Finding a Sustainable Running Stride

Have you managed to sustain your running routing?

In recent years, the focus in recreational running has not been on achieving faster times or longer distances. Instead, longtime athletes and newcomers alike have been searching for a training method that will keep them from being sidelined by injuries.

And that quest has created a growth industry in sustainable running plans. One increasingly popular method is Chi Running, which combines the fundamentals of proper running form with the principles of the martial art tai chi. The emphasis is on posture, core strength, relaxed legs and mindfulness with every step.

The method was developed by Danny Dreyer, a running coach and ultramarathon runner from Asheville, N.C. Feeling the ravages of years of distance running, Mr. Dreyer said he was always trying to improve his running technique. After taking tai chi instruction, he began to form ideas about how to apply it to running, and in 2004 he incorporated them into a book that gained a devoted following.

Since then, he and his wife, Katherine Dreyer, have written numerous books on Chi Running and Chi Walking, most recently "Chi Marathon: The Breakthrough Natural Running Program for a Pain-Free Half Marathon and Marathon" (Touchstone). The program now has 200 instructors worldwide, and Mr. Dreyer estimates the books have sold 350,000 copies.

Read more from The New York Times.