Don't spill your chi

I try to think about my form when I'm running. Shoulders relaxed, chest up, slight lean forward, let my feet follow the forward motion of my body, tighten those stomach muscles. This last one is the one that gets me. I just can't seem to hold my abs tight while I'm running. I think about it, and flex, and 3 seconds later I realize I'm not doing it anymore.

Instead I think about tucking my pelvis under. I read about this in Chi Running, which is a great running book by the way. Surprisingly this also came up with a friend of mine, but under a completely different topic of conversation. She is an older women who practices Buddhism and meditation. She is the student of an Ecuadorian Buddhist monk (strange combo, I know). She was telling me that the source of a woman's strength is her womanhood (uterus, etc., you get the general idea), and to think of it like a cup that you always want to keep righted. You don't want to let your power splash out all over the place.

This conversation sticks with me when I run. At the risk of sounding like some new-age spiritual nut, I imagine that my pelvis is that cup filled with some magical brew that must be kept upright at all times.

Guess what... my stride feels relaxed and sure, and I realize my abs are tight and strong. It's amazing what a shift in thinking will do.