“You’re clearly in good shape and you have quite a few years on me.” She taps my shoulder lightly with her fingertips. “You’ll be fine. How does five miles sound?”
“Like a piece of cake,” I lie and follow her into the park to a small path curving around the trees.
The first ten minutes are surprisingly easy. I realise I must be high on adrenalin. I let Amanda lead the way as the sun dips lower in the sky. The rain has stopped and it’s an acceptable summer evening. Amanda is quiet when she runs, her face focused, her bent arms swinging by her side in fluent motions. The pace she sets is one I can keep up with—not effortlessly, but I do a lot of boxing training and, although very different from running, I am quite quick on my feet.
After fifteen minutes the first beads of sweat start maki
