by Laura Clark
Published: June 2009
April and May romances have now given way to the reality of early summer performances. Spring tryouts were the only goal is to stretch your legs on ice-free footing have been replaced by serious effort. Or have they? Perhaps your body is still recovering from a busy winter sports schedule. Perhaps you have plunged into the fray on muscle memory alone. Or perhaps you are piling on the years and engaged in a serious quest for the fountain of youth.
Whatever your situation, there is always room for improvement. With its loneliness of the long distance runner legacy, our sport is one of the few exhibiting a carefree, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it attitude.” Athletes engaged in skill-based activities like downhill skiing and kayaking obsess about correct technique, while runners and walkers merely don a pair of sneakers and head out the door into their own personal adventure. While simplicity is certainly appealing, this haphazard approach fails the older runner and puzzles the new convert eager for guidelines.
Enter Danny Dreyer, a Tai chi master and a talented ultramarathon runner, who has combined these two passions to develop his “chi running” technique. Now you can purchase his ChiRunning book or DVD and experiment with leaving a lighter footprint. Whether you consider yourself a road runner, mountain runner, trail runner or, like me, a combination of all three, you will find suggestions to give new life to your running or walking.
I was fortunate that I had the opportunity to take a weekend class with Danny. Still, there was the problem of too much knowledge too quickly. I returned from my weekend excited but confused, reduced to a hunt-and-peck thumbing through the book. This was a fine romance, as anything is bound to be an improvement over nothing, but I had difficulty selecting proper focus for my early summer goal races. Fortunately, at the Adirondack Sports & Fitness Summer Expo in April, I became reacquainted with my favorite ChiRunning/ChiWalking certified instructor, Ann Margaret McKillop, of My Fitness Recovery (myfitnessrecovery.com).
I have always had difficulty translating demos into personal action especially when it involves reversing left and rights, which is why ballroom dancing terrifies me almost as much as public speaking. But Ann Margaret has such a patient way of explaining, demonstrating, and following up with side-by-side workouts that I never felt befuddled. I’m a children’s librarian who works with preschoolers most of the day, so her focus reminds me of a mother watching her child’s first accomplishments. She intuitively picks up on whatever it is you need to do to improve and somehow knows when you have achieved that “ah-ha” moment!
This past session we concentrated on my 7 Sisters Trail Race in Amherst, Mass., featuring seven out-and-back hills named after either the seven sister colleges or the seven Pleiades, depending on which Google version of the truth you prefer. I didn’t exactly make it to the stars, but by concentrating on her uphill and downhill techniques, I was able to run rocky sections which previously had reduced me to a survivor’s shuffle. While my finishing time did not surpass my earliest attempts, it was my third fastest. Not bad for someone who has gotten nine years older! And for the first time, I did not need a quad massage to win my age group the following Saturday at the Prospect Mountain Road Race in Lake George.
On Ann Margaret’s advice I have somewhat reluctantly purchased a metronome. Remember when Casio chronometers were all the rage and folks used to set them to beep an annoying cadence? Perversely, this helped my racing as I wanted nothing more that to sprint away from someone else’s hangups. Except this time around, I use the metronome in the woods to annoy only the wildlife. Ann recommends using it for 20 minutes and then, mercifully, turning it off. I have noticed, though, that even on my “off” time, my step seems quicker and lighter.
Matt Dorsey, a Saratoga Springs resident and recent convert to running, took a somewhat different route. After his typical newbie “too much, too soon” approach, his chiropractor suggested chi running as a way to strengthen his muscles. Concentrating on Danny’s biomechanical suggestions and heeding his injunction to step lightly, Matt has successfully built up to longer distance events. So far, he is happy with the go-it-alone approach since, “I wasn’t changing habits that were ingrained for years.”
Locally, an excellent venue to take your metronome public will be the inaugural Read Run 5K (literacyneny.org) on June 14 in Saratoga Springs. The event is designed by Nancy Holtzman not only to raise money for literacy efforts, but also to usher in the “Be Creative @ Your Library” summer reading program and the 2010 “Saratoga Reads!” book nominations. This event promises to be a great jumpstart into your summertime exercise and reading program.
With chip timing by Albany Running Exchange Event Productions, and Froggy Radio’s popular Green Frog handing out goodies to the kids, this race appeals to competitive runners, walkers and families. Teen volunteers and theatre members will dress as literary characters and businesses will sponsor lawn signs with famous quotes from literature. There promises to be so much fun enroute that serious competitors may want to tour the course again as a cool down, just to enjoy all the fun they overlooked the first time around. Guaranteed that amid this Disneyland-Saratoga celebration, no one will even hear your metronome! As a coup de resistance, serious book club members will have the opportunity to win an evening with popular author Julia Glass at an undisclosed Lake George camp.
After this warmup, it’s time to jumpstart your Fourth of July morning with another race created to promote equal opportunity for all, the third annual Firecracker 4 (firecracker4.com) on July 4 in Saratoga Springs. With a four-mile course targeted towards runners, it features a good mix of flats and occasional hills, ending on a subtle downhill past Old Bryan Inn towards the City Center. Afterwards, runners will be in prime position to view the patriotic parade down Broadway.
According to race director Peter Goutos, this event originated to raise money for the high school Streaks Running Club, providing travel expenses, equipment and race fees for those students needing financial help. The Streaks athletes assist with the set-up, and since they tend to finish ahead of most of the field, they are in a prime position to help at the finish line. Peter comments that it has turned into a family affair because those who prefer not to race volunteer behind the scenes. Sydney King, who exemplifies the Streaks’ student-athlete mindset, comments that she has found her niche with the club, “It is where I feel most comfortable because I’m with my friends and coaches everyday.”
Whatever options you choose to jumpstart your summer running program, add some spice to the mix by experimenting with techniques or distances that you may not have considered. And above all, take your personal gains to a higher level by including your friends and family in the mix.
Laura Clark (lclark@sals.edu) of Saratoga Springs is an avid trail runner, snowshoer and cross-country skier. She is a children’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
