What is it about runners? We start with the simplest of notions -- to lose a few pounds, get healthier, or take on a small challenge. Then we start to run and it's like a switch gets turned on that can't be turned off. In the last month or so, I have seen or read about people going overboard in their training and I know -- but for the grace of God and my lack of severe-pain tolerance -- I could be one of them.
Some guy is going to lose 2 of his toes -- including the big toe on his right foot -- from frostbite he got running in a 64-mile race in 14-below weather according to msnbc.com (hope this link is still active). Then there's Frayed Laces, a fellow blogger, whose pain threshold must be ginormous. She ran the first few miles of a marathon with a fractured pelvis and then broke it 9 miles or so into the race. And yes, she finished the race!!!
But to what end? I worry about these runners. The first runner is losing 2 toes and the doctors are worried about 4 more. And Frayed Laces, while I admire her drive and determination, continues to push the envelope of what her doctor allows her to do, risking more injury.
Honestly, I am no better. I'm just older, and maybe with that age has come a tiny bit of wisdom or at least common sense. I wish I had known at 16 what my body would feel like at 40+, I think I might have made a few different decisions about what I played, when I played, and how hard I played.
I still have a ways to go myself. Sometimes that switch still gets turned on and I do things in the name of fitness and running that are really about feeding my ego. So in the name of working to quiet my "Type A" tendencies, here are my eight running goals for 2008. These will be very different than most runners:
1. Embrace gradual progress.
2. LISTEN, really listen, to my body and do what it wants not want my ego wants.
3. Continue to find the joy in my body moving regardless of speed.
4. Take my ChiRunning form to the next level.
5. Make running a meditation rather than a race.
6. Run injury free all year.
7. Increase my mileage without pain.
8. Feed my body what it needs to perform and eliminate the junk food.
I know my goals don't sound like those of a "real runner." There are no races to run, PRs to be had, total miles to cover, but there they are. They lead to one overarching goal -- enjoying the feeling of painfree running for another year. After my previous life as a runner's Humpty Dumpty (see the post before this one), painfree running is better than any PR.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Humpty Dumpty has nothing on me
Sometimes I feel like a broken China doll that’s been glued back together, or maybe – as a result of my latest eating patterns – Humpty Dumpty. Then again they never put Humpty back together again but all of my “horses and men” are making it happen for me.
OK, here are a few of the scrapes and injuries that left me feeling a bit broken even before trying running on a regular basis.
Minor scoliosis at a child.
Fell off a top bunk and straight onto my tailbone at 11.
Severe shin splints during junior high track. But there wasn’t any “sports medicine” when I was in junior high, so I just laid in bed at night after practice and gutted out the pain. Shin splints have haunted me ever since.
Shredded the cartilage under both kneecaps catching fast-pitch softball in high school. One knee has been scoped; the other supposedly needs it.
Got rear-ended at 45 mph – by a drunk driver -- while stopped at a traffic light.
In almost every case, I never saw a doctor for any related problems until decades later. The cumulative effect had taken its toll and running only got harder and harder with more breaks -- because of aches -- with each passing year. And, it seemed, I got slower and slower.
Ten years ago, my then chiropractor asked me to stop running so he could fix my back. I was so fed up with nightly back spasms and pain that I gave in -- for eight years. A new chiropractor said she thought I should be able to run into old age – maybe slower and fewer miles but run all the same. Of course, by then if I ran “fewer miles,” I’d only have to get up, walk to the kitchen and get a snack to cover my “workout.”
I tried to run again a few times, but the same old hurts came back with a vengeance. The bike, elliptical, kayaking, golf and (sometimes) weights filled my workouts. Then one day I discovered ChiRunning while on the Internet looking for something else with the word “chi” in it. And it changed my life.
I started out tentatively and timidly, wondering what would “break” first. Where before, running broke me down, ChiRunning seemed to build me up. My current chiropractor says my back and knees have improved with running.
It’s a little weird, but my body seems to be revisiting each of my big injuries and some symptoms are reappearing. Now it seems I’m working through all of my pains and injuries with running instead of the injuries coming from running. But this time when I get them worked on, they seem to finally be gone for good.
I still use my “team”– chiropractor, PT, massage therapist, muscle activation therapist, cranial-sacral doc – when I need to. We are closing in on the last of the problems/challenges – or at least I hope so. There is one last hurdle that I’m hoping a cardiologist can answer soon and then there’ll be no stopping me. I’ll have gone from China doll to Wonder Woman.
OK, here are a few of the scrapes and injuries that left me feeling a bit broken even before trying running on a regular basis.
Minor scoliosis at a child.
Fell off a top bunk and straight onto my tailbone at 11.
Severe shin splints during junior high track. But there wasn’t any “sports medicine” when I was in junior high, so I just laid in bed at night after practice and gutted out the pain. Shin splints have haunted me ever since.
Shredded the cartilage under both kneecaps catching fast-pitch softball in high school. One knee has been scoped; the other supposedly needs it.
Got rear-ended at 45 mph – by a drunk driver -- while stopped at a traffic light.
In almost every case, I never saw a doctor for any related problems until decades later. The cumulative effect had taken its toll and running only got harder and harder with more breaks -- because of aches -- with each passing year. And, it seemed, I got slower and slower.
Ten years ago, my then chiropractor asked me to stop running so he could fix my back. I was so fed up with nightly back spasms and pain that I gave in -- for eight years. A new chiropractor said she thought I should be able to run into old age – maybe slower and fewer miles but run all the same. Of course, by then if I ran “fewer miles,” I’d only have to get up, walk to the kitchen and get a snack to cover my “workout.”
I tried to run again a few times, but the same old hurts came back with a vengeance. The bike, elliptical, kayaking, golf and (sometimes) weights filled my workouts. Then one day I discovered ChiRunning while on the Internet looking for something else with the word “chi” in it. And it changed my life.
I started out tentatively and timidly, wondering what would “break” first. Where before, running broke me down, ChiRunning seemed to build me up. My current chiropractor says my back and knees have improved with running.
It’s a little weird, but my body seems to be revisiting each of my big injuries and some symptoms are reappearing. Now it seems I’m working through all of my pains and injuries with running instead of the injuries coming from running. But this time when I get them worked on, they seem to finally be gone for good.
I still use my “team”– chiropractor, PT, massage therapist, muscle activation therapist, cranial-sacral doc – when I need to. We are closing in on the last of the problems/challenges – or at least I hope so. There is one last hurdle that I’m hoping a cardiologist can answer soon and then there’ll be no stopping me. I’ll have gone from China doll to Wonder Woman.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Really cold-weather running for dummies
I've always mentally chastised runners who I think are a bit over the top. You know the people who show no respect for bitter cold and unrelenting heat. As I returned to running after a long absence (8 years), I promised myself I would never be like that. I never mind running in heat so that wouldn't be a problem and I hate the cold, so I certainly would never venture out when it got "too cold."
Today, the windchill was in the single digits. My husband said, "Don't go." My dad -- who my husband encouraged -- said "Don't go." The two inner runners who sit on each of my shoulders, of course, had differing opinions. "Don't go," said the angel runner. "At least go to the indoor track." "The sun is out for heaven's sake," said the devil runner. "How bad can it be?"
I waited until the temperature reached its peak of 14 with 11 mph winds for a wind chill of 7 or so and headed out. Now, I haven't run in this kind of cold, so I wasn't quite sure what to wear. I ended up with a short-sleeve wicking shirt, a long-sleeve wicking shirt, a breath thermo running shirt (these things are amazing. The material warms up when it gets wet.) a pullover and a Pearl izumi jacket. On the bottom, I had a pair of tights and some windpants. Topped off by a hat, mittens with peel-back top to expose the fingerrtips and a balakava-type thing.
I had so many layers on, I left the house with a flashback to childhood and the 8 layers my mom bundled me in to play in the snow -- for 15 minutes -- before I had to go to the bathroom.
I was comfortable for about a half-mile and then realized, like my mother, I had overdressed myself. So off came the top layer. I was surprised how comfortable I was. I spent a little time learning how long I needed to cover my mouth and nose to warm up and then lower it for some fresh air.
Here are a few other lessons I learned along the way:
1. Apparently fat freezes before muscle. I have no real research to back this up other than personal experience. Even with the jacket, I experienced first-degree freezer burn on my butt and outer thighs. OK, now I am grateful for that jacket I wrapped around my waist. The freezer burn could have been worse.
2. Always, always lay out ALL your gear before you dress for cold-weather running. I realized I forgot my heart rate monitor about 2 minutes into my workout. There was no way I was going home for it.
3. Relax, relax, relax. Muscles tense in the cold. Tense muscles use more energy than relaxed muscles.
4. Maybe those over-the-top runners aren't so crazy after all. Or maybe I'm becoming one of "them."
5. Apply some of the same rules from hot-weather running to cold-weather running -- like slowing down or cutting back on the length of the workout. I ran about 60 percent of what I'd planned but it felt right.
6. I read an article/post by an long-experienced runner who said anything below 10 degrees -- stay home. He's right.
I'm sure these are just a few of many "really cold weather lessons" I should know, so please let me know of others you have learned along the way.
Today, the windchill was in the single digits. My husband said, "Don't go." My dad -- who my husband encouraged -- said "Don't go." The two inner runners who sit on each of my shoulders, of course, had differing opinions. "Don't go," said the angel runner. "At least go to the indoor track." "The sun is out for heaven's sake," said the devil runner. "How bad can it be?"
I waited until the temperature reached its peak of 14 with 11 mph winds for a wind chill of 7 or so and headed out. Now, I haven't run in this kind of cold, so I wasn't quite sure what to wear. I ended up with a short-sleeve wicking shirt, a long-sleeve wicking shirt, a breath thermo running shirt (these things are amazing. The material warms up when it gets wet.) a pullover and a Pearl izumi jacket. On the bottom, I had a pair of tights and some windpants. Topped off by a hat, mittens with peel-back top to expose the fingerrtips and a balakava-type thing.
I had so many layers on, I left the house with a flashback to childhood and the 8 layers my mom bundled me in to play in the snow -- for 15 minutes -- before I had to go to the bathroom.
I was comfortable for about a half-mile and then realized, like my mother, I had overdressed myself. So off came the top layer. I was surprised how comfortable I was. I spent a little time learning how long I needed to cover my mouth and nose to warm up and then lower it for some fresh air.
Here are a few other lessons I learned along the way:
1. Apparently fat freezes before muscle. I have no real research to back this up other than personal experience. Even with the jacket, I experienced first-degree freezer burn on my butt and outer thighs. OK, now I am grateful for that jacket I wrapped around my waist. The freezer burn could have been worse.
2. Always, always lay out ALL your gear before you dress for cold-weather running. I realized I forgot my heart rate monitor about 2 minutes into my workout. There was no way I was going home for it.
3. Relax, relax, relax. Muscles tense in the cold. Tense muscles use more energy than relaxed muscles.
4. Maybe those over-the-top runners aren't so crazy after all. Or maybe I'm becoming one of "them."
5. Apply some of the same rules from hot-weather running to cold-weather running -- like slowing down or cutting back on the length of the workout. I ran about 60 percent of what I'd planned but it felt right.
6. I read an article/post by an long-experienced runner who said anything below 10 degrees -- stay home. He's right.
I'm sure these are just a few of many "really cold weather lessons" I should know, so please let me know of others you have learned along the way.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Lessons learned
It's been a good week running and I learned -- or relearned -- a few lessons.
1. Water is like oil for the joints. When I drink plenty of water, I have few to no aches or pains in my knees or anyone else. But when I chug those Diet Cokes and forget the water, well, my knees can start to talk to me just a bit.
2. I sleep with my feet so pointed my toes practically touch the mattress. My husband thinks I am a freak because of it. Anyone else out there able to do that? Well, what I learned is anyone who can probably has tension in their calves when they run. In ChiRunning, we really, really relax the lower legs. Getting my calves to relax has always been a great challenge for me. I always felt like my ChiRunning technique was solid but still the calves would begin to tense as early as 3 miles and certainly by 7 miles. The other day my chiropractor suggested I stretch not only my calves but my hamstrings -- and do it 4 times a day. Four times a day! I don't do anything four times a day unless there's chocolate, salt or a Diet Coke involved, or better yet, all three. Plus, I hate stretching. Still, I decided to give it a try, and my last two runs of 3 and 4 miles have been great. Chalk one up for stretching (but I still hate it).
3. Even when you think you're going to have a lousy run -- and want to bag it before you start -- it's good to give it a try. Tonight, I just felt like it would be a miserable run, but tomorrow it's supposed to be below zero and Sunday too, so tonight was my best chance to run without frostbite. I told myself I would go 1 mile. If I felt as bad as I did when I left the house, I'd stop. But as most of you already know, after that first mile, I started to feel better and better.
OK, I know these aren't earth-shattering lessons but there are good to remember. So why do I keep having to learn them again and again?
1. Water is like oil for the joints. When I drink plenty of water, I have few to no aches or pains in my knees or anyone else. But when I chug those Diet Cokes and forget the water, well, my knees can start to talk to me just a bit.
2. I sleep with my feet so pointed my toes practically touch the mattress. My husband thinks I am a freak because of it. Anyone else out there able to do that? Well, what I learned is anyone who can probably has tension in their calves when they run. In ChiRunning, we really, really relax the lower legs. Getting my calves to relax has always been a great challenge for me. I always felt like my ChiRunning technique was solid but still the calves would begin to tense as early as 3 miles and certainly by 7 miles. The other day my chiropractor suggested I stretch not only my calves but my hamstrings -- and do it 4 times a day. Four times a day! I don't do anything four times a day unless there's chocolate, salt or a Diet Coke involved, or better yet, all three. Plus, I hate stretching. Still, I decided to give it a try, and my last two runs of 3 and 4 miles have been great. Chalk one up for stretching (but I still hate it).
3. Even when you think you're going to have a lousy run -- and want to bag it before you start -- it's good to give it a try. Tonight, I just felt like it would be a miserable run, but tomorrow it's supposed to be below zero and Sunday too, so tonight was my best chance to run without frostbite. I told myself I would go 1 mile. If I felt as bad as I did when I left the house, I'd stop. But as most of you already know, after that first mile, I started to feel better and better.
OK, I know these aren't earth-shattering lessons but there are good to remember. So why do I keep having to learn them again and again?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Brain-freeze
Brain-freeze. That must be what it was. Like when you eat ice cream too fast. I must have had a brain-freeze that momentarily stopped logical decision-making. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for going out for a run last night...in the dark...with it snowing...and a 14-degree windchill factor.
Saying that I don’t like the cold is like saying a polar bear doesn’t like the desert. I not only don’t like it, I tend to abhor it, hate it, and curse it. I got frostbite as a kid, so cold has never been a welcome guest at my house. I’m the only person I know who wears socks – indoors – when the temperature dips below 72.
So imagine my surprise when I watch myself dressing in layers to head out into the night cold for a run. It’s like an out-of-body experience.
“Wait, what are you doing? Put that long-sleeve technical shirt away. You don’t need that to ride the stationary bike. What? Why are you putting on your running tights? Where are our bike shorts? No, no, please not, not the running shoes. Oh God!! She’s really thinking of going outside?!”
Apparently, yes.
I know everyone says you should dress for the second half of the run. But as cold as I get, I won’t see the second half of the run – or the first half for that matter – if I’m freezing at the start. So I dress for the first half and live with the more-than-toasty-feeling. (I swear I am like the anti-runner. I do everything opposite of the norm.)
But you know what? 14 degrees can be very comfortable with the right clothes. The cold was bearable and the air was clean and crisp. I actually enjoyed, well “enjoyed” would be an exaggeration, but I survived my Arctic run. Maybe the polar bear should give the desert a try.
Saying that I don’t like the cold is like saying a polar bear doesn’t like the desert. I not only don’t like it, I tend to abhor it, hate it, and curse it. I got frostbite as a kid, so cold has never been a welcome guest at my house. I’m the only person I know who wears socks – indoors – when the temperature dips below 72.
So imagine my surprise when I watch myself dressing in layers to head out into the night cold for a run. It’s like an out-of-body experience.
“Wait, what are you doing? Put that long-sleeve technical shirt away. You don’t need that to ride the stationary bike. What? Why are you putting on your running tights? Where are our bike shorts? No, no, please not, not the running shoes. Oh God!! She’s really thinking of going outside?!”
Apparently, yes.
I know everyone says you should dress for the second half of the run. But as cold as I get, I won’t see the second half of the run – or the first half for that matter – if I’m freezing at the start. So I dress for the first half and live with the more-than-toasty-feeling. (I swear I am like the anti-runner. I do everything opposite of the norm.)
But you know what? 14 degrees can be very comfortable with the right clothes. The cold was bearable and the air was clean and crisp. I actually enjoyed, well “enjoyed” would be an exaggeration, but I survived my Arctic run. Maybe the polar bear should give the desert a try.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Nothing special
So I didn't get out of bed this morning to run. But the good news is I got my run in last night instead. And I'm glad I did. It was mild, about 45 degrees, and still sunny, at least for most of the run. Ran a 5K. Nothing special about it. Just starting to build the miles back up after the hip blip. Boy, this post is boring. Hopefully, I'll have something better to write about tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
What's up with feeling down?
I’m not feeling so good. Stayed in bed an extra hour this morning. Just felt like crap. Maybe too much sugar from munching on Kissables during OSU game (or maybe the OSU game itself) or the potato chips or, well, name a junk item and I probably ate it. Plus not drinking enough water but drinking enough Diet Coke to flood my house. This drives me crazy. Why can’t I be as disciplined with nutrition as I am with my running? Oh wait, not so good there either this week.
Ran on Saturday and Sunday, but took a rest day Monday. Planned to run last night but then got delayed because I got home from work late, then I needed to update my web site for ChiRunning and then by the time I got that done, it was pouring down rain. Now I don’t mind the rain so much as rain and darkness together. So I opted for the indoor running track, BUT the track was closed for a basketball game. Oh brother.
So I headed home and then realized there is another indoor track across town and although smaller, it would do the trick. I started to drive there and realized that maybe the rain and closed track were a sign to go home and rest since I haven’t been feeling so good lately. So I did just that. Had a number of things I could have done but instead vegged out. Now, of course, I feel lousy about not working out.Plus resting didn’t seem to help. Neither did a full night’s sleep. I still feel off center. And all I want is more Kissables -- and Diet Coke.
The rest of the week isn’t much better either. Something going on every night after work. OK, so here’s my first real opportunity in a while to dig deep and get my butt out of bed tomorrow and Friday. Even a short run of a couple miles would be better than nothing. But we’ll see. I am the world’s champion at being able to roll over and go back to sleep – even after a marathon sleep. Plus, it’ll be cold again – and dark – tomorrow, and my electric blanketed bed sounds so nice and cozy. Wish me luck.
Ran on Saturday and Sunday, but took a rest day Monday. Planned to run last night but then got delayed because I got home from work late, then I needed to update my web site for ChiRunning and then by the time I got that done, it was pouring down rain. Now I don’t mind the rain so much as rain and darkness together. So I opted for the indoor running track, BUT the track was closed for a basketball game. Oh brother.
So I headed home and then realized there is another indoor track across town and although smaller, it would do the trick. I started to drive there and realized that maybe the rain and closed track were a sign to go home and rest since I haven’t been feeling so good lately. So I did just that. Had a number of things I could have done but instead vegged out. Now, of course, I feel lousy about not working out.Plus resting didn’t seem to help. Neither did a full night’s sleep. I still feel off center. And all I want is more Kissables -- and Diet Coke.
The rest of the week isn’t much better either. Something going on every night after work. OK, so here’s my first real opportunity in a while to dig deep and get my butt out of bed tomorrow and Friday. Even a short run of a couple miles would be better than nothing. But we’ll see. I am the world’s champion at being able to roll over and go back to sleep – even after a marathon sleep. Plus, it’ll be cold again – and dark – tomorrow, and my electric blanketed bed sounds so nice and cozy. Wish me luck.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Go Ohio State Buckeyes!
No running entry today. Just a big OH-IO! We may be ranked No. 1 but Buckeye fans know we are really a HUGE underdog in the BCS Championship game tonight. It's like my high school coach always said, "Any team can be beaten on any given night."
Go Bucks!
Go Bucks!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Maybe I'm starting to learn
There are no "bad runs" only "good lessons," according to Danny Dreyer. If that's true, I should be a freakin' genius by now.
Today was supposed to be a long, slow, distance run of only 6 miles. (I've had to cut back on my mileage since jamming my leg funny during a run on snow and ice three weeks ago.) This morning I woke and checked my RHR (resting heart rate) and it was surprisingly high. I recently read an article that said if you're RHR is 5% above your average, do an easy workout; if it's 10% over, take the day off. According to that forumla, I should've bagged my run. But hey it was 53 degrees here after 4 inches of snow earlier this week, and no Ohio runner in their right mind would blow off a January day in the 50s.
Even though I did a hard hill workout yesterday, my body felt good this morning. No calf tightness. My hip was feeling a little tender from yesterday but not bad at all. So I headed out in a light mist and lots of clouds. Within a half mile, I knew the article had been right. I didn't feel bad, but I spent the run working on trying to relax my calves and just relax in general.
I really wanted to do all 6 miles. Why? Because I said I would. But finally I'm learning that it's more important to listen to my body than my ego. So I turned around at 2 miles and took my time getting home for a total of 4 miles.
Now a few hours later, I'm slightly disappointed at not completing the workout I planned, but my legs (calves and the injured hip in particular) feel great. I have a scheduled day off tomorrow, which my body clearly needs. While my legs feel fine, my body is achey.
Lessons learned
1. Don't do a long, slow, distance run the day after a hard hill workout.
2. Pay attention to that RHR and take a day off when it's 10% high than normal.
Today was supposed to be a long, slow, distance run of only 6 miles. (I've had to cut back on my mileage since jamming my leg funny during a run on snow and ice three weeks ago.) This morning I woke and checked my RHR (resting heart rate) and it was surprisingly high. I recently read an article that said if you're RHR is 5% above your average, do an easy workout; if it's 10% over, take the day off. According to that forumla, I should've bagged my run. But hey it was 53 degrees here after 4 inches of snow earlier this week, and no Ohio runner in their right mind would blow off a January day in the 50s.
Even though I did a hard hill workout yesterday, my body felt good this morning. No calf tightness. My hip was feeling a little tender from yesterday but not bad at all. So I headed out in a light mist and lots of clouds. Within a half mile, I knew the article had been right. I didn't feel bad, but I spent the run working on trying to relax my calves and just relax in general.
I really wanted to do all 6 miles. Why? Because I said I would. But finally I'm learning that it's more important to listen to my body than my ego. So I turned around at 2 miles and took my time getting home for a total of 4 miles.
Now a few hours later, I'm slightly disappointed at not completing the workout I planned, but my legs (calves and the injured hip in particular) feel great. I have a scheduled day off tomorrow, which my body clearly needs. While my legs feel fine, my body is achey.
Lessons learned
1. Don't do a long, slow, distance run the day after a hard hill workout.
2. Pay attention to that RHR and take a day off when it's 10% high than normal.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Getting my calves to relax
We got about four inches of the S-word Wednesday. I no longer run in snow and ice not after misstepping over some snow two weeks ago and jamming my hip. The muscle spasms have finally started to relax after after two trips to the chiro, a massage and a trip to the PT.
So on Thursday, I considered my options. There’s always a treadmill at the local fitness center, but I HATE treadmills. I have refused to even try them since returning to running. So that was out. But wait – there’s the local indoor track attached to the fitness center above the high school arena.
Yep, you read that right. The people in this school district – my alma mater – voted to build a 4,000-seat arena and put a track around the top of the arena. Eight laps equal a mile. Now, I’m not crazy about the track either because I get bored running in circles, but it was the lesser of two evils – or three if you count the snow and ice.
I went to the track with equal amounts of gratitude and grumpiness about having to run indoors, but the run was a blessing in disguise. I’ve been struggling with my calves tightening up after a couple of miles lately. At first, I thought it might be something with my ChiRunning technique but I kept checking things and that seemed to be right on. But still the tightness.
In ChiRunning we always try to body sense and feel different sensations in the body and make small changes before they turn in to twinges, discomfort or pain. So after umpteen laps, I began to notice that my heels were sliding around in my shoes. In CR, we relax the lower legs completely, so I realized that maybe my calves were working to stabilize my heel in the shoe.
Tonight I tightened up my shoes just a bit – just the first two eyelets and retied the shoe just a bit and voila, no problems. I’ve been running with my shoes a lot looser ever since my first CR workshop and heard CR creator Danny Dreyer say your shoes should fit like slippers (you should be able to slide them on and off without untying them). If your shoes are too tight, they can act like a corset. Loosening them lets your feet breathe a bit.
I remembered tonight that when I bought my last two pair of shoes (I like to rotate them), I had thought I left them a little too loose but decided to run in them and see what happened. Dumb. Then I totally forgot about them being too loose.
Hopefully, this will clear up the tight calves once and for all.
As for the run, it was great. The snow is melting here with temps in the 40s. Ran a slow mile out, 1 mile of hill work and a mile back home. Total: 3.1 miles 33:17
So on Thursday, I considered my options. There’s always a treadmill at the local fitness center, but I HATE treadmills. I have refused to even try them since returning to running. So that was out. But wait – there’s the local indoor track attached to the fitness center above the high school arena.
Yep, you read that right. The people in this school district – my alma mater – voted to build a 4,000-seat arena and put a track around the top of the arena. Eight laps equal a mile. Now, I’m not crazy about the track either because I get bored running in circles, but it was the lesser of two evils – or three if you count the snow and ice.
I went to the track with equal amounts of gratitude and grumpiness about having to run indoors, but the run was a blessing in disguise. I’ve been struggling with my calves tightening up after a couple of miles lately. At first, I thought it might be something with my ChiRunning technique but I kept checking things and that seemed to be right on. But still the tightness.
In ChiRunning we always try to body sense and feel different sensations in the body and make small changes before they turn in to twinges, discomfort or pain. So after umpteen laps, I began to notice that my heels were sliding around in my shoes. In CR, we relax the lower legs completely, so I realized that maybe my calves were working to stabilize my heel in the shoe.
Tonight I tightened up my shoes just a bit – just the first two eyelets and retied the shoe just a bit and voila, no problems. I’ve been running with my shoes a lot looser ever since my first CR workshop and heard CR creator Danny Dreyer say your shoes should fit like slippers (you should be able to slide them on and off without untying them). If your shoes are too tight, they can act like a corset. Loosening them lets your feet breathe a bit.
I remembered tonight that when I bought my last two pair of shoes (I like to rotate them), I had thought I left them a little too loose but decided to run in them and see what happened. Dumb. Then I totally forgot about them being too loose.
Hopefully, this will clear up the tight calves once and for all.
As for the run, it was great. The snow is melting here with temps in the 40s. Ran a slow mile out, 1 mile of hill work and a mile back home. Total: 3.1 miles 33:17
Thursday, January 3, 2008
So What's This ChiRunning?
ChiRunning (CR) is only the best thing for running since gel, fuel belts, body glide and maybe even shoes. CR is the only reason I’m able to run again after a myriad of life and sports (running, volleyball, softball, basketball) injuries. It’s for everyone from beginners to elite athletes. It’s for the 13-minute miler and the 5-minute miler. In fact, the winner of the 2006 Air Force Marathon is a ChiRunner who is an M.D. He took up CR because he’d had surgery on his big toes for severe arthritis and had to find a way to run without pushing off on his toes.
CR is all about postural alignment along with muscle relaxation. It combines running with elements of the martial art T’ai Chi (no, you don’t have to know T’ai Chi to do ChiRunning and no, you won’t look goofy doing it; you’ll just look more fluid than ever before).
We make minor but powerful adjustments to your posture like leveling your pelvis to hold your body in a straight line as you run. Then we have you lean slightly from the ankles and you run from your core. When your body is lined up shoulders over hips over ankles in a straight line (we call this your “column”), your body weight is supported by your structure – bones, ligaments and tendons, not your muscles. When the muscles don’t have to work so much, they don’t fatigue as fast and you can run farther with less effort. Plus, when you lean slightly forward from the ankles, gravity becomes your friend and takes some of the workload.
Efficiency and injury prevention are two mainstays of CR. Leveling the pelvis helps runners with back aches and IT band problems. A mid-foot landing helps eliminate heel strike – stopping those nagging knee pains – as well as pushing off with the toes, helping you heal those pesky shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and a myriad of other issues.
Anyone struggling with an injury – or wanting to run farther with less effort – might want to look into CR. Go to the chirunning.com website. Read other people’s experiences. Check out the community bulletin board where folks post their successes and ask questions.
There’s a book written by the creator, Danny Dreyer. It’s called – surprise, surprise – ChiRunning. You can get it at local bookstores or online at chirunning.com. See if it doesn’t make total sense to you as it did for me. Say goodbye to many of the usual aches and injuries and enjoy every run.
Run relaxed.
CR is all about postural alignment along with muscle relaxation. It combines running with elements of the martial art T’ai Chi (no, you don’t have to know T’ai Chi to do ChiRunning and no, you won’t look goofy doing it; you’ll just look more fluid than ever before).
We make minor but powerful adjustments to your posture like leveling your pelvis to hold your body in a straight line as you run. Then we have you lean slightly from the ankles and you run from your core. When your body is lined up shoulders over hips over ankles in a straight line (we call this your “column”), your body weight is supported by your structure – bones, ligaments and tendons, not your muscles. When the muscles don’t have to work so much, they don’t fatigue as fast and you can run farther with less effort. Plus, when you lean slightly forward from the ankles, gravity becomes your friend and takes some of the workload.
Efficiency and injury prevention are two mainstays of CR. Leveling the pelvis helps runners with back aches and IT band problems. A mid-foot landing helps eliminate heel strike – stopping those nagging knee pains – as well as pushing off with the toes, helping you heal those pesky shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and a myriad of other issues.
Anyone struggling with an injury – or wanting to run farther with less effort – might want to look into CR. Go to the chirunning.com website. Read other people’s experiences. Check out the community bulletin board where folks post their successes and ask questions.
There’s a book written by the creator, Danny Dreyer. It’s called – surprise, surprise – ChiRunning. You can get it at local bookstores or online at chirunning.com. See if it doesn’t make total sense to you as it did for me. Say goodbye to many of the usual aches and injuries and enjoy every run.
Run relaxed.
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