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.

又是一個精疲力盡回到家中的晚上，四頭肌隱隱作痛，雙腳發出陣陣刺疼，全身都是鹹鹹的汗水。丈夫問我這個晚上過得怎麼樣。

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，那裏有10個乒乓球桌和各種各樣打球的人，所有人都在輕打猛扣，千方百計把那個小球弄過網。到了晚上9點，我感到興奮、疲憊、心滿意足。我打敗了兩個年紀是我的一半的年輕人，也輸給了值得尊敬的對手。對於隨便看看的人來說，這個晚上很普通。但對於我來說卻是一個奇蹟。

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.

我是從大學開始打乒乓球的，30多歲的時候，我更深地投入這項運動，爬上長長的樓梯，來到紐約州韋斯特菲爾德的一個乒乓球中心，在那裏我看到了有望參加奧運的選手打球，還上了課。不久後，膝關節軟骨損傷的關節鏡檢查結果令我只能退出。又過了沒多久，一個走神的司機在人行道上違章轉彎，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.

對於30多歲的人來說，關節置換風險太大。外科醫生做了最大努力修復我破碎的膝蓋，在裏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物了，並且告訴我千萬不要再跑步。

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月，變得軟綿綿的，毫無用處，連站着都是一種折磨。我到處尋找能夠讓膝蓋得到緩衝的鞋子，把自己的奮鬥目標定爲能夠重新走路和爬樓梯。幾年後，我試着打乒乓球，結果瘸了一個星期，於是就不再考慮這項運動。

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，一個新的挑戰來了。我右乳房上的一個小坑被證明是惡性的，於是我接受了乳房腫瘤切除術，接着是化療和放療。治療結束時，穿衣服都是難以忍受的事；在街區散步也會覺得喘不過氣來；膝蓋舊傷再次復發；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.

但我希望能有一個全新的開始。我放棄了吃燒烤，避免乳製品，吃羽衣甘藍。我積極治療，參加了一個互助小組。在一個學費爲450美元的正念減壓課程裏，我學會了和痛苦的拉伸運動做朋友，通過呼吸爲萎縮的肌肉帶來新生命，又不至於受傷。

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了一點。膝蓋有一段時間沒有出現痛苦的腫脹。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 S?o 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動之一，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，以便擊回時速可達60英里的球，這需要比打網球或羽毛球反應更快。巴西聖保羅州立大學的體育生理學家、研究員亞歷桑德羅·莫拉·扎加託(Alessandro Moura Zagatto)說，雖然根據能量消耗表，這項運動需要消耗四代謝當量(METS)的能量，大約與射箭或保齡球相同，不過高水平球員可以在每場比賽中消耗11.7代謝當量。這個鍛鍊強度相當於激烈的壁球比賽或適度的划船運動。

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.

乒乓球有獨特的視覺和空間要求，以及獨特的戰略要求和氣勢，這甚至對大腦有益。對164名年齡在60歲及以上的韓國女性的研究表明，在提高認知能力方面，乒乓球比跳舞、步行、體操或阻力訓練更爲有效。還有研究表明，乒乓或許可以緩解注意力缺陷多動障礙。

“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.”

“我們這項運動最棒的地方就在於任何人都能玩，”吉米·巴特勒(Jimmy Butler)說，他曾經四次獲得美國乒乓球協會冠軍，44歲那年，他克服了二三十歲期間的肌無力狀況，重新贏得了冠軍。“我見過90歲的人打乒乓球，也見過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.

完成放療四年後，我着手讓自己的乒乓夢成爲現實。第一個條件：穿的衣服不能刺激我極爲敏感的皮膚。絲綢外套，有機純棉運動文胸，有了。第二個條件：不會對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.

我的運動目標很現實：只要好到其他人願意和我來回拉球就夠了。不要做出高難度的擊球動作。回想起人是怎麼出汗的。

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.

我謹慎地來到了當地的乒乓球俱樂部，一大堆男人當中，只有我一個看上去極爲不健康的女人。他們有人20多歲，還有幾個人年過80。一個長相和藹的男人邀請我和他打球。20分鐘後我累壞了，但回家時卻非常開心。我的膝蓋並沒有垮掉。

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.

下一週我又回來了，打球，輸球。我老是記不清楚比分，但是誰還關心分數？只要能打球，我就覺得自己是贏家。

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。對手的喊聲或是從其他球桌隨意飛來的球太容易讓我分心。我必須專注於面前的小球。警惕它的旋轉。不要急於攻擊。

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.

幾個月過去了，幾乎在不知不覺間，我的耐力有了提高。對手開始讚美我的扣球。我贏了一場比賽。我認爲那是僥倖。然後我又贏了。

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.

這些日子裏，大力抽球得分的感覺美妙極了。我在手邊放了一瓶水，因爲全身都在流淌着汗水。我疲憊的時候就停下來，表揚自己脆弱的膝蓋發揮出色。

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心，我幾乎可以相信，這項運動就是青春的源泉。