Chapter 10 Chapter nine

Chapter Nine October 1, 2006 Niigata Prefecture Village Listed at least to the end I remember that when I was sixteen years old, I calculated that my family would not be there, so I stood naked in front of the big mirror at home, looked at my body carefully, and listed the parts of my body that I thought were not as good as ordinary people. , for example, the eyebrows are a little too thick, the nails are ugly, and so on.I recall a total of twenty-seven items listed.At this time, I felt tired, so I stopped the inspection, and thought, just looking at the various parts of the body that are accessible to the naked eye, I found so many inferior places, if it involves other areas, such as personality Yeah brains and athleticism, that's going on and on.

You are probably familiar with the fact that sixteen is a very worry-free age: you will care about trivial things one by one, and you will not be able to objectively grasp your own position; you will be inexplicably proud of yourself for trivial reasons, and you will easily develop inferiority complex feel. As we grow older and experience all kinds of mistakes, pick up what should be picked up, and throw away what should be discarded, we will have this understanding: "If you count the shortcomings and defects one by one, there will be endless. But there must be some advantages. We can only face the world with what we have.”

The rather tragic memory of standing naked in front of a mirror and listing my physical flaws remains in my mind.I have a lot of debts, but I can't see the income at all. This is my poor asset. Forty years have passed in a flash, and now, as I stand on the beach in a black bathing suit, goggles pushed over my head, and wait for the starting gun to fire in the triathlon, the memory of my early years suddenly revives.I realized again how sad and insignificant I am as a container.Insufficient strength, full of flaws, embarrassing, I am afraid that everything will be in vain.I'm about to start swimming for a kilometer and a half, cycling for 40 kilometers, and running for 10 kilometers.But what will be the result? Isn't it like pouring water desperately into a broken pot with a hole in the bottom?

It was an impeccably beautiful day, a perfect day for a triathlon.There is no wind, and the sea is calm.The sun pours its warm rays over the earth.The temperature is about twenty-three degrees, and the water temperature is impeccable.This is the fourth time I have participated in the triathlon held in the village of Xinyan County, and the weather conditions have been extremely bad every time before.One of them was due to too much wind and waves at sea (the Sea of ​​Japan in autumn changes rapidly), so swimming was canceled and beach race was changed.Even if it doesn't reach that level, the cold autumn rain will keep pattering down, or the high waves will make it difficult to breathe during freestyle swimming, or it will be extremely embarrassing to pedal the bicycle shivering from the cold.So when I drove more than 350 kilometers from Tokyo to Xinke, I was always imagining the worst weather and being fully prepared: don't expect any good weather.This is like a kind of imagination training method.So when I see the sea so calm and calm, I feel like I've been cheated.No no no, I don't believe that.Maybe this is just a superficial phenomenon, and unimaginable traps are waiting for me on the way.Maybe in the sea, there are dense clusters of hateful jellyfish covered with poisonous needles; maybe the hungry bear before entering hibernation will pounce on the bicycle; maybe running, the unpredictable thunder will fall on the top of the head ;maybe the Golden Ring Wasp, driven by unwarranted rage, will come running toward me;maybe my wife, who is rightfully waiting at the end, will discover some unpleasant facts about my private life (there seem to be a few of them).What will happen is impossible to predict.I am full of doubts about this Murakami International Triathlon.

However, at this moment, no matter how you look at it, the sky is clear.Standing in the sunny place, the black rubber swimsuit became warm and warm. All around me, people in the same bathing suits, equally restless, waited on the beach for the race to start.To say it was unbelievable, this is indeed an unbelievable scene.It looked like some poor aquatic creature that had accidentally been washed ashore unattended, waiting for the tide to rise.Other people seem to wallow in much more positive thinking than I do.Maybe it just seems so.I told myself: Stop thinking about it.Things have come to this point, the only thing to do is to complete the game wholeheartedly.Don't think about anything for three hours, just swim, ride a bike, and run.

Why hasn't the game started yet? I looked at my watch, but only a little bit of time had passed.Once the game starts, there is no time to think about it... This is the sixth time I've participated in a triathlon, both long and short distances.But from 2000 to 2004, during these four years, I distanced myself from triathlon.If you ask why there is such a blank period, it is during the Murakami Triathlon in 2000. I suddenly couldn't swim anymore, so I had no choice but to abstain.It took so much time to recover from the blow.The reason for my inability to swim has not yet been clarified. I have been thinking hard about it, and even lost my self-confidence.Because no matter what kind of game, it is the first time to abstain on the way.

I just wrote, "Suddenly I can't swim anymore." To be precise, this is not the first time I have suffered a setback in a triathlon swimming competition.I can swim long distances freestyle with relative ease, whether in the pool or in the sea.1,500 meters can usually be swam in thirty-three minutes.It's not too fast, but with this rhythm, you can keep up with it in the game.I grew up by the sea, and I am used to swimming in the sea.People who have been practicing in the swimming pool often find it difficult and frightening to swim in the sea.But I am different. If you swim in the sea, the water area is open and the buoyancy is strong, so it is easier to swim.

But when it came to the actual race, I couldn't swim well for some reason.He also failed to swim freestyle at the Tinman Triathlon on Oahu, Hawaii.I jumped into the sea and was about to swim out when suddenly I couldn't breathe.I tried to hold my face up and breathe like I always do, but somehow I couldn't catch the rhythm.Once you can't breathe naturally, fear will dominate your whole body, your muscles will become stiff, your chest will be pounding for no reason, your hands and feet will not work, and your face will not sink into the water.This is called panic.The Tinman Triathlon swim was shorter than normal, only 800 meters, so I gave up freestyle and switched to breaststroke to get by.If it is a swimming competition with a usual schedule of 1,500 meters, breaststroke cannot be used to deal with it, because compared with freestyle, it takes much more time, the distance is too long, and the feet will be tired, so 2000 In the Murakami Triathlon last year, he could only reluctantly abstain halfway.

After abstaining, I climbed onto the beach, but it was too regretful to go away so quietly, so I tried to swim the same line again.Of course, the other players had already swam ashore from the sea to compete in the bicycle race, but there was no sign of them.I swim by myself in an ocean with no one else.This time I swam freestyle effortlessly, breathing easily, and moving freely.The same thing, why can't you do it in the game? The first time I participated in a triathlon, the starting line was in the sea.The so-called floating start means that the players stand in a row in the water and follow the order to start.At that time, I was kicked several times heavily by the person next to me.Competition, this is also impossible.Everyone wants to be ahead of others, and everyone wants to compete for the shortest route.During swimming, I was bumped by elbows and kicked by big feet, so I either choked on the water or the swimming goggles fell off. This kind of thing is commonplace.But maybe, when I first started out, I couldn't remember getting kicked right out of the gate, and I lost my balance in shock, and every time I set off after that, the memory came back.Although this explanation is not convincing, the mental factor is very important in the game.

Another point, there may be something wrong with my swimming method.My freestyle is in a class of its own and has never been taught by an expert.I don't find it inconvenient, and I can swim freely, but my swimming style cannot be said to be flawless. In terms of classification, it should belong to the type that competes for strength.I've been thinking for a long time that if I want to compete in a serious triathlon, I will have to change my swimming style one day.Taking this opportunity, I simply explored the spiritual reasons and solved the problem of freestyle swimming.If we figure out where the technical flaws are, other issues may also be revealed.

Ever since, there was a four-year gap in my triathlon challenge.During this period, I continued to run long distances as always, and participated in a marathon every year.To be honest, I'm not in a good mood.The failure of that triathlon is unforgettable.I have been looking forward to the day when I will take revenge.I am a rather stubborn character.If something fails to be done, it will always be successful, otherwise it will not let go, and the mood will not be calm. In order to improve my swimming style, I followed several swimming coaches, but I couldn't meet anyone who satisfied me.There are many people who can swim well in the world, but those who can skillfully teach swimming skills are rare.This is how I really feel.Teaching how to write novels is also very difficult (at least I can't), and teaching how to write seems to be as difficult as it.It is not limited to swimming and novels. Although there are many teachers who use clichés, follow old methods, and teach clichés, there are very few teachers who can teach according to their aptitude, prescribe the right medicine, and be ingenious. In the first two years, a lot of time was wasted looking for a coach.Every time I met a new coach, my swimming style was manipulated in various ways, my swimming method was messed up, and the worst time was that I couldn't even swim.Confidence is also lost, and there is no way to talk about participating in the competition. Things progressed when I felt that "I'm afraid there is no hope of changing my swimming style" and gradually lost confidence.And it was my wife who helped me find a coach.She had never been able to swim, but at the gym she went to work out, following a young swimming instructor, she was like a different person, and she quickly learned to swim.So she recommended to me: "How about learning from this teacher?" The coach first took a look at how I swam, and then asked me what the purpose of swimming was. "I want to compete in a triathlon," I said. "So, after learning to swim freestyle in the sea, it's enough to be able to swim long distances, isn't it?" she asked. "Yes. I don't need short distance speed," I said. "Understood. It is easy to do if the purpose is clear." She said again. In this way, the one-on-one swimming style transformation began.Having said that, it is not to completely negate my game and start anew on the scorched earth with nothing.I thought that it would be more difficult for a teacher to improve the swimming style of a person who has a certain swimming ability than to teach a person who cannot swim from a blank slate.It is not easy to give up the irregular swimming strokes you have mastered.Therefore, she did not forcefully change my swimming style, but spent time and time to correct the subtle movements of my body. This person's teaching method is not teaching the textbook-style swimming method from the beginning.For example, in order for me to learn how to swing my body from side to side, I first taught me how to swim without swinging from side to side.Self-taught freestyle swimmers tend to sway too much from side to side, which will increase the resistance of the water, reduce swimming speed, and waste energy. Therefore, learn not to sway left and right, and swim like a flat plate.She taught the exact opposite of what the swimming textbooks said.Of course, this swimming method cannot swim smoothly.I felt as if I had turned into an extremely clumsy swimmer.However, if you practice persistently as taught by the teacher, you can still swim as usual even with this unreasonable and extremely clumsy swimming method. So she began to teach the side to side swing of the body little by little, very little.Even for this, she will not earnestly warn: "This is the practice of swinging the body from side to side!" Instead, she just teaches a certain way of body swing.The one being taught doesn't know the specific purpose of the exercise, but just exercises that part tirelessly according to what the coach said.For example, practice the shoulder rotation method blindly, and repeat it stubbornly until you get bored.I only practiced the shoulder rotation method for a whole day, which often happens.It's pretty tiring and boring.However, time has passed, and looking back at the past, you will understand: "Aha, that's how it is!" After assembling all the parts, the whole is revealed, and only then do we understand the functions of individual parts.Just as the night passes and the dawn arrives, the shapes and colors of the faintly hazy roofs of thousands of households emerge vividly. It might be similar to practicing drums.For a few days, I only practiced playing bass drums, for a few days I only practiced cymbals, and for a few days I only practiced gongs... It was monotonous and boring.Yet when they become one, a perfect rhythm emerges.In order to achieve that step, one has to be stubborn, strict, and persevering, tightening the screws one by one.Of course it takes time and days, but in this case, giving time is the best shortcut.In this way, a year and a half after starting the transformation, I was able to swim long distances with far more beautiful and less strenuous strokes. In the process of swimming training, I figured out a problem.I can't breathe well during freestyle in the middle of the official competition. It's actually because of "hyperbreathing".It just dawned on me when I had the exact same symptoms while swimming in the pool.I was breathing too deeply and too quickly before the start, probably because of the nervousness before the game, and I took in too much oxygen suddenly.After starting to swim, he was out of breath, and his breathing rhythm became chaotic. After finding out the specific reason, I felt much more relaxed.No longer triggers the hyperpnea state on it.During the competition, jump into the sea to do swimming exercises before starting to let your body and emotions get used to swimming in the sea; in order not to fall into a state of hyperpnea, reduce your breathing sparingly; cover your mouth with your palm to inhale to prevent oxygen intake excess. "It's no problem now, and the swimming style has also changed. Compared with before, it's a shotgun change." I told myself. So after four years, I once again challenged the Murakami Triathlon in 2004.As the starting gun fired, everyone swam out together, and someone kicked me in the side, and I was shocked: "Is it going to die again?" Fear flashed through my mind instantly, and I choked on a small mouthful of water.Should I switch to breaststroke for now? But I immediately pulled myself together: "No! You don't have to do that. There will be no problem this time." I adjusted my breathing and started to swim freestyle again, concentrating on how to exhale in the water, and Not breathing on water.The nostalgic sound of running water came to my ears.By the way, this will do the trick.I feel like my body is going smoothly with the waves. In this way, I finally overcame the panic when I started and completed the triathlon.Due to the long interval between competitions and the lack of time to take into account the training of bicycles, the results are not worth mentioning.However, it was my first goal to avenge my abstention last time, and it has already been achieved.I breathed a sigh of relief. Through the hyperventilation, I realized: "I thought I belonged to the cheeky category, unexpectedly, and I was quite neurotic." I didn't realize that I was so excited before I set off.However, I was indeed nervous, just like ordinary people.No matter how old you are, as long as you are alive, you will have new discoveries about yourself.No matter how long you stand naked in front of a mirror, it is impossible to reflect your inner face. On October 1, 2006, on a crisp autumn Sunday morning, at 9:30, I once again stood on the coastline of the village of Xinyan County, waiting for the start of the game.A little nervous, but careful not to get into a state of hyperventilation.For the sake of caution, check the equipment again.The computer-checked anklet is firmly attached to the ankle.In order to quickly take off the swimsuit after getting out of the water, the whole body was covered with Vaseline.Stretching exercises are also done very carefully.The necessary moisture is also replenished.Also went to the toilet.Nothing was forgotten, probably. I have participated in this competition several times, so there are also familiar faces.While waiting for the order to be issued, shake hands with such a person and chat.I'm not great with people, but I can talk to triathletes with ease.Those of us in this society should be regarded as special people.Think about it, almost all players have jobs, families and lives, and they have to complete swimming, cycling and long-distance running training day after day-it is quite intense training.Of course, this takes time and energy.From the perspective of common sense, this is hardly a serious life.Be regarded as a weirdo, a strange person, and no one else to blame.Even if it is not such a great thing as a "sense of solidarity", between us, like the light-colored mist floating among the mountain peaks in late spring, there is something similar to warmth and recognition indifferently.Of course, this is a competition, and there is no doubt about it, but for ordinary triathletes, saying that they compete to win the championship, it is better to say that this sense of identity—the shape and color of this smoke— - the ceremony, its significance is even greater. In that sense, the Murakami Triathlon is a fitting event.The number of participants is not too many, roughly 300 to 400 people, and the operation of the competition is not too extravagant, and it is run by the local small cities themselves.The people in the small town enthusiastically gave solidarity.There is no flashy and cumbersome superfluity, and the calm and peaceful atmosphere suits my preferences very well.In addition, this is not directly related to the competition: there are also hot springs with abundant water, the food is very delicious, and the local wine (especially "Di Zhanghe") is also delicious.When I went to participate in a competition, my local acquaintances gradually increased, and some people came from Tokyo to cheer for me.At 9:56, the bell rang to indicate the start of the game, and everyone went out with freestyle swimming.This is the most tense moment. I plunged into the water, kicked the water with my feet, and paddled with my arms.Push unwanted thoughts out of your mind and focus on exhaling rather than inhaling.His heart was beating wildly, he couldn't grasp the rhythm, and his body was a little stiff.As usual, someone kicked me in the shoulder again, and someone else rode on me from behind, like a turtle riding another turtle on its back.Thankfully, I choked on a few saliva, but not much.Don't panic, I told myself.It is very important not to panic, to inhale and exhale regularly.Back and forth, I felt the tension in my body eased little by little.Well, it doesn't seem to be a big problem, just keep swimming with this momentum.Once you get the rhythm, just maintain it. But soon—and in a triathlon, it seems inevitable—an unthinkable trouble awaited me.While paddling hard, I raised my head and looked forward, intending to confirm the direction. "Oh!" I couldn't see anything in front of me.It turned out that one side of the swimming goggles became blurred, as if entering a thick fog, and the world was hazy and white.I stopped, stepped on the water, and wiped my swimming goggles vigorously with my fingers, but I still couldn't see clearly.What's going on? I'm using the swimming goggles I'm used to, and I've been practicing for a long time while swimming while looking ahead.What happened? Suddenly, I remembered something.He had applied Vaseline to his body just now, and without washing his hands, he wiped the swimming goggles with this finger in a daze.What an incorrigible mess! I always dip my saliva in my swimming goggles before a race so the inside doesn't get blurry, but this time I forgot. During the 1,500-meter swimming distance, I was always troubled by the blurry swimming goggles.Every time I deviated from the swimming lane and swam in the wrong direction, I wasted a lot of time.From time to time, I had to stop to take off my swimming goggles, and step on the water to confirm the direction of progress.Please imagine a child who is blindfolded and splits a watermelon, maybe it is similar to that scene. Thinking about it carefully, if I had taken off the swimming goggles, everything would be fine, and I could just swim forward.However, at that time, he was struggling to swim, and suddenly encountered an unexpected event, and he couldn't help being panicked, and he couldn't change his mind at all.All these things made me scrambled in this swimming competition, and my results were worse than expected.In terms of strength, I should be able to swim faster because I train really hard.However, I didn't abstain, and I didn't fall too far behind. I insisted on swimming the whole course, at least during the straight forward swimming period, I still swam very well. Board the beach and go straight to the bike storage.It seems simple, but unexpectedly difficult: take off the tight and narrow swimsuit, put on cycling shoes, buckle up the protective helmet, put on windproof glasses, gulp down the water, and come to the road superior.Complete this series of actions mechanically.When he came back to his senses, he was still swimming in the sea just now, but now he was stepping on the pedal and galloping forward at a speed of thirty kilometers per hour.Even after going through it many times, it still produces a strange feeling.The gravity is different, the speed is also different, and the feel is also very different, as if the salamander has evolved into an ostrich all at once.In any case, the switch of the mind cannot be done so quickly.The body also stayed in place, unable to keep up with the beat, and was overtaken by seven people in an instant. "It's a little dangerous." Although I knew it in my heart, I didn't even pass a single person until the turning point. The bicycle track is located on the famous coastline called "Sagawa River". There are strange rocks rising everywhere in the sea. It is a beautiful place, but we have no leisure to enjoy the scenery.Go north along the coast from Murakami, to the county border of the same Yamagata Prefecture, turn back, and ride back along the same track.Although there are a few ups and downs on the way, it is not a steep slope that makes the mind blank.I try not to mind passing or being passed by others, just keep the pedal rotation a certain number of times, lighten the transmission gear, and let my feet actually take turns pedaling.Reach for your water bottle at regular intervals and simply rehydrate.Just riding like this, the original feeling of riding a bicycle has recovered.That's probably fine.So after making a U-turn at the turning point, I resolutely increased the transmission gear, and the speed increased greatly, and I passed seven people in the second half of the journey.The wind wasn't too strong and I was able to slam on the pedals.If it was a strong wind, a cyclist with inexperienced like me would be demoralized.To make Qiang Feng a friend requires years of experience and corresponding skills.If there is no wind, it simply depends on the strength of your feet.Forty kilometers, I finished the ride at a faster than expected speed, and then put on my memorable running shoes and entered the final long-distance race. Because of his complacency, he overworked in the second half of the bicycle race, and it was quite difficult after entering the long-distance race.It is a common practice to save energy in the last stage of a bicycle race to save energy to enter the long-distance race.But I couldn't change my mind, and I kept breaking into the long-distance running race with all my strength.Sure enough, my legs didn't listen to me.The brain is ordering "run", but the leg muscles are not obeying.Although he was running, he hardly felt like running. Although there are some differences, this is a phenomenon that occurs every time in the triathlon competition.Muscles that have been brutally used for over an hour in a bike race are still "open for business", so the muscles needed for long-distance running can't start working smoothly.This muscle track switching takes time.For the first three kilometers or so, the two legs were almost locked, and it was difficult to turn into the "running state". Compared with usual, it took more time.I am the best at running among the three events. In the long-distance race, I can easily surpass 30 or so people, but this time I can't do it. I only surpassed 10 to 15 people.After being overtaken by quite a few people in the cycling race, he managed to get a tie at the moment.It's a pity that the long-distance running results are not very impressive, but the gap between strengths and weaknesses has narrowed, and the overall results have become balanced. This may indicate that I am gradually approaching the physique of a triathlete.This is probably something to celebrate. Amidst the solidarity of the citizens, I ran across the ancient and beautiful streets of Murakami and crossed the finish line with all my might.Exciting time.Although there have been pains and accidents, once the finish line is crossed, everything will be written off.He breathed a sigh of relief, and shook hands with a smile on the person with the number 329, who had been in a stalemate since the beginning of the bicycle race, and who had overtaken me several times.I picked up the tempo in the final stretch and came close to passing this guy, but missed by three meters.After starting the run, the laces came loose and stopped twice to tie them, losing time.If this hadn't happened, he would definitely have surpassed him.Of course, all responsibility lies with me who did not check the shoelaces carefully before the game. Anyway, game over.Congratulations, I crossed the finish line in front of the Murakami City Hall.Neither drowned, nor had a flat tire, nor was stung by a nasty jellyfish, nor was attacked by a ferocious bear, nor was the golden ring wasp seen, nor was Thunderclap came to patronize.The wife who was waiting at the finish line didn't find anything unpleasant about me, but blessed me meekly.Ahh, great! What makes me most happy is that I enjoyed this game from the bottom of my heart.The achievements are not enough to boast to others, and there are also many small mistakes.But I tried my best, and I still had that feeling in me.And I think it has been improved in many ways, which is commendable.The so-called triathlon is the combination of three kinds of competitions. Although it is difficult to switch between each competition, it is a competition based on experience, and the gap in physical strength can be made up for by experience.In other words, learning from experience is the joy and interest of the sport of triathlon. Physically painful, mentally, depressing situations sometimes arise.But "pain" is a precondition for this movement.Without pain, who else would challenge such time-consuming and labor-intensive sports as triathlons and full marathons? Because of the pain, and because of deliberately going through the pain, I discovered the feeling of being alive from this process, at least is the discovery part.I now realize that the quality of life is not a fixed thing such as grades, numbers, and rankings, but a fluid thing contained in behavior. On the drive back to Tokyo from Niigata, I ran into a group of people heading home from the race with bicycles on top of their cars.All of them were tanned, and at a glance, they were well-built, with the shape of a triathlete.We're done with the small races on Sunday in the early fall, and we're going back to our respective homes and going about our daily routines.Then, for the next event, they will train silently at their respective venues as always.Looking coldly or looking down, such a life may be impermanent and useless, or extremely inefficient.That can't be helped.Even if it was a vain act like pouring water into an old pot with a small hole in the bottom, at least the fact that you have worked hard will remain.Regardless of whether it is effective or not, whether it is beautiful or not, almost all the things that are important to us are invisible to the naked eye, but can be felt with the heart.Moreover, things of real value are often obtained through very inefficient livelihoods.Even if it is delusional, it is by no means stupid.I think so, as a real experience, as a rule of thumb. Can such a low-efficiency business be maintained? I don’t know, but I have worked tirelessly and perseveredly to this day, and I am willing to do my best to persevere.It's long-distance running that has shaped and shaped who I am now, more or less, for better or for worse.As long as possible, I will gradually grow old with similar things in the future, and send away my life.I'm afraid this is also a kind of - although I dare not say it is reasonable - life.Rather, at this point, there is probably no other choice.Holding the steering wheel of the car in my hand, I suddenly thought of this. I might also go somewhere in the world this winter and run a full marathon.I'm afraid I will go to challenge the triathlon next summer.In this way, the seasons come and go, the years go by forever, I grow another year, I am afraid I have written another novel.Face the problems in front of you bravely, go all out and solve them one by one.Concentrate on every step you take, and at the same time, look at the problem as far as possible, and look at the scenery as far as possible.I'm a long-distance runner after all. Whether it is good grades, rankings, appearance, or how others comment, it doesn't matter. Minor question though.For a runner like me, the most important thing is to use both feet to run through each finish line, so that I have no complaints or regrets: I have done everything I should do, and I have endured what I should endure.From those failures and joys, be specific—it doesn't matter how trivial—learn from those failures and joys.And invest time and years, accumulate such competitions one by one, and finally reach a state that you fully accept, or an infinitely similar place.Well, this expression is probably more appropriate. If there is my epitaph, and the text on it can be chosen by myself, I would like it to be written like this: Haruki Murakami writer (and runner) 1949—20×× At least he ran to the end At this moment, this is my wish.