Look, there's an uncle running.
Uncle, why are you running?
The literary uncle said: When I was young, I liked Nietzsche. Every day that we don’t dance is a betrayal to life.
The funny uncle said: Boss, give me a shot of adrenaline, a bowl of chicken soup, and a side of dopamine.
The pretentious uncle said: Because the road is there.
The quirky uncle said: The scenery at Lujiazui is so beautiful, let me shoot a video first.
When I wasn't an uncle yet, I wasn't a young heartthrob either, because I was so chubby that you couldn't tell if I was fresh or not. Just like the male protagonists in countless motivational running stories, I was bad at sports since childhood, feared long-distance running, and gained weight just by drinking water. I wished I could start gaining weight right from my mother's womb. The turning point came in my thirties when I had a severe fall. My 200-pound body converted its potential energy so effectively that I ended up lying in the hospital for a month.
The days after being discharged were filled with motivation and thick chicken soup for the soul. Biking and running helped me lose 40 pounds, and I successfully earned my first full marathon medal in Dalian.
I thought the next part of the story would be meeting a female running god, becoming a CEO, and reaching the pinnacle of running. Unexpectedly, a month before the Singapore Sunset Marathon, I accidentally fell again. This time, my wife was not having it...
"You're already injured, why are you still running marathons? Do you want to die?!"
Alright, I need to seriously think about why I run.
The first time I truly felt helpless was in college. Looking at myself, I realized that my childhood dreams were irretrievably distant, and the thought "So I am this ordinary" emerged. That was a sense of helplessness. In middle age, at work, you can clearly see the boundaries of your abilities. That is a sense of helplessness.In the torrent of the times, you can only be swept forward. Your anxiety and insecurity are a sense of helplessness.
Facing helplessness, my choice is unwillingness.
I treat running as a spiritual banner, reminding myself through the repeated physical pain and mental resilience training that you may be powerless against the torrent, you may see the boundaries of your abilities, but you must be unwilling. You are unwilling to become a middle-aged fat man, unwilling to endure a mediocre life. The practice of life starts with determination, and this unwillingness is the determination of life, the determination of running.
We are all small figures in the torrent of the times, but thanks to running, every small figure can have their own magnificent journey.
The more you run, the more you naturally pursue personal bests, pace, and mileage, and it's easy to lose the sense of awe for running. Losing the sense of awe, running injuries will return to you doubly. Since the 2015 Xiamen Marathon, injuries to my ankles and knees have forced me to relearn how to run scientifically. If you ask me what running injuries have brought me, it's a sense of awe for running and for life. Mr. Yangming said, "The great illness of life is arrogance." If you can always keep a sense of awe, you will know your limits in life.
Only a sense of awe can bring true uncommonness.
Achieving the uncommon is not about ignorance and fearlessness but about a sense of awe. In the 2016 Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon, the external environment was harsh, with heavy rain throughout, tunnels, and bridge climbs. I surprisingly achieved a personal best. In my self-summary, I realized that this personal best was a reward for my awe of running. In the second half of 2015, I didn't participate in any full marathons and focused on injury recovery training. On the course, I respected the course and weather for the first 30 kilometers, running strictly at 70% heart rate. At the 30-kilometer mark, my stamina was still good, so I gave it my all. Thus, the last 12 kilometers were run at the fastest pace of the entire marathon, resulting in a personal best.
Every extraordinary 42.195 kilometers stems from respecting every ordinary step.
You only see my full of adrenaline but don't see my heavy pressure. You only see my high spirits but don't see my mild depression shadowing me. For me, running is the best weapon against depression and pressure. Mr. Yangming said, "Only by grinding in affairs can one stand firm." For me, running is the best way of "grinding."
I enjoy the "grinding" in running because it gives a real sense of existence.
Another function of the sense of existence brought by "grinding" is self-control over desires. They say the six-word mantra for weight loss is: Move your legs, control your mouth. Actually, a running life that sacrifices food is destined to be incomplete. Through the grinding of running, you can lower the threshold of your desire, needing less material stimulation to achieve the same joy. A glass of plain water can taste different and delightful after a run, which is the simple joy of a clear mind.
Why run?
I just started running, but I gained more than I expected. Let's consider it living towards death; what reason is there not to continue running?
Come on, let's end this with a literary touch, otherwise, how can I live up to the title of uncle.
I ask myself, why do I run?
The voice inside me says,Because I am unwilling to let a better version of myself be trapped in an old shell.
When others ask me, uncle, why do you run?
I will say, the answer is in the wind, mixed with the sweat and gone with the youth...
Besides, why not run?
Author: @Wu Yun777 Edited by: @Codoon Characters