小小乒乓球，我的青春泉

I returned home the other night exhausted, quadriceps aching, twinges in my foot, salty with sweat. My husband asked me how my evening was.

又是一個(gè)精疲力盡回到家中的晚上，四頭肌隱隱作痛，雙腳發(fā)出陣陣刺疼，全身都是咸咸的汗水。丈夫問(wèn)我這個(gè)晚上過(guò)得怎么樣。

Glorious, I told him.

棒極了，我告訴他。

I had spent 90 minutes in a gym crammed with 10 Ping-Pong tables and assorted players, all coaxing and smacking a little ball over the net. By 9 p.m., I was exhilarated, depleted, triumphant. I had beaten two young men half my age and lost battles against worthy opponents. To a casual observer, the night was unremarkable. To me, it was a miracle.

我在健身房待了90分鐘，那里有10個(gè)乒乓球桌和各種各樣打球的人，所有人都在輕打猛扣，千方百計(jì)把那個(gè)小球弄過(guò)網(wǎng)。到了晚上9點(diǎn)，我感到興奮、疲憊、心滿意足。我打敗了兩個(gè)年紀(jì)是我的一半的年輕人，也輸給了值得尊敬的對(duì)手。對(duì)于隨便看看的人來(lái)說(shuō)，這個(gè)晚上很普通。但對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)卻是一個(gè)奇跡。

I had taken up Ping-Pong during college, and in my 30s dove in more deeply, climbing the long stairway up to a table tennis center in Westfield, N.J., where I watched Olympic hopefuls and took lessons. Arthroscopy for torn knee cartilage soon sidelined me. Shortly afterward, a distracted driver made an illegal turn at a pedestrian crossing and drove directly into my bum knee.

我是從大學(xué)開(kāi)始打乒乓球的，30多歲的時(shí)候，我更深地投入這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)，爬上長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的樓梯，來(lái)到紐約州韋斯特菲爾德的一個(gè)乒乓球中心，在那里我看到了有望參加奧運(yùn)的選手打球，還上了課。不久后，膝關(guān)節(jié)軟骨損傷的關(guān)節(jié)鏡檢查結(jié)果令我只能退出。又過(guò)了沒(méi)多久，一個(gè)走神的司機(jī)在人行道上違章轉(zhuǎn)彎，直接撞上了我受損的膝蓋。

Joint replacements are a poor bet for 30-somethings. The surgeon did his best to repair my crushed knee, inserted a titanium screw, recommended I stay slim, advised against afternoons of power shopping, and told me never to jog or run again.

對(duì)于30多歲的人來(lái)說(shuō)，關(guān)節(jié)置換風(fēng)險(xiǎn)太大。外科醫(yī)生做了最大努力修復(fù)我破碎的膝蓋，在里面植入了一顆鈦螺釘，建議我保持身材苗條，別再大下午的去瘋狂逛街購(gòu)物了，并且告訴我千萬(wàn)不要再跑步。

Three months in a cast left my atrophied foot floppy and useless. Standing was excruciating. I hunted for shoes that could cushion my knee and set my sights on walking and climbing stairs again. Years later, I tried to play Ping-Pong and limped for a week. I put the game out of my mind.

我萎縮的雙腳被固定了三個(gè)月，變得軟綿綿的，毫無(wú)用處，連站著都是一種折磨。我到處尋找能夠讓膝蓋得到緩沖的鞋子，把自己的奮斗目標(biāo)定為能夠重新走路和爬樓梯。幾年后，我試著打乒乓球，結(jié)果瘸了一個(gè)星期，于是就不再考慮這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)。

When I was 53, a new challenge arrived. A dimple in my right breast proved malignant, so I underwent lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. By treatment’s end, clothing felt intolerable, and a stroll around the block winded me. My old knee injury hurt anew; flesh around the scar felt fragile as old rubber bands.

53歲那年，一個(gè)新的挑戰(zhàn)來(lái)了。我右乳房上的一個(gè)小坑被證明是惡性的，于是我接受了乳房腫瘤切除術(shù)，接著是化療和放療。治療結(jié)束時(shí)，穿衣服都是難以忍受的事;在街區(qū)散步也會(huì)覺(jué)得喘不過(guò)氣來(lái);膝蓋舊傷再次復(fù)發(fā);疤痕周圍的肌肉非常脆弱，就像老舊的橡皮筋一樣。

But I wanted to start fresh. I quit eating barbecue, shunned dairy, embraced kale. I attended therapy and a support group. At a $450 course in mindfulness-based stress reduction, I learned to befriend painful stretches and breathe new life into atrophied muscles without injuring myself.

但我希望能有一個(gè)全新的開(kāi)始。我放棄了吃燒烤，避免乳制品，吃羽衣甘藍(lán)。我積極治療，參加了一個(gè)互助小組。在一個(gè)學(xué)費(fèi)為450美元的正念減壓課程里，我學(xué)會(huì)了和痛苦的拉伸運(yùn)動(dòng)做朋友，通過(guò)呼吸為萎縮的肌肉帶來(lái)新生命，又不至于受傷。

One day my bad leg was working slightly better. The knee hadn’t been oppressively swollen in a while. I felt a flicker of hope.

有一天我的傷腿稍微好轉(zhuǎn)了一點(diǎn)。膝蓋有一段時(shí)間沒(méi)有出現(xiàn)痛苦的腫脹。我感到了一線希望。

Could Ping-Pong be feasible for me, now — in my condition, at my age?

現(xiàn)在我有可能打乒乓球嗎——以我的條件，以我的年齡?

Ping-Pong, or table tennis as it is officially known, is one of the fastest racket sports, requiring muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance. Players need nimble footwork and upper body flexibility to return balls that can fly over 60 miles per hour, demanding faster response times than tennis or badminton. While energy expenditure tables list the sport as requiring four METS of energy, about the same as archery or bowling, skilled players can peak at 11.7 METs during a match, said Alessandro Moura Zagatto, a sports physiologist and researcher at São Paulo State University in Brazil. That’s a workout comparable to intense racquetball or moderate rowing.

乒乓球是最快的球拍運(yùn)動(dòng)之一，它需要肌肉和心肺耐力。球手需要有靈活的步法和上身的柔韌性，以便擊回時(shí)速可達(dá)60英里的球，這需要比打網(wǎng)球或羽毛球反應(yīng)更快。巴西圣保羅州立大學(xué)的體育生理學(xué)家、研究員亞歷桑德羅·莫拉·扎加托(Alessandro Moura Zagatto)說(shuō)，雖然根據(jù)能量消耗表，這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)需要消耗四代謝當(dāng)量(METS)的能量，大約與射箭或保齡球相同，不過(guò)高水平球員可以在每場(chǎng)比賽中消耗11.7代謝當(dāng)量。這個(gè)鍛煉強(qiáng)度相當(dāng)于激烈的壁球比賽或適度的劃船運(yùn)動(dòng)。

Ping-Pong’s unique visual and spatial demands, strategy requirements and vigor may even offer benefits for the brain. A study of 164 Korean women age 60 and older showed that table tennis improved cognitive function more than dancing, walking, gymnastics or resistance training. Other research suggests Ping-Pong may ease attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

乒乓球有獨(dú)特的視覺(jué)和空間要求，以及獨(dú)特的戰(zhàn)略要求和氣勢(shì)，這甚至對(duì)大腦有益。對(duì)164名年齡在60歲及以上的韓國(guó)女性的研究表明，在提高認(rèn)知能力方面，乒乓球比跳舞、步行、體操或阻力訓(xùn)練更為有效。還有研究表明，乒乓或許可以緩解注意力缺陷多動(dòng)障礙。

“The great thing about our sport is it can be played by anyone,” said Jimmy Butler, a four-time national USA Table Tennis Association champion who overcame a debilitating muscle condition in his 20s and 30s to reclaim the title at age 44. “I see 90-year-olds and 10-year-olds.”

“我們這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)最棒的地方就在于任何人都能玩，”吉米·巴特勒(Jimmy Butler)說(shuō)，他曾經(jīng)四次獲得美國(guó)乒乓球協(xié)會(huì)冠軍，44歲那年，他克服了二三十歲期間的肌無(wú)力狀況，重新贏得了冠軍。“我見(jiàn)過(guò)90歲的人打乒乓球，也見(jiàn)過(guò)10歲的人打乒乓球。”

Four years after completing radiation therapy, I set out to make my own Ping-Pong dream a reality. First requirement: clothing that didn’t irritate hypersensitive skin. Silk shell and organic cotton sports bra, check. Second requirement: footwear that didn’t accidentally torque a damaged knee. White bowling shoes, check.

完成放療四年后，我著手讓自己的乒乓夢(mèng)成為現(xiàn)實(shí)。第一個(gè)條件：穿的衣服不能刺激我極為敏感的皮膚。絲綢外套，有機(jī)純棉運(yùn)動(dòng)文胸，有了。第二個(gè)條件：不會(huì)對(duì)受損膝蓋造成意外扭傷的鞋子。白色保齡球鞋，有了。

My performance goals were realistic: Just be good enough that other players were willing to rally with me. No diving for crazy shots. Remember how to sweat.

我的運(yùn)動(dòng)目標(biāo)很現(xiàn)實(shí)：只要好到其他人愿意和我來(lái)回拉球就夠了。不要做出高難度的擊球動(dòng)作?；叵肫鹑耸窃趺闯龊沟?。

I arrived at my local table tennis club cautiously, a breathtakingly out-of-shape woman in a sea of men, some in their 20s, a handful over 80. A man with a kind face invited me to hit with him. After 20 minutes I wilted, but went home happy. My knee didn’t implode.

我謹(jǐn)慎地來(lái)到了當(dāng)?shù)氐钠古仪蚓銟?lè)部，一大堆男人當(dāng)中，只有我一個(gè)看上去極為不健康的女人。他們有人20多歲，還有幾個(gè)人年過(guò)80。一個(gè)長(zhǎng)相和藹的男人邀請(qǐng)我和他打球。20分鐘后我累壞了，但回家時(shí)卻非常開(kāi)心。我的膝蓋并沒(méi)有垮掉。

I returned the following week, hit balls, lost matches. I fumbled with scorekeeping, but who cared about points? Just by playing I felt like a winner.

下一周我又回來(lái)了，打球，輸球。我老是記不清楚比分，但是誰(shuí)還關(guān)心分?jǐn)?shù)?只要能打球，我就覺(jué)得自己是贏家。

It soon became obvious that I needed to remember mindfulness while at the table. I got too easily distracted by shouts from my opponent or stray balls flying wildly from other tables. I had to stay focused on the little ball. Keep alert to spin. Don’t rush the attack.

很快我就明白，我需要在球桌邊保持專注。對(duì)手的喊聲或是從其他球桌隨意飛來(lái)的球太容易讓我分心。我必須專注于面前的小球。警惕它的旋轉(zhuǎn)。不要急于攻擊。

Months passed, and almost imperceptibly, my stamina improved. Opponents started to compliment my shots. I won a game. I assumed it was a fluke. Then it happened again.

幾個(gè)月過(guò)去了，幾乎在不知不覺(jué)間，我的耐力有了提高。對(duì)手開(kāi)始贊美我的扣球。我贏了一場(chǎng)比賽。我認(rèn)為那是僥幸。然后我又贏了。

These days, slamming aces feels wonderful. I keep a water bottle nearby as sweat rolls off me. I stop when tired and praise my flimsy knee for its good work.

這些日子里，大力抽球得分的感覺(jué)美妙極了。我在手邊放了一瓶水，因?yàn)槿矶荚诹魈手顾Ｎ移v的時(shí)候就停下來(lái)，表?yè)P(yáng)自己脆弱的膝蓋發(fā)揮出色。

Some nights I play so joyfully, I can almost believe this sport is the fountain of youth.

有些晚上我玩得那樣開(kāi)心，我?guī)缀蹩梢韵嘈?，這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)就是青春的源泉。