Well now that I have your attention, LSD, the Long Slow Distance run has always been my favorite run during the week, not because of the health benefits, and there are many–including cardio, thermoregulatory, mitochondrial energy production, increasing oxidative capacity of the skeletal system, and of course the holy grail: teaching our bodies to use fat for fuel, but I love LSD more because it’s a meditation. To run two or more hours we have to be dedicated and concentrated. We have to face fatigue, pain, anger, fear, joy, elation, sorrow, and a myriad of emotions and physical sensations that become more and more intense the further we go. Anyone who has spent any time at all staring at a wall knows how powerful these emotions can be when they arise, but they also know that when we separate ourselves from the vicissitudes of these powerful emotions and watch from a place of equanimity, however fleeting it may be, we open the window to our true selves.

My biggest breakthrough was because of my biggest weakness, a bad hip. I was born with a femur and hip socket that don’t match and by the time I turned thirty I was in chronic pain, to the degree that I was unable to sleep at night. I’d sleep for two or three hours at a time but then would wake up in pain. I continued running but it was excruciating; After Aikido I would limp home. Then, I discovered Chi Running.

Chi Running changed the way I ran, I still have some hip pain but it’s nothing like it used to be, and I can run distances that before I never could have considered a couple of years ago. Chi Running is the running technique spawned by Danny Dreyer, an ultra-marathoning, Tai Chi-ing rockstar of running efficiency.

The principles of Chi Running are actually very simple–focusing on efficiency and learning how relax into natural movement. It boils down to form over conditioning and form over speed, being mindful. If you know me at all, you know that I’m all about mindfulness. By using core muscles to run and controlling speed with our body lean rather than foot-speed we can change the way we move forward. If you feel so inclined I highly recommend picking up the book or the DVD. http://www.chirunning.com/shop/home.php

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post