1 . Thousands of runners gather for the annual Marathon. The largest holiday race in California_______ folks of all ages, sizes, shapes, and _______. The gun goes off and runners push for position. I just _______ at the new day and feel righteous for having gotten up and down to the event.

Before long, my _______ turns to depression as the seven-year-old passes me by. Elvis has already _______ the turn way before me and I fall behind a woman. The sense of _______ heats up and so does my _______. I forget that I already run many miles and have 4.2 miles left to _______. The runners around me set my pace.

Suddenly, as I make the turn, I am _______ by an overwhelming sight. A young man with one leg ________ in the sun is going at a lazy pace. The metal leg is ________ to his thigh. He is unaware of anyone who passes him. He is running his own ________ at his own pace.

I slow down and take his lesson. I finish despite the ________ in my knee. Far behind the 7-year-old. It doesn’t matter. It is my race, at my pace.

How many times do we let others ________ the pace, ________ our own goals, our abilities? How many times do we judge our success or our failure by what others have done?

2 . Marcus is a handsome and athletic kid. He plays tennis and _________ the state tournament every year. Marcus’s neighbor, Conrad, is also _________ to compete, but he has rheumatoid arthritis (类风湿性关节炎). Although it pains him just to walk, he _________ painful days at school walking to the sports field. He loves watching his school compete so he doesn’t _________ a game.

Marcus has known Conrad since primary school. They’ve always been _________. He sees Conrad in pain and his _________ at not being able to play sports. So, every day alter school, Marcus _________ his classmates to go to Conrad’s for a moment of discussion about the game competition. The discussion is as _________ as a real high school game, which makes Conrad forget the hurt.

Finally, the doctors found a new _________ to reduce the pain. Conrad walks without much pain, and then begins running, but he still has to learn the __________ of running. After a childhood of walking carefully and taking __________ steps, Conrad has to train his walking like a kid again and stay in shape. He pushes himself every day，building his lungs and doing leg lifts repeatedly for his leg __________. He knows what pain feels like, but running for Conrad is no longer __________.

To Conrad’s delight, he gets a chance to join the cross country team. Conrad doesn’t win, not once, but Marcus is there, __________ for him who always finishes in the middle of the competitors, breathing in wind and waving his hands __________.