Running an injury free marathon is a challenge in today’s running world. There are far too many runners that hurt themselves before even competing for their marathon or they have damaged their body through improper technique that when they run the 26.2, those same damaged joints take such a beating that they ultimately give up.

What is Chi Running?

Chi Running is perspective on running that incorporates principles of Tai Chi meshed with running. Chi Running is much different from the common perspective on running which is “no pain, no gain”. Instead, it involves a method of running that revolves around using your body’s core to run rather than individual muscles pushing you towards the finish line; a holistic approach if you will. The major differentiation is that Chi Running is an injury free method of running. With its holistic approach to running, the possibility of getting injured decreases dramatically.

Danny Dreyer, an ultra-distance runner, developed this method to teach runners how to relax their bodies while running long distances. The basic premise of Chi Running is to use the force of gravity to drive your forward.

To help implement Chi Running, there are basic principles and skills that will aid in the relaxation of the body and will allow a runner’s body to run longer distances without discomfort.

Chi Running Foundation Principles

There are three concepts that Danny prescribes runners to live by:

1. The first principle is called “Needle and Cotton” which illustrates the importance of centering a runner’s energy and relieving the rest of your body of stress and placing it in a state of relaxation; this makes the muscles soft as “cotton”. This principle emphasizes the proper posture and technique when running.
2. The second principle is “Gradual Process” which promotes the adaptation of dynamic training stages for a race. As the weekly mileage progressively increases, your body will be challenged in ways that it has never been challenged before; this principle makes that transition smoother.
3. The third principle is “Balance in Motion” which stems from the concept of yin and yang. This principle sheds light on why you must balance your body’s physical movements. While running, the body moves up and down, left and right and may sway in awkward directions because of weak/tired muscles. This principle helps teach why maintaining balance while running is important.

Chi Running’s Four Chi Skills

With the foundation now built, the four Chi Running skills build on that foundation to hone your skills as a marathoner and as a runner.

1. The first Chi Running skills in “Focusing Your Mind”. There are different perspectives on this topic as there are runners that prefer to doze off and think about “nothing”. Danny believes that your mind should be focused on your body to detect the hundreds, if not thousands of signals it sends out throughout your runs.
2. The second Chi Running skill is “Body Sensing”. Once your mind is focused on your running, you can direct that focus to sense the alerts your body springs up. Without being able to sense sensations in your body as you’re running, you won’t be able to make the necessary adjustments when they count most.
3. The third Chi Running skill is “Breathing”. You might be thinking, “Really?? This chapter is probably just a section to make the book look thicker.” I believe that this topic alone has helped me overcome a lot of moments during my runs that I felt I was just going to give up. Learning to breathe efficiently will aid in helping managing your energy while running and conserve that extra willpower to run that extra mile when it counts most.
4. The last Chi Running skill is “Relaxing”. Once you are physically and mentally focused on running, you will actually enjoy running more. There are parts of your runs that just feel like a chore. As you learn to relax, running becomes more of a therapeutic event rather than just another run.

I wanted to get to the bottom of why runners aren’t running injury free marathons so I went to the experts. I found Danny Dreyer through his best-selling ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running
book to get to the bottom of it.

I wanted to ask these questions while sharing them with you. So, I interviewed him!

Interview with Danny Dreyer

In the 39 minute and 40 seconds interview with Danny Dreyer, I grill him on these revealing questions:

• The first and MOST important component to focus on when running your marathon.

• If you miss out on learning the key to mastering this component of your training, that little ache in your knee could become a surgery you wish you could’ve wished you prevented earlier.

• Why you need to become more aware of your body through Danny’s concept of “body sensing”

• Spending hundreds of dollars on shoes and expecting to be injury free is a ­­­­­myth! Listen to Danny’s opinion on shoes and if it’s all a load of bull.

• Much, much more!

Listening to the passion in Danny’s voice really gives you an idea of how much he really cares about helping runners run without injuries and live a healthy life.

The Interview

Having trouble listening to the interview? Listen to it here: http://www.runningblueprint.com/blog/audio/Danny-Interview-Final.mp3

BALTIMORE — A runner who collapsed Saturday morning while participating in the Baltimore Marathon and later died has been identified as an MIT graduate student.The runner was identified as Peter Curtin, 23, of Boston.

Baltimore City fire spokesman Kevin Cartwright said Curtin collapsed at mile 23 with a core body temperature of 107 or 108 degrees. Fire officials said he was in cardiac arrest when he was taken to Union Memorial Hospital at about 11:20 a.m.

Source: wbaltv.com

It’s sad to hear about stories such as this one because a marathon is an event where people reward themselves with a beautiful experience. Knowing one’s limits is important to your intensity of training for a marathon but especially tolls it can take on your long term health. Unfortunately, the runner pushed himself too hard and passed away

There are many blogs online on running, marathon training, racing, nutrition, etc. I keep my eye out for blogs with articles that are overflowing with passion and a desire to get a point across. Today, I want to share one of those blogs with you.

Runner Dude

Runner Dude’s Blog revolves around all the little things important to run a marathon. Out of all the posts on his blogs, my favourite are the “How Running Changed My Life” posts.

Hearing what kind of adversity runners faced in their lives and persevering to run a race is very admirable. These same stories give new perspectives to some of the excuses I put in front of myself as well as make me reconsider some decisions I was about to make.

The latest story is Ron’s Story. Ron lost his wife through cancer and in grief, he began to drink and smoke….I would tell you the rest of the story but I want you to check it out for yourself. When people are truly passionate about accomplishing their set out goal, like Ron, you can see it in all the little things they do.

Anyways, I want to thank Runner Dude for posting some really wicked articles with cool insights. Keep up the good work!

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon just wrapped up and it didn’t rain on the runners like I thought it would: Running in the Rain.

This was a great year for the marathon because over this past weekend, $1.8 million dollars was raised, two records were set and a marathon first: a wedding proposal! Trading Markets reports:

2009 – A Marathoner of Firsts…

• New Canadian record! Fastest new marathon time set on Canadian soil
• New Course records! New course records set in both Men’s and Women’s race
• New Charity Challenge Record! Fundraising goal and previous record shattered: $1.8 million raised (up from $1.4 million in 2008) surpassing goal of $1.5 million. Funds raised for 99 community charities, up from 63 in 2008!
• Marriage proposal! Full Marathoner Ronnie Garcia and his half marathoner girlfriend Therese Tongco left the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon for the first time… engaged!

You don’t see wedding proposals too often after a sweaty, messy race but very nice to hear about.

I hope your enjoying labour day and spending some time with family. I was going to share a post today but instead, I wanted to ask for a favour…

I have been blogging for a little over a month and realized that even though there are runners getting real value out of these articles, are these posts exactly what you need to get the most out of your marathon training?

I now put my hand out for some help and guidance. My goal for this blog is to help as many marathoners as I can to run their next marathon successfully. But, I can’t do this alone.

I need your help on what I can do to give you stupid simple, easy to follow instructions on your most burning questions. Come on! I know you have questions and I have the resources to answer them.

I invite you to share your thoughts and insights on your marathon training by clicking on the pic below:

I really appreciate your perspective as a runner and by filling out this questionnaire, I can help you to the best of my abilities.

Enjoy your day off (if it’s not your day off, enjoy the day anyways!) and share with me what I can do to help you :P

Photographed by: Bob Martin / SI

Usain Bolt stands tall on the cover of Sports Illustrated – September 2009 Edition. Bolt shatters his own record for the 100m at 9.58 seconds and dismantles the 200m record down to a shocking 19.19seconds run. He has already accomplished a task that every runner dreams of doing, yet he did all this at the very young age of 23.

Even if you don’t keep up with these competitions, you have to respect the hard work and the surreal results Usain “The Insane” Bolt has accomplished. But where does he go from here?

Now, there’s a very high bar that Bolt has setup for himself. In almost all races he competed in, he has improved upon his previous record time. His fans now expect him to break another record every race  or there will be a sort of let down; a disappointment.

Usain Bolt has a long career ahead of him and I can’t wait to see what he’ll do next!