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Chi Running

Monday, 28 November 2005

This is the start of a "book of the whenever" ... just a place ot talk about books related to health or fitness or philosophy, or that somehow tie in to Parkour. (More...)

Introduction: Running Lessons from a T'ai Chi Master

Not long ago, I was running past a grade school. It was a warm, late-spring day, and the kids were out on recess. They were busy playing tag and chasing balls and just doing what kids do best -- running around. I stopped to take a swig of water from my bottle, and as I watched the flurry of little legs, I was reminded once again why I love to watch kids run. Every one of them had perfect running form: a nice lean, a great stride opening up behind them, heels high in the air, relaxed arm swing and shoulders. They had it all! One of my biggest desires as a coach is to help adults learn to run like they did as kids. It's such a natural movement when kids do it. It looks so effortless and joyful. Many books about running tell you to just go out and run like you did as a kid. There's just one problem with that suggestion: You don't have the same body today that you did back then. If you do, I'd like you to be my teacher.

Click the image to see this book at Amazon.com.

I'm starting it tonight, inspired by my 5k run as part of todays Workout of the Day. My wife read this book about a year ago when we were training (well, she was training) for the Disney Marathon. If only I'd read it too, and done a little training, I may have avoided a day in a wheelchair!

Now we're setting our sights on the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC next October, so I'll still need what this book has to offer. From the little I know of it now, it may just help to avoid injuries in Parkour as well.

Users' Comments

Display 15 of 15 comments

1. 11-29-2005 07:15

* Book of the Whatever :P
Feel free to talk about the current book in here, or to make suggesitons for upcoming BOTWs

2. 12-07-2005 06:43

Awesome! I've heard of this book before and saw it once and was considering picking it up for my girlfriend [who's already a superstar runner.]
I just got a new pair of shoes the other day, and crikey it's amazing what a difference they make when I'm running in them from my old pair of shoes! Now that I know what nice running feels like, I may have to go back and pick this up, or ask for it for christmas!

akh

3. 12-07-2005 10:18

some places recommend new shoes every three months or 300 miles!!

4. 12-07-2005 11:05

i wish i could run long distances. i used to as a kid but now i just get stomach cramps after 5 mins. did you guys have to work your way up to it? I can jump a lot and climb and support my body weight with endurance but running seems to be lacking for long distances.

ando

5. 12-07-2005 11:26

but it's like anything else ... practice!!

Four years ago I lived in Boston, smoked a pack a day, and couldn't run 6 blocks. My "health" was good, I had recently gotten my 2nd degree black belt, but had no endurance at all.

Since then, I've been running and jogging more and more, and now I could go out just about any day and run 5 miles if I had to, 3 miles is fun for me. like this morning, 1/2 hour, about 2 1/2 miles in Central Park

6. 12-07-2005 15:21

I hate distance running with a passion, hence the fact that 5k is about the longest I ever subject myself to. I have multiple reasons, but I'll get into them later.

On the issue of the book, it's excellent, I have a copy myself. If you don't get it for the tips on running form, it is also a good introduction to the idea that your core is the generator of all movement.

The tips on form are pretty nice, though you have to adjust them a bit to keep the same idea while doing anything other than jogging. The central theme of leading with a pillar of strength can be applied to anything, though, so I would suggest it to anybody in the Parkour community who would like to increase effeciency of movement.d

4 stars. :D

gearsighted

7. 12-08-2005 15:40

There was a short article in the WAshington Post about this book last week. It was pretty interesting to read the few tips and ideas talked about in this book. I found it fascinating how simple adjustments to ones form can make running a much more enjoyable experience and pace and distance can be increased quite measurably.

I'm a pretty avid running . . . accept when it starts getting cold out . . . but I've kind of hit a wall at a little over a 10K distance. Maybe I'll take a look at this book and see what I can learn.

Btw Brian . . . Mark is right in that you should replace your shoes every 300 to 500 miles. But your body will def. tell you when it is time for a new pair. Also, I would recommend going to a dedicated running shoe store to buy your shoes. There you will find employees that are runners themselves and are schooled in the intricacies of fitting people with the proper shoe type. I did this about a year ago and it made a world of difference. I end up paying a little more for the shoes but it is entirely worth it.

coastal96

8. 12-11-2005 06:09

You know, I've been wondering about the whole "change your shoes, etc." thing for a while now...I used to do this pretty religiously, but still always had overuse injuries due to running. If you read Chi-running, it talks more about the ability to retain form as a preventive measure for injury. I've also read a LOT about shoes actually hindering our natural foot-mechanics, namely the over-use of padding in the heel, when we're supposed to land on our forefoot/arch (natural bio-mechanics). For the past couple of months, I've used the same shoes, they are definitely worn out. I personally feel that shoes with LESS padding are a bit of a benefit, especially to retaining proper landing form. It's along the same lines of training barefoot (which I try to do when I train at the river) but with the protection against rocks and glass that you might find in the urban environment.

Basically, I think that you should have periods where you AREN'T training in super-cushy shoes, because then your technique has to be spot-on to prevent the little niggling pains. I've gotten now where I can land equally sized drops barefoot with LESS pain that I do with shoes, because I'm not relying on the cushioning to make up for bad technique.

Just a little experiment and my .02

gearsighted

9. 12-11-2005 15:09

I agree with you short term .. like for certain techniques, drops, etc. But all the evidence out there for running on pavement just shows that we weren't meant to be running long distances on super-hard surfaces, and I think this is what the changing the shoes is for. I also think most people don't do 300 miles in 3 months, that's 3 miles a day, every day, if you did, you'd wantr to be changing those shoes for other reasons!!

10. 12-11-2005 15:30

Onto my other argument...we aren't meant to be running long distances at all. Our bodies are made for days upon days of walking and lighter activity punctuated by brief, powerful bursts (think paleo-man stalking prey for an entire day, then chasing, fighting and killing it within 20 minutes). The repetitive nature of the impact of long-distance running leads to the injuries that are associated with it, which is why I will very rarely have anything that could be considered a distance workout. When we do, it's short, even then. You can benefit both your aerobic capacity and your speed, power and anaerobic capacity at the same time by doing shorter, higher-intensity workouts in interval fashion, saving the remainder of the day for lighter activities (hiking, swimming, light Parkour training)

I agree that shoes with cushioning are good when you are going for all-out, 100% performance Parkour, where you will be taking repetitive drops or basically ANY impact on concrete for more than 20 minutes or so, total. But in most every-day training, I feel they can be as much a hinderance as a help.

gearsighted

11. 12-11-2005 15:32

...As for the idea that we CAN'T run barefoot on hard surfaces without adequate cushioning...
Running Barefoot
This guy runs marathons barefoot...showing that our basic foot biomechanics has a lot going for it...strange how nature might be better at this design stuff than we are, huh?

gearsighted

12. 12-11-2005 16:08

...needless to say, you can tell from the pics on that site that distance running, whether barefoot or otherwise, doesn't lead to anywhere near the optimum percentage lean-body-mass that we're meant to possess...something about barefoot anorexics just isn't appealing to me

gearsighted

13. 12-12-2005 05:19

The more I read, the more of a fit I see between this book and Parkour.

"Children run effortlessly in a game of tag because they don't think about running, they only care who is 'it'".

To me this is a perfect parallel for PK, it becomes Parkour when you stop thinking about doing a move and only concentrate on where you're going. Of coure to do that safely and practically you must have done a lot of practice and built up basic movements to a certain level of proficiency.

14. 04-13-2006 09:06

So, by the way that the 'perfect for parkour' sounds, that it is better to just run like you don't care and just try not to 'run' into anything or anyone?

Well, if that's the case, then i have got it down, so, thanks for the tip and i believe i might pick up the book.

breokizaki

15. 05-04-2008 18:08

The book is great. As a Cross Country and Track runner, I found a lot of his advice extremely helpful. Namely tucking your hips (yes you may do core work...but do you actually use the muscles you're strengthening while you run?), relaxing the shoulders, and focusing on the exhale.

Another great book is "Body, Mind, and Sport". While a little more out-there in terms of training philosophy, the emphasis on nasal breathing while running/exercising is key.

jabdinoor

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