Hope that the bush protects your modesty for a bit.

When you emerge, having changed, the shadow of self-consciousness sweeps over you once again. Not just because the tight shorts make it clear what you've got in relation to the other girls here, but because you're out of your element. You're in a different sphere, one to which you've never been suited. And if Lara has her way, she's about to find that out first-hand.

"Perfect! We're all ready!" Lara grabs you by the wrist, and lines you up at what appears to be the starting line of the track, though it looks slightly faded with how many feet must have sprung off it. She gets down in perfect starting-block stance, then turns over at you. So, you attempt some imitation of her position. You're sure you look so awkward, not quite able to replicate Lara's poise, with her butt in the air and long legs ready to spring ahead.

"Three... two... one... GO!"

And you both blast off. Well, Lara blasts off. You trip a little and find yourself already quite significantly behind. Still, you're pretty much going flat out by your standards. You're treating your own feet as if you aren't going to have to walk on them for the rest of your life. You're not sure what's possessing you to go this hard, but... looking at Lara from behind is really nice. Even though she is growing more and more distant by the second, to the point of pretty much being a speck by the end of your first lap.

Midway through the second, you spot her again... whizzing by you. And then again partway through the third. And then just as the fourth starts. It's funny, you don't feel your effort decreasing at all, and yet you seem to be moving much slower. You go from feeling pain in your legs, to not being able to feel anything in them at all. The sweat drips off your brow and down your arms and all around your body and you feel disgusting. And still you keep going.

Eventually at the end of one lap, you notice Lara having come to a halt... and you do so too. With a crash to the ground. You really have not been doing your body any favours, what with all these encounters with gravity. Luckily, you don't feel like you've damaged or indeed cut anything... so wincing in pain, you try to get to a seated position and look up at your temporary training partner.

"Whew... that was a pretty good time for ten laps", she says, pulling out some sort of timer from her duffel bag. "Still nowhere near my best. Onward and upward tomorrow, I guess!" She then looks down at you, and you get the intense feeling you look pathetic. "How many did you manage, Rosie?"

Your voice is dry and cracked, and betrays just how hard you overpushed yourself. "I... don't know..." You think it's at *most* six, but you lost count when all the blood in your body decided to dedicate itself to not collapsing.

"Well, seems you gave yourself a pretty hard workout! And the more you do this, you're gonna build your stamina up! Eventually, you'll manage to keep up with me!" She ruffles your hair again and offers her hand to help you up. You feel yourself dragged up, but you're nowhere near ready to stand yet, so you flop forward, right into Lara's body.