….and My Story Runs On….

On Sunday 2/17, I completed my 2nd marathon using the ChiRunning techniques.  I’m writing this 3 days after the event and I have little pain, if any at all!  How could this be?  After my 1st marathon last year, I was sore for at least 5 days and could barely walk for the first few days….I was sporting the “marathon waddle” if you know what I mean!
In my next few blog/vlog posts, I’ll be sharing some of my aha moments with you and how you can apply them to your running, walking or life!

AHA moment #1
Walking/Running Lesson:
My posture post race is just as important!  This may make more sense if you’ve already learned the ChiRunning and ChiWalking Posture lesson.  I teach my students how to use proper alignment to hold them up rather than having their muscles do the work.  My quads were the most sore after Sunday but as I really focused on standing and ChiWalking with my proper posture, I didn’t feel my muscle soreness at all!  Next time you are really sore from a workout, stand in bad posture and then stand in your ChiRunning posture and feel the difference!  It “forced” me to focus on it a lot because I would be reminded any time I felt muscle soreness again!
Life Lesson:
Pay more attention to what your body is telling you.  This is the start of present moment awareness.  Listen to your body and respond accordingly.   In ChiLiving we call it Body Sensing.  It’s amazing what your body will teach you.  You can be your own detective.

AHA moment #2
Walking/Running Lesson:
Conserving energy works and helped me tremendously with my recovery time! During my training and on the marathon, I focused on relaxing my body and conserving my energy as much as possible. Tension (physical and mental) is resistance and uses up unnecessary energy.   ChiRunning teaches us how to go with the flow and relax the mind and body as much as possible.
Life Lesson:
Did you ever notice how much energy it takes out of you when you are stressed?  On the other hand when you are relaxed, things always seem easier?   For example, when driving I used to let other drivers get to me.  I would get irritated and I could feel the extra stress. When I realized I had no control over them but I had control over me and my stress level, I chose to remove this tension and go with the flow.  And my drives are much more enjoyable and relaxing.  So next time you are feeling stressed, think about how you can eliminate it and then,  just go with the flow.

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)