Part 2 — When you set a goal and you achieve it. You’ve already won the race!

As I crossed the finish line in Berlin, drenched and miserable, I started thinking about what went wrong? Did I eat too much for breakfast, maybe I just don’t have the right body type, why can’t I just be respectable in this sport? As I was thinking about all this, I suddenly realized I don’t know how to get back to my hotel, it’s cold, I’m drenched and my cellphone is dead. Here I am in a foreign country with no money, no map, no clue how to get back. I kept asking people where ‘the Grand’ was, wandering aimlessly thru the crowd of people hugging, cheering, embracing, I didn’t want to see that, it's one thing to fail, it is another to fail by yourself with no support, that’s a lonely place.
Time is limited, I’m not going out without a fight, so I booked a flight to Chicago and decided I would run another marathon in less than two weeks. I’ve never run more than one marathon a year nevertheless two in two weeks. I knew my body needed time to heal, this can’t be healthy if anything this could do some permeant damage. Worst yet I could be like Pheidippides, who ran the first marathon in Greece and then subsequently died after he finished. I joke but it did cross my mind…
I got back home from Europe still jet-lagged and tired, I had a few days to rest and then I flew out. I couldn’t run my legs were shot, every time I tried to jog, it felt like I was stuck in quicksand. I wasn’t wavering on my goal if anything I double down in terms of money and let the chips fall where they may. The one thing that has changed since the first time I ran the Chicago marathon in 2011 is that running is no longer a niche sport. There are now so many running clubs around the country that promote this sport. I’m apart of one, Club Seattle Runners Division and when I travel to New York I run with Adidas Runners Club. These running communities foster a culture of teamwork and support. As you know I hate running but it becomes tolerable when you’re doing it with your friends.

Running is a very selfish sport, you’re doing it for yourself, by yourself, you’re chasing something as arbitrary as time, all while asking your friends and family to wait out in the cold and cheer for you. There is something about people bonding over blood, sweat, and tears, where the sport doesn’t become selfish and you become selfless because you want the person next to you to succeed as well.
I knew today would be different, but something felt different, I was calm and not nervous, I got to use the porta-potty, the weather was perfect. I step across the starting line, pressed go on my expensive ass Garmin 5S plus watch, one step after another I kept telling myself, 40 thousand and I’m done.
I’ve run this course before 8 years ago and I know how fast it is, the first 6 miles go by without a hitch, smooth 8:44 pace, I’m a firm believer in, if you look good you feel good and when you feel good, you perform your best. Every race it’s the same routine a trip to the barber to look sharp, even thou I wear a cap. Outfits gotta be color-coordinated, on my bibe, I write “Free Hong Kong” inspired by the people there fighting for democracy. I pass by a Chinese man running with the HK flag dropped over him and I yell “FREE Hong Kong” a few other people around me started yelling the same thing, I gave that man a smile and then I was off!

I’m coming close to the halfway point but I notice I’m running a lot faster then I should. My first reaction was this stupid piece of shit watch, it can’t even keep track of time, but I really am 10 minutes ahead of pace. I slow down to grandma pace to conserve some energy. I pass the halfway point at 1:54 I don’t get too excited, I’ve seen this movie before 6 times it ends pretty bad, like the series finale of game of thrones.
I reach the dreaded mile 17, this is when my body always fails me, except today! Every runner knows what it’s like to get into that flow state, it’s that point in time when you’re running and it’s effortless, you’re whole body is in sync, you don’t feel tired and you’re just immersed in a state of being. You don’t know how long it will last but you know it’s fleeting. I can only compare it to that video game Mario cart and you just picked up the star, you get a boost and you’re invincible for the time being. I’ve done some good drugs in my day, but nothing is as addictive as that flow state. You can read more about flow from the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. I was in flow at mile 17 but I lost it at mile 20.
Six miles to go and I’m still 10 minutes ahead of schedule, but my body is feeling it, my feet hurt, my legs are tightening up, is this where I hit the wall? I Channel my inner Dominic Torretto and when he is behind in a race, he hits the nitro button! I hit my psychological button by flipping my cap backward and I yell ride or die! Now is the time to push, this is what I’m made of! I sprint around the corner, like Dom’s Chevy Chevelle, and who do I see but David Jaewon Oh (Professional Photographer of CSRD) along with the 3run2 crew (Chicago running club) cheering me on like I was leading the race, I can’t slow down, I’m too afraid to stop because I would lose momentum, I just point at David to say I love him for everything he does as shown in this picture, I give him a dab on the hand and I was off, can’t slow this Chiu Chiu Train down!

I’m so hype after seeing David, you can see after mile 20 I ran my fastest three miles, I start raising the roof with my hands, slapping high fives, padding people on the back telling them they can do it, I have to pay it forward for all those years those strangers told me the same thing. I don’t even believe what I’m doing, it’s mile 23 and I’m stilling running! I start running pass more and more people and for once I’m not going to walk past that finish line, let's leave no doubt and sprint through it! I stop my watch, I see the time but I don’t want to believe it, let me soak this in a little more, I felt strong, I felt good, I felt so privileged that I could do this in one the best cities in the world.
I ran 3:49 more than 10 minutes faster than what I planned. I’m not a better person after reaching this goal, I’m not going to the Olympics, My mom won’t love me anymore, but what I gained training with my friends, the community that I was a part of, the hard work I finally put in after all these years changed me. I hate saying this because it sounds cliche, but if you work hard, don’t give up and find the right people to do something with, it’s going to be hard to fail. What else am I capable of in this world, whether it’s another race, a job, a mountain, why put limits on yourself?
You can read Part 1 — The March to Respectability here: https://medium.com/@therealchiu/part-1-the-march-to-respectability-9fdaab080044

