Kitasan Black's fast-twitch muscle fibers had tremendous explosive power, but if she charged into the lead from the very start of a 2,000-meter middle-distance race, her Phosphagen System would be depleted before the Final Burst.
In contrast, runners like Maurice, who came from the Mile Course, could use the momentum of the closing stages to overtake her.
"We can't let her fall into the habitual mindset of taking the lead."
Back then, she had shaken her head at Anjing Zhen's initial tactical draft and pointed at the turn diagram on the screen as she explained:
"Look. There's a 2.1-meter drop from the Third Turn to the home straight, and rainy conditions reduce the track's friction coefficient by 0.3. Front-runners need to expend over 7% more stamina here just to maintain their balance, while chasers can use the downhill momentum to accelerate.
"Then why not do the opposite and let her 'fall back' into the 'buffer zone' at the rear of the early-lead pack?"
This idea had not come out of nowhere.
She dug out Kitasan Black's post-race report from the Takarazuka Kinen and discovered that when she adjusted her pace during the middle and latter stages, her cardiopulmonary recovery speed was at least 15% faster than that of runners from her generation.
That meant she could conserve energy within the "buffer zone" while observing flaws in her opponents' running styles.
Besides, the puddles in the Inner Lane on a rainy day formed a natural barrier. To avoid the mud, the runners on the inside would inevitably crowd into a fixed racing line, leaving room in the middle and Outer Lane for lateral adjustments.
This was precisely the best area for Kitasan Black to exploit her endurance advantage.
After that came the specifics of the strategy, and on that point, she