ChiRunning Clinic

Yesterday I attended a 4-hour ChiRunning Clinic with a local instructor, Eric Collard.

I've been reading the ChiRunning book by Danny Dreyer, but I've had a tough time with the practical stuff in Chapter 4. I'm a visual learner, so the descriptions in the book really weren't doing it for me. Pelvic tilt whaaat? Maybe it didn't help that I was reading this before bed, but it was still tough to absorb. Then, during my assessment with my new physiotherapist, she said she really liked ChiRunning based on her own experience and qualifications in the field. So when I saw that Eric was holding a half-day clinic, I signed up.

We spent a lot of time working on posture, engaging the core muscles and running/walking back and forth. Lots of learning how to really work on your lean and not using your legs to power through a run. It was a lot to take in in only 4 hours, but it was worth it.

I realized that I'm fairly stiff through the hips and ankles. That probably explains why I always get holes in the vents of my shoes, right above the big toe!

After the clinic, I went for a run and tried to use what I'd learned earlier in the afternoon. That run was a lot more fun, that's for sure. There's a lot to think about, but overall, I think it will help me. The method encourages me to engage my core and to listen to my body, instead of trying to power through a distance. Because I think that's what I've been doing and my back suffers the consequences.

The clinic left me thinking about my goals for the rest of the year... but that's for another blog post.

Core Strength & Running

This blog post from Joe Friel provides convincing evidence on why it's important to have a strong core. The photos he posted of two people running on a treadmill shows the direct effects of a strong core vs. a weak core. Definitely worth a read.

Strengthening your core is something that all semi-serious runners know they have to do, but end up avoiding it for one reason or another. My experience is a pretty good example of why having a strong core is so important. If I'd taken the time to strengthen the muscles through my torso, I likely wouldn't be faced with the problems in my foot. All the wrong muscles were doing the work and the good muscles were paralyzed. Heck, even my diaphragm is doing the work of supporting my back instead of you know, breathing and stuff.

In other news, I went for my run last night. I set my Garmin pace alarm so I wouldn't go under 7 min/k. Boy, it was tough to run slow. I couldn't finish the 5K and had to walk once, but had no pain while running.

But, my foot is really hurting today. I'm pretty discouraged by the level of pain I have in my foot. I've unleashed the ice pack and am quietly working away on my exercises here at my desk.