This week as I’ve introduced The Balanced Runner Online Camp, a number of people have emailed me with questions about it. Since they’re mostly the same six questions, I thought it would be helpful to share the answers with you in case you have one of these questions too.
The Most Important Factor
The key thing which helps answer most questions is that once you register for the camp you’ll have lifetime access to the materials. So while I’ve organized the camp materials into six weeks and will post the material on that schedule, there’s no need to do it on that schedule. You can do it in your own time.
The Balanced Runner Online Camp Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What is the weekly time commitment?
Between 75 minutes and 6 hours, depending on what suits you. Here’s how that works:
- Each week is organized around one main Feldenkrais lesson that needs to be done in one go (not broken into parts and done at different times) in conjunction with a little bit of running. You should allot about an hour and 15 minutes for that. That is the one key element of the week, everything else just serves to explain, clarify, reinforce, and add dimension to what you get from that lesson. So if you have an uninterrupted hour and 15 minutes per week to spend on the main lesson, you can do the camp “on schedule” and catch up with the other materials whenever you like. People sometimes make the time for that lesson by substituting it for one run or cross-training workout per week. The trade-off will be more than worth it; you’ll be running better in six weeks than if you’d religiously done every run and workout on your schedule.
- The additional materials in each week are a 1-hour webinar, a 1-hour live Q&A call, between 1-3 shorter “refresher” lessons that relate to the main lesson, and whatever time you might like to spend discussing in the Facebook group. So that might be up to 5 additional hours if you wanted to do everything. It’s a lot of time, so few people do. Just pick and choose what suits you.
Q. What time are the live Q&As?
A. The Q&A calls are Saturday evenings Central European Time–that’s around midday on the East Coast of the US. Video and audio recordings of these calls are always posted afterwards for the folks who couldn’t attend live (often up to 75% of the people taking the camp).
Q. I’ll be traveling and/or have a crazy schedule and might not be able to keep up with the camp. Should I do it?
A. Since you have lifetime access there’s no downside to signing up, doing as much as you can, and knowing you’ll catch up on the rest when you’ve got the time. If you’re planning to run while traveling and can substitute the main Feldenkrais lesson for the week for one of your runs (75 minutes) then you’ll be able to stay “on schedule” should you wish.
Q. I’m injured, can I still do the camp?
A. That depends on the injury and your stage of healing. Here are some guidelines:
- If you can walk relatively comfortably then you can do the camp, even if you cannot at the moment run. This includes cases where your first bit of walking in the morning or after standing up from a chair is uncomfortable but after that you’re okay. If possible you should aim to do the VIP version with video analysis so I can give you the maximum amount of support, and you definitely should not do any running that feels uncomfortable – all of the lessons work with walking as well and that may be necessary as an intermediate step. Just listen to your body and don’t do anything that hurts. The camp will be very helpful to your recovery even if you substitute walking for some or all of the running.
- If you have a bone fracture and haven’t been cleared by your doctor to resume physical activity, then you cannot do the camp at this point. Catch it next time around, it’ll help you get back to balance and full functioning – or even better than before!
- If you have a chronic illness you can do the camp as long as you stay within the limits you and your doctor have agreed on for physical activity.
- If you are at all uncertain about your situation, please email me.
Q. I’m a total beginner, is the camp right for me or will it be too advanced?
A. The camp will be right for you. I love having beginners in my camp and giving you the chance to get started right. Just do the amount of running that feels comfortable for you, don’t think you have to push yourself to do as much as you imagine other people are.
Q. I’m a very experienced runner, is the camp right for me or will it be too basic?
A. The camp will be right for you. I’ve taught beginners and world-class athletes literally side-by-side throughout my career, and in fact that’s already true of the runners signed up for this camp. The great thing about Feldenkrais lessons is that everybody takes the lesson at their own level, every time.
Q. I’ve tried to start running so many times and never succeeded, am I a hopeless case or should I try the camp?
A. I’ve never seen a hopeless case in nearly 14 years of professional practice. Of course you might be the first one, but it’s unlikely.
The closest thing I’ve seen to a hopeless case, though, have been people who do have a difficult medical situation–usually the ongoing effects of an extremely serious injury years before–who have also not been able to make the time to have very regular lessons. The Feldenkrais Method is famous for helping people with truly difficult problems that no one else has been able to help, but in that case it really does require a fair number of frequent lessons.
If this sounds like your situation, I believe the camp is likely to be of significant help to you if you can make that commitment to do the main lesson and all of the refreshers each week for the full six weeks, straight through. If you’re able to do the VIP version that would be even better since it will give me the chance to see how you’re running, track your progress, and give you the maximum amount of support and guidance, including extra lessons if needed.
That covers the most common questions if you have a question you don’t see here, please email me!
Ready to register?