Every time I return, I empty myself. When I set off again, I am fully recharged.

—Preface

"How do you keep running?"

"Ah... because I love it. It's because of the people I've met through running, because I have goals I want to achieve, because I want to explore the unknown experiences, because... well, there aren't that many reasons."

Actually, that's not true.

I don't understand persistence. I'm rowing on the path of giving up every day. So this race report might be a hotpot story made with the ingredients of giving up and hanging on, mildly spicy. Please enjoy.

1.

"Liu Yi, I've decided. I'm going to run for a personal best in the Chengdu Double Heritage Marathon."

"The Double Heritage course is tough. It's not suitable for personal bests. You won't make it."

"You're fat, you don't understand. As long as you have the strength and the power of belief, you can PB anywhere."

Where this blind confidence comes from, I don't even know. Maybe it's because I've been a marathon pacer for too long, staying in my physical and mental comfort zone, leading to an arrogant attitude of "I can control pacing."

But in this world, getting slapped in the face can be absent but never late.

The first person to block my PB path was Old Zhao. The reason was I sent him a bottle of hair gel but forgot that he doesn't really style his hair... The virtuous and kind Teacher Zhao didn't say anything, nor did he hit me when we met.

He just casually said when he learned I was preparing to run a PB in the Double Heritage:

"When you come to Chongqing, try the hotpot and beer."

"I'm running for a PB the day after tomorrow. How about we have a clear broth instead?"

At that moment, Teacher Zhao's silent calmness froze the car. He pulled out a photo and sent it to me.

"We don't sell Yuan-Yang hotpot. Mildly spicy is the final compromise."

When you're in a rideshare, you can't help but bow your head.

So I chose to yield and went with Old Zhao and his so-called "pile driver" Ziyu to eat hotpot. (Old Zhao said Ziyu's cadence is often over 200, making it hard to tell if he transitioned from tap dancing to running, hence the nickname pile driver.)

This meal confined the originally free-spirited me to within five minutes of the toilet.

This was the first time I retreated on my PB path. At that moment, I thought, just go with the flow, don't care too much about the result.

2.

Despite the difficulties on the PB path, I could persist because I unexpectedly received Jianchi before the race.

Before I set off for the Double Heritage, a friend gave me a pack of Jianchi. She said, when you want to persist but lack the ability, Jianchi can give you a leg up.

I asked, can this little blue pill really help?

She said solemnly, the blue packaging always has some mysterious power for men, indescribable, just try it.

How mysterious is this pill? Well, after eating the hotpot Old Zhao gave me and giving up on the PB, I took this blue pill and suddenly felt an inexplicable confidence. So I posted some bold words on my social media.

"Strive to PB by one minute!"

"I reflected on my pacing chart from the Nanjing Marathon. I tend to lose control of my speed early on. I'll pay attention this time."

"I'm no longer a marathon newbie. I'll allocate my energy reasonably and won't make the irrational mistake of starting fast and ending slow."

...

After the race, looking back at what I said before the race, my stomach and face both felt a bit painful.

From the moment the race started, the me who took the pill was like a runaway wild donkey. (Editor: Is it okay to describe yourself like this?)

But is it my fault?

Partly, for coming to the passionately hospitable, picturesque Chengdu Double Heritage Marathon.

3.

Double Heritage, Double Heritage, leave no regrets,Whatever you want, Double Heritage has it.

The Double Heritage course is really beautiful,

If you like scenic landscapes, it has them.

If you enjoy warm and enthusiastic course encouragement, it has that too.

If you like brightly colored rapeseed fields, it has them.

If you like long, steep climbs, sorry, I don't like them, but it has them.

Running without pacing myself, I crashed at 26 kilometers, but there's a saying.

"Meeting people is neither early nor late, just right."

When I was about to give up, I saw the culprit who confined me to within five minutes of the toilet—Old Zhao!

He even reached out for a high-five. Honestly, if I had a cup of hot water in my hand, I would have thrown it without hesitation.

Why am I so afraid of Old Zhao? Is it just because he treated me to a "mildly spicy" hotpot? No.

We also drank. Men, after drinking, start bragging. Old Zhao said, did you see Ziyu? I'm going to pace him to finish under 4:00, easy.

Ziyu said, what if I accidentally finish under 3:10?

I put down my chopsticks and said something that made me run for my life on the course:

"If you finish under 3:10 in the Double Heritage, I'll sell my house in Hangzhou."

Indeed, what drives people to change is not love and justice, but three words: "can't lose."

They say two-thirds of a marathon relies on the body, the remaining third on mental strength.

Knowing that Old Zhao was Ziyu's private pacer and could catch up with me at any time, I didn't dare to slack off. Forget resting, I didn't even dare to look back.

I kept my head down and ran hard. Even when I crossed the finish line, I didn't dare to look up. How could I? What if I saw Ziyu ahead of me? How would I explain it to my wife?

"Honey, you might not believe this, but I ran a marathon and lost our house. Surprised? Unexpected? Exciting?"

With such a simple and sincere belief and the help of Jianchi, I pulled my pace back to 4 minutes per kilometer in the last 2 kilometers and achieved a PB by one minute.

Indeed, the blue packaging always has mysterious power for men.

4.

"Why did I sign up for the full marathon? Next time, I'll sign up for the half."

Have you ever said this? I've said it countless times during marathons, and this time was no exception.

But every marathon is a relaxing experience. When I set off again, I am fully recharged, ready to go further, meet more interesting people, and waste my life on beautiful things.

When I reached the finish line, besides reporting my safety, I wrote a social media post.

"When I was a kid, I never thought about being first. After I started exercising, I became obsessed with PBs. Maybe it's because we've all heard this on the marathon path: don't compare with others, just with your past self. So every breakthrough makes me feel as satisfied as winning a championship."

Finally, can the editor give me a chance to thank people? Please, please. (Editor: Since you're so handsome, I'll give you a minute.)

Thank you, Old Zhao, Ziyu, Xijia, Xiao Guo, Liu Yi, Ge Xiao, Xian Rou, Xue Mei.

Thank you, Sister Qin, Fa Ge, brothers and sisters, Yoyo, Qiuqiu, Wu Si, Xiao Xiao.

Thank you, why must I say thank you?

Because before coming to Chengdu, Ge Xiao asked me, "Are you happy?"

I said, "No, my surname is Shen."

"Hey, I meant, have you had particularly happy moments in sports?"

"Yes, I often think that sports are a way to love life. But how to understand loving life? Later, because of these moments remembered through sports, I realized that on the paths of companionship, we don't know each other, but we can truly feel the strength. It's really very happy."

Especially thankful, thank you for your companionship that makes me so happy.

Finally, I also want to say thank you to those who have always liked me, believed in me, and supported me.

On March 25th, I'll be the 4:00 pacer in Wuxi. This time, I'll run with you, okay? (Editor: Put a WeChat QR code on your back, want it?)

I definitely won't crash like Old Zhao, hahaha.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Old Zhao's 4:00 private pacing failed again. Ziyu achieved his 4:00 goal and finished in 3:55. I don't have to sell my house, yay! Wife, praise me!

Life can't always be like the first meeting, but we can still be fellow travelers.

See you in Wuxi!

*The copyright of this article belongs to the author. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
*The article only represents the author's views and does not represent Codoon's opinions.