Zen woke before his alarm. For a second, he thought he was back in his condo, preparing for Olympic training. Then he felt the race car bed beneath him and remembered.
He was eight years old again. And today was his first training session with his parents.
The digital clock showed 5:45 AM. Fifteen minutes before the alarm. In his adult life, he'd been waking up at 5:30 for years. Some habits didn't change, even in a kid's body.
He slipped out of bed and padded to the dresser where Mom had laid out his new gear. Small running shorts, a tiny moisture-wicking shirt, kid-sized running shoes. The night before, they'd taken him shopping for "proper training clothes," his dad insisting that "real athletes need real equipment."
DING
[TRAINING SESSION DETECTED - PREPARING ANALYTICS INTERFACE]
Zen flinched at the blue text that appeared in his vision. How did this system work? Could he control it?
"Hello?" he whispered.
[VOICE COMMAND RECOGNIZED - HOW CAN I ASSIST YOU?]
"Can my parents see you?" he whispered, glancing at the door.
[NEGATIVE - OLYMPIC TRACK SYSTEM IS USER-SPECIFIC - INTERFACE VISIBLE ONLY TO ZEN CROSS]
That was a relief. He tried another question. "How do I use you?"
[SYSTEM RESPONDS TO VOICE COMMANDS, THOUGHTS DIRECTED AT INTERFACE, AND PHYSICAL INTERACTION WITH VIRTUAL DISPLAY]
"Show me my stats," he thought directly at the blue text.
A new screen appeared with basic information:
[USER: ZEN CROSS - AGE: 8]
[HEIGHT: 4'3" - WEIGHT: 62 LBS]
[RESTING HEART RATE: 72 BPM]
[BASELINE ATHLETIC ABILITIES: PENDING INITIAL ASSESSMENT]
A knock interrupted his exploration. "Zen? You up, buddy?" Dad's voice.
"Yeah, I'm getting dressed!" Zen quickly grabbed his clothes.
"Breakfast in ten minutes. Don't want to train on an empty stomach!"
By the time Zen reached the kitchen, Mom was flipping whole wheat pancakes while Dad prepared protein-rich toppings.
"There's our future champion!" Dad grinned. "Ready for day one?"
Zen nodded, climbing onto a chair. "What are we gonna do today?"
"Well," Mom set a plate in front of him, "first we'll do a proper warm-up. Then some basic exercises to see where you're at naturally."
"Nothing too hard today," Dad added, pouring a small glass of orange juice. "Just want to see what you can do."
"And remember," Mom said, sitting down with her own plate, "if anything hurts or doesn't feel right, you tell us immediately. That's rule number one."
Zen nodded solemnly. "I will."
Dad ruffled his hair. "That's my boy. Eat up now."
Twenty minutes later, they drove to the local track. The familiar smell of rubber surface and cut grass hit Zen as they walked through the gate. For a moment, he was back at the university track, Coach Murray calling out times.
"You okay, buddy?" Dad asked, noticing his pause.
"Yeah. Just excited."
DING
[TRAINING LOCATION IDENTIFIED: 400M REGULATION TRACK]
[BEGINNING ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT FOR OPTIMIZATION]
Mom knelt in front of him, adjusting his shoelaces. "Remember what I said about telling us if anything hurts?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Good. Now let's start with some warm-ups."
They began with walking lunges around the infield. Dad demonstrated first, his powerful legs making it look easy.
"Now you try, Zen. Step forward, bend both knees, keep your back straight."
Zen stepped forward, instantly frustrated by how awkward it felt. In his adult body, lunges had been second nature. Now his muscles strained with the simple movement.
DING
[MOVEMENT ANALYSIS: LUNGE FORM - 62% EFFICIENT]
[RECOMMENDATION: WIDER STANCE, ENGAGE CORE]
"Wider stance, buddy," Dad said, echoing the system. "And tighten your tummy muscles."
Zen adjusted, following both the system and his father's advice.
[FORM IMPROVED - 78% EFFICIENCY]
They continued through a series of dynamic stretches. High knees. Butt kicks. Arm circles. With each exercise, the system provided feedback, and his parents offered gentle corrections.
"You're picking this up fast," Mom said, looking impressed. "Good coordination for your age."
Zen tried not to smile too much. "I'm just copying you guys."
After warm-ups, they moved to the track itself.
"Let's see you jog one lap," Dad said. "Nice and easy. We just want to see your natural running style."
Zen stood at the starting line, his small heart beating fast with excitement.
DING
[RUNNING ASSESSMENT INITIATED]
[MONITORING STRIDE LENGTH, CADENCE, FOOT STRIKE, POSTURE]
"Remember, nice and easy," Mom called. "This isn't a race."
Zen started jogging, immediately aware of his shortened stride. His adult mind wanted to push harder, lengthen his steps, but his child body couldn't match the muscle memory.
[CURRENT HEART RATE: 135 BPM - AEROBIC ZONE OPTIMAL FOR ASSESSMENT]
[STRIDE LENGTH: 2.1 FEET - SUBOPTIMAL FOR HEIGHT]
[CADENCE: 162 STEPS PER MINUTE - ACCEPTABLE]
[FOOT STRIKE: MIDFOOT - GOOD]
[POSTURE: 73% EFFICIENCY - CORE ENGAGEMENT NEEDED]
Zen focused on the feedback, adjusting his form mid-run. He straightened his back, engaged his core, and tried to optimize his stride without looking too practiced.
"Look at that," he heard his mom say to his dad. "He's adjusting himself. Did you see that?"
"Natural instinct," Dad replied. "That's rare at this age."
Zen completed the lap and jogged back to his parents, carefully controlling his breathing to not seem too conditioned.
"That was very good, honey," Mom said, checking his pulse the old-fashioned way, fingers against his wrist.
Dad looked at his stopwatch. "One forty-two for the lap. That's impressive for a controlled jog at your age."
Mom nodded. "Especially with no previous training."
"How did that feel?" Dad asked.
"Good," Zen said. "But my legs feel different than when I'm just running around the yard."
"That's because you're paying attention to your form now," Dad explained. "Running is more than just moving fast. It's about how you move."
DING
[LAP ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[TIME: 1:42 FOR 400M - CONTROLLED PACE WITH NATURAL TALENT DETECTED]
[HEART RATE RECOVERY: EXCELLENT]
[RECOMMENDATION: INCREASE CADENCE BY 5-7%, FOCUS ON FORWARD LEAN]
"Want to try a short sprint?" Mom asked. "Just fifty meters, to see your speed."
Zen nodded eagerly.
They walked to the straightaway. Dad marked off the distance with small cones.
"I'll time you," Mom said, pulling out her stopwatch. "When I say go, run as fast as you can to Daddy. But keep your form nice."
Zen stood at the line, bouncing lightly on his toes.
DING
[SPRINT ASSESSMENT PREPARING]
[RECOMMENDATION: DRIVE KNEES, ENGAGE ARMS, MAINTAIN FORWARD LEAN]
"Ready... set... GO!" Mom clicked the stopwatch.
Zen exploded forward, immediately frustrated by his child body's limitations. His mind knew exactly how to sprint, but his small legs and undeveloped muscles couldn't execute properly. Still, he pushed hard, driving his knees and pumping his arms as the system advised.
[SPRINT FORM: 81% EFFICIENT - EXCEPTIONAL FOR AGE]
[POWER OUTPUT: MONITORING...]
He crossed the line where Dad stood, slowing to a stop.
"Nine-point-two seconds!" Mom called, looking shocked. "That's... that's incredible for your age."
Dad knelt down, studying Zen's face. "How does that compare to other kids, Lisa?"
Mom shook her head. "That would put him near the top nationally for his age group. If he maintained that pace for 100 meters..."
Crap. Zen realized he'd shown too much ability. He needed to dial it back.
"I just ran as fast as I could," he said, trying to sound innocent. "Did I do good?"
"You did amazing, buddy," Dad said, still looking surprised. "Let's try some other exercises."
For the next thirty minutes, they assessed his basic athletic abilities. Push-ups (he struggled appropriately for an eight-year-old). Jumping jacks. Short shuttle runs. Throughout it all, the system provided constant feedback while his parents watched with growing excitement.
Finally, Mom called for a water break. While his parents talked quietly by their gym bag, Zen sat on the grass, pretending to tie his shoe while actually exploring the system interface.
"Show me everything," he thought at the blue screen.
The interface expanded to reveal multiple tabs:
[STATS] - Current physical attributes and measurements
[TRAINING] - Workout analysis and recommendations
[TECHNIQUE] - Form breakdown for each movement type
[PROGRESS] - Growth projections and achievement tracking
[RECOVERY] - Rest and nutrition guidelines
He tapped the Progress tab with his mind.
[BASED ON INITIAL ASSESSMENT]
[AGE 8: LOCAL YOUTH COMPETITION POTENTIAL]
[AGE 10-12: REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POTENTIAL]
[AGE 14-16: NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM POTENTIAL]
[AGE 18+: INTERNATIONAL ELITE POTENTIAL]
Zen smiled. With the system's help and his parents' coaching, he could develop far faster than in his first life. He'd be ready for the Olympics earlier, stronger, with years more experience.
"Zen! Ready to cool down?" Mom called.
He jogged back to his parents, who led him through proper stretching techniques.
"You did really well today," Dad said as he helped Zen stretch his hamstrings. "Better than we expected, honestly."
Mom nodded. "We're thinking three sessions a week to start. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday. How does that sound?"
"Can we do more?" Zen asked eagerly.
His parents exchanged surprised looks.
"Let's start with three," Mom said. "Your body needs rest to grow stronger, especially at your age."
DING
[RECOMMENDED TRAINING SCHEDULE FOR CURRENT DEVELOPMENT STAGE:]
[3 STRUCTURED SESSIONS WEEKLY]
[2 ACTIVE PLAY DAYS]
[2 COMPLETE REST DAYS]
[SCHEDULE APPROVED - OPTIMAL FOR AGE AND DEVELOPMENT]
"Okay," Zen agreed, seeing the system approved his mom's plan. "But I'll get faster, right?"
Dad laughed, picking up their water bottles. "With your natural talent and our coaching? You'll be amazing, buddy."
In the car ride home, his parents discussed what they'd observed, occasionally asking Zen questions about how certain movements felt.
"How did you know to adjust your running form mid-lap?" Mom asked, turning in her seat to face him.
Zen shrugged. "It just felt better that way."
"That's called body awareness," Dad said, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. "Most kids your age don't have that."
"You really seem to understand this stuff for an eight-year-old," Mom added.
"I just want to be like you guys," Zen said truthfully.
His parents smiled at each other.
"There's a small youth event at the community center next month," Dad mentioned casually. "Nothing serious, just fun races for kids. Might be good for you to experience a little competition."
Zen's heart jumped with excitement. "Can I do it?"
"If you keep training well," Mom said. "We'll see how the next few weeks go."
DING
[EVENT DETECTED: YOUTH COMPETITION]
[CREATING PREPARATION TIMELINE AND PERFORMANCE TARGETS]
[GOAL ADDED: COMMUNITY CENTER YOUTH RACE - 4 WEEKS]
As they pulled into their driveway, Zen felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Pure, uncomplicated hope. He had his parents back. He had their expertise guiding him. And he had this incredible system helping him optimize everything.
This time, nothing would stop him from becoming the champion he was meant to be.
This time would be perfect.