A Jogging Activity

My dad is an enthusiastic(狂热的) runner who     1    (great) influenced me when I was young. So I liked sports very much before the age of 14. However, when my family moved, my new school didn’t pay much attention     2     sports and had no after school activities like football or running. Over     3     next few years, I stopped exercising apart from during Physical Education lessons at school. It seemed that I was     4     (health); however, I was not.

One day, I was late for a bus, tried to run after it and in only a minute was out of breath! This made me realize how unfit I was.     5     (help) myself get in shape again, I made a     6     (decide) that I would take up a kind of sport.

A friend of     7     (I) suggested a swimming pool close to my house     8     she goes to a few times a week. Now, I’m a swimming lover! I find swimming in the pool very     9     (relax). I swim for an hour three times a week. I hope that I will soon start to feel the benefits of regular exercise, and will become     10     (fit) than before.

5 . I spend 99 percent of my time writing about others. However, so many people have encouraged me to turn the tables and write about my own running journey, that I’ve decided to try “first person” for once.

Sunday, November 11, 2018 will forever be a treasured memory. It was a near-perfect first-time marathon experience. The weather was perfect and the sun was shining, but more than that, I truly felt the love of family and friends the whole day.

For more than a year, my goal was to run my first marathon before the age of 50. But my long term goal is to stay healthy enough to continue running the rest of my life. I had all but given up on the possibility of ever running again, after cracking(断裂) my kneecap at the age of 16. I tried to get back into running in my 20’s and 30’s, and finally five years ago at the age of 44 thanks to yoga, ballet & Pilates cross training, I was strong enough! I can’t imagine “not running” ever again, now that I’ve rediscovered it. Running inspires and challenges me, and in return, I hope my story inspires others. It’s never “too late” to do anything you set your mind to do.

Some of the runs I cherish the most take place with my daughters, when they are home from college or work, or when I can join them for a run where they live. How many teenage “kids” actually WANT to be seen in public with their mom, let alone be seen running with her? We have done lots of 5Ks together and they are some of my favorite races. Every run over the past year formed a building block for the marathon, and my journey has introduced me to many special people, including my beloved ones.

7 . Running has truly changed my life. Early this year, my grandmother passed away and I started to dislike my job because of office politics. My life felt stuck.     1    . It was my natural response (反应). I just wanted to getaway. By the time I came back, I felt tired and full of energy at the same time. I knew I was on to something.

Sometimes I would get excited about running.     2    . I used running as a reason to buy new fashionable sports clothes. Or I decided to run to lose weight or become healthier. My running never lasted longer than 2-3 weeks. I would lose interest in running. I just didn’t understand it. Why would anyone go through the pain of running? Especially when the weather is bad. Who does that? I’d rather go to the gym with my friends, talk, and pick up some weights.

    3    . When my life was not what I wanted it to be, I was upset. I decided to run when I arrived home one day after work. It was a cold January day, and I only ran for 3 miles in a time that I am too ashamed to mention. But my time is not what’s important—during that run I finally got it.

    4    . I knew it would be better if I kept running. If I would fight against the wind, rain, cold, and my thoughts of giving up, I would eventually improve my stamina (毅力) and be a better runner.

My life has improved at the same rate that my running pace and stamina has improved. But running has the most impact on my productivity, mood, creativity, and overall livelihood. Every time life became difficult I would give up. Now, when life is difficult, my response is different. I love the pain and struggle instead of shying away from it. My life is moving forward and I’m doing well in my job again.     5    .

8 . I come from a family that loves sports. My father coaches Little League baseball. My mother swims nearly every weekend. My brother is on his high-school basketball team, and I am the best hitter on my middle-school volleyball team. All of us have benefited(受益）from sports. One of the most common ways for kids to take part in sports is to join a team. Joining a sports team should be a school requirement.

Playing sports is good for both the body and mind. Everyone knows that exercise helps people stay fit. For example, swimming helps your heart work better and it also helps build muscle strength(肌肉力量）. In addition, school athletes(运动员） often have a healthy diet. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and avoid fatty foods because I must stay in great condition.

Being on a team allows students to enjoy a healthier social life. They often make more friends and can be some of the most popular kids in school. Since joining the basketball team, my brother has made friends with a lot of his tea mates and has showed more interest in spending time with them.

Kids who take part in school teams sometimes earn college scholarships(奖学金）. My brother's friend, Justin, played football in high school. His family did not have money to send him to college. However, a college invited him to play on its team. The college is paying for him to go to school. Joining a team turned out to be one of the best decisions he had ever made. Now he studies at a great college and plays on its football team Not every school athlete gets a college scholarship, but joining a school team-makes it possible.

Although some people may not like the idea of forcing students to join a school team, its many benefits such as keeping kids heal thy, new friendships, and possible scholarships cannot be denied(否认）.

My Story of Sport and Fitness