Personalized Marathon Training Plan Guide

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mobilize all of yangling for a golden yangma marathon

——From Shaanxi Metropolitan Express

Yangling, a small town in the northwest, is neither a city nor a county in Shaanxi. It does not belong to Xi'an or Xianyang. I don't know how many people, like me, thought Yangling was a subordinate area of Xi'an before visiting, or even didn't know Yangling existed at all.

Yangling is not well-known nationwide, and it's a small place, about 16 kilometers long from east to west and 7 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of 135 square kilometers, of which the urban area is only 35 square kilometers. The population of Yangling is also small, with a permanent population of just over 200,000, and even fewer urban residents. In terms of both city area and population size, Yangling is comparable to an average county town.

Is it possible to hold a marathon in a county town, and not just a mini or half marathon, but a full marathon, and on a considerable scale?

 ——From Shaanxi Metropolitan Express

The 'Yangling Agricultural Science City Marathon' (referred to as 'Yangma') has been held, and this is already its 5th year.

At the recent '2018 China Athletics Association Marathon Annual Press Conference,' Yangma was ranked among the 'China Athletics Association Gold Label Events,' becoming the first gold label event in Shaanxi Province. For a marathon in a small 'county town,' this is simply a miracle.

This year, Yangma's participation scale reached 20,000 people, including 6,000 for the full marathon, 6,000 for the half marathon, and 8,000 for other events, comparable to marathons in many prefecture-level cities. The half marathon registration was full within 61 minutes, and the full marathon was full within just 6 hours. Although Yangma is not as popular as the Beijing, Shanghai, or Wuhan marathons, it is still impressive. After all, Yangma is just a marathon held in a small 'county town.'

With such an impressive Yangma, there must be a professional event operation company like Huipao Sports or Zhongao Road Running behind it, right?

However, there isn't. The core team of the Yangma Organizing Committee comes from the Yangling Demonstration Zone Sports Bureau, with many members drawn from various departments of the Demonstration Zone Management Committee and the district government. They usually work as public servants, serving the people; during the event, they transform into professional marathon executors.

With such a large-scale marathon, Yangling must have many universities to provide enough student volunteers for the event, right?

However, it doesn't. Yangling has only two universities: Northwest A&F University (one of the three 'Double First-Class' universities in Shaanxi Province) and Yangling Vocational and Technical College. Recruiting volunteers is somewhat challenging. The Yangma Organizing Committee did not back down from the difficulties; they included the two universities as co-organizers and mobilized their students to become volunteers. Students from both colleges enthusiastically cheered for the runners along the racecourse. The volunteers distributing race packs mainly came from Shaanxi Medical Science School, and they were all teenagers.

Even with volunteers from the two universities, it might still be challenging to meet the volunteer needs of Yangma. We saw staff from various units in Yangling standing along the racecourse, wearing red armbands, actively maintaining order and loudly cheering for the runners.

With so many participants, Yangling must have sufficient medical resources to ensure the runners' safety, right?

I am not sure how many hospitals, doctors, or ambulances Yangling has, but I guess the existing medical resources are insufficient to support such a large event. The Yangma Organizing Committee actively borrowed resources from neighboring cities and collaborated with Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine. Ambulances from other cities raced along the course to ensure the runners' safety and smooth completion.

It can be said that Yangma is successfully held with the combined efforts of the entire city and even the support of neighboring cities. So, what kind of marathon did the 2019 Yangma present to the runners?

1. A Marathon Expo with scale, structure, and ambition

In previous years, Yangma did not have a supporting expo, only a simple row of standard booths set up outdoors for sponsors to promote and sell products, with few sponsors participating.

This year, Yangma held its first official expo, with 56 exhibitors, a considerable scale. The exhibitors were not limited to Yangma sponsors; any brand willing to participate could join, showing a broad vision. Event companies and organizing committees from the northwest region could also apply to participate in the Yangling Marathon Expo, similar to the 'China Marathon Expo' held annually by the China Athletics Association, where event companies and organizing committees nationwide can participate. The first Yangling Marathon Expo revealed its ambition, aiming not just to be the 'Yangling Marathon Expo' but to become the 'Northwest China Marathon Expo.'

What was touching and surprising was that the first Yangling Marathon Expo did not charge any fees. The organizing committee set up the booths uniformly, made and posted the background boards, and prepared tables and chairs. Exhibitors only needed to bring their people and products. All exhibitors expressed deep respect and gratitude to the Yangma Organizing Committee for providing such a good platform. Every committee member was very responsible, patient, and dedicated.

2. The only marathon providing breakfast for athletes

I have participated in over 80 marathons of various sizes, and last year was the first time I saw an event providing breakfast for participants, which was Yangma.

This year, Yangma continued the excellent tradition of providing breakfast for participants, starting early in the morning. Many runners who didn't have time for breakfast queued up in front of the big tent to eat.

3. Another event with mixed starts for full and half marathons

The mixed start for full and half marathons was first introduced by Huipao Sports and initially practiced in the Wuxi Marathon. Other domestic races have gradually followed, but they are still few. I have discussed the advantages of mixed starts in many articles, so I won't elaborate here.

Last year, Yangma introduced the mixed start for full and half marathons, with runners of similar pace starting in the same area.

The mixed start is more complex than having full marathon runners start first and half marathon runners start later, but I want to highlight the Yangma Organizing Committee's learning spirit. They perfectly demonstrated the saying 'learning from others to improve oneself,' not only introducing the mixed start but also executing it well.

When the race started, runners quickly and orderly passed the starting point, ran into Yangling, and headed towards the finish line. No one kept shouting 'make way,' and fast runners did not push slow runners.

4. Orderly racecourse and sufficient supplies

Running on the Yangling course, runners followed their own pace and ran happily, maintaining order.

I guess the organizing committee considered the high flow of people in the first half and innovatively set up supply stations on both sides of the course, allowing runners to get supplies from either the left or right side, avoiding crowding. The organizing committee was thoughtful.

At the 15-kilometer mark, there was food supply, with energy bars piled on the supply tables in sufficient quantities. The energy bars chosen by the organizing committee tasted good, soft, and easy to swallow without much chewing.

I remember participating in a race in 2016 where the energy bars at the supply station were particularly hard. I took one bite and threw it away, and the course was littered with half-eaten energy bars. On the Yangma course, I hardly saw any energy bars thrown away after one bite.

Having supplies on the course is not enough; they must also be suitable for marathon use. After long-distance running, the chewing muscles are fatigued, and it is not suitable to eat particularly hard food. If energy bars are used as supplies, they should be soft, like those chosen by the Yangma Organizing Committee.

5. Unique agricultural science city misting

We often see misting on the course, but the misting at Yangma is unique.

The misting at Yangma is placed in a greenhouse-like shed, with many agricultural spraying facilities mounted on top. When runners pass by, they are sprayed from all angles like flowers and plants in the field. When I passed by, I was thoroughly misted, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Last year's misting was the same as this year's. The Yangma Organizing Committee continues to maintain what they do well and strives to do even better, actively learning from other successful events to provide a better experience for participants.

If we approach our work and life with the spirit of the Yangma Organizing Committee—striving for excellence and learning from the best—I believe there is nothing we cannot achieve.

6. Lively racecourse atmosphere

Although Yangling is a small city, the racecourse is lively. Almost all the government staff, citizens, and students in Yangling stood along the course to cheer.

The staff at Yangling Railway Station wore mascot costumes and beat drums to cheer for the runners.

Soldiers training at the base high-fived the participants, encouraging them.

Residents and children from Hengda City high-fived the participants along the course. I looked for Yani, Taotao, and Yifan's family of three who live in Hengda City for a long time but couldn't find them.

The waist drum team from Northwest A&F University performed a lively waist drum dance at the school gate to cheer for the participants.

7. Volunteers and family members awarding medals

After crossing the finish line and walking a few steps, many volunteers holding medals were waiting to ceremoniously award medals to the finishers. This is a practice of many well-known marathons, and Yangma introduced it this year.

Family members waiting at the finish line to award medals is an innovation of the Xiamen Marathon. Yangma introduced it this year, allowing participants to register in advance for 'family member medal awarding,' letting their relatives award them and witness their finishing glory, sharing the joy of finishing together. This is another detail showing the Yangma Organizing Committee's spirit of 'learning from the best.'

At this year's Xiamen Expo, I met Mr. Xu and Mr. Wang from the Yangma Organizing Committee. They did not participate in the race but came to Xiamen specifically to learn from the Xiamen Marathon. They are dedicated to building the Yangma Expo into the 'Northwest China Marathon Expo' and introducing family member medal awarding. Mr. Xu and Mr. Wang are genuinely dedicated to learning.

8. Thoughtful and dedicated finisher's pack

After receiving my medal, I went to get my finisher's pack. The finisher's pack continued the tradition from last year, still full of 'agricultural' marathon characteristics.

The apples in the participant's pack were particularly delicious. While waiting for the shuttle bus, a young lady was eating an apple, and the juice splashed everywhere, getting on my face and hands. When I ate mine, I was also very satisfied. It had been a long time since I had such a delicious apple, with crisp flesh, abundant juice, and a hint of tartness in the sweetness.

The cherry tomatoes were also delicious. Although their sizes were uneven, this is characteristic of green organic cherry tomatoes. Each bite was filled with the taste of first love.

......

Yangma is already a 'China Athletics Association Gold Label Event,' but I believe this is not the end for Yangma. Northwest A&F University's goal is to become a 'world-class agricultural university,' Yangling's goal is to build a 'world-renowned agricultural science and technology innovation city,' and Yangma's goal must be to become an 'IAAF Label Event,' aiming first for the bronze label, then striving for the silver, gold, and platinum labels.

So, the question arises, what obstacles does Yangma face in becoming an 'IAAF Label Event,' and what areas can be improved this year?

The biggest obstacle to Yangma's development might be the city's scale. With Yangling's current capacity, it is challenging to expand further. Many runners had difficulty booking rooms for Yangma, with most hotel rooms fully booked by February. As the race approached, finding a room was nearly impossible. The night before the race, my two friends and I stayed in Zhouzhi County, Xi'an, and drove to Yangling early in the morning.

This year, there might have been some issues with the flow at the half marathon finish. After finishing, I quickly received my medal but took a long time to get my finisher's pack. The finisher's pack collection point was behind the post-race supply area, stretching area, and photo area, making it hard to find and requiring a walk.

I personally believe the finisher's pack collection point should be placed after the medal collection, as is the practice in most marathons. Once runners receive their finisher's pack, they can relax, eat, drink, stretch, and take photos. If they have to come back after collecting the finisher's pack, it can be a bit cumbersome.

In the first half of the course, some volunteers moved the supply tables to the middle of the course, away from the supply station area. I understand this was out of goodwill, to make it easier for runners to get supplies, but it was also quite dangerous. Some runners run fast and might collide with the supply tables. After my reminder, the volunteers quickly moved the tables back to the supply area. This requires the Yangma Organizing Committee to provide more thorough pre-race training, reminding volunteers not to act on their own and to strictly follow the event regulations.

Yangma is steadily progressing on the path of 'striving for excellence and learning from the best,' improving year by year. I believe the future of Yangma will be even better. The 'IAAF Label Event' is within reach, and the 'IAAF Gold Label Event' is not just a daydream.

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