If you’ve seen The Karate Kid (1984 film), you’ll understand why Week Two of FIRE Method coaching has me feeling a little bit like Daniel LaRusso under the early-on guidance of Mr. Miyagi. My week was filled with movements and drills that ultimately will translate to more effective running…but according to Coach Jeff, I’ve not been cleared to run yet! And, a series of (8) 100m sprints doesn’t really count as running when my last run was in the high-teens mileage…

Focusing fully on form, technique, posture, and cadence this week, I’m actually learning how to run quite differently from how I’ve been running all these years. The drills are teaching my body how to work better and use the hamstrings much more actively in the running stride. This “pulling up” motion results in better cadence/turn-over, and has me awkwardly feeling like I must look like a marching band member with my knees coming up high. I know the self-consciousness will fade as the new movement technique turns more and more into second nature.

Mobility and strength are the other key ingredients in building the proper foundation, and it’s been humbling to see where my weaknesses are, especially since I effectively did no squats leading up to this point.

This Week 3 introduces a cadence meter for running drills, but still no real runs, per se. Patience, Daniel-son, Patience!!