No so-called "wall," no exhaustion after finishing—just 700 kilometers of training over 18 weeks and 126 days, and I completed my first marathon in 3:56' ! The tough but enjoyable process led to a result that amazed everyone around me, but that’s not the whole story of my first marathon journey.
After entering Olympic Forest Park, that notorious big hill only slowed my pace down to about 6:00. After cresting the hill, I saw a bus crawling slowly along the roadside, with the glaring words “Sweeper Bus” on it. To be honest, I really, really hate seeing them. So I sped up and ran past many runners who had already started walking. The last two kilometers did feel heavy—lifting my legs became harder and harder. But I knew this was all about willpower. I shouted out a few “Come on!”s. I calculated the time—if I could just keep the pace under 6:00, sub-4 was within reach. So I tried to imagine myself running lightly and pushed forward with effort.