I DEFINITELY find Chi Running on the treadmill harder than it is outside. In fact, I've been having hip pain all week since running 3 miles on the treadmill this past Sunday. :-
(
Here's my theory on why it is harder: in Chi Running, you are essentially supposed to get speed accidentally, by increasing your lean
(using your lean as a "gas pedal," as the author puts it
). However, on the treadmill you increase your speed by pressing a button and then keeping up with the machine. This makes it much harder to use your lean, because you have to lean enough to keep up, rather than naturally running as fast as your lean allows
(as you would outside
). To compensate, you have to push off more with your legs
(rather than just picking up your feet
), which for me puts more pressure on my hips in particular, but also on my knees.
I think focusing on relaxation is a good way to start. The two other parts of the technique which had the most impact for me were:
1. Focusing on landing my feet underneath/behind my torso, rather than in front of me
(this helps reinforce the lean, and takes a ton of pressure off the knees
)
2. Lifting up my foot above the ankles of my other leg, what the author calls "prancing"
(this took pressure off my hips and allowed me to keep them loose while I run
)
Edited by jtat17 2005-03-24 4:57 PM