Her shoulders started to slump, head dipping. It was clear this "light jog" wasn't feeling very light to her. "Uh," she puffed out between breaths, "this... is your... light pace?"

  "You're doing awesome, keep pushing..." James encouraged, deliberately shortening his stride even more until they were barely jogging, more like a fast walk with occasional bouncy steps. He felt a twinge of guilt; maybe his definition of "easy" was skewed. "Just focus on your breathing. Try for smooth breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Don't hold it." He tried to sound like a helpful buddy, not some hardcore trainer barking orders.

  "We're almost there, see the bench where we started?"

  By the time they finally completed the single kilometer loop and staggered back towards the cluster of outdoor gym equipment near their starting point, Dipa immediately bent over, pnting her hands firmly on her knees. She was making some seriously dramatic gasping noises, like she’d just sprinted the whole way uphill chased by angry geese. Sweat slicked her hair to her forehead and temples, and her face was flushed a vibrant shade of beetroot red.

  "Dude! I... gasp... literally... wheeze... feel like my lungs... are gonna explode!" she choked out between frantic gulps of air. She looked up at James, her eyes wide with a potent cocktail of exhaustion, bewilderment, and maybe a hint of accusation. "Seriously! This... this is way harder than three straight rounds of Judo practice! How are you not even sweating?! Are you even human?" She eyed him suspiciously for a second.

  "Haha, nah, just used to this specific torture," James chuckled, giving her ample space and time to recover. No point crowding her when she looked like she might keel over. "It's just a different kind of hard, honestly." He waited until her breathing started to sound slightly less like a steam engine trying to start.

  "Think about it – Judo's all about that insane explosive power, right? Fast moves, grappling strength, technique under pressure. Super intense, but it's in bursts. Big effort, then maybe a slight pause, then another burst."

  He gestured towards the running path they'd just conquered. "This endurance stuff? Running? It’s more like a slow, steady burn. It’s about teaching your lungs and legs to keep chugging along even when they're screaming 'Please make it stop!' Building that kind of stamina? It takes time, for real."

  " Your body needs to adapt."

  He let that sink in, watching her gradually straighten up. "Look," he said, catching her eye again. "The main goal for today was just to complete that 1k distance. And you did it."

  " You didn't stop, you pushed through. That's the win right there. Speed comes ter, way ter. Just finishing is huge for day one."

  He waited another beat, letting her catch her breath fully. "Okay, feeling slightly more alive?" He grinned. "Ready for part two of the initiation?" He gestured towards a clear patch of grass nearby.

  "Next up, just some bodyweight basics. Super simple stuff. Let's start with push-ups. Nothing fancy, just show me what you've got."