Enjoy every compliment with the most unforgettable appearance
——Recording my Xiamen Marathon story
The lights are shining, the voices are dim,
With the most unforgettable appearance, enjoy every compliment.
Preface
At this moment, the plot of 2017 has come to an end, but for me, the love and hate there have never been buried. In 2017, I went from being a chubby kid to a strong runner, from a novice runner to a master on the track, going through nine marathons, 4 half marathons, and 5 full marathons. Yuan'an, Wuhan, Hefei, Changzhi, Ordos, Harbin, Guang'an, Yichang, Changsha. I want to write down the names of these cities. Each city is a shining coordinate, and each city also has its story. To be honest, I miss the past 2017 very much. Now standing at the beginning of 2018, I tell myself: Don’t dwell on the past, don’t be afraid of the future, show up in the most unforgettable way, and then enjoy every compliment. The gold-label Xiamen Marathon race comes at the right time, so the story of 2018 begins with the Xiamen Marathon race.
Before 2017
Nine marathons in 2017
All online and offline medals in 2017
Before the race
As the first gold-label event in China since the beginning of the year, the Xiamen Marathon can be said to be the highlight of the running circle. It takes place on January 7, the first weekend of 2018. I had made an appointment with Haobin early on to stay together this time. Haobin and I met at a youth hostel in Ma, Changsha. We are brothers who have gone through ups and downs together. He is in Dongguan and I am in Wuhan. I always feel that friends I met on the track always have a special sense of intimacy, so we booked the same youth hostel early and made an appointment to meet again in Xiamen. When we set off, we caught up with the nationwide cooling, and it actually snowed in Wuhan. Then the train was delayed for 3 hours, and it was already 1 o'clock in the morning when we arrived in Xiamen. I have a habit. Whenever I arrive in a new city, I always want to feel it for myself first. Xiamen is very warm, so I found a hello I put on my Bluetooth headset on my bike, listened to the navigation, and rode all the way to the loft youth hostel. The distance was about 7 kilometers. I was very hungry when I rode 3 kilometers. I got off the bike and found a noodle shop for a meal. Then I continued riding, passing through the quiet mountain road, and speeding towards the destination. There was no one everywhere except one person and one car. Under the colorful lights all the way, the first intimate contact with Xiamen seemed so dreamy. At around 2 o'clock in the morning, we arrived at the youth hostel. The boss is a fellow from Harbin. After a few pleasantries in Northeastern dialect, I packed up the bed and went to bed.
I got up the next day and went to the Convention and Exhibition Center to pick up equipment. I learned through WeChat that Haobin had also arrived in Xiamen. Xiamen was not friendly on Saturday. The pattering rain caught the runners from all over the country by surprise. Where were the sunshine, waves, beaches, and cactus promised? What's even more damning is that the weather forecast says that the weather on match day will be moderate to heavy rain. I woke up during the day and discovered that I lived in Zengcuo'an, known as China's number one literary and artistic small fishing village. Walking through the streets in the rain, I saw steaming and fragrant snack streets. The exquisite snacks made people confused for a moment whether they were works of art or food.
We took the bus to the Convention and Exhibition Center, queued up to pick up equipment, visited the Xiamen Marathon Expo, and then returned to the Youth Hostel. Not long after, Haobin came back, and then the two of us decided to go to Xiamen University to have a look. As an old graduate student of Wuhan University, I am very much looking forward to the trip to Xiamen University. Forgive me for being shallow, because I really want to compare who is the most beautiful university in China.
There are really many campuses in Xiamen University. We went to three campuses before we found the main campus. Although it was raining and the sky was getting dark, these could not stop the exquisite beauty of Xiamen University. The graffiti on the Furong Tunnel, the twin towers beside the winding exercise, and the palace-like dormitories will make people feel that Xiamen University's petty bourgeoisie and sophistication always reveal an elegant mood. As a Wuhan University native, after visiting Xiamen University, I can objectively say that Wuhan University’s grand Republican style and magnificent Luojia landscape can only be compared with Xiamen University.
After returning to the youth hostel, I made the final adjustments. I was prepared before coming and wanted to add a sense of ceremony to the first marathon in 2018, so I scrawled "Wuda" on the right and "Luojia" on the left. I told myself that you are not running alone this time, and logos sometimes have power.
Arena
It rained heavily all night again. The sound of the rain hitting the ground was so loud that it woke us up. The next day we got up early and rushed to the competition venue. The rain was really heavy. Before we set off, my phone got soaked in water. As a result, the two pairs of separate wireless Bluetooth headsets I brought were useless. I couldn’t listen to music and couldn’t open the running software. Fortunately, I still have Jiaming as an old driver. The Xiamen Marathon is the first race I have participated in that only has a full marathon, and it uses a split start method. Since I have run 355 before, with a score of less than four hours, I was lucky enough to be assigned to Zone A, and the first batch started at 7:30. As Chairman Cai Zhenhua and other leaders fired their guns, nearly 10,000 players in Area A rushed to the track in the face of heavy rain.
The Garmin drifted very fast in the first few kilometers, and the displayed pace once reached 3 minutes per kilometer. In previous races, I listened to the pace of the software to adjust my rhythm. It seemed that this time I could only run in the dark. I adjusted my mentality and stopped looking at my watch. I simply followed my favorite pace. It was raining heavily and it was ok to finish the race. There was no pressure from PB. I let go and looked for the photographer's lens all the way. Since I can't run fast, I should run well.
The first five kilometers went by just running and having fun, and I was also interested in admiring the beautiful scenery of the track. It was pouring rain, running along the coastline, filled with fog, and various flowing people were like shuttles in a fairyland, rushing towards the 42-kilometer finish line. After 5 kilometers, I looked at the time and realized that I was running at a pace of 5 minutes per kilometer. I thought that I was going to collapse in the second half of the race. At this time, I met the running team master Mai Ge on the track. After following me for a kilometer, I found out that Mai Ge’s target was 330. I was shocked and quickly let him go. This result was beyond my reach. It was a bit embarrassing to collapse in the first half of the race, so I returned to the previous pace. I played, ate, drank, looked for the camera, and ran comfortably, with a very relaxed mind. After seven or eight kilometers, I saw a Xiamen Marathon Glory runner with a permanent license plate, whose pace was similar to mine. I stepped forward and asked what the target was. He said within 4 hours. I was very happy and said that I would run with you. But as soon as he finished speaking, he started to accelerate crazily until he disappeared from my sight. Uh, okay. After more than ten kilometers, I saw an uncle running very steadily. He was a runner from Taiyuan. Because I had been to Changzhi, Shanxi to run marathons before, I exchanged a few words and felt very cordial. In this way, I followed the uncle's rhythm and moved forward. The uncle's pace was 5 minutes per kilometer. I knew that I would definitely fall behind in the end, so I told the uncle that you should go at your own speed. If I can't keep up with you in the second half of the race, you can just leave. Following the uncle through the first turnaround point, it felt great to run on the bridge. It would have been perfect if the rain had been lighter.
Every time I went to a supply point, my uncle would stuff me a lot of food, and I did the same. In this way, we ran all the way for more than 20 kilometers. At this time, my uncle saw relatives and friends on the roadside passing to take pictures. Although he was a little reluctant to leave, I did not want to stop any longer. In this way, I became a lonely person again. Or, the pace in the first half of the race was much faster than I expected, and the second half was a completely unknown journey. I didn’t know where my breaking point would be, so I just ran according to my temper. Isn’t the romantic sentiment of being free and uninhibited and not following common sense also the temperament of a marathoner? Hurry up if you feel good, and look for supplies when you feel tired. At 25 kilometers, I caught Haobin. I knew his level was around 345, which was ten minutes faster than my PB. We said hello but did not follow each other. We just followed our own pace. Until 30 kilometers, we caught up with each other and never saw each other again.
At 30 kilometers, I took an energy gel to cheer myself up. The real second half of the race had just begun. At this time, a girl appeared in front of me. It was really amazing that a girl could run at this pace. It must be due to male chauvinism. I thought I could never lose. Give it to her and follow her to 34 kilometers. She fell behind. I gradually felt tired and had an obvious tendency to hit the wall. However, this was much later than I expected. I chewed another energy gel to survive. At 35 kilometers, I estimated that I had reached my limit., I looked at the "Wuhan University" logo on my right arm, kissed me hard, then took off my glasses and put them on my hat. I didn't look at the bustling crowd, lowered my head, and only paid attention to the road under my feet. At this time, I seemed to have entered a state of chaos, taking each step step by step. Moving forward, I don’t know whether it was the magical power of the logo or the energy gel at 34 kilometers that played a role. From 35 to 40 kilometers, I almost ran at my best pace throughout the whole process. The fastest speed reached 415. I surpassed Mag and Haobin without knowing it. At 40 kilometers, the feeling of fatigue came back. I put on my hat and glasses to give myself a new state to welcome the arrival of the finish line. The excitement of the final distance covered up my fatigue, and the excitement drowned out the wind and rain. The moment I crossed the line, it was fixed at 340, with a net score of 339. I actually beat it for nearly 20 minutes. The raised arms and excited roar were a true reflection of my mood at the moment.
When we entered the convention and exhibition center to pick up our packages, volunteers lined up on both sides gave the most sincere applause to each runner who finished the race. They welcomed us back like heroes. At that moment, tears welled up in their eyes. "Appear in the most unforgettable way and enjoy every compliment." This sentence is given to myself. The first marathon of 2018 gave me a stunning start, breaking through the limits and challenging myself. It is also given to the more than 22,000 runners running in the heavy rain. It is the flowing crowd that is like an endless fire. It warms the city of Xiamen in the wind and rain, with warmth and emotion; moreover, I want to give it to the Xiamen Marathon, a truly gold-label event. From the text message reminders before the race, to the tangible participation packages before and after the race, and the supplies during the race to ensure the recovery area for the runners after the race, they all appear to be full of sincerity. Especially in this era when marathon registration fees have skyrocketed and participation experience has been mixed, the high standards of the Xiamen Marathon seem out of place. Taking the Xiamen Marathon as the starting point, there is no better time to sound the rally call for the 2018 China Marathon. I sincerely hope that the 2018 China Marathon will be close to the high standards of the Xiamen Marathon.
After the race
My mobile phone was ruined due to the rain and I couldn't contact Haobin. Fortunately, I brought cash and was able to take a taxi back to the youth hostel. In the afternoon, Haobin and I ate rice rolls and crab roe buns from Zeng Cuo'an. He hurriedly drove back to his daily work, while I had to stay one more night and set off tomorrow. The surprise after the race was that a special guest came to the Youth Hostel, Huang Leilei, an original musician from NetEase. His song "Unforgettable" moved many people. His pure folk voice really mesmerized people. Xiamen, or perhaps Zeng Cuo'an's charm lies in Therefore, you don’t know which hotel has gathered a group of literary and artistic people to talk about ideals and life. Several underground musicians chatted from Wang Feng to Zhao Lei. Huang Leilei’s songs also ranged from "Ideal" to "Southern Girl". After ten years of drifting in Beijing, I don’t know if he has realized his ideals. It was fate that Huang Leilei stayed in my lower bunk at night. We wished each other well before leaving the next day. I wished him to write more good works. He smiled and said, "Take your time, you are still young. There is always a process." and wished me a good journey.
We are all on the road, and the collisions of strange souls are actually telling their own stories. Huang Leilei's music career will continue, maybe he will be the next Zhao Lei, maybe not. As for me, my path as a runner as a running enthusiast and my scientific research path as a graduate student will continue. As long as I am full of expectations and never look back, I believe that we will all become the people we expect to be.
A cover of "Ideal" by Huang Leilei recorded by Youth Hostel
Traveling in a hurry, on the way home. In line with the principle that each city and marathon only once, Xiamen Marathon is both the beginning and the end. For Xiamen Marathon, it starts with "the most unforgettable appearance and enjoys every word of praise" and ends with Huang Leilei's "Unforgettable". Everything couldn't be better, Xiamen. Maybe I won’t come again, but I will definitely miss it. In 2018, I hope we can all find better selves.
