EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a series by Kent Cutright as he trains for the Aug. 20 News and Sentinel Half Marathon.
Cutright is a 43-year old resident of Mineral Wells, who is an account executive and sports broadcaster at a local radio station and is a pastor at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
This past Monday was the 9-mile training route also referred to as the Belpre route, because we end up crossing the Belpre Bridge and depending on what direction you feel like going coming off the bridge, you either go up Washington Boulevard and turn down through the park or vice versa then make your way back to the City Park in Parkersburg.
To me, the one word that best describes the training on Monday, "rough." Not in the sense that the roads or sidewalks were in bad shape or traffic was extremely heavy, far from it. It was rough for a lot of us simply because it was another balmy summer evening in the Mid Ohio Valley. It was hot, humid and not a whole lot of shade to be found on either side of the river.
Needless to say, I was ready to go. My leg was feeling better thanks to the good folks at the Eddy Chiropractic Clinic. I had not run since Friday and was anxious to see what this run had in store. Obviously this wasn't my first time running this route. I ran it last year as part of the half marathon training, plus my friends and I ran it a couple times preparing for our first two half marathons this year. So I knew the terrain and what to expect, so I thought.
In running and walking, like in life, if you want to improve you need to learn something new every day. Whether it is about your sport, your job or, more importantly, about yourself, you need to learn something new. Running and walking is not all physical, it also is a great way to test and strength your mental capabilities. To see how far or how long your mind and body can truly work together, to sharpen your ability to focus, to push yourself to places you never thought possible.
After Tom Kramer gave our instructions and the reminder that the 10-mile run on July 4th, starts at 8a.m. and not 5:30 p.m., we were finally off. I have to say I was feeling good. I hit that first mile feeling like I could do a Forrest Gump and just run, and run, and run. Well that feeling was short-lived. It left me about the time my friends and I crossed the bridge and hit Blennerhassett Avenue or as I like to call it "the road that never ends." Really it is a beautiful stretch of road. A lot of very nice homes along that road plus the view of the Ohio River is nice too, but on this particular day all I could see and feel was a big wall of humidity and sunshine.
I know it was not just me feeling this way, because I heard a lot of other runners and walkers struggling as well. But despite the struggling some of us were going through, I heard a lot of people speaking words of encouragement to one another, motivating each other to keep moving, not to give up. Even the volunteers at the water stop throughout the entire route were so positive to all the runners and walkers.
As my friends and I made our way out of the Belpre Park and down Washington Avenue, one friend said, "I use to like this route but I it seems like the farther we go, the farther away the bridge seems." I know their heart was in the right place but all I could think was, "Good thing you don't make a living as a motivational speaker because you would starve."
As far as my leg, I had to stop and stretch once in Belpre and on the way back to Parkersburg again at the water stop by the Smoot and at the top of the hill on Market just past 13th Street. But we all made it back in one piece.
So what did I learn from this training run? First, when you are 43, you do not bounce back from injuries as fast as you did when you were 16. Second, these are called training routes for a reason, and finally, there are a lot of incredibly caring people in this area. To witness people who simply care enough to speak words of encouragement to someone they do not even know for no other reason other than to see that other person succeed, that is what it is all about.
So until next Sunday, I hope to see you out and about running or walking. God Bless.
