My first blog...ever

Hi everyone! So, this is my first post. It took me the first week to figure out how to get onto this blog and the second week I was dealing with a very sick pet. But I am here now and will try to be a consistent contributor. I was only able to attend the first of the last two training sessions. It sounds like a lot of really good stuff was covered last week so I am hoping to catch up at tonight's session. As I've been practicing the chi running techniques, I've noticed a few things. First, my legs aren't sore the next day! Prior to Chi Running, if I went out for a run my leg muscles would talk to me for days! Letting gravity do the work is an amazing concept. As our training continues, I'll be excited to see how much easier our running becomes on our bodies. Second, my upper back and shoulders are sore! And this is something that I need to work on, the whole "needle in cotton" concept. I've got the "needle" part. I am able to stand tall, pull my shoulders down and back and tighten my core muscles. But when I do this, I know that the rest of my body is not relaxed and "cottony" the way it should be. Third, I have found using a metronome incredibly helpful. I got one for Christmas and started using it about a month ago. I played around with it and found that 85 strikes per minute matched my cadence perfectly. On my last run, I tried following Michael's advice and increased the metronome to 86. Amazingly, it felt great. I had no trouble matching my foot strike to the new pace. After a few weeks, I'll try 87! I can't wait to see what new discoveries tonight's session will bring. I'll see you all soon. Jenn