My first and last time running a full marathon

It       1     (was, is) one of the hottest days in the fall of 2019, almost as hot as a typical summer day. I     2     (had stood, was standing) among large crowds of runners, many of whom including me       3     (had been waiting, have been waiting) for this moment. This was my first time to be running in a full marathon. Before this day, I       4     (had never run, have never run) more than 35 km at one time. With the start time approaching, my heart     5     (was to start, started) pounding faster with excitement and uncertainty.       6     (Would I be, Will I be) able to finish a race that is 42.195 kilometers long?

The moment the starting gun went off, the empty road       7     (was flooding, was flooded) with runners. I started my GPS watch to record my running statistics (数 据 ): speed, length, time, heart rate, and the like. As expected, after running for nearly two hours, I     8     (had covered, would cover) half of the race’s length. Given my record in training, I was still confident of finishing the race within four hours. After all, I       9     (had been training, have trained) for the marathon since the spring of the previous year.

The sun     10     (was getting, would get) higher, and I could feel the heat of the sun’s rays. Soon I realized that my pace       11     (had been slowing, would slow) down steadily, as some runners who       12     (had been running, ran) shoulder to shoulder with me were moving ahead. There was nothing I could do but watch the distance between us getting longer. By this time, my heart was pounding faster due to a lack of oxygen. As I       13     (would struggle, was struggling) to pass the 32 km sign, more runners ran past me. It was also at this stage that I got cramp (痉挛) in my leg and had to stop running. So, I walked instead, silently drying my tears of regret. Determined to cross the finish line before the marathon       14     (was, would be) officially over, I turned down any offer of help from volunteers. By the time I finished the race, 5.5 hours       15     (had passed, was passing).

In future, I will probably not have a second chance to run a full marathon, for I had lung surgery the following year and       16     (have since been forbidden, had since been forbidden) to do any vigorous (激烈的) exercise.