Chapter 78: Special Sprint Training
"It's not a problem at all, I've been looking forward to this day for a long time!"
With confidence brimming, Kitasan Black patted her chest energetically and declared,
"No matter what kind of training it is, I'll follow trainer's instructions and see it through to the very end. That's what I promised from the start!"
"Mm. Very good. You're full of spirit."
With such a highly motivated Umamusume before him, Makoto also felt fired up. He pointed toward the track and smiled.
"Then go warm up first. I'll get the equipment ready."
"Right! I'm off to warm up!"
Snapping to attention and answering loudly, Kitasan Black gave a cheerful "Hee-ya!" before dashing toward the track. Soon after, she was running her warm-up laps along the oval, her voice ringing out in rhythmic "Hoya! Hoya!" shouts.
It was still early, so there weren't many other Umamusumes training on the grounds. In the open space, the black-haired girl's energetic calls echoed again and again.
While warming up, Kitasan Black kept most of her focus on running, but every so often she stole a curious glance in Makoto's direction.
She had hardly ever heard of this "parachute sprint training" before.
When she first heard the term, she had wondered if it was the kind of parachute used when jumping from a high place—how would that work for running?
It was only after listening to Makoto's explanation that she learned it involved strapping a parachute to one's back and using the wind resistance during different sprint distances to improve one's explosive acceleration.
That, however, raised another question.
If she had a parachute strapped to her back while running… would she get blown away?
With that curiosity still in mind, she completed the required warm-up distance, jogged lightly to cool down, and then made her way over to Makoto to start her stretching.
Among all of Makoto's training instructions, the one thing he emphasized most was safety. He had even given her plenty of examples before.
If she didn't follow instructions properly, it wasn't impossible to get injured during training.
If she were careless and ended up hurt, it would not only delay upcoming races but, more importantly, could affect her entire future career.
She understood this very well.
One of her biggest inspirations was the dazzling performance of her senior, Tokai Teio.
Yet that same senior, after winning two crowns undefeated, had been forced to skip the Kikuka Sho due to injury, and later fell into a slump for a long time for the same reason.
Having witnessed such a thing, of course she felt deeply pained.
It also served as a constant reminder to herself to follow trainer's guidance and not worry others with injuries.
So, trotting up to the fence and still brimming with curiosity about the special training ahead, Kitasan Black patiently did her leg presses and torso twists.
Once she finished every part of her preparation without cutting corners, her excitement began to build.
"Trainer! I'm done warming up!"
"Good. Here, put this on."
Having noticed her finishing her warm-up, Makoto—now done preparing the equipment—motioned for Kitasan Black to come closer and handed her a vest that looked like something for bungee jumping.
Wearing a look of curiosity, she put on the specially made vest, and soon a familiar feeling came over her.
"Huh? This feels… kind of like when we practiced stomping down and bounding runs."
"The principle is similar," Makoto said as he picked up a parachute that had been ready at his feet and strapped it to her back, "but the intensity is much higher."
"You don't have to worry about that. This level of intensity is just right for you at this stage."
"Your basic training has reached a solid enough level. Theoretically, if we improve your sprinting power now, we would see a noticeable improvement on your performance in your next race."
"And with a training race coming up soon, by focusing on sprint training now, we'll be able to compare your data before and after to make adjustments."
These days, Kitasan Black could clearly sense that Makoto was explaining more and more to her during guidance.
She found this change thrilling.
It meant her abilities were being recognized more and more—things she might not have understood before, he now believed she could grasp.
With that excitement in mind, she listened attentively to the rest of the training instructions before confidently returning to the track.
Compared to when she had warmed up earlier, she now had something extra—like a new "tail."
Her "new tail" was a set of parachutes.
The cords were evenly spaced above, below, left, and right from her back, with the other ends tied to four canopies.
Each canopy was about the size of a square table, all held firmly in Makoto's hands.
Holding the tops of the parachutes, he stood four or five meters away, pulling the cords taut. Looking toward Kitasan Black's back, he raised his voice.
"Ready? This is the 100-meter parachute sprint special training."
"Yes! I'm ready, Trainer!"
"OK. Same as before—on three. Three, two… one!"
The moment the word "one" left his mouth, Makoto released his hands, and the parachutes immediately dropped.
Before they even touched the ground, Kitasan Black suddenly surged forward. In an instant, the four parachutes snapped open, billowing out behind her.
Quickly sidestepping the abruptly blooming canopies, Makoto broke into a jog toward the side and then followed along.
It was easy to see that, just like in her usual sprint training, the black-haired girl's form and stride were fine—but her speed was only a little more than half of what it normally was.
In Umamusume training, sprint speed was roughly 14 to 15 meters per second. Half of that, plus a bit, was about 8 or 9 meters per second.
For a human, catching up to that speed wasn't too difficult.
But Makoto wasn't planning to run alongside her.
The parachutes created a lot of drag, and they were hard to control.
Especially for beginners—stride, wind conditions, and speed could all cause the parachutes' orientation to shift.
Kitasan Black was no exception. At the start, her sprint had been fine, but her later steps became slightly unsteady.
The reason why he's running alongside her was to ensure her safety and to judge whether he should switch to a different type of parachute.
Meanwhile, Kitasan Black could clearly feel how different this training was.
She had done weight-drag training and resistance-band runs before.
Even outside training—when she encountered a stalled truck or heavy cargo that couldn't be moved—she would eagerly help pull it to its destination.
In those cases, the resistance from behind was clear, direct, and perfectly aligned in a straight line.
But this parachute work was completely different.
In terms of weight alone, the parachutes were far lighter than a tire, resistance bands, or a truck—at least, they felt that way.
Yet the pulling sensation they created far surpassed the others, and the way the force was applied was different too.
The parachutes' drag spread evenly across her whole body, as if countless hands were grabbing her at once, desperately trying to pull her backward.
On top of that, even the slightest change in her footwork or posture caused a dramatic shift in the pull she felt from behind.
Those sudden changes immediately disrupted her balance, to the point that she couldn't even maintain a basic stride.
'I-it's so hard…'
She never expected this kind of special training to be this difficult.
Just as she was thinking that, a voice suddenly came from beside her.
"All right, you can stop now."
Recognizing Makoto's voice instantly, she stopped on reflex and turned her head.
"T-Trainer, I…"
Without realizing it, her ears drooped slightly in discouragement.
"I… ran pretty badly just now, didn't I?"
Makoto thought for a moment before deciding to be honest.
"Yeah, it looks awful, but you are a beginner at this, so that's a given."
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