The book Chi Running by Danny Dreyer arrived over the weekend and I thought I would post a brief summary of some key thoughts and quotes from the first three chapters.
The first three chapters have been devoted to explaining how Danny came to discover the ancient Chinese martial art of T'ai Chi and how he as been able to take what he has learned from T'ai Chi and adapt it to his running, thus developing Chi Running, which offers an alternative and safer approach to running. With the help of his Chi Running method Danny has raced in over thirty ultra marathons since 1995, winning his age group in fourteen of them and placing in the top three in all but one.
So here's some key thoughts / quotes that I've taken from the book so far;
Fundamentals of Chi Running
- Great posture
- Relaxed limbs
- Loose joints
- Engaged core muscles
- A focused mind
- Good breathing technique
Benefits of Chi Running
- All the above
- tilt forward and engage the pull of gravity thus eliminating the need for you to push with your legs.
- use your ligaments and tendons instead of muscles.
- looser joints have less injury potential.
- all movement in your body originates in your center. Learn how to run from your center and the less you will need to use your legs.
- by forcing our bodies against natural laws, our forward progress will be met with resistance in the form of injury, fatigue and disappointment
- focus, body sense, breath and relax.
You might get the idea that it's been all theory to date and that is important I guess to set the scene for whats to come. Next up, learning the technique ...
Training this week;
Monday - Swim 1000 m - A good swim , best I've done in quite a while.
Tuesday - Weights - whole body , light weights high reps (my home made Pump Class if you like!
Wednesday - Bikram Yoga - It's not getting any easier, dealing with the heat is the tough thing. The stretches and poses I think I'm doing okay with. Getting several dizzy spells a session meaning I need to sit out the odd pose to get my breath and just take a minute to chill. Four more weeks of this to look foward to LOL.
Thursday - Has been my aqua run day but I might make this another swim day. I feel that will help retain/ maintain my aerobic base better.
Friday - Rest - Going to the Bank's corporate box for the Auckland v Otago rugby game. Lucky me. Go Auckland!!
Saturday/ Sunday - Rest or maybe a bike ride Saturday, golf Sunday.
Have a great week.
Technorati Tags
Chi Running
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Learnings, Thoughts & Quotes from Chi Running
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
The core work and concentration on form makes a lot of sense to me. I'm not sure how you run with your "ligaments and tendons instead of muscles." But I do believe that running with a more relaxed body will have a large beneficial affect on your running. Can't wait to hear how it goes.
Interesting Bruce. The "engaged core" is a big thing with the Calwell group, as is "good posture".
I don't really agree with the gravity thing and not pushing off the ground or using the leg muscles.
Anyway, let us know how it goes once you're back running.
Theoretical running? Good luck with re-learning how to run, this time no injuries, right! Who won the game?
thanks for the highlights.
and i see you're still purposefully torturing yourself with the yoga class. dizzy spells?? it is sound more and more dangerous every time you mention it. :)
hope you had a good time at the game!
Post a Comment