About my titleâfirst, I must say I have no special talent, nor am I particularly hardworking. The title "struggling runner" truly suits me. But I never imagined my road to breaking three hours would be so rough, with constant setbacks and such bad luck. It's simply speechless. Well, let me start from the beginningâit's a very, very long running story, and I hope you'll have a little patience to read through it.
01. How I Fell in Love with Running
I actually liked running when I was young. In elementary school, middle school, and high school, I often ran from home to school. But at the time, I had no concept of speed or distance. Looking back now, it was only about two kilometers. I picked up running again around October 2016, because I read a book about runners' stories called Running to the End is Flying: My Running Life. The wonderful experiences of marathons and trail running by runners like Guan Yadi and Mao Daqing, and their complex inner journeys of transformation, rekindled my passion for running. This gave me an internal drive to runâcall it the harmony of person and purpose.
My company at the time was located near the Olympic Forest Park, less than two kilometers from the south gate of the south park. The park was large, with great running tracks, lots of trees, and relatively clean air. Even with Beijing's occasional smog, it was still relatively suitable for running, unless the smog was severe. So I had the geographical advantage. As for timingâBeijing's winters often had smog, so I felt I should cherish every sunny day, and only running could live up to it. So in November, I advanced from occasionally running 5K or 10K alone once or twice a year to devoting more spare time to running. To find a community, I joined a Beijing running group on Codoon, joined a WeChat running group, and listened to the veteran runners. Only then did I start to learn about running every other day, considering weekly mileage, monthly mileage, and weekend long runs, and understanding some knowledge about running. That month, my mileage reached 100 kilometers, and I also attempted a half marathon distance for the first time.
02. Leveling Up Through Running Challenges
Level One â The 40-Likes Game
Speaking of challenges, in late December, I saw people posting in the group those "one like = one kilometer" imagesâa WeChat Moments like-collection game. I thought it was interesting, so I naively posted one too. That day, 40 friends liked it. I completed it over two days: 22 kilometers one day, a rest day, and the remaining 18 kilometers on the third day, which was also the day of my first official half marathon race. It was a park half marathon without Chinese Athletics Association certification. I knew nothing and foolishly started with the crowd, running at a 4:30 pace for over a kilometerâcompletely beyond my ability as a beginner runner at the time. Starting so fast, I immediately got a side stitch. It hurt so much; every step was painful. But I refused to stop. To complete the 18 kilometers, I jogged slowly with small steps. For the rest of the time, I could only endure the pain and jog at over six minutes per kilometer, completely unable to return to my previous comfortable pace of over five minutes. It wasn't until the last kilometer that I felt normal and could run faster. Near the finish line, music started playing, my mood suddenly became excited, and I even mustered some energy for a slight sprint, finishing in 2:05:52â10 minutes slower than my previous self-run half marathon. But I thought participating in races was quite interesting. This was my first levelâthe 40-likes game.
Level Two â The Sub-3:30 WeChat Avatar Game
In May 2017, I ran my first marathon in Qinhuangdao, finishing in 3:52. I thought people who could run under 3:30 were amazing, and I wanted to train to run that fast. So, following others, I used a WeChat avatar that said "Won't change avatar until I break 3:30."
At the time, I didn't think using this kind of WeChat avatar was a big dealâit was just simple motivation. I felt 3:30 wasn't too far from me. Some people thought I was a bit aggressive, saying breaking 3:30 was quite difficult. But I thought I could do it. I ran a lot that summer, with many long runs. After work, I'd run directly to the Olympic Forest Park to train. Every other day, I'd run over 20 kilometers. I had no injuries and wasn't very tired. One morning, I was running laps alone at the Olympic Sports Center and set a new half marathon PB of 1:38. By September, at my second marathon, the Taiyuan Marathon, I relatively comfortably ran a 3:22 and successfully changed my avatar. This was my second levelâthe sub-3:30 WeChat avatar game.
Level Three â The 114-Likes Game
The next week at the Beijing Marathon, I ran 3:27, also relatively comfortably. In November, at the Qingdao Maritime Marathon, I set a small full marathon PB of 3:19. In early December, I participated in another WeChat Moments like-collection gameâone like equals five kilometers, to be completed within a month.
This time it got a bit big. It was meant to stimulate myself to increase monthly mileage, because my previous maximum monthly mileage was only about 300 kilometers. Ignorance is fearlessâI was foolish. As it turned out, enthusiastic friends gave 114 likes, which meant 570 kilometers. I knew this was approaching the monthly mileage of some professional marathon runners, but I firmly believed I could complete it and wanted to challenge myself. I took out a calendar, made a plan, and honestly ran 570 kilometers in December. Every weekend, I'd run a loop around Beijing's Third Ring Road auxiliary roadâ50 kilometers per loop. That month, I did it five times.
At that time, it was near the end of the year and work was busy, with frequent overtime. I sometimes used my commute time too, often running back to my dorm after work. The distance wasn't too farâabout five or six kilometers. But running the Third Ring Road every weekend was truly torturous. There was no training effect, fatigue accumulated without relief, the speed was very slow, and the joy that running used to bring was completely gone. I only thought about completing this damn mileage and getting through this month. Until the last day, the 31st, I still had 70 kilometers left. I had to finish it all in one goâ50+20, running the Third Ring Road plus 20 kilometers at the Olympic Sports Center. The pace was very slow, over seven minutes, even eight minutes. At 11 PM, I was still out there jogging to make up the distance. Fortunately, I finally completed the 570 kilometers, but I started to develop running aversion. It didn't matter what the meaning wasâit was just too consuming, and I no longer wanted to push myself so hard. This was my third levelâthe 114-likes game.
2017 was my first year of large-scale running, and also when my passion for running was at its highest. That year, I running-unlocked many routes that runners in Beijing revered: the Second Ring Road (first time in May, ran it a few more times later, not a big fan), the Third Ring Road (first time in August, have run it about 10 times so farâmy favorite super-long loop route), and the Fourth Ring Road (unlocked in October at a running event, only once). The first three levels were all completed that year. I really didn't expect that the fourth level would take so long to clear for various reasons...
03. Won't Change Avatar Until I Break 3:00
In January 2018, at a running group annual dinner, people asked me if I had any thoughts about breaking three hours and how I would train in the future. At that time, I felt that maintaining training alone was enoughârun as far as I could, without too many pursuits. Breaking three hours didn't have any special meaning for me. In February, I participated in an event to unlock the Fifth Ring Road. After running over 90 kilometers, it got dark and I got lost alone. I didn't want to continue, so it ended in failureâI can talk about that another time if I have the chance. In July, I ran 3:17 at the Shandong Haiyang Marathon. In November, at the Hangzhou Marathon, my condition was poor, I cramped, and ran very poorly, not even breaking 3:30.
On the high-speed train back to Beijing, I discussed with a friend that ever-debated topic in the running community: Can an ordinary person break three hours in a marathon through regular training? I had always been running blindly and not training well, but I was quite confident at the time. I felt that although I was very ordinary, if I trained well for the next year, breaking three hours would be no problem. Overconfident and beyond help. Looking at the rapeseed flowers outside the window, the blue bricks and dark tiles, the various southern landscapes flying by and instantly disappearing, I felt a bit lost but also unconvinced. I didn't learn my lesson, and on impulse, I changed to a WeChat avatar that my friend had made for me long ago: "Won't change avatar until I break 3:00." I had entered the fourth level.
After the Hangzhou Marathon, my knee was injured. I sought treatment from many places, took medicine, did some rehabilitation training, didn't run much, and ran very slowly. Sometimes when I really wanted to run, I'd slowly jog a few kilometers at six or seven minutes per kilometer, but I still felt knee pain. It was truly a kind of tortureâthe pain of wanting to run but being unable to run is something many runners know. By April 2019, the injury was gradually healing, and I resumed some normal training. Then I was lucky enough to get a spot in the Shanghai Half Marathon. I ran 1:31 with all my effort, ranking around 530th, just catching the pre-pandemic Shanghai Marathon benefit of direct entry for men in the top 600. So I planned to break three hours at the Shanghai Marathon, which was conveniently scheduled for late November, within my one-year limit. In June, I also ran the Lanzhou and Jilin marathons, both in poor condition, finishing just over 3:20.
Starting in July, I panicked a bit. If I wanted to break three hours this year, I had to train regularly and well. But training alone, I always had poor training effects and couldn't reach the necessary intensity. I was fortunate to participate in the Beihang University bathhouse interval training sessions a few times each weekâthe most pure training activity. Unfortunately, it couldn't continue as the pandemic began. In August, I joined the Guangming LePao Elite Training Camp, wanting to train well with the team and achieve my goal at the Shanghai Marathon. There, I met Coach Tian Yuqiao, whom I've followed to this day, and many good friends who trained together. The team atmosphere was great, and everyone's training enthusiasm was high. Although I was always at the back of the B group and sometimes dropped off, I still improved a lot. Training steadily with the camp, before the Beijing Marathon, my teammates were all actively thinking about breaking three hours at the Beijing Marathon. But I hadn't run a satisfying long run before the raceâmy 30K was still over 2:10, while breaking three hours requires running 30K in 2:07:30. So I had no confidence at all. I figured I'd just run a satisfying 30K at the Beijing Marathon and see how I felt for the rest, leaving the sub-3 attempt for the Shanghai Marathon.
The weather at the Beijing Marathon was greatâovercast, temperature in the teens. Before the race, I made two big mistakes. First, I forgot to take the energy gels and salt pills I had prepared and placed on the table. Before the race, feeling a bit hungry, I ate an energy gel a friend gave me as an emergency. Second, I didn't check and tie my shoelaces properly. The race began. This was my second Beijing Marathon. Thirty thousand people singing the national anthem, starting from Tiananmenâquite exciting. After the start, I honestly followed the sub-3 pace group, cruising at around 4:15 pace. Around the 10K mark, my shoelace actually came undone by the Kunyu River. I stopped to tie it by the side, losing some time. Then I accelerated to catch up with the pace group. At Kehui Bridge at 30K, I smoothly achieved my 30K long run training goal. My mind relaxed a bit. As soon as I got off the bridge, some teammates started to accelerate, and I couldn't keep up. Then near Lincui Bridge, I felt my calf was about to cramp. I hadn't brought any supplies, so I had to ask others for salt pills. Then I fell behind and slowed down, afraid of severe cramping and falling on the ground. Later, around 40K, my watch warned of low battery. I didn't know I could just press a button to continue; I thought it would automatically shut down when out of battery, so I stopped looking at it. I didn't know my 40K split. At the finish line, when I pressed the button, I found it still worked. Relying too much on the watch without considering my body feelâthis was another lesson. My time was 3:01:26. I was quite satisfied in my heart and also gained some confidence for breaking three hours at the Shanghai Marathon. Who would have thought that this was me missing the best opportunity to break three hours in recent yearsâgreat weather, a great course, and team racing with good teammatesâbut failing due to insufficient pre-race preparation, being forgetful, and not checking details carefully. This was my first failed sub-3 attempt.
The subsequent Shanghai Marathon encountered high temperatures. Getting a spot was very difficult, and I couldn't find teammates to run with. Fighting alone, my starting zone was also a bit further back. From the start, I thought about catching up to the 3:00 pace rabbits and then running steadily. The first half was a bit tight. I couldn't catch up to the rabbits and got a bit anxious. Although my supply arrangement was fine this time, the weather was hot and I sweated too much. At 27K, I severely cramped. I stopped to pull my toes and asked volunteers to spray Yunnan Baiyao, but I still couldn't adjust. I felt a bit desperate, knowing that my sub-3 window for this year had closed. I couldn't break three hours in one year. For the rest of the race, I ran and walked, finishing in 3:09. After the race, I started to regret my insufficient preparation for the Beijing Marathon, my lack of mental emphasis, my lack of willpower, and not pushing through in one go. This was my second failed sub-3 attempt.
Then 2020 came, and so did the pandemic. Starting from carefully jogging with a mask on, to only taking it off when no one was around, every runner faced new challenges. I trained quite well in the first three quarters of the year. In the summer, I went to Changying Sports Park to run intervals with people a few times, with good results. In mid-September, at the south park of the Olympic Forest Park, with a veteran runner leading at around four-minute pace, I ran a half marathon under 1:25. My confidence in breaking three hours surged. Subsequent team training also went well. Then during the October holiday, I went on a trip to Tibet for about ten days without running a single step. After returning, I resumed training and prepared for the upcoming Shanghai Marathon. After a big interval session at the end of October, because I got home too late, I didn't stretch and relax properly and went straight to sleep. This caused a severe deep muscle strain in my right glute, which tormented me for too long. It hurt a lot when I ran fast, especially painful. As the Shanghai Marathon approached, thinking about not wasting this rare spot and wanting to break three hours, I tried various treatments and relief methods, but the effects weren't great.
At the race, my preparation for this Shanghai Marathon was relatively sufficient, and my supplies were fine. I met a small sub-3 team. They ran at under 4:10 pace, and I followed them all the way to 25K. The pain in my glute muscle started to spread, gradually worsening, and my pace also started to drop bit by bit, finally falling to 4:40. It was truly painful and helpless. At 40K, if I could run at 4:15 pace, there was still hope for breaking three hours, but I was truly powerless. Watching others pass me one by one without being able to find my speed back, I finished in 3:00:31âjust 31 seconds away from breaking three hours. How embarrassing. This was my third failed sub-3 attempt.
Then came the first quarter of 2021, seeking medical treatment and taking medicine honestly. I stopped running, got shockwave therapy, jogged slowly, and recovered bit by bit, also quite slowly. In April, the injury improved. I gave up the Xuzhou Marathon, which was a big gathering, and participated in the Yancheng Marathon. I ran it relatively comfortably at 4:30 pace, and my glute didn't hurt muchâit was acceptable. This made me a bit eager for quick success, and I started thinking about training well again to challenge breaking three hours. But at the Beijing Sub-Center Marathon in May, wanting to aim for a sub-3, my physical condition was still poor. After steadily running the first half at around 4:15 pace, even though I was running hard, my pace dropped to over 4:40 for several consecutive kilometers. The clear pain told me the injury hadn't healed yet, and breaking three hours was simply impossible. I had to finish the race with a jog, feeling dejected. Fourth failed sub-3 attempt. That day was also the well-known Baiyin incident disaster day, and my mood was extremely gloomy.
Nursing the injury, adjusting, and by October, I could finally run long distances without much pain. My condition was adjusted to its best at the time. The quality of a 35K long run met expectations. I didn't register for the Hengshui Lake Marathon on October 15, but registered for the Taiyuan Marathon on the same day. As it turned out, the Taiyuan race was cancelled. Then the Beijing Marathon notified that it wouldn't be held this year. I got a spot in the Shanghai Marathon, but it was also ultimately not held due to the pandemic. How awkwardâonly the Hengshui Lake Marathon was held smoothly, and I hadn't registered for it.
In 2022, as we all know, there were very few races. In October, I got my condition back again, but for various reasons, I couldn't participate in the Beijing or Shanghai marathons. After getting COVID in December, my physical recovery was slow, and my running heart rate was also affected. I started grinding through slow jogging to bring my heart rate down again.
By March 2023, my training was still maintained fairly well. I participated in the Wuxi Marathon. This time, before the race, I wasted too much time looking for a toilet around the venue, running around and queuing. Seeing that time was almost up, I gave up looking for a toilet and started looking for the entrance. My mind was muddled. In a hurry, I actually entered from the very back, Zone F. I encountered obstacles when trying to move forward through the sideéé, climbed over the railing and ran off. When I got to Zone A and saw the blue portable toilets, I remembered there were toilets at the entrance too. It was truly a disaster. I quickly queued to take care of business. The national anthem was playing when I returned to the crowd. I couldn't find my pacer friend Qianchao as planned. During the race, I gave up on chasing the pacers and just ran at my own pace, steady at around 4:15. My energy gel and salt pill supplies were still fine. Then at 33K, when turning a corner, there was a raised ridge on the ground. I didn't notice and stepped on it. My calf immediately cramped. Afraid of cramping like a startled bird, I had to slow down and adjust. Seeing that breaking three hours was definitely not possible, I gave up. Fifth failed sub-3 attempt.
At the Taiyuan Marathon in May, my hometown race, I had PB'd here twice before. I thought it would be nice to break three hours this time. My preparation was quite sufficient. Before the race, two 35K runs were both steady and met my psychological expectations, giving me quite a bit of confidence. I was familiar with the Taiyuan course, and the weather was overcast. During the race, I caught up to the 3:00 pace rabbits early, thinking I could just follow them all the way. Who knew that on the east bank of the Fen River, there was headwind the whole way. After following the rabbits for 25K, one kilometer was quite fast at 4:06. I wanted to be conservative and slow down to steady myself, so I actively fell behind. Then running alone was more relaxed, but I slowed down a bit, and the headwind had a relatively big impact. I was still thinking that when I returned to the other bank with a tailwind, I'd pick up the pace and try to break three hours. But when I got on the bridge, I found it difficult to speed up. My calves, which had been a bit sore since the start of the race, felt even heavier. After running one kilometer at 4:15, I started to slow down. Calculating the time, I couldn't catch up anymore, so I simply gave up. Although in the last kilometer, someone caught up from behind and I picked up the pace a bit, I still only finished just under 3:05. Consider it the sixth failure. Very dejected, I could only be thick-skinned about it.
So, the first half of the 2023 season ended, with no more races. I changed jobs twice this year, looked for work, got COVID for the second time at the end of Mayâvarious things made me physically and mentally exhausted. From June to September, my summer training was always quite poor. My longest long run was only 25K, which I did a few times. The best one was at 4:25 pace; the rest were casual slow jogs. Fortunately, I tried to participate in the interval sessions at our Beijing PaoDao Training Camp every Tuesday. Although I rarely could execute Coach Tian's training plan to the letter, I barely guaranteed some intensity training. My lousy summer training monthly mileage was only maintained at just over 300 kilometers, much worse than last year, and most of it was commute jogging.
04. The Curse Is Finally Broken
Finally, I need to talk about this successful sub-3 at the Hengshui Lake Marathon. The Hengshui Lake Marathon has a great reputation, with a flat course, but I hadn't gotten a spot before when I applied. This year, I finally got in. I had no recent injuries affecting me. My previous extensive slow jogging had basically solved the high heart rate problem after recovering from COVID, returning to a level of around 4:30 pace with a heart rate of about 145. I wanted to try my best and run well, to see what level I could achieve after my lousy summer training. Before the race, a warm-hearted friend from Xi'an, a 2:40 marathoner named Kunkun, actively said he would help me fulfill my dream. He traveled thousands of miles to meet me. I was extremely grateful and wanted to live up to such rare friendship and such a rare gathering. I actively adjusted and prepared for the race, but still maintained a mentality of seeing how far I could keep up with him, because I hadn't run a satisfying 30K long run before the race. The weekend before the race, I only ran 16K at 4:15 pace plus 20K of easy jogging with someoneânot very confident.
When I arrived in Hengshui, I first saw Azhen at the expo. We had all met through the running section of the Hupu website. There were quite a few people from all over the country, with good running levels. For easier communication, as early as October 2019, we formed a WeChat group with a quite impressive name: LoveElite Aerobic Sub-3 Club, with over 100 people. This time in Hengshui, only three of usâme, Kunkun, and Azhenâgot spots and came to run. It was my first time meeting Azhen. Everyone in the group usually chatted quite happily, but I only met him in person today. This was his first full marathon. His training volume wasn't large, but his running ability was actually quite strong, with a half marathon around 1:20. Kunkun, who always had witty remarks and literary flourishes in the group, I had already met at the Wuhan Marathon this year. This time, because of some matters, he arrived the latest. After he came, we picked up our race packets, went back to the hotel together, found a place to eat something simple, and went back to rest early.
Kunkun and I shared a room, and this time I saw just how detailed and thorough his pre-race preparation was. Compared to him, I was really too careless. I hadn't prepared anything, only bringing some salt pills, a few sugar-fired sesame cakes, Coke, pickled vegetables for pre-race breakfast, and Azhen provided three SIS gels. Kunkun had a sensitive stomach, so he went to the pharmacy in the evening to buy hawthorn pills, and to the convenience store to buy Coke. Before bed, he gave me a vitamin C silver tablets (for sleep + cold prevention). The next morning, Kunkun prepared instant noodles, coffee, and Red Bull. Before departure, he prepared band-aids (for nipple chafing) which I didn't use, hawthorn pills (for bloating) which I took. Before the start, two loperamide pills (for preventing stomach issues), salt pills, and lactic acid pills. He also brought a black-tech item in an energy gel-like package to prevent cramping during the race, but I ultimately didn't use it. Here's our pre-race photo.
Before the race, Azhen was in Zone C. His starting zone and bag drop were not with us, so he separated from us early. Kunkun and I were in Zone A. In the sea of people, we went to drop off our bags together. Because we weren't at the same bag drop station, after I dropped off my bag, I couldn't find Kunkun. I panicked a bit, afraid of replicating the Wuxi pre-race embarrassment of not being able to find Qianchao. I shouted his name loudly several times. Fortunately, he saw me quickly and we reunited. Then we went to the toilet, jogged to warm up, entered and did some warm-up stretching by the side. I blocked people while Kunkun used the bottle method to empty again. We applied Voltaren on our legs.
After some laughs and chatter, we calmed down. The national anthem played, and we started. Because we entered late, we were at the back of Zone A, and there were quite a few people in front. For the first kilometer or two, I followed behind Kunkun, weaving left and right through the crowd, trying to break through as quickly as possible. The first kilometer was only at 4:21 pace, and the second kilometer was faster at 4:04. With fewer people, I could adjust my rhythm and run well. After four kilometers, I started running at around 4:12 pace. My body felt relatively comfortable. Kunkun was in front of me. Watching from behind, his running form was excellent. This pace was relatively easy for him, and he ran as light as a little deer, bouncing along. For the first few kilometers, I felt a bit tight. When he ran a bit fast, I'd look at my watch and ask Kunkun to slow down, then maintain around 4:12 pace steadily. At aid stations, Kunkun would get water, directly taking bottled water. After he drank, he'd pass it to me, so I saved quite a bit of energy. My condition that day was also quite good, possibly because I had rested well the day before. My heart rate was low, at a level I had never achieved before. After 10K, my heart rate was under 155, and after 20K, it just exceeded 155 but was under 160. I felt very steady in my heart and thought I could run steadily for a while longer, but I didn't yet have a feeling that I had to break three hours. I just wanted to continue following Kunkun.
Around 27K, someone patted me. I turned around and it was actually Azhenâa stocky, thick-set figure, wearing a loud Kenya vest and tight half-tights. This heavy tank had actually caught up. As a side note, I really didn't expect that this guy had accidentally kicked and broken his toe while sleeping last nightâa bizarre injury of the "fart broke the heel" variety. In the morning, Kunkun and I had advised him to get a band-aid and rewrap it. He said it hurt quite a bit, and verbally said he'd just try to finish the race. I thought he started behind, had rarely run long distances, and now had a foot injury. It would be good to safely finish around 3:10. I never expected him to catch up. What pace must he be runningâdefinitely around four minutes. He looked quite relaxed. The three of us ran together. Kunkun and I held the pace. From 25 to 30K, I was a bit strained, breathing a bit heavily, but my body felt okay.
At the 30K aid station, after drinking water, I found Kunkun was gone. I looked back several times, slowing down slightly to wait for him, but never saw him catch up. So I ran with Azhen. Azhen also passed me water at aid stationsâmany thanks to Azhen for continuing as my private pacer. Then at 35K, he said it hurt too much and wanted to finish the race early. So I watched him stride away like a wild buffalo, probably returning to his four-minute pace. I wanted to follow but lacked the strength, so I could only maintain my own rhythm and do my best to run well. After all, there were only 7K left, and looking at the time, breaking three hours was possible.
I knew I could no longer miss this excellent sub-3 opportunity. Do it in one go. I tried my best to maintain my pace, pushing through kilometer by kilometer. Every time I passed a kilometer marker, I'd calculate the time. Knowing that this kilometer was still around 4:15 made me very satisfied and boosted my confidence. Actually, I found that after 30K, my heart rate had exceeded 160, but it hadn't reached 165. After 35K, it exceeded 165, but my body still felt okay. I found a small group ahead with a private pacer leading a female runner. I tried to follow them for a while. Fatigue hit, and I couldn't lift my legs. I still couldn't keep up and dropped off. At 39K, looking at my watch, my heart rate had reached 170. I had to push harder. Calculating the time, breaking three hours was not a big problem. My heart started to get a bit excited. The 40K split was not yet 2:49. For the remaining two kilometers, even at 4:30 pace, I could break three hours. With the boost of excitement, I continued sprinting toward the finish line. At 41K, I even forgot to look at my watch. I remembered after passing it, but I wasn't panicked.
After turning a corner, the finish line music became clearer and clearer. So this was the final long straight. I also saw the finish arch. I got a bit of energy and picked up some speed. Approaching the finish line, entering the last 200 meters or so with advertising boards on both sides, I saw the timer on the finish arch was still under 3:00:00. I knew I was really going to break three hours this time. I couldn't help but smile. Although my eyes were a bit sore, I didn't cry out. I sprinted through the finish line in one go, with a final net time of 2:58:12.
There was a crowd at the finish line, everyone with bright smiles and excited congratulations. I pretended to be calm and started looking at others. One guy was crying, raising his hands saying he finally broke three hours, first time breaking three hours. I told him it was my first time too, and we hugged. Then I saw a running influencer, Dazhi, who also broke three hours, and we hugged.
After calming my excitement, I looked around for Azhen to hug, but didn't see him. So I started waiting for Kunkun. The finish area security staff urged me to leave several times. I said I'd stand by the side and not be in the way. The staff didn't force me out. I stood by the advertising boards where I wouldn't affect others leaving, determined to wait for Kunkun. Fortunately, he came back quicklyâ3:02. We hugged warmly, still very excited. Thank you so much, Kunkun (yes, the same Kunkun from the note at the beginning, who soon returned to 2:45 at the Nanjing Marathon). Talking about it, I learned that he hadn't felt great at 30K, so he slowed down and didn't continue following Azhen and me. A 2:40 runner paced me for 30K. He felt he had completed his mission, sacrificing himself to help me break three hours. What kind of spirit is that!
We left the finish area together to get our bags. On the roadside, I saw an old running group brother I knew helping a young girl. She was crying, cramped, missing breaking three hours by over 30 seconds. I comforted her, saying I was also just seconds away at Shanghai before, and she could break three hours next time with effort. I helped pull her big toe and applied some Voltaren that Kunkun carried with him. When she looked a bit better, we left. (Mentioning her again hereâalthough at the Beijing Marathon at the end of last month, she played it too safe and missed breaking three hours by 8 seconds, today at Sanmenxia she successfully broke three hours with 2:57. Congratulations to this young girl.)
05. Most People Can Break Three Hours With Scientific Training
To summarize, as long as your physical condition is fine and you can guarantee proper training, breaking three hours will come naturally. Of course, it's best to have a little luck, especially if your true strength is right on the edge of breaking three hoursâunless you've trained far beyond the sub-3 level. With my previous training level, I should have broken three hours long ago. It was always various reasons, various mistakes, and various injuries that delayed me until now. This sub-3 was still a bit unexpected. Before the race, I actually lacked confidence. Thanks to good sleep before the race, Kunkun's extremely thorough pre-race supply arrangement, the flat Hengshui course, the cool and comfortable weather with a little drizzle, and the stable and dedicated private pacer who saved me energy by handling aid stations for meâtruly rare and invaluable. Kunkun deserves another round of applause.
So, after six failures, on the seventh try, I finally broke three hours. My fourth level was finally cleared. I can finally change that damn avatar. I'll never do this kind of "won't change until I do such-and-such" thing again.
Of course, this is not the finish line, but a new beginning. But I am always grateful. There are really so many people. For example, the Codoon running group that first brought me into the running community and helped me understand runningâTeacher Li, Brother Quanhua, Brother Dapeng, Brother Ma, Denggao... Everyone gave me so much help. For example, my wife who has always supported my running and still fully takes care of logistics after her busy work. In this city, which was originally just a place for me to make a living, I have much less inferiority and much more certainty. Running together, toasting together, having you by my sideâhow fortunate I am. For example, Coach Tian, who has always supported me, encouraged me, and believed in me. This little achievement really doesn't live up to your deep affection. I have really learned so much from youâlike paying attention to keeping warm after training, like monitoring morning resting heart rate, and most importantly, many principles of being a good person: walking upright, hating evil as if it were a personal enemy, being sincere and understanding. I have benefited greatly. I also want to thank all the friends who have accompanied, encouraged, and supported me along the way, including all the good friends of our Love Elite Aerobic Sub-3 Running Club. We will all get better and better, continue running, chase each other, stay healthy and happy, and have fun together.
At this moment, looking at my newly changed old photo avatarâthat's what I looked like ten years ago when hiking in wild mountains, sitting in a corner with long grass-like hair.
Thinking about the busy work schedule before Double Eleven, the Beijing Marathon at the end of last month where I cramped again and need to seriously reflect on and summarize, and the lousy training state that I know all too wellâI smile wryly. But I still need to train well, sharpen my spear at the last minute, and prepare for this year's final battleâthe Shanghai Marathon. A PB is only accidental; blowing up is the norm. What will happen at the Shanghai Marathon? I don't know. I only know that I will give it my all.