What is Chirunning, Chi walking?
-This applies to Chi walking as well and it's a radical approach to running exercise. It's quite different from the normal running exercise you and I may be used to. Developed by Danny Dreyer, a running coach and ultra marathon runner, who in his book on Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running, vows to make running easier, as well as pain and injury free. -Chirunning is based on the concept that most people's running form takes a lot more energy than is really necessary. It starts by teaching the correct posture and using a slightly forward lean so your center of mass is immediately over the midfoot strike, this not only makes running easier, but it also results in less pain with fewer injuries. -In a study by Harvard University (Jan-2010) it was stated: "Fore-foot and mid-foot-strike gaits were probably more common when humans ran barefoot or in minimal shoes, and may protect the feet and lower limbs from some of the impact-related injuries now experienced by a high percentage of runners." -Chi Running is right in line with these findings. -Keep the brain in the game. According to Dreyer: -Learning to maintain this steady cadence at any speed is a key component of efficient movement. The use of a metronome (a device used to mark time, using a regularly repeated tone) is a great way to maintain a steady, sustained pace helping you to perfect your Chi Walking or Chirunning technique. -By practicing relaxation and mental focus, the principles from the ancient practice of Tai Chi, you can train your body to stay centered, relaxed and to move more efficiently. -Keeping your breathing in sync with your running rhythm: it's another key ingredient of Chirunning. Deep belly breathing exercises can help you to achieve this. -When they're loose and relaxed, the oxygen carried in your blood can enter the muscles much more easily than when the muscles are tense. Think positive, run happy -smile and relax, enjoy your run! -From getting the most from the food you eat, to stretching, warming up, cooling down and even race day preparation, both physically and mentally, it can help in many ways. If you're looking to build-up your cardiovascular endurance, increase your speed training, or to just bring your running up to the next level, -And if you still walk, or only recently started a running exercise program or treadmill running programs, Chi walking can offer the same results, perhaps acting as a stepping-stone to this unique running approach. Chirunning not only embraces a new form of running, it encourages runners to explore their motivation for running, helping them clear their minds of all negative influences. -To take another quote from Danny Dreyer:
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