The Chi in Progress

What is Chi?

I am still in the process of discovering the answer to this question, but it becomes clearer to me every time I run or workout or do anything for that matter (while focusing on my inner self). Chi is an inner feeling of peace, kind of like the soul (what is a soul??). Having a very strong Chi is something that can be achieved through a lot of practice and mental strength, but the Chi can always be improved so it is a never ending process. The process for strengthening your Chi is also the process for strengthening your Chi. The Goal is the process!

Some concepts that I am learning about from

the book, "ChiRunning" are all focusing on simplifying and relaxing the running style. Some of the ideas presented in this book seem a little Hocus Pocus, but they are all applicable to my current running style in a good way. This book talks about how the western running world uses the motto "No Pain, No Gain!" excessively. I have really grown to love this saying because of the way a really tough run makes me feel stronger, like nothing can stop me, or that I am more prepared for anything... like a MAN. With the pain of this type running, there may be muscle gain, but there is also a much greater risk for injury. I really enjoy the feeling of pain after a workout because it shows me that I really got in a good run, but with ChiRunning there is a different feeling of satisfaction after running. A satisfaction of my legs feeling better than when I took off from my run. I feel more at peace with myself and with the universe, like I can do anything not because I am strong enough physically, but because I am strong enough mentally. I think that my goal is to become a sort of hybrid between the western style of running (no pain no gain) and ChiRunning.

I went on a barefoot run tonight for a little less than a mile. I tried to let my muscles relax and let gravity do all of the work. It takes a lot of focus to keep all of your muscles relaxed when I am used to being so tense when I run, but I think that I made some progress and it felt great afterwards. The feeling of being refreshed after a run, rather than dead tired is a nice change, but I was becoming quite good friends with the painful feelings.

The Inspiration

This will be my first blog post, and I hope that there will be posts in the future.

I decided that this might be a good idea to keep a log of my progress as a barefoot runner (and a runner in general). I have started barefoot running only just this week after completing Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run". This book might not have been entirely factual, but a lot of the ideas were still very inspiring. It talks a lot about 'studies' that were completed saying that the more expensive your shoe, the more likely you are to get injured in it. This makes sense i suppose, but might be a over exaggerated a little bit. Running with expensive running shoes creates a cushion for your foot which allows you to run sloppily. With these big pillows on your feet, you can't feel the mistakes that you are making in your stride which causes you to develop terrible running form. Terrible running form is a cause of injuries.

Running barefoot is a great idea for every runner, in moderation. Since you instinctively run with greater form while you are barefoot, it will help create better form while running in shoes by making you think about your form more and listen to your body.

Listening to your body goes hand in hand with barefoot running. Running with shoes on your feet dampens the ability to listen to your body because the shoe is supposed to do all of the work for you. This is one of the reasons that I have come to love running barefoot. It allows me to feel everything that I should be feeling, and creates an environment in which my body is one with the earth below me. It is so peaceful and painless, like everything I do is perfect. The stars are aligned above me and everything is in place when I am barefoot. I want to be able to harness that energy and use it to run in shoes more effectively, but I don't think it will be easy. Until then, I will be running barefoot in between my regular workouts in order to ease myself into becoming a permanent barefoot runner and a complete hippy!

It is going to take a lot of patience and perseverance to become a barefoot runner. Lowering my weekly miles and really understanding my body will be the hardest parts about it, but i think that the work will pay off.