【推荐3】Training for a marathon can be a marathon itself. Here are tips on preparing for the big day. Learn how to be prepared for the race and how to treat your body after that long run. 

Your last long run should take place about three weeks prior to the marathon. It takes that long for the muscle damage caused by training to go. Adding one more long run could have minimal gain, if any, and may cause an athlete to suffer from “dead legs” during the event.

Like you reduce your work to restore your muscles, focus on sleep the week prior to the race. Your body will appreciate it. Even if nervousness stops you from getting sleep the night before the race, the extra sleep you got during this week will make up for this.

Be sure you have on hand your water and food sources for the race. Drink lots of water during the week before the race. This optimizes your hydration (补水) before you hit the start line. Eat a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, such as breads, rice, pasta and potatoes. This helps maximize your energy stores. Don’t experiment with new foods this week. Carbohydrate loading (碳水循环) is not a simple process. Try it some other time, perhaps before other long runs. 

No matter what the results are, be proud of yourself. You can learn from every race. Some tips for your post-marathon:

Drink. Even though you drank during the race, you will still be a little dehydrated.

Keep moving. Do lower intensity exercises, such as walking for 60 minutes after the race. This will ease a lot of the post-race muscle pain. Stretch gently. But don’t plan on running during the week after the race. Walking, swimming or cycling at an easy pace will work well.

Do allow your body to recover. An extreme athletic event like a marathon is incredibly stressful on the body. The body needs the rest; otherwise, problems such as injuries, fatigue, decreases in performance and immune suppression can result.

【推荐1】Unlike many other Europeans, the French are not noted for their eagerness to work long hours. The British are surprised by the French readiness to rest from work not only on Sunday but also on Monday afternoons. The Germans and the Swiss are less innocent but, nevertheless, are scornful(鄙夷的)of the fact that the whole of France appears to shut down for three weeks in August so that French citizens can rush to the cote d’Azur (a tourist attraction in France) and squeeze together on the narrow area of Mediterranean beach for vacation. Consequently, most of Northern Europe dismisses France as a lazy nation.

Annually, the 14^th of July marks the start of what the French call “the great escape.” July 14^th is Bastille Day, the celebration of a 1790 attempt to make French political prisoners free, which marked the beginning of modern France, and it was for this reason that, in 1880, Bastille Day was named a national holiday.

The center of the celebration is the Champs-Élysées(香榭丽舍大街)in Paris. An enormous tricolor French flag hangs from the Arc de Triomphe(凯旋门). The broad avenue itself is lined with flags of blue, white, and red. With great pomp(盛况), the President of France progresses along the Champs-Elysées, which is lined with police officers and applauding Parisians. He receives the greeting of the largest military parade in Europe. In the most modern of these displays of power, planes fly low over the cheering crowds.

Later, the president meets with the media and talks informally about what had been achieved in the previous year, how France stands presently, and how she will advance. Bastille Day ends with concerts and parties and, of course, a huge fireworks display centered on the Eiffel Tower. The streets are crowed and alive with people calling out to one another, gossiping, laughing, and partying in being French.

【推荐2】Hi, boys and girls! Do you know how to be a healthy kid? Here are some rules you should follow.

First, eat different foods, especially fruit and vegetables. You may have a favorite food, but you should eat something different. If you eat different foods, you will probably get more nutrients your body needs.

Second, drink water and milk as often as possible. When you're really thirsty, cold water is the best.

Third, “listen” to your body. How do you feel when you are full? When you are eating, feel how your body feels. When your stomach feels full, eating too much will not make you feel comfortable and will make you fat.

Fourth, limit screen time. Screen time is the time you watch TV, DVDs and videos, or using computers. It is good to take more exercise such as playing basketball, swimming and so on. You can't watch TV for more than two hours a day.

Fifth, be active. One thing you should do is to know which activity you like best. Find ways to be active every day. Follow these rules and you can be a healthy kid.

【推荐2】Cui Chenxi competes in the final of the women’s street skateboarding event during the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Wednesday.

The teenager, who is the Chinese national team’s youngest athlete, won gold by scoring242.62 points. Until Wednesday, the title of China’s youngest Asian Games gold medalist be-longed to 15-year-old skateboarder Chen Ye. Nevertheless, the youngest participant at the Games is Mazel Paris Alegado, a 9-year-old Filipino skateboarder.

Asked if she was nervous before the competition, Cui shook her head and said: “My dad told me to stay relaxed, enjoy the competition and showcase my skills. As long as I give it my all, I have no regrets.”

Skateboarding, which is rooted in street culture, is a sport that emphasizes freedom and personal techniques. Cui only took up skateboarding in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic did not allow her to practice rollerblading (滚轴溜冰), which she began as a 3-year-old. Her father suggested that she try skateboarding at home instead. “I remember the day I stepped onto the board for the first time. It felt incredibly smooth. It was love at first sight,” Cui said.

Two years later, she ranked third in the women’s street event at the Shandong provincial games. She soon joined the provincial skateboarding team and underwent a more comprehensive (全面的) and structured training program.

In skateboarding, injuries are unavoidable, but when discussing the pain and the setbacks, Cui displayed a level of resilience beyond her age. “When I started skateboarding, I thought it was great fun. Later, I realized people suffer a lot of injuries while skateboarding. But that is where the spirit of skateboarding lies,” she said. Most of the time, getting injured is just part of the process, and she simply pushes through it and never gives up, she added.

Cui is “the future of Team China”, according to Zeng Wenhui, the silver medalist. “I think she is quite excellent. We will stand together in moving forward in the future,” she said.

【推荐3】In November 2020, Stephanie Morton announced her retirement. The then 29-year-old athlete’s exit was a blow for the Australian Olympic program. “This decision wasn't made lightly. Eight months ago, I had such an idea, and thankfully I had the support of the Australian Cycling Team throughout the whole process, along with my family and close friends,” said Morton

Born in Adelaide, Morton stood out as an athlete throughout her childhood even though in a different sport. She grew up in a badminton-mad family. Her father coached the South Australian team, and her mother was its manager. It just so happened that when Morton was 15, her uncle suggested she test her power output on an exercise bike. “I always say cycling picked me. I didn't pick cycling,” Morton said.

Morton joined the national program midway through the reign of Anna Meares, who won a medal at every Olympics between 2004 and 2016.It was an unusual relationship-- Meares was Morton's coach, teammate and competitor.

In 2010, Morton took on the role as Tandem Pilot for the cyclist Felicity Johnson, with the combination winning three world titles across 2011 and 2012, followed by one gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. In 2014, Morton beat Meares for the first time at the national track championships. The same year, Morton won one gold medal and one silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. But it was after the 2016 Rio Olympics, a disappointing overall campaign for the Australian track team, that Morton really began to shine. Two silver medals at the 2017 World Champions were followed by three gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Compared with the pandemics global deaths, the retirement of an athlete might seem insignificant. For Morton, the next stage of her life now begins. The cyclist has studied criminal justice part-time throughout her cycling career and has previously shown an intention to join the police. Morton said, “I want to be an active and positive role model.”