how it goes!
I have been passionate about walking all my life, climbing the mountains and walking long distance trails throughout the UK as well as some trips to Europe. I have also enjoyed running, but always used to feel that I wasn’t achieving my potential as a runner. Chi Running has been part of
couldn’t stop moving! Speaking of the benefits of walking, I also made a lifelong friend on the Pennine Way which is another way that marks it out for me in my memory. So it’s the passion for walking that comes across to me from this chapter. I guess I really have also loved walking for
The book looks brief, but don’t be fooled. It’s absolutely packed with condensed lists of pointers, tips, and of course training ideas. I would strongly suggest reading the chapters from the Chi Running and Chi Walking books that are cross referenced if you can do this. I view this book as a really helpful
if it can work for this guy, it can work for you? I do think he must be very ‘body aware,’ and have had a very good understanding of running for everything to click in to place so easily for him. Excellent!
Posture feedback…. From someone at work. I was told I have good posture yesterday. That’s a real sign for me that Chi Running is impacting on my whole life. I do work on the Chi Running focusses all day every day… But before I started Chi Running I must say I think my posture
Jay Dicharry has impressive credentials, and all his writing is well referenced. It’s a good job, because there are certain aspects of debate which are controversial (barefoot running etc.) These are tackled in an intelligent, well argued way that refuses to move in one direction unless science can take us there. There are a good
Still think eye contact and mental focus isn’t important when you are running? Have a go…. your mind will always become focussed on your goal. Please discuss!
although it has been attributed to (the great) Abraham Maslow (You can read more about it on Wikipedia.) When you learn to drive a car, you are at first having to think about every single action. Gear changes, checking mirrors. As you master the basics, they sink in and you carry out these actions without
But watching my shadow was actually quite helpful. Interestingly, even though the primary focus of my running was almost entirely about form, my speed and split times were actually quite decent for the terrain. I’m beginning to find more and more that Chi running is benefitting me considerably. It might be years worth of work,
I love the idea that less is more. You do need to exercise but you need to snuggle in to the middle of the curve…. massive distances aren’t needed…I love the description of what he says (about 16mins 30 seconds in to the video) about stopping to do some yoga whilst on a walk
not a walker. I’m a human being. The exercise we all take exists in the context of our whole lives, and it is essential to find a decent balance amongst competing priorities. The balance we need to find will be different at different times. What’s great about Chi Running and Walking is that I am
is MORE important than speed and power. What’s the point in running 50 miles a week for a month if we have a problematic running style that causes us injury? My niggly injuries all start to rear their head when my weekly mileage creeps over about 25-30 miles in a week. If it’s more like
on a weekly basis. The knee pain returned. I was only running about 10 to 20 miles a week. This time there was absolutely no way that I was going to stop running on order to fix the problem, so I started some physio therapy. I also started reading about running, more specifically how to
explore the question of ‘did we really evolve to run long distances?’ There is also a very revealing discussion on the modern trainer. I personally had never heard that debate before, and it was very well explained with practical examples in the book. If you want to try a radical alternative there is so much
a few maps etc which you munro baggers out there will no doubt pour over to figure out your opinion on Hugh’s route choice over the mountains. Some of his distances each day were really quite eye watering, bearing in mind he needed to meet up with his wife and family who following him round