In the quaint town of Monaco, two childhood best friends, Charles and Avianna, have always had a special bond. Their parents would bring both of them to all the kart racing and formula races. Since then, the two have trained, grown, and dreamed toge...
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***** Avianna
January 8, 2024 - Maranello, Italy
SWEAT STINGS MY EYES, BLURRING THE GYM INTO A HAZE of colors and movement, but i don't slow down. I can't. The hum of the treadmill beneath me thrums like a heartbeat, though my heart races faster with each pounding step on the rubber belt.
Cardio days can be brutal, designed to build our endurance to stay sharp and in shape through the grueling length of a race. I imagine the track in my mind. My muscles burn, and my breath comes in ragged gasps, but I can't afford to let up. In the cockpit, there's no room for weakness.
The treadmill beeps, signaling the end of my session. It was an hour-and-a-half morning treadmill session. My trainer, Alicia, smiled at me giving me a pat on the back.
"Now that's a morning cardio," she says, looking at me with crossed arms. I'm sitting on the floor, and my body is almost finished with the morning workout. But I welcome it all—the pain, the exhaustion, the racing heartbeats.
"Can I skip the evening yoga session?" I joked, but deep down, I really wanted to skip it.
"Fine. But I'll give you a few additional reps later this afternoon," Alicia replied. My eyes and mouth widened in shock. It's rare for Alicia to let me skip any training sessions. While part of me feels guilty, my body is begging me to take the deal and save myself from another intense yoga session with her.
"I love you, Alicia!" I exclaimed, hugging her legs. She made a cringy face. "Don't worry, I'm still gonna do some stretching alone!" I assured her.
On Mondays, we focus on endurance and strength: cardio in the morning, strength training in the afternoon, and stretching or yoga at night to aid recovery. This is why I'm only 50% guilty about skipping the evening session. Yoga is something I can do on my own, even without Alicia's supervision.
Alicia waited for me to stand up from the floor, but I told her she could go ahead. She still had a meeting with the team to discuss some things. As I watched her leave the gym, a small smile formed on my lips. I'm happy that Alicia, my trainer since I was in the academy, is now with me in F1. Before signing with Ferrari, one of my negotiation points was being able to choose my own personal trainer.
Of course, the team didn't like it at first. They underestimated us, women. They suggested Rupert since he was no longer Sainz's trainer, but I insisted there was no difference if Alicia was my trainer. They would still have a say in how Alicia established my training regimen. But to meet halfway, Rupert became my second trainer: for simulators, neck training, and reaction time.
While taking a sip from my water bottle, my phone rang, displaying an unknown number.
"Hello?" I answered hesitantly.
"Hey, Avianna. It's me, Oscar." My initial thought was to ask how he got my number, but I decided against it. The night we met involved alcohol, so I probably just couldn't remember giving him my number.
