Writing this post about running is every bit as unexpected as me running a half marathon. Even though NIKE #WERUNTPE was what I call my first-ever half, I never imagined I’d write about it, and I didn’t even make an effort to take proper photos. Yet during the week after the race, I kept finding myself revisiting that beautiful yet painfully unforgettable journey in the middle of the night. And so here I am, writing my first post since my Europe Legs series went on hiatus a year ago. Surprised? Delighted? Happy? (Feeling a little shy?)
[ Life is always full of surprises ]
When it comes to running, I was the sort of lazy person who never exercised unless it was for PE class. The only reason I started was torescue my body from the gradual deterioration caused by sitting in an office every day, in a desperate attempt to fight the cruelty of age. Watching the other local girls at the office change into running gear after work made this sport—which I could doalone, anytime, and for very little money—my top choice for turning back the clock(So in the end, it was still my bargain-hunting auntie instincts making the decision!). That was how my light-jogging life began last March. (See? The timing lines up perfectly with when I stopped posting.) At first, I could barely manage once a week. But somehow, between group invitations from colleagues and work-related circumstances, running—something I’d never imagined doing in my entire life—invaded my life just like that. (Good thing my colleagues are such respectable people, considering how easily influenced I am.)
(Endless inner monologue of a girl at heart) (Inner monologue)
[ On the days I wasn’t writing Europe Legs, I was running. Now it shouldn’t be hard to understand why… ]
For seven or eight months, I made absolutely no progress and stayed at 3K or 5K. Then, just before the 2013 Taipei Marathon, I finally followed a NIKE RUN CLUB pacer and broke through to my longest distance yet: 10K. Oh my God—this was the first time in my life I’d ever conquered the 10K barrier. And after finishing at the pacer’s professional, steady pace, I somehow felt like I might even be able to keep going. Fueled by that impulse, I got ahead of myself and started fantasizing that my next goal should be a half marathon in 2014! Six months later, on 6/8, I stepped onto the WE RUN TPE battlefield.
[ Something like this ]
For a hopeless amateur like me, this was a decision made with far more courage than ability. Terrified, I figured I’d follow NIKE’s 12-week Half Marathon Coach training program as a confidence boost after bravely signing up. Little did I know I’d boarded a pirate ship… No, an entire pirate ride! The training program was even scarier than the half marathon itself! I had a complete breakdown the moment I saw the schedule!This is for training athletes, not me!Baojie, tell me what you think!
Half Marathon Coach Training Schedule
[ After finishing this, aren’t we supposed to run an ultramarathon?! (But as it turned out, I still couldn’t run an ultra. Read on…) ]
Shocked or not, a headless chicken has no other options. So every week, I obediently followed the Half Marathon Coach’s runs and collected the little badges awarded through the weekly completion photos on WeChat. They became my motivation to keep going. Watching my Nike+ mileage accumulate faster than compound interest was also rather satisfying. But don’t think that disguises the fact that this was hellish training. In three months, I ran twice the mileage I’d covered in the entire previous year. This is Sparta!
[ Reminder after reminder after reminder—but hearing encouragement from athletes such as Mark’s mom and Liya was pretty adorable too ]
[ Seeing this final report card covered in good-kid stamps gave me maximum satisfaction ]
Although the Half Marathon Coach tirelessly reminded me to run like an alarm clock, I’m exactly the sort of person who turns off the alarm and goes back to sleep, only getting up at the very last moment. I’d look at the schedule and howl about how inhumane it was and how there was absolutely no way I could finish that week’s target—then reluctantly go out at the last minute and run it anyway. (My mouth says no, but my feet are already running.) The running process is basically a miniature portrait of your life and personality. Running kept revealing my true nature to me. Mm-hmm. Want to understand yourself? #RunAndYoullKnow
[ On the day we put the results to the test, the one guiding principle remained: “Beauty first, speed second” ]
Armed with the Half Marathon Coach’s confidence boost—“I survived those 12 weeks, so there’s no way I can’t finish”—I stood eagerly on the WERUNTPE starting line, ready to charge ahead. Instead, I was stuck in front of the starting arch for seven or eight minutes. Even throughout the first five kilometres, I was still jammed among a crowd of girls around Taipei City Hall, playing real-life Mario Kart. Breaking free was nearly impossible. Fortunately, my only goal for this first half marathon was to finish, so I settled into a comfortable, relaxed pace. It was only then that I realised just how many women were out there running and challenging themselves to complete a 21-kilometre half marathon.Apart from an anniversary sale, what else could possibly motivate tens of thousands of local girls to work toward the same goal? Probably only this women’s road race.
[ Every step was a struggle. I kept trying to weave my way out of the endless crowd, but always failed ]
After 5K came the section along Xinsheng Elevated Road. Stepping onto the overpass for the first time, I was as excited as Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. But the first steep climb instantly turned me into an actual granny. (Why didn’t the aid station have Ming Sing Florida Water?!) The Grand Hotel stood right before my eyes, yet reaching it became a dream that could never come true,I’m running on Xinsheng Elevated Road, not through the endless Xinhai Tunnel, right?! Total ╰(〒皿〒)╯ breakdown
[ Is the Grand Hotel a mirage?! No matter how much I run, I can’t catch up to you… ]
During training runs, I was always delighted to exchange encouraging glances, nods, or thumbs-ups with runners coming from the opposite direction. It felt like a silent understanding between fellow runners. But that day,every runner coming toward me became a source of torment, especially when the endless stretch of elevated road seemed to disappear into a black hole. Once would have been more than enough for something this painful, but of course it happened again. With five kilometres left before the finish, I entered another endless battle of psychological torture against runners coming from the opposite direction. This time, the announcer even rubbed salt into the wound: “Another runner is on her way back!” But shit—that wasn’t me. I still had five kilometres to go! Five kilometres was only the shortest distance I normally ran in training, but damn it, that still meant another 30 minutes of running. (Luckily, I’d already run myself senseless and failed to do the maths, or I might have accidentally taken a wrong turn.)
[ Why do you all get to be over there on the o-ther side?! ]
Thanks to those three months and 12 weeks of training, I had quietly built up a tremendous amount of courage and confidence for my first half marathon,(Surely running 493.4 kilometres in 12 weeks was the real marathon…). Time and again, the despair of a road with no end in sight and the psychological torment of oncoming runners brought me close to breaking down. Even when I struggled with the urge to stop, a voice would rise inside me: You managed to run 493.4 kilometres. Twenty-one kilometres is practically loose change! (NIKE might as well organise a 12-week marathon training event next time.)
[ And I even received a surprisingly thoughtful medal for completing the 12 weeks of training. This is probably the only time in my life I’ll ever win an award for road running ]
[ Honestly, I only managed to lift the corners of my mouth when I spotted a camera. That’s professionalism for you ]
To be honest, it wasn’t until I completed the half marathon that I finally understood what running had really meant throughout this past year and more. Even when my chest felt extremely uncomfortable during the final two kilometres, I insisted on not stopping. Whenever I used to get exhausted while running, I’d remember something Ouyang Jing once said: “Only you can make yourself stop”—and then I would usually choose to stop. (Fact.) But this time, I truly held on until the very last moment. After all my long-distance travels, it was a rare and precious chance to have a direct yet positive conversation with myself. The inner pep talk never stopped: as long as my left foot passes my right, then my right passes my left, I’ll eventually surpass myself.
[ Hunting down photos taken by all the photographers afterward was another great pleasure. Thanks to Supply King for the shot ]
And thanks to the intensive training I’d done for the half marathon, I successfully(?) transformed into someone everyone immediately talks running with, smoothly stealing the spotlight from my Europe Legs series. (I think everyone had simply given up asking whether there was any hope ofa cure.) Travel and running may seem completely unrelated at first glance, but the more I ran, the more I felt that running was a kind of mini journey. It’s more efficient than exploring on foot and more immersive than travelling by car. From then on, running was no longer just exercise; it became a new way to strike the world with my own two feet! Everyone should experience a half marathon at least once in their life. #RunAndYoullKnow (Easy to talk big now that I’ve finished.)
[ It would be downright unfair to finish and not show off in the Finisher Tee ]
To live up to my new reputation, I’ll finish by humbly presenting a collection of local-girl workout photos. Or show your support by joiningthe gorgeous local sporty girl Bao’er’sfan page
[ 硬ㄠ原來是這麼一回事 ]
