Juneathon - We're Away!

And so it begins... and for me, it began with a short run on the prom. A month of daily exercise and blogging ahead! It obviously can't be full on training every day, so what I've decided to do is to use the days between serious training runs to concentrate on my running technique.
The great Cathríona McKiernan - she of world cross country championships and Olympic marathon fame, is coming to my hometown next week to give a few lucky lads a workshop on 'chi running'. Alas, I won't be one of those lucky lads, due to the fact that it will be the last weekend that I can visit Louth before the end of the summer. However, this 'chi running' has stirred my interest in running technique. The whole premise seems to be that you should aim to correct your posture and kick your heels back, whilst landing correctly at your hip line, rather than landing in front of you. The boast is that chi running can have you injury free for good - and it does make sense when properly explained.
I will have to consult with Rónán, who will be at the workshop, to see if I am doing it correctly, but if I am it is tough on the calves to get used of it. You are definitely using a different set of muscles and that takes a bit of strain and getting used to. While on the prom, another runner passed me out and he seemed to have been chi-ing his way perfectly. He had a straight back, a slightly forward lean and was kicking his heels and landing perfectly. I decided to tag on and try to copy him. Luckily, he was coming to the end of the run so I caught up with him while stretching and asked him if he was 'chi-running'.
'Chi-what?,' was his reaction!
He did explain though that he had put a good bit of work into technique and had bought some orthodontic insoles which seemed to help him kick back.
There's always something...