When I started running, running apps were just beginning to gain popularity. I had never encountered or used them and had no idea that there were apps available to record running data.

So, I actually started using a running app after the 2014 Xiamen Marathon. I began to understand some basic knowledge about running, such as pace and mileage, and gradually realized that my previous running was quite aimless. Therefore, I was eager to become more 'professional'.

Without a running watch, my cousin recommended a running app called 'Codoon.' By carrying my phone while running, the app would record my running trajectory and could also set fixed mileage voice broadcasts for pace and distance. Since then, I haven't stopped using it because I had already gotten used to uploading my running data every day. If I forgot to share my data one day, I would feel uneasy.

1.

My first marathon was the Xiamen Marathon on January 5, 2014. About a month before the race, I often followed my cousin to run laps at the Quanzhou Normal University track. Usually, I would run laps around my neighborhood.

Speaking of race preparation, it's a bit embarrassing to say that my mileage for that month was probably less than what I run in a week now. Back then, running a few kilometers in the neighborhood made me feel quite accomplished, let alone running ten kilometers on the university track, which felt like floating on clouds, detached from the mundane world.

Because it was cold, I ran in a down jacket. Midway through, I felt like my skin was burning, and sweat started pouring out, making me feel sticky and uncomfortable. So, I had to take off the thick jacket to continue running comfortably.

The cold wind and the heat from my body canceled each other out, making me easily forget that it was winter.

I gradually began to appreciate the beauty of running. Although the initial runs inevitably involved many hardships, including physical pain and mental fatigue.

Even with less than a hundred kilometers of preparation, I bravely stepped onto the starting line of the Xiamen Marathon.

At that time, I thought: if others can do it, so can I.

But I forgot that a marathon is an extreme sport. It's not something you can handle just by sheer willpower. Without systematic training and sufficient mileage, stepping onto the track means inevitable risks.

So, looking back now, it still feels like a case of 'ignorance is bliss.'

That ignorance led me to experience both mental and physical pain thoroughly. After running more than twenty kilometers, I felt like my body no longer belonged to me. My legs kept cramping, and I had to switch between walking and running. Around the 30-kilometer mark, I remember a fellow runner saying, 'This is where the marathon really begins.'

At that moment, I felt deflated and even thought about giving up. The memory of that ordeal still makes me feel sore.

After the race, I could barely move for two months and walked with a limp. I was just short of receiving a certificate from the Disabled Persons' Federation.

Honestly, I didn't know anything about warming up, stretching, or massage, nor did I understand active recovery. I relied entirely on my body's self-healing ability to get through that period of injury.

So, without a mentor, I had to fumble around like a blind cat trying to catch a dead mouse, and the process was full of hardships.

Therefore, I had to learn while running, understand during the process, and reflect on my experiences. Step by step, I gradually developed my own basic training and recovery methods.

So, based on my years of running experience, I suggest that if you're new to running or haven't started yet, it's best to have a more experienced 'veteran' guide you. This way, you can avoid many detours.

2.

In 2014, my recorded mileage on Codoon was 1,079.08 kilometers.

From March to December, my monthly mileage was as follows:

March: 44.67 kilometers

April: 90.93 kilometers

May: 21.34 kilometers

June: 76.23 kilometers

July: 119.57 kilometers

August: 202.55 kilometers

September: 137.73 kilometers

October: 135.67 kilometers

November: 145.66 kilometers

December: 104.67 kilometers

The month with the highest mileage was August, with 202.55 kilometers, which was almost the peak of my efforts that year.

Looking at my total mileage for the year, you can see how lazy I was. I still remember clearly that whenever it got late, rained, or I had a slight cold, I would feel like I had found a treasure and tell myself, 'Wow, I finally don't have to run today.'

So, at that time, running was more of a task than a habit, more of a pain than an enjoyment.

Therefore, my running was intermittent, irregular, and unsystematic.

Even with just 1,079 kilometers of mileage, I thought I had run a lot. So, back then, I was quite ignorant about running and even boasted that I would finish the Xiamen Marathon in January 2015 within 3 hours and 30 minutes.

As the saying goes, 'big talk, little action.' I hadn't even done proper long-distance training and yet dreamed of breaking 3:30 in the next year's Xiamen Marathon, which was nothing short of a pipe dream.

3.

After the 2014 Xiamen Marathon, I also participated in a half marathon invitational in Fuding during the May holiday. Because I had trained more in March and April than usual, the Fuding race wasn't as exhausting as past races. However, the many uphill and downhill sections still made me feel a bit overwhelmed.

Even though I finished in 70th place, I was overjoyed.

I remember my time was 1 hour and 45 minutes, but it was hand-timed and not very accurate.

The rest of the year was spent in a struggle between running and not running. At that time, the university track was my main venue, and I only knew how to run laps. Trail running, road running, interval training, marathon pace runs, and the like were completely foreign to me.

Warming up and stretching were almost nonexistent in my routine, and strength and speed training were out of the question. Honestly, I should be thankful that I didn't encounter any major injuries.

From March to August, I was often defeated by knee pain. Initially, it hurt as soon as I started running, and the pain would shift to different spots. Today it hurt here, tomorrow it hurt there, which was quite frustrating. But miraculously, by persisting in running, the knee pain eventually became rare.

Now I understand that once the muscles around the knee become strong, they protect the knee, making it less prone to injury.

That year, I experienced all the initial pains that come with running, but fortunately, I got through them.

I also realized that going through pain is necessary for growth.

Without the trials of those days, I don't think I could have maintained my passion for running from start to finish.

Only through initial adjustments and understanding the essence of running and my true nature could I properly position myself. If I happened to resonate with the simple and monotonous nature of running, it was fate, and only through mutual adjustment could I move forward to greater distances.

4.

In my first year of running, I was like a headless chicken, inexplicably falling into the pit of running but unexpectedly growing to love the sport.

I also have to thank my cousin. Without his introduction, I would probably still be a couch potato.

Actually, throughout that year, besides running, I didn't give up playing basketball. Because my cousin liked to play, he often took me to play with his university friends and teammates.

So, on days when I didn't run, it was probably because I was playing basketball with them.

Later, I gradually stopped playing basketball because, after I started running, I noticed that the reduction in muscle and weight made my body less capable of handling physical confrontations. I became very afraid of collisions, and basketball is a sport that requires a lot of strength and contact. Moreover, playing basketball requires a group of people to be fun, and gathering people often wasted a lot of time, which made it less flexible than running. Additionally, sports that emphasize strength and contact are more prone to injuries, so I gradually gave up basketball.

Nowadays, when it comes to exercise, it's all about running. But if you run incorrectly, unsystematically, without warming up or stretching, you can easily get injured.

Honestly, there's no 100% safe sport. Only by taking it seriously, always taking care of your body's condition, and knowing how to protect yourself can you truly love the sport and do right by yourself.

In other words, life is full of bumps and bruises, and running is no different. My first year of running was spent navigating these bumps.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a true reflection of myself.

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*The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of Codoon.