“Running is boring. My knees hurt when I run. Runners are crazy!” I used to say all of these negative things about running, and more. I worked with many runners (I am a massage therapist), many of whom had running-related injuries. I was always trying to find ways to help them prehab or rehab from their injuries and keep them running. I used my Masters Degree in Exercise Science to research running theories and techniques. But as much as I learned, none of it was going to make me a runner.
To be honest, I never thought running was ‘bad’ for a person. I just didn’t like it. Martial Arts, strength training, cardio via machines (music to distract me was a must) were my chosen forms of exercise. But running — it would have to be a cold day in Hell.
Well, a cold day in Hell did happen. In my quest to help my ‘crazy’ running clients, I read a book, ‘ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running” by Danny and Katherine Dreyer. The book went against many of the things I had been taught about running form, but made more sense. Less than a chapter in, I signed up for a ChiRunning workshop.
ChiRunning blends elements of Tai Chi with running to make running more efficient. Unlike other running styles I had studied that talked about remaining upright, using your butt, pushing off, and pulling back quickly on the pawback (I tried that once and almost ended up at the hospital). Dreyer spoke about proper body alignment and leaning at the ankles to engage gravity. He spoke of how inefficient it was to ask my poor little calves to push me forward when I could let gravity move me forward. He spoke about landing midfoot and about how landing with my foot in front of me (heel striking) is like driving with the brakes on. He spoke about all of this, and more, and how it all relates to running injuries. And, most importantly, he broke it all down into steps and used drills to help me ‘feel what it feels like’.
This is how I discovered why I didn’t like running. Duh! I’d been doing it all wrong.
Now I am a runner and I enjoy it. Running, Chi-style, makes my running a practice. Each time I go out for a run I focus on areas I desire to improve. And by using focuses (an important part of ChiRunning) I learn to listen to my body and let my body tell me how I’m doing. I no longer need distractions like music. I want to be present with my body. When I go out for a run I can clear my mind because I am truly in the moment.
So I’ve learned that ‘cold days in Hell’ do happen, that it’s best to ‘never say never’, and that I love to run.
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Sarah Young, M.S. is a Massage Therapist, NCTMB specializing in Active Isolated Stretching and a Certified ChiRunning/ChiWalking Instructor. She works at Birmingham Wellness Center. She runs just about anywhere she can.
