Many runners on Codoon know about it.He Yajun's Blind Assistance Group includes visually impaired runner Xu Jian as an ordinary member.
This article is written by Ben'er Ben'er Ben.Visually impaired runner Xu Jian.Editor.
For a healthy person, running is a simple, monotonous, and boring exercise. But for friends like us with visual impairments, we have to overcome inner obstacles, step out to integrate into society, and participate in sports together, which requires strong willpower and determination.
Since the establishment of He Yajun's Blind Assistance Group, we visually impaired friends and volunteers have challenged ourselves in running, pushing our physical limits, facing all unknown courses, and enjoying the joy brought by running and the satisfaction from the team. Running is no longer a solitary battle for any of us.
Running is a simple exercise. Simple exercises need to be done repeatedly, and repeated exercises need to be done efficiently. Efficient exercises need to be done scientifically. As Brother Liao said: 'The threshold for running is very low, but if you want to run well and for a long time, like swimming, you need scientific and reasonable training!'
Joining He Yajun's Blind Assistance Group, the biggest feeling is: brothers from all over the world, nothing can stop us from meeting. Long-lost classmates and friends reunite in this team!
As a complete and pure running novice, my thoughts during running are rich and colorful. Like a lab mouse, jumping up and down, one thought after another pops up:
One says: Stop running, slow down, take a break, you're tired;
Another says: Hold on a bit longer, you're in a fatigue phase, it will get better soon;
One says: Stop running, at your age, don't push yourself;
Another says: Your physical foundation is good, keep going, hold on a bit longer;
One says: Endurance is not your strength, but you have good explosive power. Your breathing is becoming uneven, it's becoming prominent, maybe you should give up now;
Another says: Hold on a bit longer, after six or seven kilometers, you'll hit your best state;
One says: Stop running, running this long and far, your stamina won't keep up, you might collapse soon;
Another says: Stop interrupting me, I need to watch the road and avoid bumping into people, I'll keep going;
This kind of internal battle, with voices responding to each other, rising and falling, is also a kind of joy!
But since meeting more volunteers and expert-level individuals in the team, I've heard more of their professional guidance, overcoming more of my inner lab mice! These words are like sailors hearing the whistle or soldiers hearing the bugle, different voices appear at different times and distances.
Brother Liao says: Adjust your stride frequency, reduce your stride length, keep your head up, chest out, and hips comfortable.
Brother Du says: Inhale through both mouth and nose, with 70% through the mouth and 30% through the nose. Only by taking big breaths in and out can your muscle oxygen levels be high.
Brother Yu says: Don't lower your head when going uphill, reduce your stride length, and lean forward.
Wolf Team says: When going uphill, increase the range of your arm swings, which helps improve speed without slowing down and aids in leg stride.
I also recall many volunteers teaching me post-run stretching: Peach, Jiangnan, and many others helped me position my hands, feet, and legs for deep stretching. Listening and understanding, it's like getting a massage, finding what suits you best. From then on, running without injuries, running healthily and long-term, no training team can compare to ours, offering one-on-one guidance and leading each person in effective scientific training, it's simply heartwarming and joyful.
In He Yajun's Blind Assistance Group, the sense of family in running is taken to the extreme:
There are ultra-distance trail running experts;
There are marathon runners who finish within three hours;
There are also novices who don't chase mileage but willingly assist the blind;
And those with a passionate heart who don't want to run a step but willingly serve as logistics volunteers.
Here, they seem like a group of unserious people doing serious things!
Here, we've recognized various relatives, uncles, grandpas, brothers, sisters, from not knowing each other to knowing and understanding each other after joining the group, running mountains together, dining together, never forgetting the original intention of helping every blind friend with what they can!
In this volunteer team, various departments have been established, including the sports department, logistics department, publicity department, finance department, and even a reading group to enrich our knowledge, and a blind dating group! They not only teach us healthy, happy, and long-term running but also enrich our knowledge and broaden our horizons. While bringing us joy, they also feel a sense of pride, satisfaction, and happiness. Nationally, our team is the one with the largest age span and the least concern for fame and fortune!
A small blind assistance group is like an invisible emotional net, firmly binding blind friends and volunteers in the center, making everyone sink deeper and deeper, while the road runs farther and farther. Running has become a habit that we can never abandon!
Now, with the planning and efforts of many volunteers, we run in neat rows, shouting slogans, on the track of Olympic Forest Park. We showcase the style and charm of our team to many friends and runners nationwide.
They lead us through various big and small races, helping each blind friend achieve their dreams:
It's you who run with us on the early spring roads, still with a hint of chill. The pale yellow forsythia flowers smile, and the tender green leaves wave at us, as if saying: Keep going, we admire your perseverance;
It's you who run with us in the hot and humid summer, leaving home under the stars and running in the rain, seeing the most beautiful scenes, dewdrops rolling on lotus leaves, frogs croaking in ponds, strengthening our determination to keep running;
When the sky turns light, we step on the golden ginkgo leaves, enjoying the beauty of autumn and the joy of running on the red track of Olympic Forest Park;
When the severe cold of minus fourteen or fifteen degrees arrives, we overcome inner laziness, with frost on our eyelashes and fleece jackets steaming, our hearts remain warm, continuing to run.
You lovely and respectable people, leading us through the changes of the four seasons, with you along the way, we eliminate fear and boredom, gaining peace and joy. Hand in hand, no matter how far the distance or how long the road, our dream is not far ahead, waiting for us. Our team will be more brilliant and glorious, and tomorrow will be better!