Chi Running Update - My First Half-Marathon

I trained all summer for the Mesa Falls Half-marathon.  During my training I concentrated on the Chi Running focuses that I thought would best help me through my first half-marathon in over 30 years.

1.  The mid-foot strike and the wheel in the back that keeps on turning (thanks to Journey for the song that I use to remind myself if I find myself getting sloppy.)  Why?  I have a defective right foot – more precisely, a hyper-mobile first ray.  This technique, combined with arch supports, has brought me from seven to 13.1 miles without pain.  Even with arch supports, I find that foot pain is a sure sign that my shoes are wearing out. 

2.  The lean.  I lived all summer in the caldera of an extinct volcano, so every run started out uphill.  It’s really true even if it seems counter-intuitive – leaning into the hill is more efficient.  And that goes for downhill runs as well.

3.  Swinging my arms to the back.  It really does help balance #1 and #2.

When I first started my Chi Running practice, I fought the concept of “technique first, then distance, then speed.”  I was completely wrong.  After practicing the technique, I gained distance without injury.  13.1 miles, to be precise.  I finished the half-marathon in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 39 seconds, for an average pace of 9.36.  It wasn't enough to take first place in my age division, but it was enough to take second.  So now that it’s time to work on speed, I know the time I have to beat.

And speaking of speed – I checked in with my cadence a few days ago and found I've slipped a few beats.  I’m down from 88 bpm to 84 bpm.  Yikes!  I thought I had cadence down pat and didn't practice it all summer long.  My bad.  The good news – if I gradually increase my cadence I should be able to pick up some speed in the higher gears.

A few weeks ago, Danny Dreyer posted a tip on Facebook about walking backward.   He shared that walking backward will put your body into the proper C shape and put your core muscles in the right place.  I tried it for the first time on September 24, and all I can say is “Wow.”  I've been making this SO much harder than it actually is.  I've now added a short backward walk before I start running – just to get the feel for where my core muscles should be. 

And the practice continues….

Chi Running Lesson 2 – Stop trying to defy gravity!

Lesson 2 is learning to lean into your run.  Per the authors, leaning allows gravity to pull you forward.  Then, as you fall forward, the rearward force of the road pulls your support leg out behind you, allowing your leading foot to land under your center of mass to catch you from falling.  This leg then becomes the support leg and the process starts again.

Two forces – the force of gravity and the force of the road – collaborating to make me run more efficiently instead of conspiring to injure my feet and legs?  This sounds good. 

With column alignment in place, the way to start the lean is to focus on the bottoms of your feet, which should be hitting at the bottom of your column.  Then let the whole column fall, ever so slightly, in front of where your feet are hitting.

Today’s run was 5.5 miles.  I practiced running with a straight column and feeling my feet directly underneath, then tried the lean.  Just letting myself fall didn't work for me; I had to point my shoulders into the lean.  I immediately noticed that my stride had lengthened and was slightly behind my column.  I alternated the slight lean and running straight up several times along the course; pulling myself into the “C” shape each time I straightened up.  Yes, I still lose the lower abs from time to time, although I am definitely feeling them stay engaged more often than not.

There are exactly zero full-length mirrors on my running course, so I have no idea what my lean actually looked like.  I tried to observe my shadow on a couple of stretches, and it looked like I was in a slight lean with straight posture, but I think I’ll need to engage a more vocal observer – very soon.

An interesting observation – I had tried to engage the lean in a semi-walk in the house and it came out a very comical backward shuffle.  I was skeptical, until I tried it on my run.  It really does work when you are running.  I suspect the shuffle occurred because I wasn’t truly using the force of the floor.

I am still struggling with keeping my right foot and ankle relaxed.  Perhaps it’s because that was the foot I injured and I’m subconsciously not allowing it full range yet.  Good thing Lesson 3 – the passive lower leg – is coming up next.