I decided to go back to Athens to visit gymnasiums to see how these athletes would train either for war or for the games. Since the Olympic games was apparently started by Heracles, I decided to go visit Cynosarges, which was south of Athens not far from the city wall. This place was basically a sanctuary for the hero Heracles where people come to worship him, but also come to train. This place had an open gymnasium which they used for athletes and military training. There are also alters of Heracles and his supposed wife Hebe (who was thought to also be a child of Zeus).
The name Cynosarges, came from an old story that was always re-told to local children, which is about a white dog that would steal sacrificial meats from the alter of Heracles. One thing I overheard about this place is that there was a cult dedicated to Heracles. I didn't hear much about this cult, except for the fact that it was run by people called the nothoi and apparently it was said that Heracles's mother was a nothoi since she was mortal. Compared to the other sanctuaries of the Olympian gods, this one was very underwhelming, with only open spaces and multiple pillars. I did also overhear that there was an attack during the Persian war where, after losing the marathon, Persians tried to attack the gymnasium to retaliate. As they arrived, they saw in the distance Athenian troops lined up for battle since they had figured out their attack. When the Persians saw this only a few miles away from them, they feared for their lives and retreated with their tails between their legs.

Sources:
Primary- Jones, W. H.S., and Litt D., trans. “Pausanias, Description of Greece.” Perseus Digital Library. Harvard University Press. Accessed December 2, 2022. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook&highlight=cynosarges.
Secondary- Morison, William. “Cynosarges.” Internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Accessed December 2, 2022. https://iep.utm.edu/cynosarg/.