….and My Story Runs On….
I always make it a point to run when I’m in a different place. This was my 2nd trip to Lake Havasu (for Toastmaster duties) and I was REALLY looking forward to running along the Lake and channel. Continue Reading →
Tag Archives: ChiRunning
Testimonial from a 68 year old Triathlete
….and My Story Runs On….
Testimonials like these are the reason I LOVE MY JOB! This is exactly why I do what I do. I love to be able to share Running Stories from my ChiRunners. There is nothing more rewarding for me to know that I am helping people achieve goals they never thought possible! I received this email from “Doc” Gooding on 9/29/13:
“I have done two triathlons recently. Anthem (which was turned into a duathlon do to rain) and the Life Time Tri in Tempe…both sprint distance.
· Anthem tri I came in second in my age group (but there were only two of us) with a time of 1:27:50 (12.3 Mi bike 52 Min and 5K run in 35 min).
· Life Time Tri I came in first in my age group (there was one other guy who came in 30 min after me). My time was 1:45 (12.3 mi bike 44 min and 5K run 36 min).
My next triathlons are in October and December.
Also, I have lost 25 lbs and 4” in the waist!!! Trying to loss 20 more and 2” more in the waist.
My goal is to get on Triathlon Team USA next year in the 70-74 age group (when I age up) and compete in the World Amateur Championships…like I did in 1994.
I did have one observation on running…the other day I was running into a strong headwind. In the past I would have hated it because is slowed me down. But with Chi running I just leaned a little more forward into the wind and it felt like there was no wind. Was that just me thinking that or have you noticed that too?
Thanks again for all your help…I have been making progress running injury free.
Take Care.
“Doc” Gooding”
I remember he attended my workshop in January and has some postural issues that were effecting his running form. On 1/27/13 he sent me this email:
“Good class today…discovering all sorts of dysfunctional behaviors and getting more in touch with my body.”
One of the things I love about ChiRunning is that it’s a holistic process. You don’t just learn it once and are done…AHA moments happen all the time depending on your focus on that specific run.
Does it matter how many people were in his age group? HECK NO! No one else is out there doing it…I think it’s even more impressive that he’s doing this stuff at his age….and let’s face it, 68 isn’t old, right?! I want to be doing this stuff until I’m at least that age. My friends and I say, “Friends 4 Fitness 4 Life”. We imagine being out there in our 80’s still have a blast together!
Thanks “Doc” for sharing your experiences with me. Sooo happy and proud to see you reach your goals!
From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)
Resistance is futile!
Image
Reply
….and My Story Runs On….
Do you ever have one of those days (or runs) where it seems nothing goes right? I had one of those yesterday morning as I was teaching a ChiRunning workshop. As a matter of fact, one of the participants, sent me this email after class:
“Lisa,
Thank you for a great class today….watching you respond from all of your negative chi this morning was entertaining, you handled every situation with ease and I look forward to using your principles from your chirunning class this morning to achieve my goal on December 8th so that I will finish my first marathon with my daughter! So you know, my first phone call after your class was to my daughter telling her about my positive experience at your class this morning.” Kris W
It started out with me forgetting my “connector thingy” that I use to show the video analysis from my IPad to my flat screen TV. Then, we were interrupted and all 10 people had to move from one classroom to another one….then, we almost got ran over in the parking lot…then we got interrupted again because my class was running late…..
What did I learn from my meditation practice and ChiRunning that I could apply here?
You got it: Resistance is Futile!
Resistance, negative energy, friction, whatever you want to call it, can mess up your day or run. By being self-aware of these when they are happening to you, you can make a choice on how to handle it. I used to quickly react to things when they happened to me which made the situation even worst. Now, I think about it and make a choice to roll with the punches…responding vs reacting….which is what I did yesterday…..
When I realized I forgot my connector thingy, I just had all 10 people circle around me as I showed them their video analysis. (thankfully I have an awesome boyfriend who brought it to me so I could do the last video taping the proper way)….when we were interrupted the first time, I just said “No worries, let’s all grab our stuff and move”….etc
I found this to be a great way to lead by example and teach my class participants how to apply some of the ChiLiving principles to every day life. I could’ve been frazzled and freaking out (the old me would’ve been!) but I didn’t realize how well I handled it until I received Kris’s email.
From My Running Story to Yours….
Have you ever had a bad run or bad day and handled it well? What did you do?
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)
Curing a broken heart with running?
Image
….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?
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!
….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?
….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
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.
From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)