Oct 24 21:47:50 108 PA - The Running Man One

From Chronicles

Oct 24 21:47:50 108 PA.

OUTSIDE THE LANDING STRIP

Rain, glorious rain just like a pleasant Camp Lejeune morning, but without the stifling heat. Winter helps. Gabriel is wandering among the various empty fields away from the Landing Strip itself, and the dozens of mechanic-type shops that have chosen to call this area of the planet 'home.' The rain seems to cause him no discomfort, though this is one time that his floppy Raiders jungle hat has come out, helping to keep his head dry. He's even whistling one of his old, ancient tunes that no one else knows, and occasionally checking his watch.

Jaxain grew up in a climate far far colder, wetter, and cloudier than Fair Kingsdale, and he wouldn't even consider this light shower to be a real rainfall. He arrives on the scene, wearing his typical outfit, and jogs over to Gabriel's position. "Hey man, what's up?" He says with a friendly smile.

Gabriel turns at the voice, and keeps whistling for a while as he walks toward the other man. "You've been mentioning - no, rather complaining - about being too slow on the battlefield?" Okay, right to the point. "I'm getting tired of listing to it," he states. Is he serious? Tough to tell as his drawl usually comes back in situations such as this. "You're actually faster than me, Jax. Not by much, but a little. Thing is, you don't know how to run and make the most of it; you end up just stumbling around. So, for the sake of my own sanity, you want to learn how to do it right? The military way?"

Jaxain nods eagerly, having NO idea what he is about to get himself into. "Yeah, that would be great! I mean, I had a lot of leg training in different areas, but it never focused on more than flexibility and power." He takes off his nice shirt, revealing a simple black t-shirt underneath it, and starts doing a few simple stretches. "I'm ready to go!"

"Okay, well do it." Gabriel hesitates for only a moment, canting his head to look at Jaxain, before pointing to the Landing Strip and shouting, "RUN! You dumb sonofabitch!"

Jaxain is not anything like a military man, but he isn't completely ignorant. He has heard stories of the military training not only various city-states, but even mercenary groups, give to their recruits. Heck, his own training was similar, in many ways. He hesitates for a moment, purely due to surprise, then takes off as fast as he can go the same direction Gabriel was pointing. His strides are long, and his legs are immensely powerful - able to propel him a large distance each step, but his economy of movement? Grace? Sprinting posture? All absent. He runs like a wounded bull: all charge, no style.

"You're not running, you're moving while staying upright!" Gabriel calls across the area in a loud tone that very few people have ever heard from him. In this time. His elite Black Flag units did, but that was a long time ago. Or last year, according to him. "RUN! Jesus Christ, impress me or something, your grandfather must be rolling over in his grave, if he made it that far!"

Jaxain bends over, legs pumping to get him moving faster, and nearly stumbles at the forward angle. But he manages to correct himself... and then his left leg thwaks his right leg HARD and he goes down, tumbling to a stop some few meters distant. "Shit!" He says, starting to get back up.

The older man doesn't even flinch as if the thought of helping the fallen man had crossed his mind for a moment. Instead he just smirks, which quickly devolves into a disapproving frown. "I said *run*. I didn't say, 'go fast!' 'Go fast' is what you did, which is what kids do on a playground to see who gets to the other fence first. Running is what you need to do to stay alive. It's about using your feet, your body and your mind." Gabriel grunts derisively and adds, "NONE of which you managed to accomplish."

Jaxain smiles himself, scraping a bit of mud off of himself, but he quickly assumes a neutral face. "Ok..." He says, mulling this over. He starts to run again, but this time goes slower and pays a bit more attention to how he places his feet. "Like this?" He asks. But no, it's not like that. He has no idea what proper running form is.

"No. NO NO NO!! Get your ass back here, NOW! For God's sake, someone hit you in the head too hard? Over here, and stand still, now!" Gabriel's tone is thick with Kentucky pride and military disapproval. he's chosen a spot where Jax will inevitably have to stand in some mud a good six-inches thick; the nice goopy, sticky stuff. Wonder how much he likes his footwear.

Jax's Roman style wrap sandals are great for comfort and mobility, and already show a great deal of wear through hard usage. He makes his way over to Gabriel's chosen spot. "Ummm, Yes Sir?" He says, somewhat unsure if this is the correct form of address. He gives a slight yelp when his feet suddenly sink in the mud, followed by a low chuckle. "What am I doing wrong?"

Gabriel moves swiftly toward Jaxain with a frown, his own combat boots having been used in every condition on planet Earth that one could possibly imagine. Mud isn't a problem. However, despite the possibly intimidating way that he approaches the other man, he is then surprisingly polite. "If you're addressing me as an elder with knowledge, it is 'yes sir.' If you're addressing me because you think that you could even make a basic Marine grunt, it is 'yes Special Agent.'" Then, with another quick move - he starts to gently manipulate Jaxain's body, as is appropriate training. Even his voice, while maintaining its commanding tone, is definitely instructional. Hands are placed on the other man's neck. "How you hold your head is key to overall posture, which determines how efficiently you run, and efficiency brings speed and endurance. Let your gaze guide you. Look ahead naturally, not down at your feet, and scan the horizon. This will straighten your neck and back, and bring them into alignment. Don't allow your chin to jut out. Do you feel this?"

Jaxain nods, not quite sure what a basic Marine is, and says, "Yes Special Agent." After all, he had to call his grandfather the Chinese equivalent of 'Sir', so anything else is preferable. He is malleable and his body takes to the posture modifications quickly. "Wow, ok, yeah that's way better balanced." He practices the posture shown a few times, staring out straight at the horizon as he falls into place. "Yes Special Agent." He replies to the last question.

Gabriel makes an oval motion with his hand, indicating the Landing Strip. "Run one lap, get back as best you can." Then an obvious glance at his watch and the tweak of a dial. "GO, dammit, you waiting for an invitation?!"

Jaxain nods, not hesitating at all as he takes off. But this time he is a lot slower than before, because he is focusing on using the posture Gabriel showed him rather than his typical bull-charge method. He stumbles a few times, now and then having to skip a step or two and then compensate afterward. "Jeeze." he mutters to himself as he finally makes it back to Gabriel. It was not a quick lap.

"That was pathetic," Gabriel says, spitting out the last word as if the attempt had been so bad that it didn't even deserve to be acknowledged as bad. "Best you can? Sad." He approaches and begins to manipulate again. "This isn't about the mind, this is about learning it once correctly and letting muscle memory do the rest. Ignore the brain, but try to remember the neck. Now. Shoulders." His hands are once more gentle, moving here and there, putting things where they belong. "Your shoulders the important role of keeping your upper body relaxed while you run, which is critical to maintaining an efficient running posture. Optimally, your shoulders should be low and loose, not high and tight. As you tire on a run - which you will - don't let them creep up toward your ears. If they do, shake them out to release the tension. They also need to stay level, and shouldn't dip from side to side with each stride. If these things start to happen; up and down, side to side, tensing and you can't stop? It's better to just find a spot to lay low until you can run properly again. Go." A hand is thrown out back toward the Strip.

Jaxain grimaces, not having imagined that simple running can be so complicated. "Uhh, Yes sir, uhh I mean Special Agent." He nods to himself, and takes off again. This time he maintains the posture better, and managed to run at something of a normal pace (for him). He finishes this lap much quicker, not having to spend quite as much time adjusting his posture. He is breathing hard when he arrives, but within a few seconds he has again resumed his normal breath. "Shoulders loose." he is chanting to himself quietly, "Face forward, neck straight." There are other words as well, but he stops as meets Gabriel's gaze. "I need a lot of practice."

"Do it again, now," Gabriel orders. "Then do it a second time because I know you'll screw up the first time."

Jaxain nods, quicker on the uptake this time. "Yes, Special Agent!" he says, his gaze focused off on the distance. He takes off again, this time maybe very slightly under the speed of his original charge, but with much improved posture. His shoulders aren't a problem as he very rarely gets tired, but he keeps messing up his footing if he isn't careful. And he has trouble with his neck posture. But the second lap sees further improvements, and by this time things are coming more and more natural to the large man.

When Jaxain comes to a half, Gabriel circles him. "Well, I suppose that was less pathetic." Compliment? "You got the shoulder idea - obviously *ONLY* the idea - so keep going down the extremities. The arms." Colonel Gabriel Blaze, United States Marine Corps, Third corps, Tenth division, commanding officer, 21st Brigade Combat Strike Team, Camp Lejune, North Carolina, Senior Special Agent, commanding officer Black Flag units, Central Intelligence Agency is clearly not impressed, but definitely knows how to train people. "Running is lower body, but God in His infinite wisdom gave us arms to work with that don't just hang there." His own hands are on the other man's body again. "Your hands control the tension in your upper body, and your arm swing works in conjunction with your leg stride to move you forward. Keep your hands in an *unclenched* fist, with your fingers lightly touching your palms." His hands very delicately put Jax's hands in the correct position. He then backs off and gives the final bit of this portion of instruction. "Imagine yourself trying to carry a potato chip in each hand without crushing it. Your arms should swing mostly forward and back, not across your body, between waist and lower-chest level. Your elbows should be bent at about a 90-degree angle. When you feel your fists clenching or your forearms tensing, drop your arms to your sides and shake them out for a few seconds to release the tension, or again - just stop and wait." Once again, pointing. "Go. Three times around."

Jaxain is again shocked at how complicated a thing simply running should be. "Holy crap, I always though you should clench your fist..." He says to himself, staring at his hands as he tries to keep all these things straight in his mind. He takes off again, but this time with even more information. And he goes, off at an incredible speed... for a turtle on a dry day... "Crap." comes floating back on the breeze as he keeps having to slow down or stop to readjust his posture. His hands prove to be a major obstacle, as his old habit was to clench as hard as he could and keep his arms at his sides - not swing them with his movements. By the end of the three laps, he is starting to get a bit better, but he obviously has miles (literally) to go before he can do it without thinking about the details. He is finally starting to breathe heavily after this many laps of the huge field, as well. It is quite a distance around.

"Okay. When you practice - and I mean it, I expect a good four hours a day at this, Jax - go buy a bag of chips. Use 'em." Gabriel gives another directive. "Control your breathing when you relax. Don't take in big, deep breaths and then let them out in a whoosh. Not shallow, either. Find the mid-point." He circles, hands behind his back, apprising the other man. "With the concepts of 'running' and 'breathing' in mind, what do you think your torso should be doing?" His tone isn't as violent as before, but still... the kind of thing that most people will listen to. He then stops in front of Jaxain and makes a deliberate motion to look at the ground and the other man's feet. His eyes rise. "Get yourself some proper boots, they'll help you out a lot."

And indeed they would, as his worn down wrap sandals surely don't provide anything near optimal traction. "Yes, Special Agent." He replies, giving Gabriel a smile. "At least four hours a day?" He nods. "Ok, sure. I'm going to go do a few more laps right now and make sure I jam all you taught me deep in my head, then I'm gonna go get a few bags of chips like you said." He looks down at his legs and arms, a little like a child examining a new toy. "My torso..." he ponders the question for a moment, "Staying straight?" He says, straightening his own back out as he speaks the words.

"If you want to say it the kid way, yeah," Gabriel barks. "You 'run tall,' which means that you need to stretch yourself up to your full height with your back straight - but comfortable. If you start to slouch, *then* you take a deep breath and you'll naturally straighten. Exhale, and maintain the posture." He looks the man over once more. "Building the structure from the top down, today. Five laps, best speed. Fifteen seconds to rest at the end of each lap and tell me how you screwed up and are going to do it better the next time." An arm goes at straight. "MOVE!"

Jaxain takes off again, still out of breath from his last laps, and does his best to follow the directions given. But his best isn't all that good, at least not yet. He arrives back, taking deep breaths and trying to stop from breathing too fast. "Ok, I was clenching my fists, made my arms stay at my side. This time I'm gonna focus on the bag of chips." He says, taking off again. Next turn around, he can't speak right away. He needs a second to gather his breath. "Breathing too fast, fists still clench when I don't focus on them, keep looking down at my damn feet. Just realized that, been doing it for a while. Gonna keep my head up." And he's off again!!

Gabriel listens and yells after the the other man as he takes off, "If holding chips carefully doesn't work for you, think of it as trying to hold your balls without dropping or crushing them!"

Jaxain almost messes up as he struggles not to chuckle - a chuckle at this point would make him fall over. He arrives again, and even more out of breath. This time he takes longer to get a few words out. "Balls ok, keep looking down too much, am going to stare at the horizon." And that's all the time he was given, so again he runs off. By the fourth lap, he uses up nearly all the time catching his breath. "Breathing bad, shoulders tight. Shake arms loose." He's tired enough now that the fist clenching isn't a problem - it would take energy he doesn't have. By the final lap he's going far slower, but his muscle memory is doing a bit more of the work for him. Might be the best posture he's shown so far, though it's still far from perfect.

Eventually, his pupil will land at his feet - or perhaps maintain an upright posture, either way works. "So. I guess you completely forgot about the part where I said 'stop' if you can't do the other things? You probably wasted time and *energy* by forcing things that you can't do yet. It's not quitting, it's being smart - one area where the brain does come into play." After a brief hesitation he asks, "Make sense? If I'm wrong, please tell me that I'm wrong, and you were right to keep running."

Jaxain doesn't sit down, though it looks like he very much wants too. He shakes his head. "Scared..." huf huf huff "Yelling" puff puff huff "Red face" He manages to get out, giving Gabriel his best attempt at a smile. Eventually he manages to get his wind back, and he does a few simple stretches. "Whew, that felt good." He wipes some of the rain and sweat from his eyes. "Probably should have stopped, but ..." he shrugs.

"Scared yelling red face? Do I look like a goddamn Comanche chief or something?" Gabriel belts out. "Run, and I don't want you coming back breathless this time! GO!"

Jaxain doesn't get the reference, again, but once again reacts to Gabriel's drill instructor mode and takes off. Much slower this time, with more thinking involved, and he stops now and then. He goes over the posture, checks his form and works out a few kinks, and then keeps going. It's by far the longest lap he's taken so far, but also by far the most productive. "Huh, that was way better."

"Yes," Gabriel says and for the first time offers even tiny compliment: "Slightly better, at least I didn't think you were going to fall on your face or die at my feet." Then a more pleasant nod. "Take a minute to walk around. Your muscles aren't used to this, so they're going to hurt. Just work 'em for a couple of minutes, and we'll continue."

Jaxain does just that, walking around for a time while he lets his muscles loosen and his breath fully return to him. "Whew, that was a pretty decent little run." He swings his arms from side to side, stretching his neck out as he continues to pace slowly. "Ok, I think I'm good."

"Okay, stand easy. Stand like you're ready to run, but not actually tensed to do it." Gabriel moves around, making minor adjustments and offering the critical verbal instruction. "Your hips are your center of gravity, so they're key to good running posture. If you get the torso right, it'll help ensure that your hips will also be in the right spot. If you pull it off, your hips naturally fall into proper alignment - pointing you straight ahead, as you might expect," he says, pausing for moment. Then, "If you allow your torso to hunch over or lean too far forward when you run, your pelvis will tilt forward as well -" he jams a fist in the right spot to indicate where it'll hurt, "which can put pressure on your lower back, and then throw the rest of your lower body out of alignment. So... when aligning your hips, think of your pelvis as a bowl filled with marbles, then try not to spill the marbles by tilting the bowl. Or alternatively a bowl filled with your own testicles, that you don't want to drop." He stops to straighten the man's shirt-collar, as if it were important. Maybe it is to him. "No questions? Two laps."

Jaxain smirks at the off color remarks, but otherwise just nods and follows directions as best he can. "If I keep the torso straight, the rest will follow." He repeats to himself. Then he nods, and starts to run again. This time his pace is a moderation between his full on run, and the slow learning jog he was using previously. He obviously needs quite a bit more practice, but he is doing his best to follow directions as given. He has to stop a few times during his two laps, taking the time to go over his posture in it's entirety each time he has to adjust something. He's spilling testicles left and right, but at least there are more left in the bowl now than on his previous laps.

"Not as bad as it used to be," is Gabriel's compliment. "Now we're going below the waist. This is obviously here the power comes from, and the proper stride. Still, it needs to be broken down. "*Sprinters* lift their knees high, but *runners* don't need the exaggeration. It's too hard to sustain. Again, efficiency. Endurance running requires just a slight knee lift, a quick leg turnover, and a short stride." He gets in Jax's face. "You catch that? A *short* stride!" He walks away again, gesturing with his hands. "Keep these things together, and you'll get fluid forward motion instead of the wasted verticals. Your feet should land *directly underneath* your body. Not in front. You aren't reaching to make the stride." He turns once more, to face his pupil. "When your foot strikes the ground, your knee needs to be flexed enough that it can take the shock, and flex. If *anything* below your knee sticks in front of your vertical plane? You're doing it wrong. Questions?" Pause... no it seems as if he is actually open for questions right now.

Jaxain hesitates for a moment, then nods. "Ok, so a short stride is faster than a long stride." He shakes his head. "No, no questions." He bends down and does a few quick stretches, then stands up and assumes the running stance Gabriel showed him. He keeps his shoulders loose, his hands open and ready to match his stride, and his neck and back straight. Then he takes off, but slowly. At first he has to think with every step, making sure his strides are short and efficient and not his normal bull-charge. A few times he stops, re-checking his posture and making the odd adjustment, before he continues, finally completing the long lap and arriving back at Gabriel. "I see what you mean, that takes a lot less outta ya."

"Indeed, it does," Gabriel says with a sage nod. "One more touch, then some torture, and I'll leave you to exercise on your own. Just keep your feet beneath your vertical plane. You kept kicking out last time." He pauses and circles again before saying, "This may be the most important part. Where the tires meet the pavement, so to speak. To run well, you need to push off the ground with maximum force - obviously. With each step, your foot should hit the ground lightly, not like you're running right now, as if your feet are bricks. You want to land between your heel and midfoot - then *quickly* roll forward onto the ball of your foot. Keep your ankle flexed as your foot rolls forward, it'll create more force for the next push-off." Gabriel's making curved, circular motions with his hands as he explains. "As you roll onto your toes, spring off the ground. Your calf muscles are the ones that will first push you forward, *then* the rest of your leg. If your feet slap, you're doing it wrong." The man points a figure at the other man's nose - about two inches away - and says, "Real running is springy and quiet. It means that you're running well, and maybe save your ass by people not hearing you coming from a mile away."

Surprise makes itself plain upon Jax's face as he considers these last words. "Huh, I always figured you just, you know, kinda kick down and bend forward." He nods again, pondering these points before swinging his arms from side to side again, taking a few deep breaths - holding - and releasing, and assuming again the posture Gabriel showed him. "It's a similar step moving quietly, just at a faster pace and with different leg movements, right?" He asks, with one eyebrow raised. He waits for the answer, then moves off again to run a lap around the airfield. This time he pauses even more than before, constantly having to readjust his gait and step to match what he is trying to learn.

"Depends on what kind of quiet step you're trying to take," Gabriel says as Jaxain heads off. He watches his student make the full circuit. "Okay. But now you're going overboard. Yes, stop if you need to. But don't constantly stop, or you'll never get there. Run me one more," he says with a smile.

Jaxain nods, his face tight with concentration. He's sweating fairly heavily by now, having been out here running for hours. He doesn't have any leftover energy to reply to Gabriel, so he merely nods, and takes off again. This time he only stops once, when his tiring legs almost start to give out underneath him due to the strain of using unfamiliar muscles, but the circuit is still his slowest yet. His posture is getting better, but clearly it's mostly conceptual and not as ingrained into his muscles as it should be. Yet. "Wow, holy crap." He wheezes, doing his best to give Gabriel a grin. "It's a lot of stuff to remember. I'm going to have to run again soon to make sure I remember it all."

Gabriel frowns. "Once more, pansy! Run with me, do it like a soldier who owns a pair. You know what a Jody call is? Figure it out! MOVE!" He makes a motion to follow - and takes off, obviously expecting to be followed.

Jaxain grimaces, but it soon turns into a smile as he follows after the older man. He's a good deal slower than Gabriel, but he does his best to keep up. Not only that though, but he keeps an eye on the running posture Gabriel uses and tries to put what he has learned to use imitating it. "Yes Special Agent!" He wheezes out as loud as he can.

Gabriel calls out in a strong voice, a phrase with a cadence and even an enjoyable if not slight melody, "Here I am with one old man!"

Jaxain is slow on the uptake, and isn't exactly sure what is expected. But he likes singing, and right now it would really take his mind off of the stitch developing in his gut. "Here I am with one old man!" He calls out, following Gabriel's tones as close as he can.

"Hope he really has a plan!"

Jaxain is again a bit slower than might be expected, focusing on his breathing. "Hope he really has a plan!"

Gabriel has no trouble. Decades of learning, decades of being the caller. "Although his wife sleeps beneath the grass!"

Jaxain nearly stumbles at that part, but is quick to take it up. "Although his wife sleeps beneath the grass!"

"I KNOW THAT SHE COULD KICK MY ASS! SOUND OFF!"

Jaxain smiles, finding a rhythm with the song, "I KNOW THAT SHE COULD KICK MY ASS!" He hesitates slightly, wracking his brain for what he has heard Mercs say to that... he decides to gamble. "ONE-TWO!"

As the old warrior continues to crunch his way through the rain and around the landing strip, he calls out barked instructions as to what Jaxain's doing wrong. Then resumes the cadence with a quick, "Left left left right left left left right." Then again, "Traveling through time ain't bad!"

Jaxain does his best to follow Gabriel's instructions, though his lungs are on fire and his legs are starting to get wobbly. "Traveling through time ain't bad!" He is glad to have another cadence to bark out, as it honestly does seem to make the running easier.

"But it don't make the Agent glad!"

Jaxain is faster on the uptake this time, his breathing already starting to match the cadence. "But it don't make the Agent glad!"

"He'll come upon me in the night!"

Jaxain actually has to fight to stifle a laugh this time, and that makes him stumble slightly, though he hopes Gabriel doesn't notice it. "He'll come upon me in the night!"

Gabriel shoots a glare behind him as he growl-yells, "Slit my thought without a fight! HOOoooooooooo" The last part will take up the space of the eight steps necessary to come to a halt.

Jaxain is starting to go loopy from all the running and exercise. He was pushing himself too hard, possibly, as he is only now learning the art of pacing during a run. He doesn't even notice the glare, but he is still smiling though his eyes are slightly out of focus. "Slit my throat without a fight! HHoooooouhhhhhh." He stops soon after Gabriel does, and bends over to rest his hands on his knees. "Whhoooooooo."

Gabriel comes to a halt, clearly not bothered by the run, even at what many would probably laugh at as an advanced age. "Practice, Jaxain. Like I said, I want you out here four hours a day, *minimum*. If you don't do it, you might as well not do it at all, because it won't take. But it looks like you have the basics down well enough. Now run off and find yourself a nice girl to date, marry and bed. In that order." He offers up the first genuine smile since the lessons started, and calls over his shoulder as he walks away, "Remember, when people keep their mouths shut, you never know exactly who it is that you're dealing with. Even me." A wink, and he's off at his own ground-eating pace.

Jaxain just watches Gabriel's retreating form, not at all able to catch up even if he wanted too. He smiles and gives the older man a tired wave, then just gives up on his clothing and lies down in the muddy field. Opening his mouth, he tries to get as much rain as he can down his parched throat. He will run later on this evening, after he has had some food. But right now? A little dirt nap seems like an awesome idea.