BRIANNA
“You made good time today – only 47 minutes,” you casually comment. “I was thinking about that 5K coming up in February…” you pause.
“What about it?” I ask, taking a final drag from my cigarette.
“I bet you could do the half-marathon instead…if you wanted to. A 5K isn’t a challenge for you. Why not do the half-marathon? You’ve got 6 weeks to train for it.”
I eye you curiously. You’ve never been particularly interested in my running before, and you’ve never challenged me to take on harder runs. I don’t entirely trust you, but you’ve stimulated my competitive nature. “You know I did a couple triathlons before we met,” I brag.
You pass me your pack of cigarettes. I absently take one and start to smoke.
You smile as I play into your hand. “How did you feel when you were done?”
“It’s amazing,” I say, smoke streaming from my mouth. “The adrenaline rush is wonderful. And you are tried, but you feel so energized…” I stop to take another drag from my cigarette.
“So do a half-marathon in February then.”
“Okay. I will,” I am beaming as I accept your challenge.