Chi running

[Curlygurly2]

I've been playing around a bit with Chi running, where the difference in style seems to be leaning forward from the ankles, now I'm getting achilles pain - could they be connected? Any thoughts?

[roseabi]

Yes. I think in the chi running book it says that this may happen if the legs aren't relaxed enough, and suggests staying away from hills until the area feels better (or rest completely if too painful to run on). Myself I'm thinking maybe it's just getting used to the new movement, and could even be muscular rather than the achilles itself - like just a bit of DOMS?

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to roseabi]

Oh really? Thanks for that, I haven't read the book just watched a couple of videos and mugged up on it on line, and read posts here, so I didn't know that. I haven't really done that much of it, one session a couple of weeks ago, but normally I just run with what feels natural. Cambridge is flat as a pancake, and it came on half way through a 10 KM last week, so I had to run home on it.... It's not really really painful, but I don't want to aggravate it..

[roseabi in reply to Curlygurly2]

I just got the book and am about halfway through

[Rignold]

I think ot takes a long time to adapt to any new style or technique of doing something, be it running or doing any long-engrained movement. Much longer than we expect. I have been actively working on improving my form with a lot of pretty basic movements: squats, pushups etc, and whilst the tweaks are fairly minor in absolute terms, and definitely beneficial in the long-term, it is taking months of conscious repetition for the new methods to become 'natural', and in that time there has been a lot of minor discomfort as my muscles and sketal system gets used to working in a slightly different way. I just work on a basis of if it hurts, backing off the intensity and/or volume a little. just to the point where it doesn't anymore, and then building back up again after a few days.

There are new techniques that we try that work and improve our performance and others we try that don't - different things suit different people - but I think we often don't try things for long enough. We have a go at a new thing, it feels uncomfortable at first, we feel a bit sore and it doesn't appear to give us any immediate visible gains, so we give it up as a non-starter, whereas it miight just be a matter of applying ourselves longer. I now make a point of sticking to programmes to the finish (or giving an experiment a set time) before evaluating whether they were effective or not, even if ot doesn't feel like its working halfway through.

That said, I looked at Chi Running and personally I found it, well, a bit too Chi orientated for me. I found Pose running clicked more for me. The to techniques are essentially very similar. Pose is just a more sciencey/form oriented where Chi is mindfulness etc.

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

I read somewhere - that we run because we can - not because we know how to!!!

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

I liked this method it felt good, and I was faster, although I got really puffed out quickly! I'd like to go with it but as you say backing off for the moment would be prudent I think. xx