Everyone talks about “running tall” — like posture alone will solve all your problems.
But “tall” without alignment is just tension disguised as effort.
You don’t need to stand taller.
You need to stack better.
Chi Running isn’t magic; it’s mechanics done right.
It’s about learning to let gravity do the work instead of muscling your way through every stride.
And when you get it — really get it — there’s this tiny, glorious moment where running feels… effortless.
Not easy. Not slow. Just smooth.
That’s what people mean when they say Chi Running makes you feel “light.” It’s not that you weigh less. It’s that you’ve finally stopped fighting physics.
When your posture’s aligned — ears, shoulders, hips, ankles — everything moves as one clean system.
You lean slightly forward from the ankles, not the waist, and you let gravity pull you forward.
Your job is to manage balance and direction.
Gravity handles propulsion.
You’re not pushing off the ground; you’re gliding over it.
And that’s where the magic happens.
Here’s what most runners get wrong: they think form work is about memorizing cues.
It’s not. It’s about body sensing — learning to feel when you’re efficient and when you’re fighting yourself.
When you nail that alignment, you’ll notice a few things:
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Your cadence naturally steadies.
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Your feet land under your center of mass instead of out front.
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Your shoulders relax.
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Your effort drops — but your pace doesn’t.
It’s not mystical. It’s mechanical efficiency.
I’ve coached hundreds of runners who’ve been told to “fix” their form.
What they really needed was to simplify it.
Running isn’t broken — it’s just cluttered.
You don’t need fancy shoes, compression socks, or twelve different cues.
You need awareness.
Stack your body, lean slightly forward, relax your legs, and let gravity do what it’s been doing long before humans decided to invent running shoes.
Lightness isn’t about speed — it’s about efficiency.
When you stop forcing every stride, you finally learn what “flow” feels like.
Coach Croft’s Tip
If this clicked, grab my Micro-Form Mastery Guide.
It’ll help you fine-tune your posture, lean, and arm swing so you can build sustainable speed without trashing your body.
Because running light doesn’t mean running less — it means running smarter.