zheng kai race report: first marathon sub 4 is not just talk

"Hi! Long time no see, I am Somnus Kuang. I once told you the story of my first half marathon, the Beijing Women's Half Marathon on September 23, 2017. I finished safely in 1:50, ranking 59th. Back then, I said it was a story of a short-legged girl defeating thousands of long-legged goddesses. Today, I want to tell you about my bloody first full marathon.

01

Since I started running last year, I had a dream: to participate in the 2018 Beijing Marathon! So, I needed a result recognized by the Athletics Association, right?

Thus, I participated in the 2017 Beijing Women's Half Marathon, finished in 1:50, which was a good start and allowed me to experience the exciting atmosphere of a live marathon, which was very encouraging. However, Brother Yu (a former colleague and a marathon expert with a PB of 2:59) said that the Beijing Marathon uses a lottery system based on performance, and with only a half marathon result, the chance of getting selected might be only 10%. So, how could I increase my chances?

Yes! I needed a full marathon result, preferably from a gold-label event, and ideally within 4 hours. Combined with the gender advantage, it would almost guarantee selection. Hmm, I naively believed this and thus had a new goal in running:Run a full marathon with a target of 4 hours.

Actually, at the beginning, I didn't even dare to think about 4 hours. After all, my longest running distance was only 22 km at that time, and whether I could finish a full marathon was still unknown... So, I temporarily put aside the idea of a full marathon and honestly ran 10 km every other day. But the thought would occasionally pop up, out of unwillingness and curiosity—unwilling to give up the Beijing Marathon dream and curious whether I could eventually run a full marathon and how long I could run... So, on a weekend in November 2017, feeling good, I got up early, started running around 8 am, and ran a full marathon alone near my home—

4:14, not a bad result. I realized that 4 hours was possible, and I also deeply understood that finishing a full marathon was not easy. So, I continued with some easy runs and recovery runs (probably because running a full marathon all of a sudden caused various physical discomforts).

Since I started running, I have always used Codoon and always ran alone. I saw many running influencers in the Codoon community and chose two role models for myself: the male god Shen Wuzei and the female goddess Summer. At that time, I happened to read an article by Shen Wuzei. He said he started running because he wanted to meet someone; he said, 'Start, practice hard'; he said, 'Don't wait, it's unnecessary.'

So, I also had people I wanted to meet, like Shen Wuzei, Summer, and many other male and female gods who combined good looks with strength. Later, by chance, Summer initiated a Three Peaks Trail Run event on Codoon, and I happened to be free, so I went... I was excited, thinking I would meet the goddess, but she flew to Guangzhou for a marathon that day. However, I didn't feel regret because the Three Peaks Trail Run experience was great, and I met the Midsummer Lightyear Running Club, feeling like I had found an organization. From then on, running was no longer a solitary activity.

02

They say one person can run fast, but a group can run far.

After joining the running club, I would check in during regular runs, sharing running insights and joys with my buddies... I also received a lot of encouragement and recognition from them and met the goddess Summer. I forgot when it started or who first called me 'Kuang God,' but anyway, I became 'Kuang God,' probably the least experienced and most undeserving 'god' in the running community. I always felt I was just a running novice, so I kept working hard to live up to the nickname... As the male god said: 'How hard you can work is also a kind of talent.' So, my greatest talent is: working hard enough. For my first full marathon and the 4-hour goal, I made a ten-week plan for myself—

As soon as the plan came out, it faced a lot of skepticism:

So packed! Don't you rest?

Unrealistic! Impossible! A plan that can't be completed!

With such a high volume of exercise, you absolutely can't handle it!

Plans can't keep up with changes!

...

I knew most of the criticism and doubts came from concern. I didn't retaliate or respond; I knew in my heart that before this plan, I had always been running every other day and doing strength training on alternate days. Besides the plan, others didn't know that even if the plan was to run in the morning, I would still do strength training in the evening, and I commuted by bike every day, adding 26 km of cycling exercise daily.

If you want to prove something to others, there's no need to say much; just do it. And I didn't want to prove anything to anyone; I just wanted to train well. Of course, training was to finish the race more comfortably and not just for the target time.

So, every day I completed a check-in, I would mark it in red; if I didn't complete it, I would mark it in gray. Of course, I made some realistic adjustments, swapping times or adding rest based on my physical condition. Thus, I had the following chart—

I was quite satisfied with the completion rate.Of course, to strictly follow the plan, I lost a lot, like not having time to hang out with gym buddies, even training alone according to the plan in the gym without playing with them. Also, I hardly cooked for my dad or spent time with my family on weekends. Besides work, sleep, and meals, it was all about strength training and running. Some people drifted away, and some left...

03

One person, heading to a strange city, then running from that city to another. Just thinking about it feels cool.

However, reality is always cruel. I sat in a hard seat on a sleeper train for eight hours (because I couldn't sleep), went straight to the race packet pickup site in Zhengzhou, a place others complained looked like a farmers' market... Getting the race packet was even more disheartening: just a short T-shirt and a bib number. An international marathon event didn't even have a complete race packet like a previous 10 km event?! Okay, I accepted it. It didn't matter; although I came alone, I had buddies from the same running club with me, and we happily went to eat local Henan cuisine together.

But back at the hotel, more bad luck... The promised PB gift pack at the front desk was gone (I was late, and they were all taken), and I got my period! Then I went to the pharmacy to buy painkillers and weighed myself: a week ago, I was 50.7 kg, and now I was over 55 kg...

I walked back silently, feeling worried, depressed, and annoyed. I asked the hotel front desk about the bus departure time to the starting point the next day but didn't get a definite answer, suddenly feeling very down. I silently returned to the hotel and scrolled through my social media. Seeing everyone's race outfit photos, my gloomy mood suddenly brightened. So what! So what if the race packet was incomplete, I didn't have salt pills, energy gels, high-end running shoes, got my period, and gained 8 pounds? If I could still achieve my goal under these conditions, I would be even more awesome! No choice but to be this hardworking and good at self-consolation, I am awesome.

I didn't want to give up after preparing for ten weeks without even trying. Because I was worried, I was half-awake all night. I got up at 5 am the next day to prepare, feeling pretty good. I calmly applied Vaseline, dressed, had breakfast, and took the hotel bus to the starting point.

After all, it was my first marathon, and I was clueless about everything. I knew in advance about the zones and that Zone D was far back, but I didn't expect it to be about a kilometer from the starting point, where I couldn't even see the starting arch. I also knew it would be crowded and hard to start running, but I didn't expect it to be impossible to run at all. It took six and a half minutes to walk to the starting point.

The first kilometer after the start had a pace of 5:50, the second kilometer 5:19, which made me a bit anxious because the 4-hour goal required a steady pace of 5:41. Too slow, and I wouldn't have time to rest in the second half (I planned to walk a bit in the last 10 km), too fast, and I might crash. Fortunately, I found my rhythm from the third kilometer, maintaining a steady pace of around 5:30...

I listened to music through my earphones, but my attention was always on Codoon's pace announcements every kilometer, afraid that any kilometer's pace slower than 5:41 would drag down the time and prevent me from achieving my goal.

I kept running at a steady pace, reminding myself at 10 km: almost a quarter done; at 15 km: almost halfway; at halfway: another half to go; at 25 km: just over ten kilometers left. Before this, I didn't feel any discomfort. At the water stations, I took a whole bottle of water, drank when thirsty, poured it on my hands when hot, splashed it on my body, and arms.

Everything around me was irrelevant; I focused on running. After 25 km, maybe because I drank too much cold water, my stomach felt uncomfortable, and I occasionally felt pain. I thought about giving up but decided to see how I felt after another kilometer or two. As I persisted, I reached over 30 km.

Moreover, I didn't feel any discomfort before 35 km, except for the first kilometer dragging the pace. All other kilometers were within 5:41, so at 36 km, encountering a gentle slope, I allowed myself to walk for half a minute to take care of my period.

After 36 km, I resumed my original pace and continued running steadily. The entire route was a straight line, which was a bit boring. Since I was focused on running with earphones on, I probably missed many people talking to me along the way.

However, the music couldn't cover up the cheers from the roadside crowd, "Go, little beauty!" "You're awesome, little beauty!"I then realized that there were hardly any women around me.

In the last ten kilometers, some men and women started to slow down or walk, but I kept overtaking them until the finish line. I remember telling a friend before: seeing others cry when crossing the finish line, it should be a moment of joy and excitement, why cry? I wanted to smile, to laugh when crossing the finish line! I did it! I broke 4 hours! Net time 3:54:27. Finally, all the previous efforts paid off.

Because of my period, I couldn't use ice packs. Rushing back to the hotel to check out, I didn't stretch thoroughly, which was a bit painful afterward. After showering and treating my wounds, I checked out and went alone to a Sha County snack bar, ordered pigeon soup, black-bone chicken soup, and steamed dumplings. I thought, I really owe it to my period, I need to replenish well. After eating, I went next door to a drink shop and had a large cup of longan and red date tea.

On the way back to Beijing, I couldn't forget those kids, every little hand I high-fived. They were warmth, they were strength. Thank you, lovely children!

(Image source: Internet)

Finally, I want to thank Brother Yu for the salt pills and energy gels, Brother Yu and Master Liu for their usual guidance, everyone in the Midsummer Lightyear Running Club, and every buddy who encouraged and helped me.

No more words, see you at the Beijing Marathon!

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The article only represents the author's views and does not represent Codoon's opinion.