As Grand Ekinoks's trainer, it's now time to prepare a training program for her.
It's important to tailor a personal program for each Umamusume. Although they live to run but they are, just like us humans, individuals with feelings, thoughts, and preferences. They also have things they don't like.
For now, I'll follow a standard program until I find the best plan for her. This is a standard practice that every trainer uses and there's no point in doing something different.
At the TJC Academy, Umamusume study for six hours a day on weekdays. Weekends are holidays for the Umamusume. There are also holidays during winter and summer.
The TJC Academy isn't much different from a university campus. Besides the school building, there are gyms, a swimming pool, cafeterias, and the dormitories where the Umamusume stay. There are also houses prepared for us, the traniers.
Each tranier doesn't have a dedicated room at the school. So for some traniers, their houses are also the places where they work and talk with the Umamusume.
Now that I've explained all that, I was waiting for the end of her classes so we could meet on the grassy field for Grand Ekinoks's first day of training.
When Grand Ekinoks arrived, I saw she was wearing the same clothes as when I first saw her and the same hooded cape.
"Do I have to do exactly as you say?"
Her mood was grumpy as ever.
"Not yet. We'll follow the standard program for a while. How was the first day at the school?"
"Boring."
"Ha, I can guess. School is boring but you can make friends there."
While I said this, Grand Ekinoks started stretching. Every Umamusume knows what the standard program looks like. After a few light stretches, there are 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats.
"My classmates keep asking why I wear the cape."
"I understand… If it's not a secret, may I ask why?"
At that moment, Grand Ekinoks stopped stretching and began to stare at me intently. It was obvious she was trying to hide her slight hunch. She spoke up, removing her hood.
"This is from my mother."
For some reason, hearing this answer made me feel that she wasn't just wearing the hooded cape to hide her slight hunch. I wanted to shift the topic to friends.
"So you haven't made any friends?"
"I don't have any friends except my roommate Cannon."
She said she had one friend now, and I would have liked to see that number grow. I don't want her to be asocial like me.
After this conversation, the training program continued with a 15-minute light jog on the grass track. Then, 15 minutes of light jogging on the sand track.
Next, three laps of high-intensity running on both tracks, and after all that, she headed to the pool for regeneration.
Staying in the swimming pool for about 10 minutes is enough. What's done in the pool depends on the trainer's initiative. I wanted her to stay more in the water rather than swimming.
I took notes throughout the day and began thinking about the best training program for Grand Ekinoks.