Healing Lifestyles & Spas

Moving with nature

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By on Healing Blog

By Isabelle Gullö

“Look, I’m a runner now,” exclaims Geaneen Archer as she passes me on the trail. “Can you believe it?” It’s our first day of a ChiRunning workshop at the Golden Door in Escondido, California, and we are jogging along the meandering paths of a meadow, showing off what we’ve learned during the past week – staying loose; aligning our shoulders, hips, and ankles; leaning slightly forward; and swinging our elbows to the rear. From the looks of it, Geaneen isn’t the only one feeling the chi today.

The idea behind ChiRunning, a new technique created by ultra-marathoner and running coach Danny Dreyer, is to save energy and avoid overuse of muscles by focusing on proper form and relaxation. According to Dreyer, author of ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running (Fireside, 2004), most of the discomfort and injuries that plague so many runners – and scare others away from the sport – could be avoided if only we learn to listen to our bodies.

This is the reason I’ve signed up for the brand-new spa clinic. An avid runner for more than a decade, I’m eager to see if ChiRunning will prove the end to nagging shin splints, backache, and knee pain. And I discover the first day of the workshop that I am not alone. Many of the twenty-some women in the group describe problems similar to mine; a few have even given up the sport completely because of constant injuries. Others are here in hope that Dreyer’s method will inspire them to add running to their fitness regimen.

Dreyer introduces himself and tells us that he came up with the basic philosophy of ChiRunning after studying with a well-known tai chi master in San Francisco. “I realized the same principles could be applied to running,” he says, explaining that if movement is generated from the body’s center, or trunk (as it is in tai chi), rather than the limbs, we expend much less energy. Also, by relaxing, we reduce muscle tension so that chi, or life force energy, can flow freely through the body.

To allow for this to happen, we have to develop the proper running posture, says Dreyer. Spread out in a circle around the coach, we practice standing tall with our feet parallel and hip-width apart, the upper back straight, chin down, and knees slightly bent. Holding on to this pose, we then level our pelvis (by lifting the pubic bone with our abs) to engage our core, the deepest abdominal muscle layers.

The key to a perfect stance, Dreyer reveals, is to imagine a straight line linking the ankles, hipbones, and shoulders, which he refers to as the “three dots,” and to always keep the dots connected. “Look down at your feet,” he says. “If you can see your shoelaces right now, it means your dots are aligned. If you can’t see them, chances are your pelvis is not level.”

The second day, Dreyer introduces the idea of adding a lean to our running posture. This is a slight tilt, barely visible actually, but it makes all the difference when you run. (Picture a Nordic ski jumper falling forward from his ankles, not the waist, and you have the right idea.) “With a lean, you let gravity do most of the work instead of having to use all leg muscle to push you forward,” he explains. “Why use more energy than you have to?”

We get up early the next morning to try out what we’ve learned on the array of mountain trails that surround the spa. Before we take off, Dreyer shows us that the best way to run hills is by vigorously pumping the arms (shoulders stay down and away from the ears), engaging the core muscles, and shortening the stride significantly. The steeper the hill, the smaller your steps, the coach says. “Using this technique, going uphill shouldn’t be much harder than running on a flat surface.” At first, most of us find this concept hard to believe, but as we head up the mountain, I’m amazed at how well everyone’s doing, including the women who are new to running. My legs stay light throughout the entire six-mile workout, and afterward, I experience none of the typical soreness in my quads and shins.

As the days go by, maintaining proper posture and staying relaxed slowly but surely become second nature to most of us. So does the forward tilt, especially after we learn how the lean can act as a gas pedal; when you want to speed up, lean in a bit more; to slow down, simply let up on the tilt. This idea fascinates me, and as I keep experimenting with the “gas pedal,” I realize to my delight that it allows me to run faster without having to work a lot harder, just like our coach promised.

Leaning forward also alters the way your feet strike the ground, reducing the impact on your knees, shins, quads, and back, Dreyer demonstrates. Instead of heal-striking and pushing off with the toes, you land evenly on your foot, extending your legs back as your feet leave the ground. “Think of your feet as wheels in motion,” he says, adding, “running this way will make shin splints and sore knees a thing of the past.”

It’s been a fascinating week. Not only have we experienced just how much fun running can – and should – be, but we’ve learned firsthand what it means to really stay in tune with your body, a philosophy that can be applied to anything we do in life. Walking away from the last day of class, I feel inspired; I can’t wait to go running again. But that will have to wait. Right now it’s time for a well-earned Thai massage.

For more information about upcoming ChiRunning workshops, visit www.goldendoor.com or www.chirunning.com

Feel the Chi

Before you begin your workout, take a minute to focus on your running posture: Standing tall with your feet parallel and hip-width apart, soften your knees, and align your shoulders, hips, and ankles. Make sure your chin stays down and your shoulders are relaxed. To engage the core muscles and neutralize the spine, level your pelvis by lifting your pubic bone up in front. It should feel like you’re doing a slight crunch with your lower abs.

As you start running, lean slightly forward from the ankles (much like a Nordic ski jumper), not the waist. This allows gravity to pull you forward. Pick up your feet in a wheel-like motion, so that you land mid-foot rather than having your heal strike the ground first and pushing off with your toes. Bend your elbows and push them to the rear, keeping shoulders down and loose.

When running uphill, shorten your step – the steeper the hill, the smaller your stride – pump your arms upward and lean into the hill, while still engaging your core muscles. The key is to stay relaxed at all times to allow chi to flow through your body unhindered.

September/October 2005

Healing Lifestyles & Spas Team
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