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“Not when my first stop of the day is the gym.” She glanced around at the people already sweating it out at the squat racks. “I don’t know how people do this every day. Seems like a certain kind of torture.”
“Torture that gives you endorphins. That energizes you,” he said.
“Pretty sure endorphins are a myth created to sell fitness equipment.”
“Oh, come on, tell me you’re at least a little excited to get started? This is where it all begins. A few months from now you’ll be running through the five boroughs—”
“More than a few,” Lydia interrupted. “I’ve got five months to mentally prepare myself for this. Don’t scare me like that.” She gestured to the equipment floor. “Should I hop on a treadmill or something?”
“Actually, I thought we’d take our session outside. It’s a gorgeous day. Plus, running outdoors will simulate the actual marathon environment. The sooner you get used to that, the better.”
“You want me to make a fool of myself in front of other people too?”
Luke responded by taking her by the shoulders and guiding her to the door.
“You’re going to be nice to me, right?” Lydia said as they stepped outside. He turned down the street toward Sixth Avenue and she followed hesitantly. “Like we’re gonna ease into this process?”
“Do I look like I would be mean?”
Her eyes cut to the side, flickering up and down his body. “I just want you to remember which of us is already covered in muscles and which of us doesn’t even bother running to make the subway when we’re late.”
“I’ll be nice,” he promised, catching her arm gently and leading her across the street between the traffic.
“Where are we going?”
“Madison Square Park,” he said. It was just two blocks east of the gym.
“And what’s that about?” she asked, eyeing the papers he carried under his arm.
“This is your very own personalized training plan.”
“Why do I need a plan if I have you?”
“In order to be in the best position possible to run the marathon, your training is going to extend beyond just our sessions. There will be days when you train alone. But don’t worry, I’m going to give you guided workouts. That’s what this first week will be about. Establishing a routine. We’ll do a long run on the weekends, outdoors if we can make it happen, slowly building up the mileage. You’ll have rest days Mondays and Fridays. Short runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. Cross-training on Wednesdays and Sundays.”
“Cross-training?”
“Aerobic exercise that allows you to use different muscles while resting. Cycling or even walking. Those are the days you can do in the gym without me.” They darted across another street. “Twenty-six miles is a lot to build up to. We have to make the most of the next twentyish weeks we have together.”
“Doesn’t seem so far away when you lay it out like that,” Lydia mumbled under her breath as they arrived at Madison Square Park—a greenspace at the center of the city surrounded by vibrant businesses and towering skyscrapers. Like an oasis rising out of desert sands, the park was part public garden, part arboretum and part open-air museum. Lydia had spent weekends here surrounded by art installations and horticulture exhibitions.
“The park is about half a mile around,” Luke said as he walked her through basic dynamic stretches to warm up.
She supposed it was to loosen her tired muscles, but a nervous tension coiled through her and when they were done stretching, Lydia felt even more stiff than before.
“I figure we’ll do three miles total this morning and start your short runs off easy.”
“Three?” she said, feeling overwhelmed by the thought. Long runs? Short runs? A training plan? Sure, this was what she was paying him for, but it all suddenly felt like too much. She’d barely survived the one mile on the treadmill the other day and now he just expected her to crank out three miles? “I think you skipped over two. I’d like to recommend that we try that first. Maybe even one and a half.”
“Oh, c’mon,” Luke said, chuckling. “You’ve got at least three in you.”
“I think you’re overestimating my abilities.” He started running abruptly and she darted after him. “Okay, we’re just gonna start casually like that?”
“How did you want to begin?” Luke laughed. “With a starting pistol?” She could tell he was taking things slow, because he kept up a stream of encouraging conversation as they made their first round of the park. Lydia just tried to remember to suck in oxygen as she kept track of the laps.
The park was bustling with early-morning joggers and dog walkers. She imagined they were all watching her make a fool of herself as she tried not to think of the stitch beneath her ribs that was threatening to turn into a cramp. She was suddenly very aware of the way her cheeks puffed and the way her hands cupped the air as she pumped her arms back and forth. Was she pumping them too much? Was her stride too short? Too long?
“Doing okay?” Luke asked.
