Well, I was making great progress with my running plan, and then my shins started hurting. I have had problems with shin pain in the past, so I knew I needed to address the pain quickly before it kept me from running at all. Thankfully, I came across the name Danny Dreyer and his idea of ChiRunning on several websites. According to the information I read and the reviews of runners who attest to the technique, ChiRunning leads to pain-free and effortless running. With painful shins, I thought that sounded pretty good, so I decided to read the book.

ChiRunning is based on principles of Tai Chi. I am not qualified to fully explain it all, but the idea is that our bodies were made to run, and if we run with the proper form (including posture, balance, and technique), it should not be painful. What I learned from reading the book is that I am definitely not running in a Chi kind of way. As a matter of fact, I am running with a pound the pavement kind of form that is prevalent in our "just build your leg muscles" and "no pain, no gain" western running environment.

Some of the thoughts in the book are eastern-y/be one with nature/be centered in yourself kind of ideas. However, in the same way that I think a person can benefit from the physical aspects of Yoga without adhering to its spiritual components, I think that the lessons I am learning about running are truly beneficial to me. Unfortunately, I am going to have to take the time to re-learn how to run, and this will delay my progress in the Couch to 5K program for a few weeks.

Although I am a goal-oriented kind of girl, I am okay with this delay. I really want to stick with running long-term, and I know I won't do this if it hurts. Now I have to get busy teaching this old dog new tricks. I'll let you know how it goes!

Labels: Running