Chapter 313: Should I Catch Up Now?
Kitasan Black did not hear Almond Eye's cheering.
Aside from the familiar sound of the wind, her ears were filled with too many unfamiliar things—English and other languages she couldn't recognize, whistles and shouts that would be considered frivolous and impolite in Japan, and the constant pattering of flying mud and sand.
All of it was unfamiliar to her.
Her sense of smell and physical sensations were just as foreign.
The scent of the dirt track—completely different from turf—pushed into her nose, mixing with sweat. From her nasal passages down to her chest, it felt as if everything was being scraped by sandpaper, an intensely uncomfortable sensation.
Her vision, too, was filled with unfamiliar elements—not just the overwhelming amount of mud flying toward her, but also a strange blur.
It wasn't entirely unfamiliar. She knew it was caused by sweat mixing with dirt, forming mud that clung to the corners of her eyes.
Even so, she forced her eyes open wider and increased her blinking.
This was something she had just vaguely recalled—a tip her Trainer had given her during her debut race.
No Umamusume can stay in first place the entire time. Sooner or later, you'll fall behind—you'll have to chase.
The figure ahead of you, the flying grass, the mud and sand—these will all become real obstacles and mental pressure. I want you to start getting used to them now.
Especially by experiencing them in real races.
She couldn't recall her Trainer exact words—she had written them down in her notebook back then—but she was certain that was the meaning.
She was grateful that, from her very debut, she had followed her Trainer guidance and experienced situations like this.
The mud flying from behind California Chrome was indeed overwhelming, and the pressure it created was not small.
But this was still just a practice race. Compared to her debut race, the impact and pressure from the mud were nothing worth mentioning.
What was worth noting… was the dirt-track technique displayed by that golden figure ahead.
Relying on the experience and skills she had gained since her debut, Kitasan Black endured the rain of mud and stayed close behind California Chrome—just to analyze her technique.
She remembered clearly—her Trainer had said that racing ultimately comes down to running, and running ultimately comes down to fundamentals: breathing, arm swing, stride length, and stride frequency.
And extending from that, so-called techniques, running styles, and strategies are just different combinations of those fundamentals.
Of course, her trainer had also said that this was only a way of thinking—a methodology—and that applying it in real races required a great deal of practice.
But right now, that way of thinking… seemed to be enough.
She had already noticed something.
This blonde, blue-eyed Umamusume ahead of her was taller, with longer legs. Each step she took was longer, and her running was incredibly smooth.
She was like a golden arrow streaking across the dirt track, facing no resistance at all.
In contrast, Kitasan Black—whose steps were once sharp and nimble on turf—now felt as clumsy as a bear. Each step was like sinking into thick honey, sticky and heavy.
But that was only on the surface.
Compared to turf… the footsteps ahead were also sluggish!
Which meant—she wasn't as effortless as she appeared. She, too, had to deal with the sticky resistance unique to dirt tracks!
Realizing this, a flash of understanding crossed Kitasan Black's eyes, and a conclusion formed in her mind.
California Chrome's height, leg length, and stride size were secondary.
The key lay in her stride frequency—
Or rather, the balance between stride length and stride frequency.
Her steps were large, yet her frequency wasn't low!
Since no one could avoid the resistance of the dirt, the solution was to minimize contact with the ground.
That's why her strides were so large, and her step frequency so high—she was reducing how often her feet touched the dirt!
Then… I need to adjust my running form to match this—no, to one that suits me best!
The moment she reached this realization, Kitasan Black immediately recalled a special training period from last year.
Training camp.
Most Umamusume from the academy had gone to the seaside for their camp, following the academy's recommendations.
But she preferred the mountains, so she went there instead.
Still, her Trainer had arranged for her to undergo similar training to what one would do at the beach.
For example—
Sand training.
Naturally, there were no beaches in the mountains—only riverbanks.
Her Trainer had specifically found a stretch of river suitable for running. There, under the guidance and assistance of Silence Suzuka and Rice Shower, she had undergone quite a long period of special training.
She had already noticed it back then—the sensation under her feet was extremely rough. With every step, she could clearly feel the friction between her cleat and the ground, completely different from the smoothness of turf.
Before, she had only focused on how different it felt, and how uncomfortable it was.
But now she realized that—even if the sensations weren't exactly the same, some of the feedback was similar.
For example, the resistance of the dirt track beneath her feet was far greater than turf. And during training camp, the resistance of the riverbank had also been much greater than turf.
Since both involved resistance, then the same method of dealing with it could be applied.
"So… then…"
Her mind raced as she silently stared at California Chrome's back, beginning to adjust everything she felt.
First—her feet.
Inside her running shoes, her toes gripped firmly, but she made sure the pads of her toes and the front of her foot didn't press tightly together.
Her arch lifted high, the sole of her foot drawing inward with force.
From the side, her entire foot now resembled a shovel.
This was one of the techniques for high-resistance surfaces. The greater the resistance, the more effective this backward "shoveling" motion became.
Such as heavy turf, sandy beaches, riverbanks, and… dirt tracks.
Next—her calves.
This shoveling force could not rely mainly on the calves. Their strength was relatively weak, and overuse could lead to cramps.
Instead, the calves should be treated like the "handle of the shovel," with the real power coming from the thighs, hips, and waist—along with the forward-leaning force generated by the upper body and arm swings.
Then came the adjustment of her thighs and everything above—both in terms of power and the stride length and frequency she had just analyzed.
California Chrome was taller and had longer legs. Completely imitating her would only backfire.
Her own rhythm—the rhythm she was familiar with—that was the rhythm that could win.
Repeating her Trainer words about rhythm in her mind, after adjusting her power, Kitasan Black slowly began to feel out a stride, step frequency, and rhythm that resembled California Chrome's—but was uniquely her own.
And by the time her eyes lit up, finally finding that rhythm…
The race was already halfway over.
Two to three lengths ahead, California Chrome still held the lead.
With her golden hair streaming in the wind, she looked like a comet charging forward without hesitation.
And the trailing flare of that comet—the storm of mud that had once been right in her face—was now still close… yet somehow no longer affecting her.
Startled for a brief moment by this sudden realization, Kitasan Black quickly understood what had happened.
While she had been thinking, she had also been silently adjusting her technique, running form, and footwork—naturally, her speed had dropped.
Yet instinctively, she had still been chasing California Chrome.
With those two streams of thought intertwining, she had unconsciously settled into a similar running style—and just happened to fall into a position that felt extremely comfortable.
Now that her running form and position were more or less set, and with 1000 meters remaining…
And her stamina… still not exhausted.
Then—
Should she accelerate now?
Should she reclaim the lead?
Silently, her gaze locked onto California Chrome's back, Kitasan Black pondered this question in her heart.