It was a while after Yasui Makoto finished speaking that Kitasan Black let out a stunned gasp.
"T-Trainer, you… you're not joking, are you?"
"Do I look like I'm joking right now?"
As he retorted, Yasui Makoto methodically attached the protective gear from the truck bed, along with the off-road bicycle, onto himself.
Helmet, waist protector, elbow pads, knee pads. Specialized nylon straps wrapped around the bike frame, and metal buckles bit into his chest and waist.
Once secured, he flicked the bicycle's rear wheel, which was hanging by his waist, feeling the spokes whirring through the air. He then looked at the bewildered Kitasan Black.
"Your stamina and endurance are excellent, but they've never been truly tested in long-distance races. Do you know what the biggest challenge in a race like the Kikuka Sho is?"
"Is it… what?" Kitasan Black repeated, dazed.
"Here."
Tapping his temple to indicate the mind, Yasui Makoto said in a deep voice:
"Every 100 meters, or even just 1 meter, added to the race distance doesn't simply increase physical exertion. It multiplies it.
"Perhaps you recover faster than others after a race, but when you're exerting your full strength during a race, your brain will still be unresponsive, as if deprived of oxygen.
"The test of long-distance running is who can maintain a superior sense of perception and judgment even when their consciousness is unclear and their vision is blurring.
"Judging where the finish line is. Judging the state of your opponents. Judging how you should run next."
In an instant, scenes from past training sessions and races flashed through Kitasan Black's mind. She could almost feel the sensations of those moments again.
Her forehead felt as if it were clamped by an iron band. Her throat felt as if it had been cut by a knife. Her chest felt crushed by a giant boulder, making it impossible to breathe. She uncontrollably opened her mouth and took several deep breaths.
"Do you feel it now?"
Seeing Kitasan Black's reaction, Yasui Makoto smiled briefly before his expression quickly turned serious again.
"You've had long-distance and endurance training before, but you should now clearly understand the difference between training and an actual race.
"So far, the longest race distance you've run is 2500 meters. Imagine adding another 500 meters…
"Go on, take the bicycle down. I'll help you secure it, and I'll explain the key training points as we start."
Though still somewhat puzzled, Kitasan Black obediently ran to the side of the truck bed upon hearing this.
As she took down the off-road bicycle, she murmured in surprise:
"This bike… it's heavy."
Despite saying it was heavy, her face showed no sign of strain.
Mimicking him, she tried to secure the bike frame to her back. She watched Yasui Makoto approach and attach various pieces of protective gear, a heart rate monitor, and some strange straps to her.
After confirming the bicycle was securely fastened, Yasui Makoto signaled the truck driver. Once the driver slowly began to climb the mountain road, he motioned for Kitasan Black to follow.
At this point, he began to explain the content of this special training.
By artificially creating a state of physical fatigue, the body is forced to adapt to higher intensity.
In sports, this is called "overload training," also known as "post-fatigue endurance training."
When he was still an Extreme Stunts athlete, Yasui Makoto had often done this kind of training.
He hadn't arranged it for Kitasan Black before because, on one hand, her physical development hadn't reached a certain level, and on the other hand, he needed to confirm the adaptation data for Uma Musume in this type of training.
The principle of overload training is not complicated. When the body continues to exercise in a state of fatigue, muscle fibers, the cardiopulmonary system, and energy metabolism go through a process of fatigue, recovery, and supercompensation.
After a sufficient period of special training, the number of mitochondria, capillary density, muscle glycogen reserves, and lactate threshold in the body will gradually increase.
These are crucial for endurance.
However, the tolerance of humans and Uma Musume to this type of training is vastly different.
Even before coming to Tracen Academy, Yasui Makoto had tested it. The human limit in this world, as he remembered, had a weight-bearing capacity of about 80 kilograms.
Unless exceptionally gifted, increasing the weight further could lead to risks such as excessive cardiovascular load or rhabdomyolysis.
The weight-bearing capacity of Uma Musume, however, is about three times that of humans.
Specific data had been mentioned in research, but those did not include content related to Extreme Stunts.
Moreover, Uma Musume, like humans, have individual differences.
The overall weight-bearing capacity limit is around 200 kilograms, with individual differences even reaching tens of kilograms.
Especially since Kitasan Black's physique is extraordinary, it had taken several months of training and testing to determine the appropriate weight for her.
For this purpose, the off-road bicycle she was carrying was custom-made and significantly heavier than the standard model he carried.
According to the plan, by the time she ran to near the halfway point of the mountain with this load, her physical strength would be close to the fatigue threshold.
The subsequent journey could then be completed by cycling, performing the next part of the overload training.
This type of training would initially be maintained at a frequency of twice a week. During this period, her physical condition would be monitored through heart rate and blood lactate detectors to adjust intensity and avoid the risk of injury due to overtraining.
Once more specific training data was determined, the details of this special training and other training aspects would be further optimized.
After listening to Yasui Makoto's explanation, Kitasan Black's face showed understanding, and she became curious about his bicycle.
"Trainer, I suddenly thought… why are you also carrying a bicycle? Are you also going to run the Kikuka Sho?"
Yasui Makoto froze for several seconds before letting out a wry laugh.
"…What kind of thought process leads you to believe I would overconfidently run the Kikuka Sho, Kita-chan?"
"Uh, you're right…"
Gripping the straps secured from her shoulders to her waist, Kitasan Black gave a silly laugh and quickly explained:
"Actually, I wanted to ask if Trainer also has to do this training?"
"You could say that."
Yasui Makoto smiled.
"Originally, a Trainer's job includes a certain training regimen.
"We definitely have to keep up with your usual training and the current training camp. It wouldn't do if our physical fitness wasn't good.
"But more importantly, I want to train with you."
"With me… together?" Kitasan Black was stunned.
Nodding, Yasui Makoto looked ahead.
"Actually, I've had this idea for a long time.
"When I was in school and training, my coaches and classmates all trained and lived together.
"I didn't do this before because I simply couldn't do many of your training exercises.
"Like running 1000 meters in 1 minute… it would take me over 3 minutes at my fastest, wouldn't it?
"But in Extreme Stunts…"
He turned his head back, smiling.
"I think I still have some confidence.
"Even if I can't match your training volume, my professional level will certainly not be inferior."
Gazing at the smile before her, Kitasan Black was momentarily lost in thought, then suddenly smiled herself.
"Trainer really loves Extreme Stunts… Oh! By the way!"
She suddenly exclaimed excitedly:
"Why don't we have a competition, Trainer?
"The goal will be… that 'Cloud Sea Lodge,' right?
"Let's race! Let's see who gets there first!"