Buổi 144: Luyện tính giờ – Speaking Part 1–3 (thay đổi, thành tựu)

Bài mẫu do khóa học viết; câu chuyện là giả định.

The achievement I’d like to talk about is running my first half marathon, about two years ago. It’s not a huge achievement compared with what some people do, but for me it meant a lot.

The background is that I’d never been sporty at all. At school, I was always one of the last to finish the running test. But a few years ago, after a fairly stressful period at work, a colleague persuaded me to join a beginners’ running group that met twice a week in a park near the office.

At first, I could barely run for five minutes without stopping. What helped was that the group followed a gradual plan – a few minutes of running, then walking, then a bit more running each week. After about four months, I could run ten kilometres, and that’s when someone suggested we enter a half marathon together.

The hardest part wasn’t actually the race; it was the training in the rainy season. There were mornings when the last thing I wanted to do was go out in the rain at six o’clock. And about six weeks before the race, I hurt my ankle and had to stop for ten days, which made me seriously doubt whether I’d manage it.

On the day, I finished in just under two and a half hours – nowhere near a fast time, but I didn’t walk once. I think I’m proud of it mainly because it proved to me that I’m capable of things I’d always assumed weren’t for me. And the habit has stuck – I still run three times a week.