3/25/12

Run Like the Wind - ChiRunning

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Yesterday, I attended the MultiSport Expo in Bethesda. I manned the TriUnify Booth, walked the floor/booths and attended the ChiRunning 2 Workshop.

 

As a side note…I came across this booth exhibiting a accessory/apparel  line that I absolutely fell in love with – PURE MADNESS. Pure madness most aptly describes what most people think about Triathletes. What it really is about – “Pure - stating healthy and Madness - the dedication it takes to compete.” Nicest man in the world and I just loved the gear. Check him out at www.puremadnesswear.com.

 

In between checking out the other booths, meeting other triathletes and talking about my Tri Club – TriUnify, I took a workshop on ChiRunning. I was game for anything to help me with my running, improve my time/technique. ANYTHING to make it less drudgery and more enjoyable.

 

The 2 hour workshop was awesome. There was a lot crammed into the 2 hours. The most important things I took away from the workshop was 1. Focus on my posture, 2. Relax, 3. Keep my Feet UNDER my body – in alignment (going back to posture) and 4. Cadence.

 

Today, I decided that I would work on/focus on a few of the 10 Components to Good Running Technique (go to the ChiRunning website to see all of them). I focused on the following:

 

  • Good Posture – “Your running technique is totally dependent on your posture. The efficiency of your running technique is directly proportional to the quality of your posture”
  • Cadence: “Most people have too slow of a cadence. When you run you want to spend the least amount of time on your legs as possible. The longer you take with each stride, the more time your foot spends on the ground, and the more energy your legs have to expend to support your body weight. Even if it's a split second during each stride, it adds up quickly when you're talking about 1200 steps per mile. Strive to maintain a cadence of 85-90 strides per minute with each leg. If it's difficult to do, shorten your stride length until if feels more comfortable to hold the cadence.”
  • Staying relaxed: This includes having a good sense of humor and having the ability to observe what is going on within you and around you and responding wisely to those observations
chirun2

 

I used my tempo trainer (see the yellow thingy clipped to my hat) to keep cadence. I did the 1st 5 at 90 strides per minute and then changed to 85 for the second half. I ran about 95% of the entire 9.2 miles today. Don’t get me wrong…I had to concentrate, I had to stay focused on my body position and keeping up with the tempo trainer…but a 2 hour workshop seemed to payoff. It took me 2:06 to complete 9.2 miles. I compared that to my last 2 long runs and here is what I got:

  • Today      9.2 miles = 2:06
  • Mar 4th   8.9 miles =  2:07
  • Feb 24th  8.4 miles = 2:01

I covered (while not a huge amount) more distance in relatively the same amount of time. WOO HOO. I was less winded and my legs didn’t hurt as much as they used to. SOLD.

 

Practice. Practice Practice. I so want to run like the wind.

 

Have you tried ChiRunning? Has it worked for you? What are your thoughts?