歡樂慢跑 Run for Fun!

Ah! Midterms are almost here, and the club activities being suspended this week served as a reminder. But the extra time has given me the perfect opportunity for a longer run. So, I've decided to run fifteen kilometers today. During my runs, I often encounter memorable scenes: people passing by in the opposite direction, part-time workers setting up a stage by the roadside for tomorrow's event, and crowds chatting as they walk along the campus... . Two hours passed, and as I finished the journey, I felt both excited and a little anxious. That runner who passed me by is probably still on their long journey. However, thinking about the unread books on my desk, I can't help but worry about the midterms next week!

Following up from last week, I went for a pace run with the freshmen again tonight. The biggest breakthrough this time was extending the distance from 3km to 5km. Although there were a few pauses in between, it was precisely those moments of stopping that allowed us to re-see the beauty of the campus at night amidst the gentle breeze and the darkness.

Six in the morning. The sun streamed into the room, waking me with its dazzling dawn light. "Time to get up and run!" Shaking off the daze, I forced myself out of bed. Having gotten used to running at night, perhaps it was time to change my routine and rediscover myself. After completing my usual warm-up, I started running slowly around campus. Sunday mornings are indeed cool, and the air is much purer without the usual street fumes. As I ran, a sense of joy welled up inside me—but I realized I might be changing my running times and locations too frequently. When I first started college, I loved running on the track. In the evenings after classes, or using a whole PE period to run, that sense of freedom was truly nostalgic. In my sophomore year, I gradually shifted to running after 10 PM, around the time the library closed. The darkness always brought a sense of calm. Later, I participated in campus road races, and sometimes on impulse, I'd run to the city three kilometers away and then back. Even now, the memory of those campus road races deeply stirs my soul. There was the leader I was desperately chasing, and someone right behind me, relentlessly pursuing. As time went on, the leader pulled further away, but the footsteps behind me remained incredibly close. I even secretly prayed for him to overtake me quickly, to spare me, this lamb struggling to hold on. In the end, just before the finish line, I was sprinted past and finished the ten-kilometer race in third place.

I went for a 15km run for the first time in a while, and at one point, I felt like I couldn't go on any longer. As my phone announced the distance every kilometer, I couldn't help but repeatedly wonder if I was pacing myself correctly. But then I realized that when you're running at your limit, your brain can hardly think. Thinking, 'Let's speed up a bit more'—in the end, I completely exhausted my stamina. After a full day of classes, thinking about the elementary school camp tomorrow, a report that needs to be finished soon, and... sigh, can I really get all these things done in one go? As I kept moving my feet, I finally heard my phone notify me that only a short distance remained, and the tension in my chest instantly eased. Finally, I raised my right hand like a marathon runner who had accomplished a feat—but actually, my arm was just sore, so I was doing a stretch.

Because I'm part of a sports club, the idea of 'going for a run after training' almost never happens to me. But this time, I decided to run 5km with the thought of trying to increase my cadence. The rhythmic 'beep, beep, beep' in my ears kept pushing me to speed up, my legs tried to hit every beat, and my breathing grew more rapid. I felt my steps were much faster than usual, and I was even running a bit clumsily…. But is this really possible? My cadence after the run was still 154spm, and I was running with a metronome! Could it be that my phone couldn't measure it because I was holding it while running…. Although it was a bit disappointing, at least after running these 5km, it seems like I've also left some of my troubles behind me.

Haven't done a campus run in a while, maybe for the first time since starting university! And tomorrow, I'll be back to normal classes. As I ran around campus, I saw students coming and going: some just got out of their family's cars, others were dragging large suitcases from the bus stop. It felt like a completely different slice of life compared to admiring the roadside scenery during my run... Today, I tried to increase my running speed and incorporated interval training, but I found that my stride length doesn't seem to be at the ideal state yet. It looks like this will be a challenge I need to keep working on.

If I change my environment and mood a little when I go for a run, will I be able to run faster? However, it doesn't seem like there's much of a change... Perhaps it's because I'm already used to running at night without the sun. Today, without realizing it, my mask got soaked with sweat and my breath, and I almost couldn't breathe. A soaked mask not only loses its protective function, but it also sticks tightly to my mouth and nose when I inhale. At that moment, taking off the mask without hesitation was definitely a wise choice! Although it slightly disrupted my running rhythm and posture, being able to breathe smoothly again made this impact insignificant.

Changed my running form starting yesterday. Switched to a high cadence. Didn't expect to hit 4:42 today. Cadence reached 177 SPM. Just a little short of 180 SPM. I'll keep working hard tomorrow 💪

The annual Double Ten holiday has quietly arrived. For me, this break is a rare moment of respite and relaxation in my busy life, yet it often slips away unnoticed in a haze of laziness, leaving behind a tinge of regret for my lack of productivity. Whenever classmates ask me, "What are your thoughts on the long weekend?" I find myself giving different answers depending on who I'm talking to. To more serious friends, I usually reply with a wry smile, "Ah! I accidentally got hooked on a manga, and I haven't read any of the books I was supposed to..." with a hint of self-deprecating embarrassment. But when I'm with my more playful friends, I enthusiastically share the joy of following the manga and excitedly discuss the plot, though sometimes I can't help but laugh and complain about my poor time management skills. Perhaps the reason holidays are so captivating is that whether we spend them productively or struggle between guilt and relaxation, it's all our unique time to rest. Happy Double Ten Holiday, everyone!

I've been running at a 4-minute pace for 18 consecutive days now. Before, I was stuck at a 5-minute pace for a long time because I didn't push myself. Now, my training involves high-intensity interval training for runners, specifically Fartlek (speed play). It's 1 minute of high speed followed by 1 minute of slow speed. During the high-speed intervals, one lap of the 200m track takes about 50 seconds. I just want to break my own limits, and the biggest benefit is the afterburn effect – fat continues to burn even after I stop exercising.