Running a marathon

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An Accomplishment of Running a Marathon

Road running is really trending right now in Taiwan. It's true that running a marathon is a challenge that requires commitment and perseverance. How many people can say they’ve run a marathon? For many it’s a major lifetime goal, and the satisfaction of finally achieving it is one of the major reasons why people run a marathon.

Last year, I signed up for running a marathon with my friend. To get rid of the stigma of strawberry generation, we made up our mind to step out of our comfort zone to challenge and test ourselves. I set up the training program for myself. In the months of training prior to the marathon, I started with running 20 laps on the tracks of the athletic field every day after school. Then I used to keep on increasing the speed and time. When I was at a stage where I could run for 30 minutes, I participated in long run of 7 km which I finished in 45 minutes. Then after a month I ran 10 km non-stop in 60 minutes.

On the day, I felt so excited before the marathon started. When we got into the stadium and checked in at the starting line, I saw all the hundreds of participants who were clearly buzzing with as much excitement as me—with the weight of months of preparation and hard work behind them, and this big scary task ahead. I kept thinking: there are hundreds of runners who have invested so much of their goodness into this event, and it was amazing to be a part of that.

During the race, we were exhilarated and real ball of fire in the beginning. As the time went by, we were sweating like a pig and becoming physically exhausted and mentally drained. It put me a little out of breath, so I slowed down my tempo. The constant motion gave me huge blisters that made my feet hurt. My legs hurt, and my tendons became very tender. I kept running with painful knees and ankles. I seemed to be completely wiped out, causing me to hit upon the idea of quit this race.

However, my heart played a vital role while running. It told my mind not to accept any painful signals from body organs, especially leg and lungs. I just kept listening to the sound that produced with every landing foot. There was a mysterious, invisible power supporting me to keep going. A vague voice whispered in my ears “Come on, go! Keep running! You are almost there.” Furthermore, we runners encouraged each other to stick on our goal. I felt so much love for all the other runners around me, and the crowds at the sidelines. When I reached the finish line, I felt truly delighted, thrilled and over the moon. The finish line is a symbol to me that I can achieve much more than I thought possible.

A marathon experience is hard work, grueling, and at times excruciatingly painful , but it is about constantly challenging yourself to be better. Setting the marathon goal, completing the training and then successfully running your race will prove to you that you can tackle almost anything if you put your mind to it.