When I was at school, I played football. When I started, I was a terrible player and nobody wanted me to be on their team. But I started to improve slowly and, after a few years, the other kids in the school accepted me as a player.
When I was at university, I stopped playing sports. I was studying too hard, I started eating too much, and, worst of all, I started smoking. I was unhealthy.
One day, I was sitting in the park and watching people running. They looked healthy, and some of them were much older than me! Then I decided to change my life. That evening I went running around the park—for ten minutes! Physically (身体上), I felt terrible. Everything was hurting: my legs, my chest (胸部). But inside, I felt good about it.
The next evening, I went again. I still only ran for ten minutes, but I didn't feel as bad as I did the day before. Within a week, I was running for fifteen minutes, then twenty, and after three weeks I ran for thirty minutes without stopping. My speed was improving all the time. After six months, I was a runner!
That was five years ago. I now run eight kilometers six times a week. Last year I ran my first marathon (马拉松赛跑) and finished in under three hours. I'm healthier now than I've ever been.
