Hello everyone, I amseason0520, a girl from Shandong who loves sports and enjoys making various delicacies. Of course, my greatest passion is marathon running. Over the years, I have participated in no less than 20 marathons and 2 trail races. Through continuous running, I have transformed myself from an amateur into a national second-level marathon athlete and achieved third place in the women's category at the 2017 Wuxi Trail Race.

A dark running experience solidified my determination

In June 2015, I accidentally joined a charity event called 'Be Your Eyes,' which helps visually impaired runners. Before attending, I had never truly experienced the world of the blind and participated with a playful attitude.

On the day of the event, when I first closed my eyes and put on the blindfold, and took my first step, I truly felt the pain of visually impaired individuals. In that moment, I felt guilty for my simplistic thoughts. Forget running, I was even terrified to walk alone.

Unable to see anything, I dared not move my feet. Even a slightly uneven surface would make me stop involuntarily. Finally, with the guidance of my companion, I stumbled to the finish line.

Although the event lasted only two hours, it felt like an eternity to me...

From that moment on, I made up my mind to help others as much as I can in life and to cherish every opportunity to run, carrying the regrets of visually impaired runners with me.

Third place in the trail race, running to create miracles

For my first full marathon, I chose the uniquely charming city of Shanghai.

At the moment of sprinting to the finish line, tears were still on my face, but my heart was filled with unprecedented joy. Although I had been running for a long time, at that moment, I completed my first full marathon dream. The most satisfying part was achieving my goal of finishing under 4 hours in just three months.

I finished in 3 hours and 48 minutes, measuring the 42.195 kilometers of the Bund step by step, perfectly concluding my first marathon.

At the 2017 Wuxi Trail Race, by the end of March, Wuxi was already getting hot. As the race started, I dashed out of the crowd. Due to the hot weather and my failure to replenish electrolytes in time, I experienced a calf cramp on a flat section after descending at 14km. Thanks to my two companions behind me, one sprayed medicine and the other helped me stretch. After some relief, I continued forward, determined to persist step by step until the end. To my surprise, I finished third in the women's category.

Standing on the podium for the first time, I was overwhelmed with emotion:

'Thank you to the self who ran hard. I will keep running for ten, twenty years, or even a lifetime!'

Running has enriched my world

In 2017, I was fortunate to become a coach at the NBRC Beijing Marathon Training Camp, conducting a 7-week training program. The main training content was to help participants understand proper running posture, the importance of cross-strength training, and running-related nutrition knowledge. I am very grateful for this training, which allowed me to learn marathon knowledge more scientifically and systematically and help more runners.

In 2018, I was even more fortunate to work as an assistant coach to Mr. Xu Guofeng, once again using the knowledge I had learned and practiced to help and share with more running enthusiasts. During the sharing process, I also continued to grow and become more excellent.

As I participated in more marathons, the most fortunate thing was meeting a group of interesting and lovely people. Even if we only met because we ran a section of the road together, we had a tacit understanding like old friends who had known each other for decades, making my running journey no longer lonely!

After all these years, running has become a part of my life and a daily habit.

Running is not a whim, not a passionate outburst, and not even for participating in a race. It is the moment every morning when I change into my running clothes and shoes, and life is filled with sunshine. This is my heartfelt persistence, the brightest moment in my ordinary life.

Every day, when you start measuring the city with your steps as the sun rises, you begin to confront the mundane or exhausting life head-on. It can be said that running makes the details of everyday life increasingly meaningful.

This is my life, my story. Every glorious journey begins with the first step, and every dark and dull path ends by running step by step.No surprises, no comebacks, believe me,Run, and you will find a better version of yourself.

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