Editor’s note: In the collar bag, I saw the advertising page of a brand.
I told a lot of people around me about this, roughly this description: 70 years old, kept running marathons, and then spoke for many brands…. I immediately sent Mr.Tian Tongsheng WeChat for an appointment, hoping to write out his feelings about this race.
Mr.Tian promised me, said to write after running, and the brand he endorsed is called United Family.
I told his story to my 74-year-old father and inspired him to run the marathon.
I also hope that this column can be shared with more people who can challenge themselves and enjoy the happiness of sports —— Lazy Bear Han Mu.
At 7:31 am, the Beijing Marathon started.
Somehow, it was a minute later than originally scheduled.
My heart muttered, late shot 1 minute, I do not know how many people will burst the north horse dream, because, along the track of the 8 closing points, are can be on time to remove the timing blanket.
Hearing the gunfire, I took off the disposable plastic raincoat I wore to keep warm, leaving only my vest and shorts.
I kneaded the raincoat into a small ball and held it in my hand, and waited for me to get to the edge of the track to throw it away.
I am people around and around, and that density is comparable to the density of people on the subway in Beijing morning rush hour.
Surrounded by the crowd, I slowly moved forward, one small step, another small step.
Hear someone on the left call me, turned a look, do not know.
He said it was to Fagless Bay and ran the New York Marathon with me in 2019.
The finless porpoise Bay is a running group in Nanjing. The head was Sun Hai, who pushed him to start running. The running group was built based on the community, and everyone was both neighbors and runners.
It not only promotes the sports health, but also enhances the neighborhood relations.
I wrote the story of Sun Hai them into my new book “Let Mom and Dad Run”.
I live in Chaoyang, and I also participated in a running group, and the runners are the neighbors of the surrounding community.
From morning till night, people run around the community, met will say hello.
There is a fitness trail of asphalt pavement around the periphery of the community. Running a lap is 1200 meters, which is very comfortable to run.
Whenever I run around the community in the morning, I often think of Haruki Murakami running along the Tokyo Shrine Garden, where a lap is 1325 meters.
This year, our community running group of 16 people participated in the race, and one of the female runners is aiming to run into 3 hours.
On the way to North Malaysia, Tian Tongsheng took a group photo with his college classmates.
When the first Beijing Marathon was held on September 27, 1981, we were still on the university campus. However, in the 1980s, the issue of food and clothing had not yet been resolved, and there had never been anyone discussing marathons in school. There are also some classmates who can run, at most only 3000 or 5000 meters.
I have been a poor student in sports since I was young, and I missed the school sports meet. Unexpectedly, decades after graduating from university, the sports underachiever of that year became a marathon runner. I never thought I could run a marathon, and my classmates didn’t even think of it. Two old classmates arrived as scheduled and were already waiting on the roadside of the Ethnic Hotel. Taking a photo with an old classmate took about ten to twenty seconds. Last year, when I was taking a group photo with my classmates at the Ethnic Restaurant, I met Mao Daqing, who served as the “closed door rabbit” in North Malaysia. He helped us take our group photo.
Not long after running through Fuxingmen Bridge, I saw a 5-kilometer sign. Ran 5 kilometers in 39 minutes and 22 seconds, with a pace of 8 minutes per kilometer. I try to keep my heart rate within range 3. When my heart rate is high, I will run slowly. When my heart rate is low, I will run faster. What I pursue is not running at a steady pace, but running steadily within a heart rate range of 3.
A voice came from behind: “Mr. Hundred Horses.”. Looking back, it’s Han Dan from Beijing Vanke. Two weeks ago, he invited me to participate in the “City Run” held by Vanke in Beijing Green Heart Park. I met Han Dan when I was promoting running at Vanke in 2012. At that time, he played football, rode a bicycle, but didn’t run. He ran his first half marathon, and I served as the “private rabbit” (private pacer) to accompany him through the race.
10 kilometers ago, I didn’t drink water or add energy glue. Starting from June, running 8 or 10 kilometers every morning is an empty stomach run, without eating any food or drinking any beverages. The longest time was running 30 kilometers on an empty stomach without supplies. I practice this way to improve my body’s metabolic flexibility, which is a person’s ability to adapt to metabolic needs. People with inflexible metabolism can only use glucose for energy, while those with flexible metabolism can switch to using fat for energy.
I ran 10 kilometers in 1 hour, 19 minutes, and 27 seconds. On the right side of the track, someone shouted, “Teacher Tian, come on.” I glanced at it but couldn’t see who it was. I ran over to the roadside and it turned out to be Li Ming, the first generation of the Barcelona Tourism Bureau. I quickly shook hands with him. In March 2015, Li Ming invited me and several friends from the sports industry to run the Barcelona Marathon. Due to the impact of the epidemic, we haven’t seen each other for several years. Today, we are meeting at the North Horse Racecourse, which is very exciting.
I stopped at a water station on the way and drank half a glass of water. As soon as I returned to the track, I met my running friend Aubaba (nickname). We also met because of running, which was in the summer of 2009, to prepare for October.I participated in the half horse training at Chaoyang Park in Beima. Our two coaches are Shuaike, and he introduced us to each other. A few months later, I ran the Beijing Marathon on October 18th, which was my first time participating in an international sports competition. I ran half the way, with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, and 46 seconds..195 kilometers is the marathon.
Shuaike’s words inspired me, and I made up my mind to complete a full marathon. On January 2, 2010, I completed my first full marathon in Xiamen at the age of 56.
This time running to Beima, Alibaba’s task is to be a “private rabbit” and accompany a colleague of the company to complete the first horse. A while ago, he was preparing for the North Horse race and ran 30 kilometers with his colleagues in Orson Park. Now, the three of us are running together.
I have been running marathons for over a decade, running more than 130 marathons. I have served as both an official and a private racer. Last year when I was running in Beima, I accompanied three beginners along the way and helped them complete their first race in life.
If you run the first horse with beginners more times, you will naturally gain experience. Newcomers who start their first race often face a lot of pressure and worry about whether they can run down. Aubaba’s colleague’s name is Shuguang, with a Chinese character face and a medium-sized figure. He has a slight outward appearance when running. Dawn and I have been chatting all the way, helping him relieve stress by diverting our attention. There is no theme, the sea and sky are vast, and we can chat wherever we think.
The speed at which two people chat casually, with heart rate usually at the bottom of interval 2 or interval 3, is not too high, which is also known as cruising speed. We ran north along the Kunyu River without any suspense and ran quite smoothly. Seeing the 21 kilometer sign, Dawn and I stopped and Aubaba helped us take a group photo.
I took out a piece of energy glue from my waist bag, tore open a small hole, and squeezed the energy glue into my mouth like squeezing toothpaste. I have 4 energy gels in my waist bag for emergencies, but I still hope my body can gain energy by burning fat.
Running north from 25 kilometers to 30 kilometers, passing through the familiar College Road, the audience was many and enthusiastic. As noon approached, the temperature was also rising. After running 29 kilometers, at dawn, I went to the roadside to use the restroom. Aubaba and I were waiting by the roadside. At this moment, Mao Daqing came with a 6-hour and 15 minute “closed door rabbit”.
This is Mao Daqing’s 7th service to Beijing Marathon. He has become a professional in the “closed door rabbit” industry, serving as the “closed door rabbit” for 19 marathons. There is a small advertisement stuck on his backpack behind him, which reads: “Running ahead of me can finish the race.”. Mao Daqing reminded us, “In the 30 kilometer section, there must be a 9-speed distribution, and if it slows down, it will be closed.” We took a group photo with Mao Daqing and other “closed door rabbits,” and quickly ran.
We only slowed down the pace after running the 30 kilometer timed blanket. 30 kilometers is the limit of dawn, and for him, running every 1 kilometer forward is a new challenge, challenging both physical limits and psychological pressure. Marathon is a physical and psychological challenge for everyone.
Quickly, we ran to Kehui Bridge, where people were already exhausted and more and more runners were walking. The slope of this bridge is a bit steep, so in order to preserve our physical fitness, we also chose to walk up the bridge.
Next, run to Lin Cui Road and follow the auxiliary road of the North Fifth Ring Road to the outskirts of Aosen Park. Some people say that the hardest part of running a marathon is the last 10 kilometers. Indeed, I haven’t run a marathon myself for almost a year, and the longest distance I trained in August was only 30 kilometers. I just have more experience running marathons than Dawn, and we both dare not slack off on this journey.
After running 36 kilometers, at a turning point, Dawn and I stopped and held onto the iron railing on the roadside, doing several consecutive high leg lifts. Dawn said, the soles of the feet are a bit painful. I estimate it may be plantar fasciitis, and there is no other good solution at the moment. I can only step on the curb and support the soles of my feet.
Turning right ahead is Beichen West Road. I heard someone shouting from across the track, “Teacher Tian, come on!” It turned out that Mao Daqing had rushed up again with the “Gate Rabbit”. Along the way, we were all driven away by the “Gate Rabbit”. I visually measured the distance and found that the “door closing rabbit” is about 1 kilometer away from us, and we are only 10 minutes faster than the “door closing rabbit”. Dawn and I accelerated our speed and kept running to the turning point of Beichen West Road. At this moment, Dawn felt a bit powerless and the soles of his feet were getting more and more painful, so he walked an extra distance.
The shout of “Teacher Tian, come on” came from across the track again, and the “Door closing Rabbit” chased up again. Turning right from Beichen West Road, we arrived at Kehui South Road and saw a 40 kilometer sign. The closing time at 13:25 was less than 30 minutes..Back 1.5 kilometers is the “closing door rabbit”, you can’t walk anymore, a slight slackness may lead to being closed. I said, “You follow me and I’ll adjust the pace according to your breathing rhythm.” I heard her breathing a bit hard, so I slowed down and we both ran for 41 kilometers. The female runner said she wants to take a few steps. I said, you can only turn right ahead and run behind.
After running through the last turning point, we arrived at Landscape Avenue, and in front of us was the arch array in front of the finish line. Epinephrine began to surge in her body, and the female contestant couldn’t help but get excited. We passed through the arch 195 meters away from the finish line, and victory was right in front of us.
On the last 2 kilometers of the road, we surpassed many people along the way and were never surpassed by anyone else. Because everyone else is walking, while we are running, the pace for the last 2 kilometers is around 7 minutes and 30 seconds.
Through sports and running marathons, Tian Tongsheng not only engages in entrepreneurship and endorses corporate brands, but also makes himself happier.
I accompanied the female runner, Aubama accompanied the dawn, and the four of us crossed the finish line together on the timing carpet. The female runner excitedly reached out and slapped me, and I took a group photo with the female runner and Dawn before the finish line.
My score is 5 hours, 53 minutes, and 43 seconds, which is 16 minutes slower than last year’s score. However, at the age of 70, I ran the Northern Horse with two previously unknown runners, and among them, the first horse was completed by Dawn. At the age of 70, still being needed gives rise to a sense of happiness. To achieve others is to achieve oneself!
The next day, I saw a poem by Dawn on my social media:
After completing the race with both feet, the North Horse Capital fulfilled its promise.
The bean eating chick is pure and stubborn, crossing the peak with boundless joy.
The path of life is like this: self transcendence always moves forward.
The crowd continued to move forward, and I moved to the edge of the track, grabbed a gap, and quickly threw the small ball of plastic raincoat on the side of the road.
As the tide reached the arch of the starting point, I looked up at the timer above my head: 7:38.
Less than 100 meters away from the arch, fully 7 minutes to walk, if in normal, 7 minutes has run out 1 kilometer.
I pressed the watch button and ran forward close to the right hand side.
Plastic raincoats left by the front runner are everywhere,.I watched the road carefully, afraid of getting entangled in a plastic raincoat and tripping over my feet.
At the first kilometer of departure, the runners’ adrenaline surged, making it particularly easy to be led to a fast-paced pace. One kilometer away is the Jinshui Bridge in front of the Tiananmen Gate Tower. A song that everyone has been singing since childhood is “I Love Beijing Tiananmen Gate”, and many people stop here to take a photo. Last year when I was running to Beima, I also took a photo in front of the Tiananmen Gate Tower and stayed there for one or two minutes. I passed by the Tiananmen Gate Tower this year and didn’t stop for a second. I kept running.
Before the race, I set a small goal for myself to run at a pace of around 7 and strive to finish the race in just over 5 hours. I looked at my watch and the first kilometer was timed at 7 minutes and 05 seconds. I also checked my heart rate and it was a bit high. It was no longer in range 2 (fat burning range), but instead soared to range 4 (critical range) or range 5 (anaerobic range). If the heart rate reaches interval 5, it indicates a high intensity of exercise. In competitions, short-term high-intensity exercise is acceptable, but long-term high-intensity exercise increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation. I once saw a set of data: among people aged 55 and above, the risk of athletes developing atrial fibrillation is 1% higher than that of non athletes.76 times.
I started to slow down, and the pace for the second kilometer was 7 minutes and 27 seconds. Run past the intersection of Xidan Road and the Ethnic Culture Palace, then come to the front door of the Ethnic Hotel. A few days ago, two classmates from the university group made an appointment to come to the front of the Ethnic Hotel to cheer for me. Last year, both of them came here to cheer for me. We all attended universities in 1977 when the college entrance examination resumed, and graduated in early 1982 with job assignments.