THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Exercise Agility And Resilience

It was a slow gray morning the next day.

Zachary started his day, as planned, by going out for a run. His flatmates remained committed to their words and accompanied him during the rehearsal. All the time, they struggled to keep up with his pace as he alternated between jogging and brisk running on the empty streets of Trondheim.

It was 6 in the morning. The roads do not have enough traffic to cause disruption in their commute.

Zachary was training his endurance while directing himself to run outdoors in moderate weather. He would run 100 meters and continue jogging for half a kilometer as he led his flatmates around the streets of Trondheim City. He slowly adapted to running during a football match in the harsh weather outside Trondheim.

Soccer matches are more like some very fast sprints but short—diseling with jogging or slow walking. The players never run at a constant pace during the game. By copying the system's fitness mission, Zachary has adjusted his endurance training to match the ever-changing pace of the game. He ran at alternating speeds for 45 minutes, three times a week, to keep his body in top shape.

"Let's run the rest of the way" Zachary shouted to his flatmates as they approached the NF training ground after a long run. He did not wait for their response before running away.

The cold autumn humidity of Trondheim made him feel sticky. Sweat ran down his face with thick salty grains. Her clothes, slippery with sweat, stuck to her skin.

His heart was throbbing inside his chest, and his skin felt like it was being roasted. He started bouncing—a little while he was running, which made him tired faster. But, he did not slow down or stop his running.

Perhaps a year earlier, he would have balked at the idea of running so far and fast. However, at that moment, he was enjoying that prospect. He did not intend to break out of his training routine even for a moment.

He was strict on himself and never missed a training day during his years at the academy. Consistency is everything in sports training. He finally began to reap the fruits of all his hard work. He started to get faster and less tired after a routine of running and jogging.

"Don't do this again" lamented Paul Otterson after Zachary ran away from them. The throat of the hoarse Swede was dry like a lizard in the desert sun. His head was swaying loosely from side to side with each footstep.

"Where did Zachary get all that stamina?" Kendrick cut in, not the slightest bit wanting to increase his speed. He's already running on a five percent battery. His energy reserves are almost exhausted. At least, that's what he thinks.

"Let's hold on and run at the last minute" Kasongo stuttered on his breath. His feet stomped on the asphalt with all the elegance of a sack of potatoes. Her graceful jumping steps from the previous five miles had long since disappeared.

Zachary's flat-one colleagues felt tired after matching his speed for forty-five minutes. However, they all held on and ended the morning run with a 200 meter— run until they reached the academy training ground.

Zachary took only a minute to stabilize his breathing even after alternating between running and jogging for almost an hour. For him, the practice was just an ordinary morning run, a small step on his way to improving his physique and becoming a great player.

His flatmates, on the other hand, are in a miserable state. They lay on their backs on wet artificial grass at the NF training ground, with their arms and legs spread wide, panting like fish out of the water. They looked exhausted beyond belief.

However, Zachary had no plans to be lenient with them. Three of her flatmates have agreed to let her become their instructor for personal training. He intends to fulfill his role.

"Wake up, guys," he said, chugging water from his water bottle. "We need to start agility training and individual ball training" he shouted, mimicking Coach Johansen's hoarse voice.

He looks at his Asahi watch and realizes that it is almost seven o'clock. The twilight has begun to melt. A reddish orange glow from the majestic sunrise began to seep across the horizon. The light itself seemed to be coming out from the melting sun.

"Give us just a few minutes" said Kasongo, his voice sounding more slow and monotonous.

"Custom yourself." Zachary shrugged his shoulders. "I will continue and start my workouts before my muscles get cold. You can take your time to rest. Breaks are good for improving your ball skills." He muttered, pretending to be angry.

"Okay, we're with you" Paul said as he jumped off the grass. Others followed.

"good. That's his spirit." Zakaria smile. "Let's prepare the cones and do some exercises before the coach arrives. Kasongo, get the training ladder."

Four boys spent the next hour going through some agility-enhancing exercises. They start with a knee-high workout forward through a ladder placed in the middle of the field. They ran with their knees raised high through the stairs, landing in every space between the steps. This exercise will help improve their foot coordination and running speed with the ball.

They followed it with a lateral run of training from side to side. After that, they run cones and end the session with a shuttle-run across the field.

Only then did they sit down to eat their breakfast, waiting for the arrival of Coach Johansen and the other players. It was Saturday, so there was no class. The only thing they scheduled for that day was soccer practice with Coach Johansen.

"Kendrick," called Zachary to the goalkeeper as soon as he finished breakfast. "Can we do dead ball training?" She asked. "We still have about 40 minutes before everyone gets here."

The coaches and other players usually arrive around 9am for the weekend sessions. Zachary was always present at the training ground alone during the early hours. That day was the only exception.

"No problem." Kendrick smiled. "Let's put up a training mannequin wall." It seemed like he had recovered from his exhaustion.