Chapter One
When Lisa had got out of bed just two hours earlier, sent a text to her friend Felicity to say she was up and slipped into her running gear, she had been full of enthusiasm. With her long blonde hair swept into a ponytail and a spring in her step caused by the cushioning of her new trainers, she had truly felt the part – ready for action and willing to take on the elements.
Now as the cold wind whipped off the sea, causing her ears to sting, and her entire body felt as if it had gone from cold shock to sweltering hot in the time it had taken her to run the length of the promenade, she was regretting ever leaving the comfort of her duvet. Getting fit for thirty, as Felicity had called it, was all very well, but with her heart racing, Lisa was beginning to think makingit to thirty was looking optimistic!
Almost crying from the relief of reaching the pier, Lisa stopped, put her hands on her hips and bent over gasping for air while Felicity caught up.
‘I think … I need … an inhaler.’
Felicity’s cheeks blazed red. ‘But you don’t have asthma,’ she breathed.
‘I think … I have … now … seriously my lungs … my lungs feel so tight.’
‘It’s just thecold air.’ Felicity sagged against the wall of the lighthouse and took a few moments to steady her breathing. ‘We can’t actually be so unfit that a run along the prom has defeated us.’ She rubbed her thighs. ‘My legs feel solid; my muscles have gone into shock or something.’
‘Mine too … and these trainers have given me a blister.’ Lisa slipped her foot out of her trainer, revealing a once-whitesock now reddened at the heel. ‘So much for revolutionary comfort … and bloody “responsivity”. I knew that had to be a made-up word.’
Lisa looked from her shoe to Felicity, and they both laughed. As their laughter turned to sighs, they stood for a while, leaning against the lighthouse wall, watching the waves crash against the pier.
Eventually, Felicity spoke. ‘Well, we might not havethe right gear, and we might be unfit, but at least we’ve made a start. By the time May comes, and we head to France for our girly weekend, we’ll be fabulously fit. You’ll see.’ Felicity put her arm around Lisa’s shoulder as they began to hobble back along the prom, to the car.
‘I can’t wait.’ Lisa smiled focusing on the trip and how wonderful it would be to celebrate her birthday with Felicity.
‘Me neither.’ Felicity sighed, adjusting her leggings. ‘Did I mention my leggings are chafing in places I didn’t think possible?’
‘No. Did I mention my boobs feel like they’ve gone three rounds with Anthony Joshua, and not in a good way?’ Lisa added.
‘Now there’s a thought.’
‘Behave.’ Lisa nudged Felicity in the ribs.
‘You started it. Besides, I can’t behave. I blame my husband!You’d think whisking me off to see the new year in, in Barbados, would have seen me satisfied for the year, but no. It’s reminded me what I’ve been missing. Since we’ve been back, I can’t get enough of him. It’s partly why I want to get fitter, build my stamina.’
Lisa laughed. ‘Felicity Willis, you are insatiable.’ Spotting the East Beach Café in the distance, she continued, ‘And talking ofinsatiable appetites, I’m hungry. We must have earned a few calories, maybe even enough for a fry—’
Lisa and Felicity fell silent, their mouths open, as two women ran effortlessly past them. They watched as the older, fitter pair pounded their way along the prom in unison. The women’s cheeks were barely red, and their running clothes put Lisa and Felicity’s make-do efforts to shame.
Felicity’seyes followed them. ‘You know, with the right gear and a bit more practice, that could be us.’
So that’s a no to the fry-up, then.Lisa sighed as they both turned and continued towards the car. She admired Felicity’s optimism, but the way she was feeling, Lisa doubted that daily practice in a Mo Farah boot camp could turn her into a runner. If the morning had confirmed anything in her mind,it was that running was not her thing. Upon reflection, it never had been; she had hated it at school and avoided it as an adult. With her lungs still burning, but the wind making the sweat on her body turn cold, Lisa was finding it hard to remember why she had agreed to go along with it at all.
OK, so she had put on a little weight over the festive period, but wasn’t that a generally acceptedseasonal hazard? After all, December was the month of excess – the time when consuming crystallised fruit-flavoured jellies or a whole chocolate orange legitimately counted towards your five a day. But the weight gain wasn’t something she was concerned about. Lisa was starting the new year confident the pounds would soon drop off: being a pet sitter and dog walker, she had an active job; shewas eating fewer Chinese takeaways; and she was getting plenty of exercise courtesy of her rather lovely, attentive boyfriend, Nathan. Just thinking about him made her smile.
Felicity made an ‘aww’ sound that caused Lisa to look at her.
‘I’m so pleased you’re smiling. I was worried back there, you might have hated it.’
I definitely hated it.
‘But it’s good, isn’t it? I mean … notthis.’ Felicity motioned between herself and Lisa. ‘The state we’re in now, that’s not good, but the fact we’re out of the house, taking on a challenge and trying something new.’
And there it was, the reason Lisa had agreed to go on the run. Not because she felt the need to lose weight or get fit for thirty, not because she needed a challenge – she was still building her business and had hernew relationship with Nathan to focus on – but because Felicity needed those things. Having not always been there for her, Lisa wanted to offer her support, to step up and be a good friend, the way she had been before her time spent travelling and living with her ex-partner Ben had got in the way. But, while Felicity continued to talk about how great it would be for the two of them to put theirnames down for a 5K, Lisa realised she needed to work out how she could continue to step up without stepping out in running gear!
The car was a welcome sight. Felicity opened the door and got in while Lisa took her fleece from where she had left it on the back seat and slipped it on. Sitting in the passenger seat, she rubbed her hands together to breathe life into her numb fingers before takingout her phone. Felicity started the engine in readiness to pull away, but paused, raising an eyebrow at Lisa’s crestfallen expression.
‘What’s up?’
‘Nothing.’ Lisa slipped her seatbelt on. ‘Nathan and I were meeting for lunch, but he’s letting the flat below him to an old friend for a while—’
