Nev's Blog

 

I’m not a big fan of long-distance running.

However that’s possibly because I’m not very great at it.  I’m actually training for the Gate River Run, a 15K run which my family and I take part in every year.  This is usually the only instance I really enjoy running.  Because it’s the recognized 15K national championship competition, it’s a really enjoyable occasion and attracts an amazing crowd.  As I said, distance running has never been considered one of my best talents, however I’m going to attempt to change that this year.   At this time, during my long distance runs my pace is a touch more than 10 minutes per mile.  I think that somebody who is as active and in shape as I am should certainly maintain an 8 minute per mile pace or better.  So even though I’ve been running for quite some time, I began seeking the most beneficial long distance running tips for beginners.

Enter ChiRunning.

ChiRunning is a method designed by Danny Dreyer, one of the world’s best Ultra Marathon runners.  It’s termed an “effortless” as well as “injury-free” solution to running.  My father has actually been practicing ChiRunning for some time now and just recently finished his very first half-marathon (painlessly with no recovery time necessary).  I figure I must give this thing a shot because even though it’s not my number one option for a cardio training session (high intensity interval training takes that award), long distance running gives me an undeniable feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that I just don’t feel after doing wind sprints in the park.

I’ve only recently started studying this program, but from what I’ve collected thus far, it’s all about form.

Maintain an aligned posture.

Make sure when you are standing, the body creates a “column” with your shoulder, hip, and ankle forming a straight vertical line.  Maintaining this position while you are running helps prevent your quads and lower back muscles from being forced to carry out unnecessary work.  Your chest needs to be open to assist in breathing.  You must also position your lower body.  This can be done by making sure your toes are always pointed directly forward instead of out to the sides.  Maintaining lower body alignment will help keep your knees from being strained when you are running.  Finally, engage your core by aligning your pelvis forward with your lower abdominal muscles.  The core is crucial to keeping your posture in-line throughout your run.

Use gravity in your favor by leaning.

One of the principles behind ChiRunning is using gravity to work with you when you run so that your muscles are doing as little work as possible.  This is accomplished by leaning forward with your column intact.  Your legs should ultimately raise off the terrain to catch your fall throughout each step instead of getting jerked upwards using a “push off” movement that’s typical for non-Chi runners.   Again, the theory is to apply less energy.  Your entire lower body should remain at ease keeping needless stress off the balls of your feet.  The lean is considered the “gas pedal” of ChiRunning.  If you want to run faster, lean more.  This ensures your lower limbs don’t actually do more work to boost your speed.

Perfect the “midfoot strike”.

While running, your back heel should rise up above your opposite ankle.   On the flip side, in traditional running, there’s constant strain on the balls of your feet because instead of this “midfoot strike” that happens when you’re lifting your feet, your heel hits the surface first and then the ball of the foot pushes off the floor to help propel you ahead.  This uses a myriad of needless energy.  With the heel lift technique, your lower body should really be free of tension.  When you’re running and moving forward with the appropriate back heel lift, the feet should move in a circular motion just like pedaling on a bicycle, not moving backward and forward like a pendulum.  When you practice this, make-believe you are trying to be stealth and sneak up on someone.  Think graceful like a gazelle as opposed to say, a T-Rex.

Use your arms properly.

When you’re running, the arms must be bent with your elbows forming a 90 degree angle, however don’t pump the arms.  Instead, swing the elbows back towards your rear.  Relax your hands and wrists also.  Avoid shrugging your shoulders and don’t cross the middle of your body with your hands while swinging your elbows backwards.

So those are the basics.

It’s a great deal to ingest if you think about something as basic as running.  Nevertheless, as the book mentions, when you’re mastering a sport like golf or tennis, proper technique and form create a significant difference when it comes to effectiveness.  Novice golfers and tennis players often get instruction and even the world’s top professionals have coaches that constantly help them with the mechanics.  Yet in regards to running, the majority of us just go out and undertake it without considering our technique and form.  Once again, I’m no pro at this, but it seems like a really efficient way to run and if you’ve read anything I’ve explained to this point, you’ll realize I’m all about efficiency.

If you’d like additional information on ChiRunning, go to the ChiRunning website which is also Danny Dreyer’s blog.  On here, you can buy a copy of Dreyer’s book.  If you have an extra $20 to invest, I’d actually recommend the DVD.  I found it to be more beneficial.  If you don’t have any cash to splash, no worries either.  There are plenty of posts and informative long distance running tips for beginners (or anyone really) that will help you get started.  If you’ve had exposure to ChiRunning, please post a comment.  I’d be interested to find out your opinion.

 

Filed by neville1way at 1:44 pm under Uncategorized
Comments Off on Long Distance Running Tips for Beginners