Running race tests my limits Last month, on Oct 15, there was a marathon in the city of Luoyang, Henan province. A lot of people in and around the city participated ( 参与 ) in it. It was Sunday. There were some clouds in the sky in the early morning but the sun was shining when the race began. Eigh boys and girls in my class, as well as four of my teachers, gathered on the south side of Luohe River to take part in the marathon. It was the first time that we had been in a marathon. We were excited and had fun running with people. We had to run 10 km. It was not a race, but an to challenge ourselves. We helped each other during the run. When someone fell behind, others would go to encourage him or her not to give up. Tired but happy, all of us made it in about 90 minutes. The marathon is like life, in that we can choose whether or not to keep going when we feel tired or meet difficulties. The biggest enemy is ourselves, whom we should fight with and defeat. We never know what will happen in the future, but what we can do is to try our best. If we can keep running, success will belong to us, because it’s impossible to defeat a person who never gives up. Challenges make life interesting and meaningful. This very first marathon will always be remembered as an unforgettable in my life. One cold winter night in Shanghai, I was walking home at one in the morning after long tiring work. I was having trouble with my job in the bank. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up living there. City life had become too much for me. As I walked down empty streets, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible er. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets (毛毯) . Suddenly, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, all I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. When I reached home, I realized what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk. Now I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched carefully for fif minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found. Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck (垃圾车) come to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Chen” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name. The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man “Is this what you’re looking for” he asked, holding up a small square shape. It was nearly 3 a. m. by the time I got into bed. But I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.