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Final prep was tiring

August 21, 2010
By MARLENE WELCH

It’s Thursday evening, Aug. 19, 2010.  My deadline for submitting these columns has been on Thursdays.  That means that by the time you read this, the 2010 Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon will be over.  No more training sessions, no more uncertainty, and no more chances to improve for this particular race.  Have I done enough?  We’ll see.


This week has been busy and tiring.  On Friday, Aug. 13, hubby George had two vertebrae fused in his neck.  All went well.  The very next day, he moseyed around the City Park while I did eight miles.  I did a few laps around the park and “the downtown loop” (City Park, PHS, Market Street, jail, and back).  This was probably the only time that I could ever outwalk him!


As I came down Market Street, it was around 8 a.m.  Traffic was light and few cars lined the street.  I felt such a thrill when I first saw the railroad trestle with the half marathon banner on it!  At the finish line, I imagined how it would be on raceday.  I could hardly wait.


My practice mile times were good for me – in the 14 to 16 minute range.  As I walked up Avery Street, I appreciated the feet painted on the pavement and the official mile 11 sign.  When I reached 13th Street, I decided to do the hill, since I had not yet walked it, due to my injury earlier this summer.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be.  I found my way to Washington and back to the park, where my very tired husband waited for me. 


On Monday evening, we enjoyed a picnic at the City Park with others involved in the half marathon training.  Nice people and good food – a winning combination.


For the rest of the week, I’ve walked between two and five miles, at various paces.  Since school for teachers started on Wednesday, I shifted my walks to the late afternoon.  I prefer the cool morning hours when I have more energy, but I also prefer to walk in the daylight!  One time, I tried walking at 5 a.m.  I met – but did not scare – a skunk that morning, which scared me into training only after dawn!


So, as I’m looking forward to Saturday, I’m also fearing it – fearing reinjuring myself, fearing that my toe will do the same funky thing that it just started doing recently, and mostly, fearing that I will disappoint my encouragers and myself.  It’s true that I’ve worked hard, but sometimes hard work does not guarantee success.


BUT – now is not the time to be negative, right?  Now is the time to focus on the possibilities. Maybe, by the time you read this, I will have met or even exceeded expectations.  Maybe, I will have earned my ticket to any half marathon in the U.S., courtesy of my husband.


Here’s another thought.  Maybe, my final outcome in this race was not the main point, after all.  Maybe the real lesson has been in the training.  Maybe I was a winner before I stepped on the race course, for I believe I won my own self-respect.

Fact Box

Editor’s Note: This is a continuing series by Wood County schoolteacher Marlene Welch, who walked in the News and Sentinel Half Marathon on Saturday. Welch will pen a final column for next Sunday’s edition recounting her day at the half marathon.

 
 

 

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