Get fit quick
By Tang Yue (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-17 10:15
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Running may not be everyone's cup of tea. But those that like it find the harder it gets, the sweeter it is. Tang Yue reports
Long-distance running is an acquired taste. For many people, it's probably the last thing they want to do as a form of exercise.
To the uninitiated, marathons, half marathons and other races of that ilk are boring as there appears to be little, if any, interaction - unlike in team sports where you are working with teammates or challenging rivals. It's a solitary sport, which at the end of the average runners' day leaves them drenched in sweat.
This is even truer when you run in hot and humid conditions like, for example, last month's 2010 Hong Kong Marathon, where the temperature gauge neared 30 C and the course was challenging.
However, for long-distance aficionados it's a case of the harder the better.
"People always look at (long-distance) running as punishment. They think of it as boring and painful. The fact that a lot of people hate running just makes me love it even more," American Zach Ebling said after finishing the half marathon in Hong Kong. "What others find difficult, I do with ease and it gives me a great sense of achievement."
Born in 1986, Ebling ran his first competitive races at the age of 11.
In high school, he ran all events from 200m to 3,200m and was part of a 4800m relay team in Michigan, which broke the state record. His personal best in the 400m was 49.5 seconds. In 2006, he competed in and finished his first marathon - the Beijing International.
"It was much more challenging to finish such a long distance. My performance was not good. I only did it in 3 hours and 55 minutes. But it was something new to try," Ebling says.
Distance running is also extremely addictive, just ask Ma Liangwu.
Every dawn - 5 am in summer and 5:30 in winter - Ma runs the equivalent of a half marathon, which is about 21km and is just a little short of the circumference of Chuxiong city in Yunnan province, where he lives and works as a public servant with the local health bureau.
"I feel like the king of the city when there is no one around on a quiet morning except for a few cleaners and taxi drivers," the 41-year-old says.
Ma started running at 18 and had his first taste of a marathon at the Xiamen International in 2006; he has found it hard to stop pounding the pavement since.
Up to the Hong Kong event, he had finished 18 marathons and he updates his blog almost every day with his training diary or race stories.
"The reason why I love the marathon is you can compete with the professionals and challenge yourself by chasing the best in the world. This makes me feel great," says Ma, whose personal best is 2 hours and 35 minutes.
"I have spent a lot of money on it and it makes me less affluent but my wife and son support me. They even run with me sometimes. Running just brings health to our family it's more important than anything else," Ma says.
Not everyone is into long-distance racing for the same reason. Some do it for a sense of accomplishment, some for fitness and some do it for love.
Zhang Xiwang took part in the 10km event in Hong Kong. However, he was accompanying rather than competing. During the journey, he ran shoulder to shoulder with his girlfriend, Jiang Chengcheng.
"I love running with him by my side. When I speed up he runs faster and when I am tired he slows down," Jiang, who finished third in the women's event, says.
Both are former national top eight runners in the event and became acquainted at a training camp in Guangzhou in 2005. They retired from the sport two years ago.
However, they still run for fun. At the "Special 6km" competition held by New Balance in Shanghai last summer, they won in their respective groups.
"It's good to run after school and hard work. It is even better to run with someone you love. We just hope we can make our own marathon in life now," Zhang says with a shy smile.