Nice Little Essay On Running Form

"The perfect way of running. For You."

There are many opinions on running techniques, but there is no “right way”, not really. There are just better ways, perhaps, more commonly acceptable ways. I myself believe that the key to running is in synchronisation, when you completely connect to your entire body and you run not with your legs but rather with your center. To get there, you may not even need to think about it too much but to put in the hours and come to it naturally, your body will take you there eventually anyway.

We think too much when it comes to running, we over-think and over-analyse and stop enjoying the process. Running is one of the most natural things for us – with time, your body optimises to have it as the primary way of getting around - it becomes so efficient it makes walking feel unnatural. The way you hold yourself and the way you move change too, you get more confident and more in control of your own body. You begin to find balance and synchronization in everything.

Sometimes I feel there is a current of motion somewhere in the world and when we run we simply tune into it and flow – it’s the most natural thing there is and you know it when you ‘hit it’ because it feels just right despite the load and the tiredness you are experiencing.

I find the best way to stop thinking about the actual technique is to start listening to the tune and run while concentrating on a point in your body that can act as an anchor for all your emotions, feelings of doubt, physical discomfort and everything else that can interfere with the run – and just hold it in at that one spot, use it like the engine and the source of energy to continue moving forward.

It’s all about the sync. You get in sync with your body, your entire body and you move with it through the current of motion and let go of anything that is holding you back. The foot strike, the hip thrusts, the gear and the type of road… these are mostly preferences – something everyone picks for themselves. When I started running I never questioned just how exactly I had to run – it took me by surprise just how much navel-gazing is involved in the process, which can become off putting enough to turn you off the entire enterprise eventually. Injuries happen when you do something unnatural, something your body is not designed to do… so listen to it and adjust.

Running is natural, it may even be the reason we are currently standing on two feet instead of four. We are extremely good at it – we can outrun a cheetah, we just can’t run as fast as one for a set period of time, but we can eventually outrun it because of our amazing ability to cool down on the go. We are supposed to be running and that’s why it’s important to find that tune, sync with it and move the way your body was meant to. And it might be completely different to everything you have ever heard or read about. I find the best way to find the right technique for you, you personally, is to keep on trying and keep on going out there, day after day until it begins to feel just right. There is no master key in running, the lock in every one of us is different – and to unlock it you’ll need a key of your own design. Search. Try. Forge.

~Neila Rey


I'm kinda diggin this 30 day HIIT program she wrote up...good stuff.

http://neilarey.com/programs/30-days-of-hiit.html
 
I agree. It's all about tapping into the Speed Force.

There is a meditation technique where you become sensitive to prana, and pull it into you. I have had some fun pulling in prana through the front of my body, and flowing it out through the back of my body while running.

Mostly I just do a strong 'pull in' when I am really fatigued or losing focus on a long run though.

Its like a really good pick-me-up...I'll post the method if anyone is interested.

Its a bit like sleeping while running, but with the mind alert and the body moving, its rejuvinating.
 
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There is a meditation technique where you become sensitive to prana, and pull it into you. I have had some fun pulling in prana through the front of my body, and flowing it out through the back of my body while running.

Mostly I just do a strong 'pull in' when I am really fatigued or losing focus on a long run though.

Its like a really good pick-me-up...I'll post the method if anyone is interested.

Its a bit like sleeping while running, but with the mind alert and the body moving, its rejuvinating.

I would like to read it! Thanks! Gotta beat thinking about a cold beer!
 
Hi Bill,

First, I want to make sure that people understand that we are not talking about some mystical woo woo stuff in this post, it may sound like it when I use words like Prana, but Prana is just an old Sanskrit word for energy, and the energy that it is referencing is just the mundane energy that one feels everyday, or sometimes feels the lack of lol.

We are all aware when we have high energy and are bouncing off the walls, and when we have low energy and feel like we are dragging, what we are not always aware of, is that the energy levels that one has at any moment is the result of energy flowing in and out of you. So here we are going to show some methods for becoming aware of, or turning attention to how and when energy flows in and out, and once we become a little bit aware of not just our current energy levels, but also the 'flows' of energy, we can then practice consciously increasing our energy levels by 'pulling' Prana (energy) in, or making certain activities more productive, by consciously directing our energy outward in a very focussed manner.

With a small bit of practice, one can even consciously draw energy in to recharge one's battery so to speak, during long strenuous activities like long distance running.

The best place to begin is with the eyes, the eyes are where we spend out most of our energy during he day. This is why when we are tired, and need to replenish our energy, sometimes our eyes will feel very heavy. This is the body's way of stopping the outflows of energy when you are running low so to speak.

When we perceive the world, when we assess it visually, we are expending energy outward in most cases. The exception is when we are looking at something sublimely beautiful like a sunset, at those moments we are drawing energy in, which is why nature's beauty is so rejuvenating. Most of the time however, we are using our senses to assess, to define, to categorize, and this is an outward movement of energy, it drains you. When you sleep, the eyes close, and the other senses shut down too, and the flow of energy is reversed, and Prana flows back into you.

In sighted people though, the eyes are where most energy is passed outward...this is why most blind people have a kind of tranquil quality to them, while many deaf folks have a kind 'edge' to them. The former does not loose as much energy as a sighted person, and is often very content, while the latter uses more energy through the eyes than a hearing person and is more frequently cranky, like a hungry or tired person. Most deaf people have fairly fierce eyes when you see them everyday.

Here is the simplest way to become aware of the change in direction of the flow of energy from 'out' to 'in'.

Stare at an object very intently, with FULL focus and concentration for a few moments. Then close your eyes, and as lightly as you possibly can, touch your eyelids with your fingertips. Touch the eyelids so lightly that no pressure is felt on the eye at all, touching light as a feather.

After a moment or too you will feel a kind of 'pulling in' or melting inward at the eyes, it should feel rather pleasant. Enjoy this for a few moments, then open your eyes and quickly refocus your full and focussed attention on the previous object. Repeat this several times, and you will feel a 'turning' of your energy as it changes direction from flowing into your eyes to flowing out of your eyes. You can 'feel' very clearly the change in direction.

When you can feel the change in direction very clearly, whenever you feel low on energy, sit for five minutes or so very lightly touching the closed eyelids, and it will be like taking a power nap for you, very rejuvenating. :)

Get used to that feeling of pulling in energy like that, by lightly touching the closed eyelids, and after you practice it a bit, try closing your eyes and consciously 'pulling' energy inward through the eyes WITHOUT lightly touching the eyelids with your fingertips.

With a small bit of practice you will be able to do it very soon.

When you have practiced a bit, and can do it very easily with your eyes closed without touching the eyelids, try to do it with the eyes open, this will be harder, and will take a bit more persistence to get the hang of it, but you will still be able to do it fairly quickly, just be sure to do it sitting still in a quiet place, as it can be a bit disorienting the first couple of times ;-)

And here is the final step...by now you will have become sensitive to the movement of energy as it flows both in and out whenever you want to turn your attention to it, and you have learned to manipulate that flow a bit, by pulling or sinking inward through the eyes.

Now comes the fun part, practice doing that 'pull in' through every pour of your skin, not just your eyes.

After a bit of practice you will get it, and you can do it anytime you want....practice sitting and doing a long 'pull in' of your energy through every pore, through every inch of your body all at once... You will actually feel a palpable clarity and strength filling you.

And when you can do this really well sitting quietly, its an easy next step to practice pulling energy, power really, into your whole body, from every direction, even while in motion, like when you are running.

The great Greek runner; Yiannis Kouros, who rarely ran more than 7 miles in a training run, who set over 150 ultra marathon world records, use to 'pull' energy in when he ran long races. But he did it less consciously, by keeping his mind focussed VERY intensely on beauty while he ran. He was a fanatic about keeping attention on beauty while running, and when one is absorbed in beauty, one is pulling energy inward.

But this method outlined above, is a very conscious way of doing it ;-)
 
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