Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 313 Should we chase after them now?
The northern black horse did not hear the almond's shouts.

Besides the familiar sound of the wind, there were so many unfamiliar things in my ears.

Shouts in English and various other languages ​​I don’t know, whistles and onomatopoeia that are considered very frivolous and impolite in Japan, and the rustling of sand and dust filling the air.

These were all things she was unfamiliar with.

Smell and sensation are also unfamiliar.

The smell of mud, so different from that of the grass, entered her nostrils, mixed with sweat, making her feel as if she were being rubbed with sandpaper from her nasal cavity to her chest, which was very uncomfortable.

There were too many unfamiliar things in my field of vision, not only the frightening amount of mud splashing in my face, but also a very strange sense of blurriness.

It wasn't completely unfamiliar; she knew it was sweat mixed with mud, forming a blurry sensation in the corners of her eyes.

But she kept her eyes wide open and blinked more frequently.

This was something she had just vaguely remembered—a tip that Yasui Makoto had told her during her debut battle.

No racehorse girl can stay in first place forever, so you will inevitably fall behind and have to catch up with your rivals.

The shadows in front of you, the grass clippings, the mud and sand—these will all become real obstacles and mental pressure. I hope you will start to gradually adapt to them now.

Especially by adapting to these through real matches.

She had written down exactly what Yasui Makoto said in her notebook, but she couldn't completely repeat the original words now.

But she was certain that was what she meant.

She was grateful that she had experienced something similar to what she was going through when she debuted, following Yasui Makoto's instructions.

California's shimmering surface is indeed burdened by a great deal of silt and sand, creating considerable pressure.

But this was just a practice match after all. Even compared to the debut match, the impact and pressure from the mud and sand were not enough.

What's truly impressive is the mud-walking skill displayed by the golden figure ahead.

Drawing on her early experience and the skills she had acquired, she braved the mud and rain to follow California Shining closely, all to confirm their techniques.

She remembered clearly that Yasui Makoto had said that competition is ultimately about running, and running is ultimately about the basics of breathing, arm swing, stride length, and stride frequency.

Going back further, the so-called skills, running methods, and tactics are all different combinations of basic skills.

Of course, my trainer also said that this is just a way of thinking or a methodology, and a lot of practice is needed to apply it to the competition.

However, this approach and methodology seem sufficient for now.

She had already discovered something in California Shine.

This blonde, blue-eyed racehorse was taller and had longer legs than her, took bigger strides, and ran extremely smoothly.

The opponent was like a golden arrow shot rapidly across muddy ground, encountering no resistance whatsoever.

Looking at myself, my once nimble steps on the grass now felt as clumsy as a bear's, each step feeling like sinking into sticky honey, gooey and incredibly heavy.

But this is just appearance.

Compared to the grass, the footsteps ahead... were actually quite sluggish!
This shows that she didn't have it as easy as she seemed; she also had to deal with the stickiness of the mud!

Upon realizing this, Beifang Xuanju's eyes flashed with sudden understanding, and he came to a conclusion.

California's brilliance lies in his stride frequency, not just his height, leg length, and gait.

Or, in other words, the ratio of stride length to stride frequency.

She took long strides, but her pace wasn't slow!

Since the sluggishness of muddy ground is unavoidable, we can simply reduce our contact with the ground.

That's why she takes such big steps and has such a high cadence; she's trying to reduce the number of times her feet come into contact with the mud!

Therefore, I also need to adjust my running posture to this one, preferably the one that I'm most comfortable with!
Upon realizing this, the Northern Black Steed instantly recalled the special training he had undergone last year.

Training camp.

Most of the training camps for Uma Musume Girls at the academy were held at the beach, as recommended by the academy.

She preferred to play in the mountains, so she went there. But Yasui also arranged special training for her at the beach.

For example, beach training.

The mountains don't have beaches like the seaside, but they do have riverbanks.

Yasui Makoto specially found a suitable section of the river for her to run on, where she trained for quite some time under the guidance and assistance of Yasui Makoto, Silent Suzuka, and Miyu.

She had already noticed that the ground beneath her feet was extremely rough, and with each step she could feel the friction between the horseshoes and the soil, a stark contrast to the smoothness of the grass.

She had been so focused on experiencing this difference that she was suffering because of it.

It was only then that I realized that even though the tactile sensations were not exactly the same, some of the feedback was similar.

For example, the resistance of muddy ground is much greater than that of grass, and the resistance of riverbanks during training camps is also much greater than that of grass.

Since they are all obstacles, we can consider the same approach.

"So...then..."

With his mind racing and his eyes fixed on the dazzling figure of California, Northern Black Horse began to adjust to everything he was sensing.

First, the feet.

The toes are firmly gripped inside the running shoes, but the pads of the toes and the forefoot are not allowed to touch.

The arch of the foot is high and the sole of the foot is forcefully pulled inward.

In this way, the entire foot looks like a shovel when viewed from the side.

This is one of the techniques for playing on high-resistance surfaces. The greater the resistance, the better this method of applying force by "shoveling" the ground backwards will be.

For example, grassy areas, beaches, riverbanks, and... muddy areas.

Next up are the calves.

When shoveling, you should never rely primarily on the strength of your calves, as weak calves can lead to risks such as cramps.

Think of your calves as the "handle of a shovel," and use more of the forward leaning power generated by the swinging of your thighs, waist, hips, upper body, and arms.

Then, adjust the power generation from the thighs and above, not only the power generation, but also the steps and stride frequency that were just confirmed.

California Shining is taller and has longer legs than you, so completely imitating her would be counterproductive.

The rhythm that belongs to you, the rhythm that you are familiar with, is the rhythm that will lead to victory.

Silently reciting Yasui Makoto's words about rhythm, and after adjusting his exertion, Kita Genko slowly began to feel the steps, frequency, and rhythm that were similar to California Shine, yet also unique to himself.

By the time her eyes lit up and she finally found her own rhythm, the competition was already halfway through.

Two or three horse lengths ahead, California Shining is still in the lead.

With his long, golden hair flying in the wind, this opponent looked like a comet charging forward relentlessly.

The comet's tail flame was right there, yet it had somehow become oblivious to the mud and sand rain curtain that was affecting it.

Stunned for a moment by this sudden discovery, the Northern Black Horse quickly realized what was going on.

She had not only been thinking, but also silently adjusting her technique, running posture, and footwork, which naturally slowed her down.

But instinctively, she was still chasing California's brilliance.

With these two thoughts intertwined, she unconsciously adjusted her running style and ended up in a position that felt very comfortable to her.

Now that my running style and position are almost perfect, there are still 1000 meters to go, and my stamina... is still up to par.

So……

Should we chase after them now and try to regain our lead?

Silently, staring intently at the dazzling figure of California, Northern Black Horse thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)