i love heyuan im from heyuan
Heyuan
A city known as one of the birthplaces of Lingnan culture
A city famed as the 'Land of Dinosaurs'
A city that makes you want to run again and again
A run
Leaving behind all the regrets and unhappiness of 2019
A carnival
Opening up more hopes and expectations for 2020...
Heyuan started hosting its first marathon in 2016
It was also the first marathon I ever signed up for
So far, it has successfully held four editions
Sunday, December 29, 8:00 AM
2019 Heyuan Wanlu Lake International Marathon
More than 15,000 participants
Started passionately at the Heyuan Sports Center
It is worth mentioning
Mayor Lin Tao and Vice Mayor, Public Security Bureau Chief Lin Shaowei not only attended the opening ceremony but also participated in the fun run; Vice Mayor Lai Xiaowei joined the half marathon, experiencing the joy of running with the participants
This shows
The marathon has sparked a wave of national fitness enthusiasm
The weather on race day was cool
Compared to last year's Heyuan Marathon, the weather was more favorable
Thinking back to last year when I was a pacer, it was cold and windy
But everything was fine
I safely reached the finish line and completed my task as an official pacer
Before the race, the weather forecast mentioned a brief drizzle
I thought occasional light rain
Would be good weather for a personal best
The day before, I celebrated a friend's birthday
It was her first marathon, coinciding with her birthday
A very meaningful day
I came to the race feeling sleepy
Hoping to finish in 4:30
I told myself before the start that the result didn't matter
What mattered was finishing safely and uninjured
At the full/half marathon split point
There was still half the distance to the finish line
For me, the real race was just beginning
Before coming to Heyuan, a friend said he would pace me
To help me finish in 4:30
I said: Sure, then I won't sign up as a pacer
Unexpectedly, he got injured and cramped halfway
(Friendly reminder: Please do not imitate my friend by participating in 4 full marathons in a month. Know your limits!)
I waited several times to run with him
He said: It's okay, I can safely reach the finish line on my own. You keep running, do what you want to do, go for it!
I said: It's okay to go slower, just finish safely
Then I continued running on my own, step by step...
The wind picked up in the second half of the course
I told myself to hold on
I signed up for this marathon, so I must reach the finish line
A fellow runner asked me: Why isn't Yingying pacing this year?
I said: This time I want to have fun with you all to the finish line, I can go at my own pace. Because as a pacer, I have to control the pace (but actually, I wanted to see if I could finish in 4:30 this time)
At the 37-kilometer mark, the 4:30 pacer caught up
I thought: Oh no, my legs felt as heavy as lead
I wanted to speed up a bit
But my strength was insufficient
I tried to maintain my pace
Followed for about 2 kilometers
But eventually lost the 4:30 pacer, sob sob~
I wanted to run faster but was afraid of getting injured
So I continued running at my own pace
Telling myself: It's better to run slower
Than to stop and walk for too long
Because after walking for a long time
Starting to run again would be even harder
Finally, I reached the finish line
My last marathon of the year
Net time: 4 hours 31 minutes and 46 seconds
A slight improvement from my last personal best
Tired but happy
Although I didn't finish in 4:30, failure is the mother of success!
(Because injuries and fainting are common on the course, I want to tell every marathon runner not to sacrifice health for a good time. Sometimes you can strive for a better result, but train scientifically and avoid blindly pushing yourself. Our original intention for exercising is to improve our health, so don't forget that. Know your limits and finishing safely is your personal victory!)
PS: I am a laid-back runner, participation and finishing safely are what matter to me, so I hope you all enjoy running more and more!
After finishing, there were Heyuan specialties like Tangmi noodles, radish cakes, and pickled radish. Eating a bowl of hot Tangmi noodles after the run was fantastic. The organizing committee also provided stretching services, which received high praise from many runners, very considerate.
Heavenly Jade Pool water
Earthly Wanlu Lake
Beautiful course, ample supplies, dedicated volunteers, enthusiastic spectators
Thank you to all the staff, you worked hard!
Summary:
1. Insufficient training
2. Lack of sleep
3. Needs improvement
Ran 6 full marathons this year
2 half marathons
1 trail race
Goodbye 2019, let's keep running in 2020!