Basically, running is a happy thing. The secretion of endorphins in the brain will make people feel happy in the short term and increase people’s energy for positive thinking in the long term, which is definitely a good thing. But all the benefits cannot hide the fact that when runners pursue breakthroughs, it is not easy to endure physical pain and spiritual struggle. There are even some extreme opinions that running is against human nature. The human body, especially bones, are not designed for running, and running is not in line with human nature.
After seeing many photos of runners, I am even more sure of this. Of course, after reaching the finish line, all the runners were ecstatic, with a sense of accomplishment written all over their faces. The photos taken before setting off were also full of solemn expressions of pledges. But in the middle of running, especially when struggling with steep slopes, at least for me, the muscles in my face are tense and look hideous, and my appearance makes people afraid to understand.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather immediately became hot and humid, making it extremely unsuitable for running. Last year at this time, I took 228 (the family dog) out at 6 o'clock every morning, walking and jogging for five kilometers, which was relaxing and comfortable. This year I am determined to complete my first marathon. No matter how hot the weather is, I still have to run ten kilometers a day and at least 60 kilometers a week.
Almost all important marathon events have a six-hour time limit. Therefore, the bottom line of speed must be at least eight minutes per kilometer to be eligible to be considered for participation in the competition. Referring to the training plan of the marathon seniors, starting one year before the competition, you must run at least ten kilometers every day and 60 kilometers per week. Three months before the competition, you must train intensively to run 80 to 100 kilometers per week. At this stage, I must run 10 kilometers within 80 minutes every day, and it must become a habit.
I participated in the Taipei Fubon Cup Marathon and completed the 21-kilometer half-marathon at a speed of slightly less than 8 minutes per kilometer. However, my normal training speed is between eight and nine minutes per kilometer, and I ran ten kilometers in about 84 minutes. Very comfortable speed. I recently started speed training and it takes 78 minutes to complete. A mere 6 minutes actually caused a lot of physical and mental suffering. My buttocks, front thighs and soles of my feet often have throbbing pain when running. After running, I always feel that my leg muscles are tight.
I took a vacation a few days ago and decided to run 20 kilometers. I parked the car at the Keelung Riverside and decided to run east to Xizhi first, about 7.5 kilometers, a round trip of 15 kilometers. After replenishing water, I ran 2.5 kilometers to the west and a round trip of 5 kilometers, a total of 20 kilometers. . But when we ran three or four kilometers, at about 6:30, the sun peeked out and it immediately became hot. There was almost no shade on the riverside, and there was no wind. The "shirt" was soaked through, and the sweat fell on the ground drop by drop. 228's black hair must have had a high body temperature when exposed to the sun. She stuck out her tongue, and she was sweating. She suddenly thought that she would have to run 15 kilometers back to the parking lot before she could have water. Would she be short of water? Water? Especially in 228, lack of water will be life-threatening. Thinking about this, my already painful muscles seemed to hurt even more, so I decided to run 10 kilometers instead.
Turning around after five kilometers, the sun flickered.A gentle breeze came on the river, and running was no longer so strenuous. A thought flashed through my mind, let's run 20 kilometers. Another thought immediately said: Forget it! Just be lazy once. So, after running 10 kilometers, I had a pleasant breakfast with a sense of guilt.
I often think that runners must be pursuing something, otherwise why would they work so hard, endure muscle pain, and sweat like rain?
I once asked some fellow runners about their motivations. Health, body shape, happiness, and habits are all reasons for running. Another friend said that he learned the principles of running a business from running marathons, so he had a successful career and ran several marathons every year. All the runners I have met have common personality traits: a sense of discipline and achievement motivation.
But recently I read a book "Born to Run", which tells the story of a group of indigenous people living in isolation in the desert mountains of Mexico - the Tarahumara people, who still retain the instinct to love running in the primitive era of mankind. , this can be determined from the happy looks on their faces while running. The author believes that human beings love running instinctively. Primitive humans have neither sharp claws nor fangs. They obtain protein by forcing their prey to run long distances and exhausting them to death. The Bushmen, the only remaining primitive tribe in Africa, still maintain traditional hunting techniques: forcing antelopes to run long distances until they overheat and die from exhaustion. Human running instinct has been covered up by civilization. As long as people tap into the instinct, they will regain the running instinct.
Runners must not only love running, but also run for the love of running. Only those who truly love running. I am just an ordinary person who runs to realize my marathon dream and occasionally gets lazy.