Chi Running with Certified Instructor Andy Selters

02/26/2023

Allen Steck passed away yesterday, he was 96. I was lucky to be his friend for some 25 years. We did a lot of climbing together, with me leading, back when he was 70+ years old and still ably following 5.9's and 10a's. He knew better than anyone I've known how to find quality and attainable challenge. Despite having a fine autobiography, published through Patagonia, I think relatively few people appreciate the depth and breadth of his career, and he stands as one of the greatest American climbers in history....

Allen Steck passed away yesterday, he was 96. I was lucky to be his friend for some 25 years. We did a lot of climbing together, with me leading, back when he was 70+ years old and still ably follo…

09/13/2013

To run by pushing off of one leg and crashing onto the other is bound to hurt you.
To run balanced over your legs cycling like a wheel beneath you is pretty cool.

08/14/2013

I'm thinking to suggest to Danny (Dreyer) that we can adjust the old Chinese visual of our body like "needle in cotton" to a more subtle and dynamic vision of inner wheel and outer wheel. The inner wheel is a concentrated and focused sphere at your center, sending energy and movement out to the outer wheel. The outer wheel is your limbs, running soft, responsive and connecting to both your center and the terrain.

07/08/2013

A lot of running problems can be solved by shortening your stride to keep your feet landing beneath you. As you develop that awareness, then you can start lengthening your stride behind you.

06/14/2013

It's looking likely that soon I'll be teaching Chi Running at two mountain resort spas, Snowcreek at Mammoth, and at Northstar near Truckee.

05/02/2013

The spine and the foot share a resonance; one accommodates the flexibility and strength or stiffness and weakness of the other. If your feet hit the ground with a rigid thud, your spine has to respond with rigidity. If your spine travels through a stride and carries your weight smoothly, the foot will be able to do it's job with resilience, flexing across its joints smoothly and easily. So, ask your feet: are they strong or weak, flexible or stiff? Everybody has a tendency one way or another in these parameters. Build flex by sometimes taking your hands and flexing each foot back and forth and wringing each foot like a washrag. Our feet have joints to do this, they're not hooves. Build strength by doing toe raises on a step, and picking up marbles or pencils with your toes. Your spine will respond nicely.

04/09/2013

Trying out my first padded shoes in some years. The Altra "Zero Drop" seems great so far. The extra roomy toe box is my favorite feature, allowing the forefoot and toes to spread out freely. Probably you run slower with the energy being absorbed by the padding. I can feel some slight additional calf stretch compared to the 3/4 mm of heel in the NB Minimus I've been running in. There's not a ton of padding, but I'm thinking these will be good for longer runs, especially on pavement, just enough to ease the joints. Got them at Sage to Summit.

04/05/2013

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/reasons-not-to-stretch/

In Chi Running and T'ai-chi we warm up with "joint looseness," mostly circular movements to various joints within your usual range of motion. They seem to work well as a wakeup and circulation enhancer. After running it seems good to stretch, and to prop the legs up and let the blood/etc. drain down.

Two new studies provide additional reasons not to warm up with a stretch.

03/11/2013

I believe that every efficient and athletic movement needs accurate alignment, and most need an element of spinal rotation.

03/02/2013

When we practice T'ai-chi or Chi Running, it's like developing a little gyroscope at your center, behind your navel, a centering energy that anchors your posture and movements, and steers your joints with ease.

01/22/2013

The University of N. Carolina has completed a peer-reviewed study showing that people who practice Chi Running receive less impact from the ground. Of four running methods studied, the lower load in Chi Running was also the most gradual.http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101831725047-364/UNC+Study.2012.PressRelease.pdf

01/04/2013

A lot of talk this time of year about resolutions to become more fit. From the standpoint of T'ai-chi and Chi Running, these resolutions usually fail because they are simply external ideas. Real transformation is gradual, and it is initiated from the core of your body and the core of your intention. It begins with having a conversation with your posture and your spine, and the will to cultivate your life energy.