Category Archives: AHA Moments

Curing a broken heart with running?

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….and My Story Runs On….

This past weekend, I received an email from someone interested in ChiRunning.  I always ask people if they have any current injuries so I have an idea of how I can help them run without pain.  I’ve been teaching for 3 years now and this is the first time someone responded to me with “nothing other than a broken heart.”

This got me thinking….when was the last time I had a broken heart?  My last 10-year relationship ended 2 years ago and my heart was broken.   Although I was running then, I started meditating as a way to heal.  As I focused on this daily practice, I realized how much meditation was in sync with my ChiRunning practice.  One of the many unique aspects of ChiRunning is the mind/body connection that you develop through your running practice.  I believe both of these cured my broken heart.

What was my biggest learning lessons that I applied to life AND running as soon as I learned them?

Present moment awareness.  What does this mean exactly?  Don’t live in the past and don’t stress about the future (especially if you have no control over the situation).  Once the past is over, there is nothing you can do to change it, so focus on detaching from the situation and letting go.  This is the same for a run!  If you have a “bad” run, just let it go and try to learn from the experience instead of stressing or beating yourself up about it.  LET IT GO!  We can rarely control our future so do the best you can but don’t stress about circumstances you can’t control.  Next time you go on a run, try not having any expectations about that run and see what happens.

Being in the present moment can be so relaxing.  So next time you go out on a run, focus on the present moment:  scenery, your breathing, what your body is doing and leave your mind (ego) at home…no judgement, no beating yourself up….

I found this response from Deepak Chopra (my primary source of meditations) on why it’s important to live in the present:

“Being fully present in the moment is valuable, not because you will remember it as a significant event, but because the present is the only place where you really live life. If you are imagining your future, then you aren’t here now, living life, making choices. Your attention is in the future where no choices can be made. If you are afraid or angry, then you are in the past, remembering old hurts and injustices. But to heal the past you need to bring your attention to the present, otherwise you are just reinforcing the old pain. There is nothing special to do or acknowledge in order to be present. It a matter of simply Being.”

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

How have you cured a broken heart?

Broken Heart

PS. Deepak and Oprah just started a free 21-Day meditation challenge that started yesterday.  This was how I originally started meditating a few years ago…I love these!

No pain, no gain? OR Less pain, more gain!

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….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!)

Purposely run a race Garmin-free?

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

What? Purposely run a race Garmin-free?
In November 2012, I decided to do something CRAZY. I purposely chose to run the Women’s Half Marathon in Phoenix without my Garmin!  CRAZY, right?! Here’s why…

Well, for starters, this was my 3rd year running this race. Since it’s been the same course, last year I was dead set on having a PR (personal record). It was probably the worst race I ever ran. Did I achieve the PR? Yes, I did. As much as I am proud of that, it was a miserable race. All I kept doing the entire time during this race was check my GPS, making sure that I was staying ahead of my last PR. I hurried through water stations and mentally and physically pushed myself so hard that I did not enjoy the race at all. Plus, I was really sore a few days after, which told me I was not focusing on my ChiRunning form either.

It was a tough decision, which I did not make until the day before the 2012 race, but I decided to leave my Garmin at home this year. IT WAS ONE OF MY BEST RACES EVER! And, I had another PR!

As I had a chance to reflect on my race, here is what I have learned:

• Being in the present moment, as opposed to worrying about the final outcome, is a wonderful place to be. I have learned this through ChiRunning but also with my daily meditation practice (not only has meditation improved my life, but also my ChiRunning). It’s really true when they say; “it’s about the journey, not the destination.” I focused on my form continuously and enjoyed every single moment. I thanked the volunteers, police officers, and spectators. I took in the beautiful weather and scenery that we have here in Arizona.

• Relaxation truly is the key. Since I was so relaxed mentally, this translated into physical relaxation. I stayed relaxed the entire time, even up the hills towards the end of the course. I stayed focused on my form and continually focused on my breathing to stay relaxed. I was shocked when I wasn’t sore one bit the next day!

• It’s not always about the numbers. When you are measuring something, it means you are going to do better or worse. What happens if we don’t improve? We tend to beat ourselves up which is not a good place to be. And what about those things that aren’t measurable? Like the beautiful scenery or those moments when you get to run with a friend you haven’t seen in awhile?
My bottom line:

Sure it’s great to push yourself to reach new goals in your running practice, but please don’t forget the reason why you run. One of the elements I love most about ChiRunning is having constant “AHA” moments. Not only “AHA” moments that affect your run, but more importantly that can be translated into your everyday life.

So try it one day:  let go of tracking your miles, your pace, or distance on your next run.

Purposely run a race Garmin-free?

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