Reflections on My May Day Holiday Workout: Podcast Insights and Life’s "Mini-Series"

Hello everyone, I am dipping my toes back into content creation.

An amusing incident occurred last night. Our marketing department posted my first video on RedNote, and shortly after, its traffic was restricted, effectively killing it. I burst out laughing. I had anticipated many potential outcomes, but ending exactly where we began was certainly not one of them.

Truth be told, I have struggled with the direction of this content. I wanted to avoid producing dry personal monologues or reducing this to internal corporate self-praise. For the first episode, I deliberately selected a rather high-level webinar, sharing in-depth perspectives on immigration. However, immigration is a sensitive topic, and it appears the platform's mechanism swiftly restricts your reach the moment you introduce professional terminology.

It turned out to be an interesting plot twist. Previously, the marketing team had insisted I remain strictly "professional, professional, professional." After last night's setback, they had a sudden change of heart and told me, "Actually, you don't need to be quite so professional. You can offer something a bit more inspirational." Consequently, we will likely experiment with a variety of styles moving forward, which brings me to why I am sitting here sharing these thoughts today.

01. Twenty-One Laps on a City Hill and My Only Race Withdrawal

Today is the May Day holiday, which for me, functions just like a regular weekend. I woke up and completed my usual three-hour outdoor trail running session.

I found a small hill about 1.2 kilometers from my home, roughly 50 meters in elevation. Despite being in a busy urban area, it is densely wooded and exceptionally well-maintained. The moment you step into the trees, it feels like an entirely different world. Today, I ran up and down this 50-meter hill twenty-one times.

Those familiar with trail running know that long-distance races primarily test endurance as well as ascending and descending capabilities. My climbing ability is relatively weak; when hiking with friends, they disappear the moment we head uphill, and I only catch up on the descent. To address this shortcoming, I recently started using my treadmill at an incline and even purchased a stair climber specifically to practice ascending.

（Henry on a scenic trail run during his May Day training.）

Downhill running, however, is difficult to practice at home; it requires actual outdoor terrain. Usually, I rely on single-leg stair jumps to build stability or do reverse Bulgarian split squats (lowering slowly over five seconds) to train eccentric strength. Today on this small hill, my routine was to climb up slowly and then dash down, repeatedly drilling my eccentric strength and balance for descents. It was a highly effective session.

Coincidentally, I wore my commemorative t-shirt from last year's Chongli 168 race today. During that event, upon reaching the 100-kilometer mark and facing a second consecutive sleepless night, I felt physically depleted. Concerned about potential injury, I voluntarily withdrew. That was the first and only time in my life I have ever dropped out of a race.

Finishing a run drenched in sweat, taking a shower, making a cup of coffee, and sitting down to organize my thoughts—this is consistently the time of day when I am at my best.

02. Training Podcasts: From Short Dramas and Shipping Containers to Global Business

I have a habit during my workouts: I listen to podcasts the entire time. When I have high energy, I listen in English; when I am tired, I switch to lighter Chinese podcasts; and only when I am completely exhausted do I switch to music. Over the past month or two, I have noticed a distinct improvement in the quality of Chinese podcasts, which have provided me with many fresh perspectives.

During today's three-hour session, I listened to three different podcasts, each offering unexpected insights.

The first podcast discussed the development of the short-form drama industry. Given that our company has set a goal to achieve a breakthrough in our marketing content within three months, I have a lingering suspicion that our marketing team will eventually ask me to act in some bizarre short videos. To prepare myself, I decided to learn about the industry first. The podcast covered the evolution of these short series, production methods, and AI-generated dramas. Although watching them always gives me a slight sense of guilt, understanding the underlying logic of the industry beforehand certainly does not hurt.

The second podcast, AI Alchemy, focused on AI's impact on organizational structures, referencing the story of how "shipping containers changed the world." I am quite familiar with the history of the shipping container, but hearing it in this context provided a sudden, significant business epiphany. Our company is currently developing new "corporate global expansion" services, selecting three smaller projects—work visas for China, Dubai programs, and Japan programs—as pilots. While traditional peers typically focus on just one or two major programs, our goal is to accumulate 1,000 different projects in the future. We do not sell you the product you want; we provide the product you truly need.

However, I had been struggling with how to promote and operate these smaller initiatives. The shipping container story sparked an idea: we must step outside the existing framework of Globevisa. We need to implement entirely new systems and methodologies, restructuring our organization and compensation models as if we were establishing a new company, to properly "contain" these smaller projects. Up on that mosquito-infested hill, despite getting bitten several times, the business framework in my mind grew increasingly clear.

03. Luo Yonghao and Kevin Tsai: A Mirror for Self-Reflection

The third podcast was an interview with Kevin Tsai on Luo Yonghao's Crossroads.

The way this episode helped me was rather unexpected. During the show, Luo exhibited an overwhelming desire to express himself, constantly reinforcing his own opinions and frequently interrupting his guest. Tsai, on the other hand, handled it brilliantly; he did not compete for the spotlight, yet every sentence he spoke was perfectly measured. Initially, I was annoyed, feeling that such an excellent guest was being wasted.

Halfway through, however, I broke into a cold sweat—I faintly recognized myself.

I participate in many video conferences every day, and I realized that my behavior in business meetings is often identical to Luo's: a strong urge to broadcast my opinions, frequent interruptions, and a lack of attentive listening. I have always known this was a personal flaw, but observing it today as a bystander, presented in such an extreme light, made me acutely aware of how off-putting it can be.

In contrast, even when Tsai was silent, you could still sense his command of the conversation. It suddenly dawned on me: the power of listening and understanding is what true control looks like. This podcast acted as a mirror, showing me the version of myself at work who is always in a rush to speak. That was my greatest takeaway today.

04. Treating Running as a "Mini-Series" of Life

Every weekend, I schedule a Long Slow Distance (LSD) training session. I keep my heart rate around 130 and run for three hours. Because the heart rate is low, the body feels comfortable, allowing me to focus entirely on podcasts. When inspiration strikes, I pause to record a few seconds of voice memos on my phone, transcribing them into text after I finish my run and shower. I have maintained this routine for nearly a year.

I have always taken running very seriously because I view it as a "mini-series" in the context of life.

The overarching drama of life is simply too long. We all have significant ambitions, but the timelines are extensive, often lacking immediate feedback. While pursuing these large goals, it is easy to feel isolated or even experience self-doubt. Relying purely on long-term inspiration can be quite a lonely endeavor.

I find that I need these "mini-series"—cycles that last six months to a year. For example, my goal this year is the UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) finals in France at the end of August. Your current skill level might not be exceptional, but if you set a plan, hit your monthly mileage, and train diligently every day, the progress becomes visible within a month or two. The process is demanding, but when August arrives and you cross that finish line, you have completed an inspiring, self-contained story.

Sports are honest. Even if I fail to finish the race due to a cold or a sprained ankle, as long as I have trained earnestly, I will have no regrets.

We need these short-term endeavors where effort yields visible returns. They reassure us that our broader, more idealized goals are achievable, providing a steady stream of motivation for the long, overarching drama of our lives.

So, that summarizes my May Day: focused training, profound reflection, and growing anticipation for the race this August.