Passage 2 (2018· 北京高考 ·A 篇 ) My First Marathon ( 马拉松 ) A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead. I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P . E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn't do either well. He later informed me that I was “not athletic” . The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic . It was all about the battle against my own body and mind.A test of wills! The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn't even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself. Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces ( 鞋带 ) became untied.So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted! At mile 3, I passed a sign : “ GO FOR IT, RUNNERS ! ” By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again. By mile 21, I was starving! As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a . m. or questioned my expenses on running. I was one of the final runners to finish.But I finished ! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had. Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels ( 世俗标签 ), I can now call myself a “marathon winner” .