ChiRunning Description:

ChiRunning review:
5 stars (Some excellent information ) - This could have been a much shorter book. Much of what is contained in chapters 1 - 3 is a sales pitch for the book which makes no sense since you already bought it. Chapter 4 is where most of the good information is. Danny's core ideas are excellent and they have helped my running substantially. I would have prefered to have seen more Chi theory in general included although some of the ancedotal information provided regarding his two Masters defies my belief. It is a book that belongs in your library if you are a runner.
5 stars (Great book) - This book was so insightful. It gave great advice on proper running techniques. I am trying out what i have learned and running is becoming enjoyable and easier.
3 stars (Pretty good, but only for serious runners.) - This book has a lot of good information it - probably too much. Unless you are really going to focus on something, it's very hard to remember more than two or three core ideas. I am a casual runner - maybe two or three runs per week of three to five miles - and I really hoped this book would give me a couple areas of focus that would make my running safer, more comfortable and perhaps faster. Instead, I got overload. There is a single 2-page spread in this book that lists about 50 points to focus on in your running. Come again? That doesn't sound very Zen to me (I know it's a different Eastern philosophy, but you get the idea).



Dreyer ackowledges the length of the list and suggests picking out two or three of these ideas to focus on for each run, but you still need to be pretty serious to do that. I don't want to consult a checklist before each run and I want to plug into my iPod and relax a little while I'm running.



In addition, Dreyer gives a pre- and post-run routine that would add about an hour to any run you wanted to do - again, more than I'm able to commit to this portion of my life.



If you are a very serious runner or want to become one, this is a great book (assuming you can handle a few funky mystical references). On the other hand, if you are looking for two or three areas of focus to make you a better casual runner, they're tough to pull from this book.



Recommended for serious runners who are looking to avoid or recover from injuries.