Chi Running, Danny Dreyer
Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running - Danny Dreyer, Fireside (April 19, 2004), 256 pages, ISBN:074325144X
| Title & Author: | Chi Running Danny Dreyer |
 |
Buy Danny Dreyer, Chi Running
at:
Amazon.co.uk (Include it in a P&P free Super Saver Deal & Check Other Discounts)
Amazing marketplace discounts. |
Danny Dreyer, the author of Chi Running, is a running coach, ultra-marathon runner, and a student of t'ai chi master George Xu. He has completed thirty-four ultra-marathons, winning his age group in fourteen and finishing in the top three in in all but one. But in, Chi Running, Danny Dreyer says: "the ChiRunning technique is not about running super-long distances". Instead, its about making your daily run more enjoyable and relaxing.
As Danny Dryer says in the first chapter of Chi Running "The conclusion I've come to after teaching countless runners is that running does not hurt your body.... It's the way you run that does the damage and causes pain."
With the ChiRunning technique, you can not only improve your running but your life. For instance:
-
Learn how to relax while running, and in other areas of your life.
-
Learn not to be a driven runner, or a driven person.
Danny Dreher provides case studies of many older runners who almost gave up runinng before they encountered Chi Running. For instance, "Jerry, a 59-year-old runner, was just about to give up running when he came to his first ChiRunning class. He had been a runner for forty years, and after having knee surgery, he had begun to feel the same old aches and pains creeping into his runs ... He was afraid that if he continued running, he would ruin his knees and live in pain for the rest of his life. It has now been two years since his first class, and he is running regularly -- including an hour and a half on steep trails once a week."
The current paradigm of running form and injury prevention is founded on increasing muscle strength through weight training. This book presents an alternative. ChiRunning is based on the centuries-old T'ai Chi principle: Less is more. Proper running comes from relaxing muscles, opening tight joints, and using gravity to do the work. Pounding and injury should not be a part of running.
Although the use of Chi in the title indicates a spiritual orientation, don't let this put you off, if (like me) you avoid "mind-body-spirit" books. The author has a scientific mind set, even saying: "I've always had questions running through my mind, like: Why does a clock tick?" He applies this engineering orientation to an an analysis of how the running body can work most efficiently.
The use of Chi in the title flags that that concentrates on the healthy, relaxing, side of running. The author relates how he used meditation to quiet his mind to listen to the body: a useful technique for any runner, spiritual or not. As the author says about his first experiences with running, "Running ... at an easy pace was very relaxing for my body and helped to settle my mind."
In Chi Running, Danny Dreyer tells you about "Form, Distance, and Speed":
- Build a foundation of correct running form.
- With the correct foundation your body will be able to handle more distance.
- Speed becomes a by-product of good technique practiced over distance, and is not dependent on the size of muscles created by a boring, stressful weights regime.
The title of the book also indicates its insporation from the world's greatest runner: "Look at the movement of a cheetah, the fastest land animal on earth. It has skinny legs ... so how does it go so fast? The secret lies in its spine ... Master Zhu would constantly tell me to keep my spine straight but relax the rest of my body and let the chi flow through "like water through a pipe."
- I'll let Danny Dreyer have the last word: "ChiRunning is ... about having a focused and energetic relationship with your body. It means learning how to be your own best friend, teacher and guide -- how to be mindful, quiet, and energetic all at the same time. Sound great? It is."
