Testimonials

Hi Michelle, I've carried on (without injury) with the ChiRunning method both in my training and my marathon running. I've now completed 18 marathons in the past 17 months. Not quite up to the amazing effort of Eddie Izzard, but not bad for an older guy. Next one is London marathon. Bring it on! Bring it on!

Kind regards

Malcolm Brookes (age 69)

Hi Michelle, My running is coming on. I had a wonderful 2009 – posted a PB at Ironman Germany and qualified for the World Championships in Hawaii. A dream come true.

Your coaching really helped.

Thank you!

Peter Harding

I am still doing great, Michelle!

Still barefoot and still doing Chi, although I am sure I have adapted it a little from what we were taught.  One thing I always remind myself of is the pelvic posture, and knee bend.  I experiment with different amounts of knee bend as well.  

Still no lower back pain, achilles pain, ITB problems or anything really.  All is really good and I am truly enjoying running for the first time ever.

Joanne Ashton

Hi Michelle, I am doing well with my running. I have been able to run at a pace of 6-7 miles per hour on the treadmill. But I really want to start running outside (cold here in Germany) I was trying to build up the stamina. I am hoping to do a 5K, 10K and eventually half marathon by the end of this year. I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch but the time with you was so invaluable and I learned a lot. It really got me motivated to keep on trying with the running. Believe me, I haven't stopped. I run at least 5 days per week. Thanks again for the information.

Natalie Khan

A fun and deeply informative day, many thanks, really inspired.

Uzma Afzal

I want to thank you again for the workshop. Very enjoyable and informative. You can get some understanding from the book but it was really enlightening to go through the training, I'm really looking forward to practising.

Keith Cunningham

Very enjoyable workshop and a great venue. I have had the ChiRunning book for a few years but I learned far more from the workshop.

Gillian Clarke

Thank you for an excellent workshop - I really enjoyed it and learned an enormous amount about ChiRunning. Reading the book is one thing but having it explained face to face and experiencing the process with the support and guidance of an instructor is invaluable. I will be back for a one to one!

Harriet Angell

Dear Michelle, I must thank you for the course, it was a great day with so much learnt and reinforced. I am already really focusing on the heel lift and doing the various exercises. I ran a tough cross country race yesterday thinking about heel lift most of the way, except up and down the steep hills. I have re-read what Danny says about hill work; that is going to take a lot of practice also.

Thanks again.

Roger Sewell (aged 72)

Hi Michelle, Just wanted to say thanks for a brilliant workshop on Saturday.

I went out for my long run with the mp3 tracks today and really think I managed to feel getting a proper heel lift and relaxed lower legs. I'll video myself in a couple of weeks to check I've improved my overstride and 'pendulum' problems.

The workshop really helped cement things in my mind. You've got a gift for getting this stuff across.

Karen Thomas

Hi Michelle,These lessons have been really beneficial to me. I approached this with the idea of getting an insight into what  Chi running was about, but I have got a lot more out of it than that. I think this technique really suits my whole perception of running. There is no doubt that I am going to stick with it now.

Well it's down to me now to keep practicing. 

Terry Hand

Dear Michelle, Thanks for an inspiring session yesterday.  It helped clear up alot of things I didn't get from reading the book.  Now I've plenty to think about during the training runs and the two marathons lined up for this year.

Richard Garlick

Dear Michelle, Thank you for a wonderful day. I have told everybody (who wanted to listen!!) about your workshop. It was so good. I ran 17 km yesterday and the first 10-12 went SO well applying the things we learned, then I lost it when I got tired and boy could I feel the difference,the old form really sucks when you have tried the ease of chi!

Tine Jorgensen

Dear Marion, Many thanks to you and Michelle for the excellent and informative class on Saturday. 

I enjoyed it very much and got an enormous amount out of it. I think all the participants in the class did too. You may be interested in a short write up of it on a blog I write with Greek friend: http://nenikikamen.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/chi-running/

Anyway, I tried to put as much as I could into practice today during my long run. I did 29 km: it is difficult to keep the posture the whole time but the times I paid attention I managed a pace that was quite a bit faster with ease. 

So, again, thank you very much indeed. I hope you will find it worthwhile to come back for another session soon!

Xavier Lewis (attended a joint workshop in Brussels on 9 May 2009)

I'm now three years into learning ChiRunning and since I visited Michelle for a 1:1 session in November I haven't looked back.   Running has been almost uniformly fantastic since then even if half the time I've not "got it". It's defeated PF for me, and I've used the understanding I've fractionally got of how my body works to defeat other problems.

Chris Barrow

Yesterday was great. I had a great run this morning and tried to put some of the ideas into practice. One thing I am not short of is practice time but I appreciate that its difficult to sustain learning on long runs.  After 12/13 miles (todays run) I normally feel a significant soreness in lower legs. Today nothing! I focussed particularly on the neck, abdominals and heel lifts. I enjoyed it so much I even turned off the ipod so I could concentrate on the run & just relax into it.  So far so good and only a small step today but a significant one.

Peter Harding

To give you a progress report, yes I'm running really well. I ran a 10 miler a few days ago - the longest run I've done for about seven years. For the first few weeks after our lesson, I ran quite carefully, a bit afraid of getting injured again on the calves - but after a few weeks I ran with more freedom and speed.  I ran a 'fast' 5 miles a few weeks ago and beat my time for the past 10 years by more than 2 and half minutes!

Chris Tyrer

Just a quick note to say a big "thanks" for Saturday. Weather aside, the day was perfect. I had a lovely 2 hour run yesterday and probably managed to stay focused 80% of the time. Although obviously my form was nowhere near totally correct, I got a real feel for the difference and found it fascinating!  At one point I was hailed by a woman who wanted to know how I was managing to run without fear of slipping up a slight gradient made of almost shot ice! (and yes, I did tell her !)

Katherine Bates

I discovered ChiRunning and Michelle about a year ago and am amazed at what has happened to my running!  At the time I had been dogged by calf achilles injuries and recognised that my running style was far from ideal. For a while I had not been enjoying running as whenever I increased intensity or distance I became injured. Having read Danny's book I was delighted to find an instructor in London, by way of Michelle.  I attended a Saturday workshop and became hooked immediately as everything she said made perfect sense. Since then I have seen Michelle several times on a one-to-one and through "gradual progress" am optimising my technique.  I am injury-free and enjoying the feeling of loose, gravity-driven movement.  I don't worry so much about how fast I am, just how I feel  and, yes, it feels great!  Thank you Michelle.

Helen Scott (aged 52)

Just to say a big thank you for my chi running classes. I have thoroughly enjoyed them. You're a great teacher, motivational and patient. If I can get everything to work together I might get there!  I will put into practise everything you have shown me over the last three sessions. Best wishes and keep up the good work. I'm pleased I found a ChiRunning Instructor so close to home.

Debra Webb 

Thanks for Saturday, it was a good and very productive day.  Thoroughly enjoyable and invaluable in the practise of ChiRunning.  It was a great day and I tried to implement form in my run yesterday.  Did 4 miles and started off slower than usual, concentrating on form and cadence.  Without consciously being aware covered the 4 miles 5 minutes quicker than earlier in the week.  It just seemed so effortless and I was not aware of the time nor the increase in speed, the concentration and being in the zone was fab and calf totally pain free.  Enjoyed it so much that I'm having to stop myself from going out today!!!!  Want to enjoy it equally as much on my trot tomorrow.

Fiona Claxton

Hi Michelle, I had a fabulous day and knocked off 30 minutes from my previous time coming in at 3:39:45 . I stayed physically and mentally strong throughout and only felt bad in the last mile when I got a bad stitch.  This was both due to good training but also to employing the chi technique as much as possible...sheer numbers sometimes dictacted otherwise! What is MOST remarkable, however is that today, 24 hours later, I don't have a sore bone or muscle in my body, anywhere!  I can truthfully say that I don't feel I even ran yesterday!! This is completely down to the chi form. My work colleagues couldn't believe that I even turned up for work, let alone get up and down stairs with no after effect !!! Regards, Katherine 

Katherine Bates (writing to me again after FLM)