Okay, this chapter sees the Chipmunks and Chipettes getting ready for the running round of the competition.

The press conference arrives and the team needs to step up to the plate. The Jocks may be bigger but it's who's the fastest that's important. Enjoy.

It was early morning on the day of the press conference for the running event of the competition. With this on their minds; three of the six chipmunks awoke from their slumber. There was training to be done, and unless the effort was put in it would be fruitless.

Alvin, Brittany and Eleanor all dragged themselves out of bed and got changed into their sportswear. As they had planned the previous day, they headed out of the house and started their early morning jog. This was a vital part of the training schedule, as it would get the three of them going for the rest of the day.

Their morning jog took slightly longer than the previous morning, because Eleanor was jogging at a slightly slower pace than the others. Alvin wasn't too bothered about this, as the whole team needed to train to the best of their ability; and Eleanor was doing just that. Brittany, on the other hand, was not happy about Eleanor slowing them down. But she was mainly annoyed by Eleanor just being there with the two of them; when she could be spending some quality time alone with Alvin. Though Brittany couldn't complain or show her frustration, as Eleanor had the right to be there and to train with the two of them.

Once the three Chipmunks had completed their route, they returned to the house. They needed to get ready for school; preparing for a long day of education and an important press conference afterward. Upon entering through the front door the three of them immediately found that they were lagging behind for time. Simon, Jeanette and Theodore were already taking their turns to use the bathroom, which meant that they had finished jogging later than the previous morning and would have to wait their turn.

Alvin, Brittany and Eleanor all went to the bedroom to get their clothes for the day ahead, before joining the others in the queue for the bathroom. Jeanette had just emerged from the bathroom, and Simon let Theodore in next in front of him.

"Please tell me you got up early." Alvin said as they queued up.

"Nope, on time as usual." Simon replied.

"You guys were late back," Jeanette commented as she stopped next to the queue.

"We were held up." Brittany said, hinting that Eleanor was to blame.

Jeanette frowned at her sister; not pleased with her attitude towards Eleanor. She was trying her best and certainly didn't need any criticism.

The six Chipmunks gradually took turns in the bathroom, and eventually all joined Dave together for breakfast. They were all met with the familiar sight of oatmeal; Dave's attempt to help them gain an advantage through their diets. Luckily, there were plenty of ingredients to complement the bowl of mush; and so there wasn't too much complaining. There was an occasional comment from Alvin but nothing out of the ordinary.

After finishing off their power breakfast, they all headed off to school as part of their usual school day routine. Although it would be hard to concentrate on actually doing school work, as the press conference was probably plaguing their minds. In addition, there was also training to focus on for the next round and that would not help their concentration.

Thankfully the Chipmunks and Chipettes got through the morning of classes without faltering, and once they had eaten their lunches they made for the outdoor running track, and training.

"So, what's today's training?" Alvin asked as he jogged on the spot; raring to go.

"Longer distances," Simon replied.

"Endurance." Jeanette added.

"For the 400 metres?" Brittany quizzed.

"Yep, one full lap of the track; and we're gonna test how you can pace yourselves." Simon explained.

"As well as timing you." Jeanette reminded.

"So let's get going," Alvin replied.

Alvin, Brittany and Eleanor performed their usual stretches to loosen up, before proceeding with their warm-up exercises. They jogged the straight 100 metre stretch of the track and then jogged back; Eleanor looking slightly demoralised as she trailed behind Alvin and Brittany. The three of them returned to recover before their big test; a full lap of the track. Alvin looked up for it and put himself at the front of the queue to run. Theodore could see that Eleanor was starting to struggle, so he walked over to her to give her some support and check how she was doing.

"Are you okay, Elle?" Theodore asked caringly.

"Sure, I'm fine," She replied putting on a smile for him.

"Well, just do your best, okay?" Theodore encouraged, not sure whether to buy Eleanor's reply.

"I will." She assured.

"I'll be here if you need me." Theodore pointed out, lending her his full support.

"Thanks Theo." She replied, looking a little more confident than before.

In the meantime, Alvin had run and completed his lap, and Brittany was now doing hers. Alvin had completed the lap in 1 minute 10 seconds, which was a good time; worthy of matching the Jocks. Eleanor readied herself physically and mentally, in preparation for her turn, as Brittany neared the finish. Theodore stuck by her to offer any more encouragement that he could.

"Remember to pace yourself." Theodore reminded helpfully.

Eleanor took this advice on board and once she had started her run she put it into action. She finished the lap as strong as she had started it and posted a solid time of 1 minute 28 seconds. Brittany had posted a much quicker time on the previous run; 1 minute 17 seconds, and her and Alvin now looked fresh and ready to go again, as Eleanor stumbled off the track. She headed over to Theodore to join him while she rested. Just as she reached him she tripped over her own feet out of exhaustion, prompting him to catch her as she fell.

"Thanks Theo," She said thankfully, as she got her breath back.

"You seem lighter." Theodore pointed out.

"Lighter?" Eleanor questioned.

"I mean when I caught you, you felt like you weighed less." Theodore explained.

"You think so?" Eleanor asked, beginning to check herself out; she didn't look any thinner.

"It must be all the exercise." Theodore suggested.

"Yeah." Eleanor agreed.

"So, keep it up." Theodore encouraged.

"I'll do my best." Eleanor said as she left to re-join Alvin and Brittany for another lap.

The three of them would now all run a lap of the track at the same time, so that their pace could be compared. Simon and Jeanette watched intently as the three began their lap. As was expected, Alvin and Brittany both bolted off the start line at high speed. This left Eleanor trailing behind from the word go, not helping her confidence in the slightest. But not to be discouraged, and with Theodore cheering her on from the side lines, she forged on in a race against the clock.

"It looks like the same outcome." Jeanette said, as the three of them watched the trial race unfold.

"Don't be so sure," Simon cautioned, "Alvin and Brittany may be quick, but they don't have the stamina that Eleanor has."

By the time they had finished discussing the outcome, Alvin had entered the home straight, with Brittany attempting to keep up just several metres back. The two of them looked like they were tiring as they approached the finish line. The same couldn't be said for Eleanor, who was still setting a solid and consistent pace. Jeanette clocked the times with the stopwatch as each of them crossed the line; Simon wrote them down and compared them to last time. Alvin had finished the run in 1 minute 14 seconds, slower than his first run by 4 seconds. Brittany suffered a similar fate, finishing 3 seconds slower than previously, with a time of 1 minute 20 seconds. Eleanor on the other hand, had gained a couple of seconds and posted a time of 1 minute 26 seconds.

This was really promising, as her stamina was very good and she was consistently improving. Simon and Jeanette looked at each other in slight disbelief; Eleanor had managed to run quicker the second time around.

Eleanor stumbled over to join them, to find out what the next part of training would be. Simon and Jeanette finalised their figures and conclusions, before briefing the others.

"Alvin, Brittany, your times are quick enough to challenge the Jocks in the 400 metres, but your stamina and consistency need some improvement." Simon analysed.

"You both dropped a few seconds on your second run." Jeanette added.

"That's expected." Alvin commented.

"Not necessarily." Simon replied.

"Eleanor was quicker on her second run." Jeanette announced.

"How?" Brittany asked.

"She was running slow anyw…" Alvin began before having his foot stamped on by Simon.

"I was faster?" Eleanor questioned dubiously.

"It's down on my paper." Simon replied.

"I told you that you could do it." Theodore said proudly.

"Now let's see if you can do it again." Jeanette said.

"Again?" Brittany asked.

"That's right, get ready to run again." Simon answered.

"I can't, I have a foot injury." Alvin said pointing at the foot that Simon had stamped on.

"Run it off." Simon replied unsympathetically.

The three of them trooped over to the start line and got ready for the third and hopefully final run. They were all looking tired, their slumped postures being an obvious sign.

"You all look full of energy." Simon joked.

"Very funny." Alvin replied sarcastically.

"Do we have to run again? We're exhausted." Brittany asked, hoping for the easy way out.

"Sorry, it's part of the training." Simon replied.

"Plus, it's an ideal time to test your stamina and strength." Jeanette added.

"Exactly, so are you ready?" Simon continued.

"Yes." Alvin answered half-heartedly.

"Not really." Brittany said sounding annoyed.

"Yes." Eleanor replied enthusiastically, her competitiveness and determination shining through.

This was a welcomed change from her low morale; seeing this, Simon quickly set them off around the track for their final run.

"Elle seemed happy." Theodore said to the others.

"I know. She must have gained some confidence." Jeanette added.

"Well, let's see what effect it has on her pace." Simon said.

Sure enough, as the three chipmunks neared the end of the run, Alvin and Brittany had 'hit the wall' and were almost falling down. Eleanor was following closely behind, but didn't look as tired as the others; her stamina becoming evident. Alvin was first to finish again, stumbling over the line after 1 minute 20 seconds; Brittany followed him with a time of 1 minute 23 seconds. The surprise was that Eleanor was right on their tail with a time of 1 minute 25 seconds, yet another second faster than her previous time. These results were concurring with Simon's thoughts from before the third and final run.

"Well done." Jeanette said as the three of them traipsed over.

"Not bad." Simon said looking over their times.

"Well done Elle." Theodore congratulated.

This brought a smile to her tired looking face. Alvin and Brittany were too busy regaining their breath and recovering to notice. Simon and Jeanette smiled at one another, seeing how well the team was working and the support Theodore was giving Eleanor.

"Okay guys," Simon said getting their attention, "Time for the cool down."

"Can't we just stop?" Brittany suggested.

"Definitely not, the cool down is as important as the exercise." Jeanette explained.

"So, jog up the straight part of the track and then back again, and remember to take your time." Simon ordered.

There were simultaneous groans from Alvin and Brittany, but Eleanor didn't seem too bothered. She just got on with it without any fuss.

"I have to admit, Eleanor may not have the pace, but she's definitely got the spirit and determination." Simon analysed.

"Hopefully she'll carry it on into the main races." Jeanette added.

"Is Elle going to be okay in the race?" Theodore asked, looking at the results on the notepad.

"With all the support you're giving her she'll do great." Jeanette encouraged.

"The results don't lie; you're helping her a lot." Simon agreed.

Alvin, Brittany and Eleanor returned after the cool down and, under Simon and Jeanette's instruction, completed their stretches to help them loosen off. They then went to wash and get changed, ready for their next classes in around ten minutes.

While Alvin, Brittany and Eleanor were in the changing rooms, the others devised the next training session and specific areas of training. They concluded that Alvin and Brittany were best just continuing in the same way, but Eleanor may benefit from some individual training. It would be best for Eleanor to train separately with Theodore's help, so that she would receive as much benefit and confidence boosting from her training as possible.

Soon enough, the three chipmunks emerged from the changing rooms, and the school bell rang, signalling that they needed to go to class. They parted ways and arranged to meet at their lockers after school, in preparation for the press conference. Alvin was feeling confident ahead of the head to head with Ryan, partly because he was faster but also that he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Once school had been dismissed for the day the six chipmunks met at their lockers for their final pep talk. Alvin was obviously going to be centre stage in the press conference, which meant that some of the pressure would be lifted from the others.

"Just relax guys; I'll handle most of the questions." Alvin reassured.

"It's your job as captain." Brittany reminded.

"Don't worry Britt, I've got you covered." Alvin replied.

"Just make sure you do." Jeanette said, "It is Brittany's first press conference."

"You'll get used to it pretty quickly." Simon assured her.

"Besides, I'll help you as well," Eleanor said supportively, "Most of the questions will be directed at me or Alvin anyway."

"We better get going guys." Simon said.

The six of them walked and talked until they arrived at the Gymnasium, where the press conference was to take place.

"All ready to go?" Dave asked as they entered the room.

"You bet." Alvin said enthusiastically.

"How about the rest of you?" Dave asked focussing on Brittany and Eleanor.

"I'm ready." Eleanor replied.

"Me too." Brittany added.

Dave could tell that Brittany was feeling a little nervous, and tried to help her feel a little more relaxed.

"There's nothing to be nervous about." Dave assured. "It's just like being on stage; you're the star of the show. Besides, you look great."

"I'm always telling her that." Alvin piped up.

Brittany felt better after hearing this; it was all put into perspective.

"Come on." Brittany said, playfully punching Alvin on the arm before heading for the conference area.

"Hey," Alvin replied. "Wait up."

He headed off in the direction of the panel, leaving Dave and the other four chipmunks at the entrance to the gymnasium.

"We better take our seats." Dave said.

He made his way to the seating area, and was followed closely by Simon and Jeanette. Theodore waited behind to give Eleanor some last minute words of support.

"You won't be the focus of attention," Theodore reassured, hinting at her earlier comment.

"I am the underdog." Eleanor pointed out.

"Alvin will handle it." Theodore said, putting great faith in his brother.

"I hope so." Eleanor replied.

"Good look anyway." Theodore said.

"Thanks." She replied happily before heading for the set.

Theodore headed for the seating area to join Dave and the others just in time for the start of the press conference. Dr Rubin made her way on stage and was ready to get the press conference underway. The Jocks had arrived earlier than the chipmunk team, and were sat looking confident on the right side of the panel.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the press conference for the running events. These events will be 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres, and will take place tomorrow after the end of the school day." Dr Rubin, "So, now that the introductions are out of the way I'll open the floor to questions from the general public.

This signalled the start of the Q and A session, and there was an immediate rising of hands from members of the press. Dr Rubin had to pick people out from the audience one at a time, as there were so many candidates.

"What are your chances of winning this event?" The first chosen member of the press asked, focusing the question towards the Chipmunk team.

"We have a great chance." Alvin replied confidently.

"Why is that?" The reporter questioned.

"Because I'm faster than Ryan." Alvin stated.

"We'll see about that." Ryan challenged from the other side of the panel.

"Ooh, we already know that I can outrun you; any time any place." Alvin answered back.

"Whatever, you're all talk and no action." Ryan replied. "That's why we're winning 2-1."

"Okay, okay, next question," Dr Rubin interrupted, returning order to the press conference.

"Who is the fastest member of your team?" Another reporter asked the chipmunks.

"Me, obviously." Alvin replied.

Brittany gave him an evil look, and Alvin soon noticed this. To cover himself he quickly continued his answer.

"But Brittany isn't far behind me." Alvin added, rescuing himself from Brittany's wrath.

"What about Eleanor?" The second reporter questioned.

"I'm not very quick; not close to Alvin and Brittany anyway." Eleanor answered truthfully.

Brittany heard this honest answer, and immediately contemplated how she had been acting towards Eleanor. She and Alvin had had an easier ride in training in the run up to the running event, but Eleanor was still giving it her all to keep up with them. Eleanor was clearly feeling bad about her performance in comparison to them in training.

"But you do have good stamina," Brittany pointed out, "Which is perfect for the 400 metre event."

Eleanor looked across at her sister, a smile emerging on her face; the appreciation clearly visible. Up until now Eleanor had felt left out and like a third wheel in the training sessions, but after hearing Brittany's opinion on her running she finally felt like she was part of the team.

"So you have all aspects of the event covered." The reporter summarised.

The three chipmunks nodded in reply, all feeling confident about the team working as a unit to cover each other's weaknesses. The Jocks on the other hand, and the other side of the panel, were looking a little ticked off. They hadn't received any questions about how they felt, and the Chipmunks were getting all the attention.

"Okay, the next question needs to be focused towards the other team." Dr Rubin said orchestrating the press conference by choosing the next person.

"Who is best at each event?" A sports correspondent asked the Jock team.

"Well, my strong point would be the short races." Ryan stated.

"Are you sure about that?" Alvin questioned.

"What's it to you?" Ryan answered back.

"Oh nothing. Only, when you were chasing me through school yesterday, you seemed a little sluggish." Alvin said smugly.

"I wasn't running at full speed." Ryan defended.

"You were chasing Alvin through the hallways?" Dr Rubin interrupted in a serious tone.

"That's right." Alvin commented.

"I was late for class." Ryan said making an excuse for himself.

"It was after school." Alvin pointed out.

"He's lying," Ryan said, "He's just trying to get me in trouble."

Dr Rubin saw straight through Ryan's web of lies and decided to take action.

"After school or not, I'll be seeing you after this press conference." Dr Rubin said authoritatively.

"Ooo." Alvin heckled from the other side of the panel.

"Busted." Brittany jeered, joining in.

"Ahem, back to the questions." Dr Rubin interrupted.

Ryan tried to recover from his downfall by changing the emphasis of his answer. In an attempt to shift the focus of the press conference, Ryan changed the focus of attention to Xander.

"Xander is the fastest on our team; after all he is a Running Back for the school football team." Ryan boasted.

Suddenly the reporters' focus turned to Xander, now knowing that he plays for the school as a Running Back. This gave the Chipmunk team time to relax and regroup after their questions. Alvin was taking the whole relaxing thing a bit too far, as he put his hands behind his head and put his feet up on the desk.

This must have annoyed Ryan, as all the pressure was being heaped on him; and Alvin had come out of the situation smelling like roses. The next five minutes of the press conference were focussed solely on the Jock team, really putting them through the mill. The questioning was very detailed and must have been pretty demanding, as by the end of the bombardment the Jocks all looked drained.

Dr Rubin decided to draw the press conference to a close, as all the important questions had been answered, and it was starting to drag on. The chipmunks had come out on top from the press conference as a whole, but as Alvin had suspected; Xander was the Jocks' main threat. Determined not to be outdone Alvin was not resting on his laurels, and would begin training as soon as possible. But before that they had to get home.

The chipmunk team regrouped stage left, and along with Dave began to make their way to the exit. All the time they were walking whey were discussing their next steps in training, and Alvin was attempting to hurry them up by ushering them along. As they left the gymnasium and headed for the car, Alvin caught a glimpse of Ryan receiving a lecture from Dr Rubin. Ryan noticed Alvin at the far end of the hallway and gave him an angry look, eyes like daggers, as he stared him down. Alvin was unfazed by this as he knew that he had Ryan rattled, and simply grinned back at him. Ryan must have been riling inside as once again Alvin got the last laugh.

Once the chipmunks returned home it was training on the agenda, and Alvin was psyched up. He was first to get changed and was jogging on the spot while he waited for the others. Eventually all six of the chipmunks were present at the front of the house, and as usual the stretches and warm up sessions ensued.

"Alvin looks fired up." Simon said watching the three competing chipmunks jogging around.

"It must have been the interview." Jeanette suggested.

"Don't forget Elle, she's trying really hard too." Theodore pointed out.

"We know she is." Simon reassured him. "So we're going to train her separately."

"Elle will benefit from some specialised training." Jeanette explained.

Theodore looked confused and didn't really understand what they meant, or why it would be beneficial. Alvin, Brittany and Eleanor returned from the warm up routine and waited for further instructions.

"Okay, as you know our long distance running isn't the best." Simon started.

"It isn't that bad." Alvin said positively.

"But it's not that good either." Simon replied.

"Does that mean more stamina training?" Brittany asked dreading the answer.

"The long distance event is the best event for us to collect points in." Jeanette reasoned.

"So, the training will be timed runs around the block." Simon announced.

"We did that this morning." Brittany moaned.

"Then it should be easy." Jeanette replied with a grin on her face.

"Right, so let's go." Alvin said enthusiastically.

He jogged off towards the gate, leaving Jeanette with little time to start the stop watch. Seeing that Alvin was ready to go, Brittany had little choice but to follow him and try to catch up. Eleanor began to jog after them but was stopped by Simon.

"Eleanor! Wait a minute." Simon shouted.

"What is it?" Eleanor replied, slightly puzzled at why she had been stopped.

"We have a different training session planned for you." Simon explained.

"Different?" Eleanor asked sounding even more puzzled.

"It's special training to help you." Theodore said encouragingly.

"Individually focussed." Jeanette added.

"So you can work at your own pace." Simon pointed out.

"It sounds like a good idea." Eleanor replied sounding slightly unsure.

"Don't worry; I'll be here to help." Theodore reassured.

"With Alvin and Brittany out of our hair for the time being, we can start your training." Simon said.

"I'll keep an eye on them, so you can focus on Eleanor's training." Jeanette proposed.

"If you think it's for the best." Simon replied.

Jeanette took the stopwatch and went to wait at the gate at the exit of the garden. This left Simon to train Eleanor, with Theodore present for support. Simon quickly flicked through an exercise book before deciding how to go about the training session.

"Okay, now, your training session will consist of the usual sequence of warm-up, main exercises, and cool down. You're going to train for the 100 metres event as you already have good stamina." Simon explained.

"Okay." Eleanor replied.

"The best way to train for the shorter distance sprint events is to work on strengthening fast-twitch muscles." Simon continued. "These are parts of the muscle fibre that have lots of quick release power. The best way to train these muscles is to do some Plyometric training, which is pre-stretching muscles before…"

Eleanor looked utterly confused by this point; Theodore was also looking slightly lost and didn't understand half of what Simon had just explained.

"What does that mean?" Theodore asked willingly.

Simon slapped his hand against his forehead in disbelief, but then realised that what he had just explained was pretty complex.

"Never mind, never mind." Simon said. "The important thing is that you do the training."

"Okay Simon." Eleanor replied.

"Right, the main exercises are squats, jumping squats, hopping and bounding. These will work on the muscle fibre and…" Simon realised that he was going into too much detail again and decided to just start the training.

He could see the confusion creeping in on their faces and decided to show them the exercise instead. Simon crouched roughly into the position of a squat and showed them which muscles should be stretched.

"Hahaha!" Alvin burst out laughing at the site of Simon's attempted squat.

"What's he doing?" Brittany asked Jeanette as they looked at Simon.

"Training Eleanor, I think." Jeanette replied.

"Nice attempt at a squat." Alvin shouted before continuing to laugh.

"Haven't you got laps to do?" Simon said angrily; immediately standing up straight and composing himself.

"Just as soon as I recover from seeing that." Alvin replied trying to control his laughter.

By now Brittany had joined in laughing as it was so contagious. Jeanette chuckled slightly before receiving an annoyed look from Simon and then composing herself.

"Come on guys." Jeanette encouraged, "It is stamina training, keep going."

"Fine, but don't blame me if I run slower, it's the laughter." Alvin replied trying to bottle up his laughter.

"We're going," Brittany replied sounding slightly annoyed, before pushing Alvin out of the gate to start the next lap of the block.

Jeanette wrote down the times that Alvin and Brittany had set, before running over to join the others.

"Way to cover my back." Simon said sarcastically.

"How was I to know that you were going to be squatting like a frog?" Jeanette answered back.

Theodore and Eleanor began to chuckle together after hearing Jeanette's comment. Simon frowned at Jeanette for a few seconds before smiling. The chuckling from Theodore and Eleanor was uplifting and he couldn't be annoyed with Jeanette; after all it was all light-hearted and she was really helping him. Seeing an opportunity to boost morale and build team spirit, Simon decided to modify the exercise slightly.

"Seeing as you came over to help, and mock me, do you mind assisting with the squat exercise?" Simon replied sounding upbeat.

"Sure." Jeanette replied enthusiastically.

The two of them stood back to back and began to lower their selves down into the squat position. They managed to get into roughly the right position but with very poor balance. To try and recover their balance problem, Jeanette linked her hands with Simon's, interlocking their fingers. Simon's knees went weak as soon as this happened, and the two of them fell to the floor, landing on their tails. The two of them immediately burst out laughing, and shortly after Theodore and Eleanor joined in.

Jeanette got up from the floor and gave Simon a hand, he was now blushing. From the embarrassment of falling down or from holding Jeanette's hands; only Simon will know. But nevertheless the training continued with a balanced mix of fun and seriousness.

Theodore partnered Eleanor in doing the exercise, it may have been hard work for the two of them but they were having fun while doing it. As soon as they had done ten repetitions of the squat exercise Eleanor was sent to sprint around the garden, which was probably 60 metres in total. Once she returned, Simon instructed her to do another exercise before running again. Meanwhile Jeanette was contending with Alvin and Brittany, whilst trying to keep them running and record their lap times, this turned out to be harder than expected. The two of them were becoming impatient but Jeanette managed to keep them going, until Dave interrupted their training.

"Dinner's ready guys." Dave announced. "Training can be paused, can't it? Besides, you look like you could do with a break."

"Okay Dave." Theodore replied happily scurrying into the house.

Eleanor was about to follow him but was stopped by Simon. Jeanette managed to stop Alvin and Brittany only by grabbing the backs of their shirts, and she was being pulled along towards the front door.

"Hold on guys." Simon said getting their attention.

"What now?" Alvin asked impatiently.

"You need to do your stretches." Simon reminded.

"But we're only going in to eat." Brittany said.

"Your muscles can still tighten up if you're sat eating. Now get stretching." Simon ordered.

There was some grumbling from Alvin and Brittany but they did their stretches and then went inside to join Dave and Theodore for dinner. Eleanor followed shortly after, leaving Simon and Jeanette to make their way inside.

"Thanks for stopping those two from running off." Simon said.

"They are a handful." Jeanette replied.

"Or two." Simon added.

Jeanette giggled at Simon's ridiculously poor joke, before deciding to tell him something.

"Simon, I didn't mean to hold your hand earlier, only I needed balance." Jeanette said, "I'm sorry I made you fall down."

"I only fell because I didn't expect you to hold my hands." Simon replied, "It wasn't your fault."

"So holding your hands made you fall down?" Jeanette asked.

"Kind of, I guess." Simon replied.

"So should I not hold your hands?" Jeanette questioned.

"No, you can." Simon said quickly grabbing Jeanette's hand. "I-I mean if you want to."

"As long as you're okay with it." Jeanette replied.

"I am." Simon replied still holding her hand in his.

"It seems like you're okay with it now." Jeanette said pointing out that he was still holding her hand.

"Come on you two, dinner's out." Dave said as he opened the front door.

Simon and Jeanette quickly let go of each other's hands and stood there looking nonchalant.

"The longer you two hold hands, the colder your dinner is going to get." Dave said before holding the door open for them.

Simon and Jeanette made their way to the table for dinner and were greeted by a predictable comment from Alvin.

"Ooo, holding hands." Alvin teased.

"So, what of it?" Simon defended.

"Very romantic." Alvin joked sarcastically.

"Do you want more laps?" Simon threatened.

"'Cause I'll make sure you do them." Jeanette added.

Alvin took this as a serious threat and decided to quit while he was ahead. He'd had his fun at his brother's expense; but Simon wasn't too bothered with his escapades.

As soon as dinner was over, the six chipmunks returned to their training in the front garden. Eleanor continued her special training, while Alvin and Brittany were designated several more laps to run around the block. This training lasted almost an hour, but by this time all three of them were beginning to flag. Simon decided that pushing them much more on the day before the event wouldn't be beneficial, and gave them a rest break.

Dave brought out some glasses of orange juice for them to drink while they recovered. This gave them time to discuss the progress of their training so far.

"How do you think you're doing?" Simon asked them.

"Well I'm bored of jogging around the same route." Alvin announced.

"Can't we at least do something else?" Brittany questioned.

"Admittedly it can be a bit tedious." Simon replied.

"Maybe they should pick their own route for a longer jog." Jeanette suggested.

"I don't see why not." Simon replied, welcoming Jeanette's idea.

"Yes." Alvin celebrated quietly.

Simon caught onto this and quickly issued a warning, knowing that they could get into all sorts of trouble.

"But don't be too long, Dave won't be happy." Simon cautioned.

"Don't worry." Alvin replied.

"That's none too reassuring." Simon said.

"I'll keep him in line," Brittany reassured.

"Is that a challenge?" Alvin commented.

"In your dreams." Brittany replied.

"How about you, Eleanor?" Jeanette asked.

"I don't feel much quicker," She replied honestly.

"We'll soon see when we collect some times." Simon reassured her.

"You'll get quicker, I know you will." Theodore said supportively.

With that they stopped their break and set about the next step of their training. It was approaching 7pm, which meant that they were running short of time; as an early night's sleep was essential. Simon set to work on Eleanor's final phase of training to see if she had quickened up. She was given the task of running a straight 100 metre sprint on the sidewalk, which would be timed by Simon and Jeanette.

The first run that they recorded was 17.8 seconds, which was quicker than they had predicted. From the previous training sessions Eleanor was predicted to run at approximately 20 seconds for the 100 metres but had beaten it by over 2 seconds. Simon saw this and decided to send her down the track a couple more times to get a more accurate measurement. The results came back roughly the same; 17.9 seconds and 17.6 seconds.

"Your times are really good." Simon said looking at the improved times.

"Really? It didn't feel that fast." Eleanor replied.

"Maybe not, but you are over two seconds quicker than before." Jeanette pointed out.

"But if you think you can go faster then try." Simon said. "We'll make this the last run so give it your all."

"You can do it Elle." Theodore encouraged.

Eleanor made her way up to the start of the 100 metre straight and readied herself. Simon set her off and Jeanette started the stopwatch, while Theodore stood watching in anticipation and willing her on. The run looked quicker than the other ones and she crossed the line at full speed, needing several metres to slow herself down. When she returned to the others they revealed her time to be 17.1 seconds; over half a second quicker.

"That was definitely quicker." Simon announced.

"Half a second quicker." Jeanette added.

"Is it quick enough to keep up with the others?" Eleanor asked curiously.

"Given a good night's sleep you'll be quicker again and probably be close." Simon encouraged.

"Close?" Alvin enquired as he arrived back from the jog with Brittany.

"Eleanor can almost run quick enough to beat the Jocks." Theodore said.

"Not Xander though, he's really quick; but that's where I come in." Alvin boasted.

"For your sake, you'd better be right." Brittany replied.

"I think we should call it a day, training has been really good today." Simon said.

Simon and Jeanette led the others back into the front garden and commenced the cool down session and stretching exercises. Once this was complete they were free to relax for the rest of the evening, what little time they had left before they would have to go to bed.

"How do you feel?" Theodore asked Eleanor.

"Good; I can do all of the stretches better and I feel more agile." She replied happily.

"It must be doing you good, because you look thinner." Theodore replied.

"Really?" Eleanor questioned, checking herself out.

"Yeah…and m-more attractive." Theodore added, shuffling his feet as he walked.

Eleanor blushed and smiled at Theodore; he smiled back looking a bit embarrassed that he'd told her. Brittany was walking behind them with the others and overheard their conversation.

"Thinner? More attractive?" Brittany questioned whispering to the others.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Simon cleverly pointed out, before looking in Jeanette's direction.

"Beauty is only skin deep." Jeanette added, smiling back at Simon, "It's what's inside that counts."

The two of them looked at each other for a few seconds after the exchange of sayings.

"Oh man, too much mushy lovey-dovey stuff going on around here; I'm gone." Alvin said running off ahead and into the house.

Brittany followed him and the others made their ways inside the house as well. Soon enough Dave announced it was bedtime and with some persistence he got them all to go to bed. The sleep will do them the world of good, as the intense training they had undergone needed to be recovered from. With the next event fast approaching, the chipmunks need to be on top form to challenge the Jocks at their own game. If they are going to have any hope of salvaging the competition they will have to win the next event. That means beating the Jocks at a physical event, and it's going to take a stellar team effort to claim victory tomorrow.

The Chipmunk team needs to be ready for the running event, it's a must win round.

With the team trailling 2-1 in the competition they all need to perform.

Once again Alvin and Ryan will be going head to head, winner takes all.