Aspiring to be a "Runner" and also trying not to choke

On to week 3 of ChiRunning! So far things are pretty good. My shins are still a bit sore with running, and sometimes they ache a tiny bit at work, but otherwise they feel ok. This is a big improvement and I'm starting to feel some cautious optimism that I might be able to become a "runner" after all (by "runner" I mean someone who enjoys running regularly without having to follow a plan and study in order to run for 20 minutes). 


Saturday marks the beginning of the running week, although I haven't decided yet whether to run on Saturday before I go to work, then spend 12 hours on my feet, or run tomorrow evening instead, but have no recovery day (I ran this morning). I imagine if I'm not hurting, I'll do it tomorrow... I hate getting up at 5am. 


This week I'm going to be working on using gravity to pull me forward by leaning when I run. It's one of the ChiRunning core elements. The theory is that if you let gravity pull you forward, your running becomes a "controlled fall" which takes a lot less effort than trying to propel yourself forward with your legs. I'm sure it'll be equally as eye-opening as everything in the program so far. I've had 6 runs with no injuries, and I'm pretty sure that's a record for me!


In other (non-running related) news, two evenings ago the boyfriend got to experience the rush that one gets when you save another person's life. We were having a lovely dinner with his mom that I completely ruined by choking on a piece of chicken. Fortunately, the boyfriend kept his wits about him and did the Heimlich maneuver, and I could breath again. Completely terrifying, and also pretty embarrassing. Not only had I choked, but once I could breath again, I stood at the kitchen sink for what felt like hours crying like a baby... and sweating like a sweaty choking victim. It seems silly now, but at the time I was pretty scared. On the plus side, I learned an important lesson about chewing, and I don't think I'll ever eat chicken again. Also, it's kind of neat to be dating Superman :)

Week Two!

So far, so good!


I'm on week two of my ChiRunning 5K program, and I'm really enjoying it! Week one was all about posture and getting aligned. I did three run/walks focusing on keeping my posture straight, levelling my pelvis, and landing on my full foot (rather than my heel). My left shin is still sore, so I'm icing it every day, but it's not getting any worse, so I assume it's fine to continue. 


This week will focus on engaging my core and running from my centre, and it's also time to start using a metronome to guide my cadence. Today was my first musicless run in a very long time, and it was actually ok! I thought I would miss it more than I did, so I was pleasantly surprised. This whole ChiRunning thing is a ton of fun so far! 


My next run is on Monday and will be 40 minutes of run3/walk2, and I can't wait!