Even though many months have passed I wanted to tell you how glad I am that I chose to attend the ChiRunning Workshop at City Park Runners in Winnipeg. I really gained a lot from the workshop. Most of all I feel in control of my training and no longer worry about injury.
I am glad I had done some reading of the ChiRunning book beforehand, as then the workshop clarified how some of the forms and focuses should be done.
For me one of the most fun things over the months has been those “aha” moments on a run when suddenly there is the realization, “so that is what it feels like when you apply that technique.” As a prairie girl running uphill on the approach to a bridge, using the ChiRunning technique was definitely one of those moments.
But the biggest breakthrough was on a long run when I began to tire and then was able to maintain the cadence while slowing down the pace – I never realized how much I slowed my cadence before when ever I started to tire, which of course was very inefficient.
I was the person that on the run at the end of the Saturday workshop could not keep up with the group. I appreciate the encouragement you gave me and the information on cadence. Some days later running on my own I realized my normal cadence was probably even slower than what you had measured that day. So I started from that slower base and week by week increased the cadence and have reached my goal! The metronome is a HUGE help for me. I still use it to “check in on my pace” from time to time or to help me mentally if I am tired on a run.
So, I will soon be doing my first half marathon (down in the Black Hills). My goal is to enjoy the scenery while I run.
I know going forward I still have to work on increasing lower abdomen strength and I think I need to work on loosening the hips more. But I do find all the different focuses can make the training runs more interesting and keep me away from thinking only in terms of time and distance.
Thanks again for the workshop and for the video analysis which I found very interesting – and again, gave me new things to focus on.
Hope your running and workshops are going well!
All the best,
Marilyn C
