Related articles:

ChiRunning

Other articles by Jennifer Duffy:

How did Star's matchmaking go? Fit in Tucson by Jennifer Duffy: Try orienteering and achieve pure fitness Blue Willow has lots of meatless, tasty meals Fit in Tucson by Jennifer Duffy: Their sport is their primary relationship Let's go buy a kite Fit in Tucson by Jennifer Duffy : The time is prime Beauty is his beatShe's looking for pal He seeks live wire Minidress hot again

Construction
Komatsu Equipment Co
Mechanic General
CORT
WAREHOUSE/DRIVER General
CORT
Warehouse Supervisor Health Care
Rio Salado College
PA's/Online Instructors Education
Assessment Technology, Inc
Social Studies Content Writer

When Mark Wallis runs, his chin is up, his core is engaged, and his body leans forward from the ankles.

But that's not all.

His arms swing at a 90-degree angle and when you stand behind him, you can see the bottom of his running shoes with each step.

He looks as if gravity is pulling him forward and his body effortlessly follows the natural order.

He practices ChiRunning, a concept developed by Danny Dreyer that incorporates the principles of tai chi into running. Dreyer's book is called "ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running" (Fireside, $14).

Chi, in Chinese philosophy and traditional medicine, is the circulating life energy inherent in all living things. The balance of negative and positive forms in the body is thought to bring good health.

ChiRunning teaches runners proper posture and body alignment to propel the body along with less energy and less impact.

To understand the proper body tilt and alignment, try this:

Stand up straight, one foot-length away from a wall, and place one hand on your belly button and the other hand on your collarbone.

Push up on your collarbone and down on your belly, lengthening your spine. With your hand still on your collarbone, touch your chin with your pointer finger so your head points forward and out.

Engage your core muscles, like you're squeezing into tight pants (but don't literally inhale a bunch of air.) You can do this by rolling your hips forward, just a bit. You should feel your abs engage.

Now that you're standing straight, lean forward from your ankles toward the wall and catch yourself with your hands.

Hold that position. You should feel even weight on your forefoot and heels and should not feel heavy weight in your calves.

Practice that movement and use it to begin your runs.

Once you're running, use short steps beneath your body and focus on pulling your heels up behind you, rather than stepping forward. Your gait should open up wide behind you, and a person standing behind you should see the bottoms of your shoes with each step (the faster you run, the more lift there will be and the more shoe they will see.)

You should always lean forward from the ankles, letting gravity pull you forward. Your step should basically just stop you from falling over on your face. That's your running movement.

I'm going to practice ChiRunning — and I'm also going to read the book.

If you can, videotape your form before you read the book, then again after you've been implementing ChiRunning.

It should make a world of difference.

For Wallis, it's meant injury-free running, including marathons, for the last two years.

For more info on ChiRunning, check out www. chirunning.com online.

Tip of the week: Breathe a sigh of relief that the holidays are over. If you missed a few workouts, ate sweets or drank too much alcohol, put it all behind you.

A good workout, plenty of water, a healthy diet and a good night's rest will make you feel like your old self.

This week: Swimming, swimming and more swimming. Maybe some recumbent biking, too. I'm icing, stretching and strengthening my quad muscles, which a doctor found to be fatigued and may be the source of my problems.

Next week: I'll let you know if I'm going with the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon — or Plan B, the Los Angeles Marathon on March 19.