Extreme Dream Events

Oh yea, if any of you are interested in Extreme Dream Events and other Eastern Shore events they put on (such as the "Dash and Splash" 5K Run and Pool Party series), check out: http://www.extremedreamevents.com/ They have a pretty neat website. Just thought I oughta give some creit where it's due. Have a good night out there!

Running Events I have done this year as of Saturday, June 30, 2007

Maryland

Allegany County
- Queen City Striders Junior Striders Cross Country meet (1 mile and 2 mile) – Tuesday evening, June 19, 2007 – Paris N. Glendenning Park/Frostburg
- One mile race – 2nd overall – 5:51
- Two mile race – 7th overall – 12:37

Anne Arundel County
– Governor’s “Non-Bay Bridge” Run (2.93 miles) – Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Sandy Point State Park/Annapolis – 8th overall (1st in 20-24-year-old age group) – 18:09 (clock), 18:07 (my watch)

Baltimore City
- Survivor Harbor 7-mile/3-mile – Sunday, June 10, 2007 – Baltimore City – 2nd overall (3-mile run) – 17:56 (clock), 17:53 (watch)

Baltimore County
– Patapsco State Park Avalon area trail race (a little over 6 miles) – Sunday, May 13th, 2007 – Near University of Maryland-Baltimore County/Arbutus area – 18th overall – 58:03

– PopPop and Pinhead Trail Scramble (about 5-6 miles) – Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Perry Hall/Gunpowder Falls State Park area – 5th overall - 52:14

Calvert County – Nothing yet

Caroline County
- Adkins Arboretum Arbor Day Fun Run (10K) – Saturday, April 21st, 2007 – Ridgley – 1st overall – 37:59 PR (Personal Record/best time in that distance!!!!! J)

Carroll County
- Westminster Road Runners Club (W.R.R.C.) Predicted Time Four-Miler – Saturday, March 10, 2007 – Westminster/Bachman Valley area – 2nd person in, 14th closest to predicted time – 25:34 (my predicted time was 27:00, I was 1:26 fast, whoops J-)

- Andy Hayes Memorial 5K Run – Saturday, April 7, 2007 – Westminster/near Farm Museum – 2nd overall – 18:47

Cecil County
- Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (N.M.R.A.) Fools Frolic 22K (I ran the much shorter 5-6 mile route) – Sunday, April 1, 2007 – Fair Hill/Elkton – First person in, but it was not much of a race, just pretty much me and another gentleman chillin’ and chattin’ our way through – 1 hour, 21 minutes, 55 seconds

- Run4Fun 5K Run/Walk – Sunday, June 3, 2007 – Elkton – 5th overall (1st in 20-29 year-old age group) – 19:29

Charles County
- Civista Health Services Run for Wellness 5K – Sunday, May 20, 2007 – LaPlata – 5th overall (1st in male 20-29 age group) – 19:14 (clock), 19:08 (chip)

Dorchester County
- Dorchester Family YMCA Healthy Kid’s Day Fun Run (1.9 miles, mainly flat cross country) – Saturday, April 14, 2007 - Cambridge – 1st overall – 10:54 (ran negative splits too J)

Frederick County – Nothing yet

Garrett County
- 1st Annual Grantsville Days 5K – Saturday, June 23, 2007 – Grantsville – 8th overall (3rd in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:37 (clock), 18:36 (watch)

Harford County – Nothing yet

Howard County

- Howard County Striders (H.C.S.) Weekly Winter Series (a.k.a. “Operation Iceberg”) # 3: Atholton High School 5 Kilometer – Sunday, January 21, 2007 – Columbia – 15th overall – 19:43

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #4: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2miles – Sunday, January 28, 2007 - Columbia - 30th overall - 20:17

- Penguin Pace 5K – Sunday, February 4, 2007 – Columbia – 8th overall (1st in 20-29 age group) – 18:43.86

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #6: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2 miles – Sunday, February 18, 2007 – Columbia – 2nd overall – 11:52 (my best time on that course J)

- Outback’s 5K for the YMCA – Sunday, March 11, 2007 – Ellicott City – 9th overall – 18:01.05 (clock), 17:59/18:00 (my watch – my best time on that course :)

- H.C.S. Spring Series Race (“Vernal Velocity) #1: Burleigh Manor Middle School 2 miles – Sunday, April 1, 2007 - Ellicott City/Columbia area – 2nd overall – 10:51 (best time on the course J)

- Inaugural Musical Madness 5K – Saturday, May 12, 2007 – Maple Lawn/Fulton/Scaggsville – 7th overall (1st in 20-29 age group category) – 18:48.71

- Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery 5K – Sunday, June 24, 2007 – Columbia – 52nd overall – 19:58.12 (clock), 19:55 (watch)

Kent County
- 31st Annual Chestertown Tea Party Distance Classic (10 miler) – Saturday, May 26, 2007 – Chestertown – 31st overall (2nd in 20-24 age group) – 1:15:01 (clock), 1:14:57 (watch)

Montgomery County
- Gaithersburg Firebirds Track one mile race – Thursday, April 12, 2007 – Gaithersburg – 3rd overall – 5:04

Prince George’s (P.G.) County – Nothing yet

Queen Anne’s County
- Shore Christian Fellowship Church’s Inaugural Race to Impact (10K) – Saturday, March 24th, 2007 – Chester/Kent Narrows/Kent Island (it was all on the shaded Cross Island Trail) – 1st overall – 38:51

Somerset County
- 2nd Annual McCready Health Services Foundation’ss Founder’s Day 8K Run & 2-mile walk (8K) – Saturday, May 5, 2007 (El Cinco de Mayo) – Crisfield – 1st overall – 31:58 (ran faster there this year than last year J)

Saint Mary’s County
- National Trails Day 5K (it was a little more than that, probably closer to 3.5 miles) – Saturday, June 2, 2007. – Historic St. Mary’s City area – 1st overall – 21:38

Talbot County
- Oxford Day 10K – Saturday, April 28, 2007 – Oxford – 1st overall – 38:35 (big improvement over last year’s time here, and a well-paced race on a relatively short amount of sleep J)

Washington County
- Tom Ausherman Memorial Series #1 (2-mile/1-mile) – Tuesday, June 5, 2007 – Hagerstown – 6th overall(2-mile race) – 11:36

Wicomico County
- Salisbury University Track & Field’s Seagull Home Opener Meet – Saturday, March 3, 2007 – Salisbury
- 1500 meter run – 7th overall – 4:48.7
- 800 meter run - 2nd overall – 2:12.5
- 4X400 meter relay (alumni team) – 4th overall (1st alumni team) – 4:01.5

- 4th Annual Tim Kennard 5 mile River Run and 3 mile walk – Sunday, March 4, 2007 – Salisbury – 14th overall (3rd in the 20-24 age group division) – 31:25 (clock), 31:14 (chip – Nice performance for me that surpassed my expectations, especially after running three track races less than twenty-four hours ago J)

Worcester County
- Francis Scott Key Family Resort “Dash and Splash” Run/Walk Series 5K Race#3 at Stephen Decatur High School (on the track) – Saturday, June 30, 2007 – Berlin – 1st overall/only finisher – 18:52 (clock), 18:50 (watch) - Finished out the Maryland Eastern Shore portion of my endeavor with this event :)

Events outside of Maryland

Delaware

Kent County
- March Moonlight Madness 5K – Thursday, March 1, 2007 – Wyoming – 2nd overall (1st in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:28

District of Columbia – Washington

- Hugh Jascourt Memorial Four Miler – Thursday evening, June 21, 2007 – Northwest Washington D.C./C&O Towpath area – 17th overall – 26:04 (clock), 26:01 (watch)

Maryland Eastern Shore Completed!!!! :) :) :) :)

WWHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHOOOO!!!!

I finally ran in a Worcester County, MD running event that was almost cancelled because of all the supposedly unexpected rain around the Ocean City area. I am so happy to have run in running events in all nine counties on the Maryland Eastern Shore in just under four months (my first one being on Saturday, March 3, in Salisbury for the Seagull Opener track & field meet where I ran unattached). In my mind that is no easy feat, since year-around running events are slim pickin's in some of the counties on the Maryland Eastern Shore, and most of the races, I ran some strong performances too! I ran the third race in this "Dash and Splash" Series put on by the Francis Scott Key Resort in Ocean City, and the race took place at Stephen Decatur High School right around the Berlin, MD area. I was the first one to show up since I woke up a little before four a.m. (I really did not want anything goin' wrong on this Worcester County attempt so I left some buffer time) and made it there a lot faster than I expected. However, while in Dorchester County just before crossing southeast into Wicomico County, it started raining off and on, sometimes really hard too. When it stopped raining I would feel relief only to have it upturned by more of a downpour. Yet, I drove on, hoping and praying that ExtremeDreamEvents would still put on the event in the rain. Afterall, back in high school while I was on the track team, we would run at the Glenelg Invitational (in Howard County) where it would always seem to rain and as a result of experiences like that, I became used to the concept of having to run when the weather was a bit adverse.

Today, as I floored the gas, I was definitely ready to deal with the heavy chilly rains if it meant that I could finally run a running event in Worcester County.

Just before I crossed into Worcester County, the clouds got really dark gray with some heavy downpour, and I thought I even saw some clouds funneling over the fields off to my left (Ooooh no)! Well, I stopped worrying about that after I realized that there were still other cars on the road and that the local radio station was not reporting anything about tornado watches or warnings. In fact they said that this rain was only going to be "brief" in its passing. Man, I hoped they were right.

That wasn't the case

When I finally made it to Stephen Decatur High School, I was really glad to see the race coordinators there. I told them my story about why I came all the way from Columbia to do their race near Ocean City, and they seemed to find it interesting and were supportive of it. The race director, Mark Shaw, decided to move the race from the intended high school 5K cross country course to just on the track, meaning I would have to run 12-and-a-half laps around it thereabouts. I was grateful that they had decided on this alternative instead of cancelling it, and I think they were really considerate of the fact I had traveled so long and tried so hard to get an event in in Worcester County (and it seemed like they enthusiastically wanted to put on the event anyway), which was why they decided to do this alternate race.

However, it pretty much ended up me being me against the clock and myself, because by the time 8 o'clock came (the intended race start time), no one else showed up to run, so they got out a bib number for me, the timing clock (man, they really outdo themselves sometimes it seems), and they stood under the shelter of the high school stadium while they counted my laps and timed me. Fortunately, at this time, the rain really let up and did not start comin' down hard again until about the last mile.

I felt pretty strong throughout the run, going through the first 1600 meters in about 5:51, the second in about 12:03ish, and the third in about 18:17, adn then finishing the full 5K in about 18:50 (18:52 according to their clock, but when I started my watch, their clock had already been goin' for two seconds, and I did not start running until after I started my watch). I wanted to use my watch since I'm so used to it and since I was not running in my glasses, I could not see the clock that well anyway. I could have run a lot faster I think, but as I ran through the pourin' rain my shoes (which should have been tied tighter) started causing me problems shortly after the first mile. My socks and orthodics were bunchin' up in both of my shoes (which usually happens when I run in really wet weather). I guess I could have stopped to fix it, but I don't think they were gonna stop the clock that I was racin' against for that, so I pressed on dealing, with a slightly uncomfortable and awkward feeling beneath my feet. Without that extra cushioning, it almost felt like I was running without shoes on the damp track, and by the time I was ready for the last lap, I felt like my shoes would have come off if I picked up my pace any more, haha!

I was definitely glad to have gotten this event over with. I want to thank Mark Shaw, his wife, Sherri Shaw, and Les Kenyon, who helped with the timing. I want to personally thank all of you again for putting this on, even though I ended up being the only one who participated in it. You have helped me out in my goal immensely.

The race coordinators were really cool about it too, they even said that my award, t-shirt, and other neat premiums would be mailed to me, so that will be convenient. It was nice that right after I was done running, we all just sorta up and left. I went over to the Francis Scott Key Resort by Ocean City to personally thank some of the workers there for putting on the event, and then went to see a couple of my friends (one who I found out was pregnant :) and the other who I met for brunch and helped him move some things into his new place. After that, I headed home, stopped off at Adkins Arboretum in Caroline County to see if the race director from the Arbor Day Fun Run was there to tell her the great news on the progress of my goal, and then went home to put in a few hours at Safeway. It was a really productive day and I thank God for everything that got done with my goal and such.

I know that everything happens for a reason, and maybe God wanted me to run this event for a reason. Had I run the River Run in Berlin last Sunday instead, I probably would not have done this one since the River Run would have satisfied my Worcester County requirement. Yet, since I still had to get a Worcester County event in as part of my goal, I ended up coming to this one that was next up in the county, and had I not come, they probably would have cancelled it altogether, and who knew what that might have done to the "Dash and Splash" series (which is in its first year by the way, so I think it's sorta fragile). God was preparing me for the race He wanted me to have in Worcester County this year (and who knows, there may be more), and I just hope He continues to lead me with patience because it is mighty clear that He has better things in store for myself than I do. I know that running in the rain may not sound the most appealing, but at that point it did not matter (especially after doing that quite a bit in high school and college meets and practices). This experience has no doubt made me stronger (I just hope I don't catch a cold as a result of it)! Hopefully I can experienc His work and grace fully as He continues to work through more of my upcoming workouts, runs, and races for His glory and to help me in my goal(s)!

Thank you for taking the time to read, I hope you all have a wonderful night and weekend! Thank you for hanging with me, especially with all the mental drama/anxiety I expressed about getting running events in on the Maryland Eastern Shore this year. Your attention and support are definitely appreciated, sleep well!

Neat offer!

While I was workin' last night at Safeway, I ran into a gentleman whose sons I used to run with on the Howard County Striders and in many of the local races throughout the years. He helps coach Special Olympics Cross Country in the fall and he asked if I would like to help him coach. I told him I would think about it, 'cause his practices would be on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and since I work for Safeway my schedule may be a little reliable since I do not have nights or weekends free a whole lot. I'll see what happens with it and pray about it. I know I have some nice background for it, being a runner and having just spent a lot of time working with special education students at Wilde Lake High School. It sounds like it would be fun. I just hope that if I end up going through with this, that at that point, most of this goal will have been accomplished (if not completed), but we'll see what happens.

I just thought that was another great piece of news I thought I'd add.

Well, I'm gonna get ready to get over to the shop to see if my car's ready, so that hopefully I can get some more races in this weekend and maybe even help my friend move into his new place. I'm anxious about the upcoming races and counties I want to run in to be more specific, not to mention goin' out to San Diego, but then again, it's all for fun!!!! I guess when you get too focused and driven about something, everything seems like a big deal. Anyway, thank you for reading and enjoy the weekend :)

Got into the "Fifty-Plus-Races-Per-Year Club"!!!

Hey there, a nice tidbit of good news, I joined this club of people (mainly online) who have done (or are trying to do) fifty races in one year. I have heard about it, and many of the people in it seem to be from the MD, D.C., or VA areas and they do many events around those areas. I decided that since this goal has been helping me to get a high volume of races in this year, I talked to James Moreland, I guess the webmaster of this club, and he said I could join so long as I e-mail him a list of the running races/events I've run in so far this year. As a result of getting a chronological list together for him, I found out that so far I've done a little over thirty races this year, and we're only halfway through this year (not to mention I did not run my first one until the end of January and did not start running a high volume of races until March/April). So hopefully in addition to running a running event in every county of Maryland (plus one in Baltimore City) this year, hopefully I will be able to at least come close to that fifty-races-per-year mark. Hey, if I want this goal to be accomplished, I guess I gotta hit a good number since there are twenty-four goal areas that I'm aimin' for!
Anyway, the link for this club is: http://www.racepacket.com/james/50plus.htm
And the hyperlink to my spot on the webpage is: http://www.racepacket.com/james/50plus.htm#Noah%20Wood

Just in case any of you may be interested. Also, check out some of the other runners on there. Some of them have some really awesome records this year, really nice PR's, and interesting stories too. One of the runners in the group is Ted Poulos, who I think holds an unofficial record or something like that for the number of races run per-year (and he usually runs good quality races too)!!! There are plenty of other avid runners who have spaces on that website like I do and just reading through some of what they put inspires me and I think in a way it has contributed to me undertaking this endeavor!
Anyway, just thought I'd post this to send a little appreciation to all those runners and racer out there, and to pass on some good news too! I hope everyone has a great night out there!

Worcester County, MD on deck... Hopefully!

All right, so if you have been followin' up on my blogs recently, you'll notice that for most of this month I have been trying to run in an event in Worcester County in the Maryland Eastern Shore, but after the three times I've tried, something always seems to go wrong (either the event gets postponed or I've had to work during a rescheduled one). Either way, I've been doing my best to be calm and patient about it, relying on God to provide for me in this through His plans, while running in other counties too! This weekend there are a couple of races in Worcester County right by Ocean City and I'm hoping to at least make one of them. Things look like they're lining up, but something recently went wrong with my car. Last Tuesday night I went to see my friends who are in a rockin' band called No Picnic at the Stone Cellar in Ellicott City and I had trouble getting my car started, but eventually it worked and I was able to get home after the concert. However, I thought it best to take it into the shop, so that I would not be stranded on the Eastern Shore if it broke down on me this weekend. Plus, next week, I'm hoping to fly out to San Diego, California to see my relatives out there (YAAAYYY :) I'm definitely lookin' forward to that and I don't want these vehicular issues on my mind while I'm on vacation, seein' relatives.
Though, more immediate is that hopefully this does not get in the way of me running at least one of those races this weekend in Worcester County. Of all the Maryland counties I have left to run events in this year, I would say Worcester County is one of the harder ones to find running events in, and I do not want to put it off any longer than I have too. I mean, just look at all the things that can get messed up when there's time for it. That's why on a project/quest like this, I think it's best to get things like this over with as soon as possible!!!!
All right, I'm sure many of you already know that's been my attitude throughout a lot of this quest, and it's helped me to stay focused. I just hope and pray that things will continue to work out. Like I said, God has solid plans for me, better than ones I can crank up on my own, and even though I may not be able to understand the benefits of them all just yet, someday I will come to see them for sure!
Thanks for listening and reading, hopefully I will get to see some of you at some races and events in the near future perhaps :)

Hopefully this one will work!!!!

Well as some of you can see, I just added an application on the lower right-hand corner that may/may not allow for me to utilize a slideshow to supplement this blog and project with pictures and some details. Still finishing up what I can on my intended slideshow on this.
Thank you all for reading and the support!

Busted 14 on one of my home running courses, WHOOHOO!!!

Hey there, in the above picture is me at the finish line of a course I have been running on quite a bit in the past couple of years. In my third entry (which has been my longest on this blog so far because it introduced this endeavor) you may recall me mentioning a course that starts and ends at my house that is about 2.4 miles. I had run it on Saturday, January 27, 2007 in 14:10 without really intending to break my previous personal best of 14:23 on it. The weather had been so nice and I felt really strong...
Since then, I always thought it would be cool to try and break 14 minutes on that course!
And this morning, with temperatures just a little over 80 degrees, I shattered my old record by about 36 seconds. I started out with a good strong downhill start (which meant I had to conserve a little bit because I would have to run up the hill at the end of this out-and-back course) going through a half mile in about 2:51, the halfway point in about 6:38, and then finishing in 13:34! WHOOOWEEEE! That is not too far from a P.R. for me I don't think (event though I've never really been one to keep tabs on my 2.4 mile times, haha), but if I kept that pace up for another 2.6 miles thereabouts, I would be lookin' at gettin' really close to my 8-kilometer PR of 28:31 from college cross country. That kind of pace would no doubt get me under 18 minutes in a 5-kilometer and put me in competitive range with my PR that is probably around the lower 17:40's. Hopefully I can still keep living healthy and well so that maybe I can turn out some really strong times in the races in the near future, especially the 5K's. I was definitely happy with it, because not only were both halves of my run in under seven minutes (my second half must have mathematically been about 6:56 if my first half was 6:38 and I finished in 13:34) but I have not done much in the way of speedwork/intervals due to the high volume of races I've been in lately, my workouts have pretty much been distance runs aimed at keeping me healthy and strong enough so that I could at least run decently in many of the events.
Hopefully I'll have some more time for those kinds of workouts in the near future. It must be over a month now since I've hit the track for a workout, haha!
All right, thanks for reading! Hopefully this positive momentum and improvement in my running keeps up!

Running Events I have done this year as of Monday, June 25, 2007

Maryland

Allegany County
- Queen City Striders Junior Striders Cross Country meet (1 mile and 2 mile) – Tuesday evening, June 19, 2007 – Paris N. Glendenning Park/Frostburg
- One mile race – 2nd overall – 5:51
- Two mile race – 7th overall – 12:37

Anne Arundel County
– Governor’s “Non-Bay Bridge” Run (2.93 miles) – Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Sandy Point State Park/Annapolis – 8th overall (1st in 20-24-year-old age group) – 18:09 (clock), 18:07 (my watch)

Baltimore City
- Survivor Harbor 7-mile/3-mile – Sunday, June 10, 2007 – Baltimore City – 2nd overall (3-mile run) – 17:56 (clock), 17:53 (watch)

Baltimore County
– Patapsco State Park Avalon area trail race (a little over 6 miles) – Sunday, May 13th, 2007 – Near University of Maryland-Baltimore County/Arbutus area – 18th overall – 58:03

– PopPop and Pinhead Trail Scramble (about 5-6 miles) – Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Perry Hall/Gunpowder Falls State Park area – 5th overall - 52:14

Calvert County – Nothing yet

Caroline County
- Adkins Arboretum Arbor Day Fun Run (10K) – Saturday, April 21st, 2007 – Ridgley – 1st overall – 37:59 PR (Personal Record/best time in that distance!!!!! :)

Carroll County
- Westminster Road Runners Club (W.R.R.C.) Predicted Time Four-Miler – Saturday, March 10, 2007 – Westminster/Bachman Valley area – 2nd person in, 14th closest to predicted time – 25:34 (my predicted time was 27:00, I was 1:26 fast, whoops :)-

- Andy Hayes Memorial 5K Run – Saturday, April 7, 2007 – Westminster/near Farm Museum – 2nd overall – 18:47

Cecil County
- Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (N.M.R.A.) Fools Frolic 22K (I ran the much shorter 5-6 mile route) – Sunday, April 1, 2007 – Fair Hill/Elkton – First person in, but it was not much of a race, just pretty much me and another gentleman chillin’ and chattin’ our way through – 1 hour, 21 minutes, 55 seconds

- Run4Fun 5K Run/Walk – Sunday, June 3, 2007 – Elkton – 5th overall (1st in 20-29 year-old age group) – 19:29

Charles County
- Civista Health Services Run for Wellness 5K – Sunday, May 20, 2007 – LaPlata – 5th overall (1st in male 20-29 age group) – 19:14 (clock), 19:08 (chip)

Dorchester County
- Dorchester Family YMCA Healthy Kid’s Day Fun Run (1.9 miles, mainly flat cross country) – Saturday, April 14, 2007 - Cambridge – 1st overall – 10:54 (ran negative splits too J)

Frederick County – Nothing yet

Garrett County
- 1st Annual Grantsville Days 5K – Saturday, June 23, 2007 – Grantsville – 8th overall (3rd in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:37 (clock), 18:36 (watch)

Harford County – Nothing yet

Howard County

- Howard County Striders (H.C.S.) Weekly Winter Series (a.k.a. “Operation Iceberg”) # 3: Atholton High School 5 Kilometer – Sunday, January 21, 2007 – Columbia – 15th overall – 19:43

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #4: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2miles – Sunday, January 28, 2007 - Columbia - 30th overall - 20:17

- Penguin Pace 5K – Sunday, February 4, 2007 – Columbia – 8th overall (1st in 20-29 age group) – 18:43.86

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #6: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2 miles – Sunday, February 18, 2007 – Columbia – 2nd overall – 11:52 (my best time on that course J)

- Outback’s 5K for the YMCA – Sunday, March 11, 2007 – Ellicott City – 9th overall – 18:01.05 (clock), 17:59/18:00 (my watch – my best time on that course :)

- H.C.S. Spring Series Race (“Vernal Velocity) #1: Burleigh Manor Middle School 2 miles – Sunday, April 1, 2007 - Ellicott City/Columbia area – 2nd overall – 10:51 (best time on the course J)

- Inaugural Musical Madness 5K – Saturday, May 12, 2007 – Maple Lawn/Fulton/Scaggsville – 7th overall (1st in 20-29 age group category) – 18:48.71

- Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery 5K – Sunday, June 24, 2007 – Columbia – 52nd overall – 19:58.12 (clock), 19:55 (watch)

Kent County
- 31st Annual Chestertown Tea Party Distance Classic (10 miler) – Saturday, May 26, 2007 – Chestertown – 31st overall (2nd in 20-24 age group) – 1:15:01 (clock), 1:14:57 (watch)

Montgomery County
- Gaithersburg Firebirds Track one mile race – Thursday, April 12, 2007 – Gaithersburg – 3rd overall – 5:04

Prince George’s (P.G.) County – Nothing yet

Queen Anne’s County
- Shore Christian Fellowship Church’s Inaugural Race to Impact (10K) – Saturday, March 24th, 2007 – Chester/Kent Narrows/Kent Island (it was all on the shaded Cross Island Trail) – 1st overall – 38:51

Somerset County
- 2nd Annual McCready Health Services Foundation’ss Founder’s Day 8K Run & 2-mile walk (8K) – Saturday, May 5, 2007 (El Cinco de Mayo) – Crisfield – 1st overall – 31:58 (ran faster there this year than last year :)

Saint Mary’s County
- National Trails Day 5K (it was a little more than that, probably closer to 3.5 miles) – Saturday, June 2, 2007. – Historic St. Mary’s City area – 1st overall – 21:38

Talbot County
- Oxford Day 10K – Saturday, April 28, 2007 – Oxford – 1st overall – 38:35 (big improvement over last year’s time here, and a well-paced race on a relatively short amount of sleep :)

Washington County
- Tom Ausherman Memorial Series #1 (2-mile/1-mile) – Tuesday, June 5, 2007 – Hagerstown – 6th overall(2-mile race) – 11:36

Wicomico County
- Salisbury University Track & Field’s Seagull Home Opener Meet – Saturday, March 3, 2007 – Salisbury
- 1500 meter run – 7th overall – 4:48.7
- 800 meter run - 2nd overall – 2:12.5
- 4X400 meter relay (alumni team) – 4th overall (1st alumni team) – 4:01.5

- 4th Annual Tim Kennard 5 mile River Run and 3 mile walk – Sunday, March 4, 2007 – Salisbury – 14th overall (3rd in the 20-24 age group division) – 31:25 (clock), 31:14 (chip – Nice performance for me that surpassed my expectations, especially after running three track races less than twenty-four hours ago J)

Worcester County – Nothing yet

Events outside of Maryland

Delaware

Kent County
- March Moonlight Madness 5K – Thursday, March 1, 2007 – Wyoming – 2nd overall (1st in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:28

District of Columbia – Washington
- Hugh Jascourt Memorial Four Miler – Thursday evening, June 21, 2007 – Northwest Washington D.C./C&O Towpath area – 17th overall – 26:04 (clock), 26:01 (watch)

Hopefully there will be a slideshow comin' soon!!!

Yea, so as I was foolin' around on this site yesterday, tryin' to figure some things out about it, I found out that Blogspot.Com allows you to use slideshows on it through YouTube.Com, which I heard was a pretty cool site. Since I found that out, I pounced on the slideshow idea and since yesterday, I've been diligently compiling various running and travel photos from this year to put them in the slideshow. I hope the slideshow will adequately supplement my blogs and somewhat compensate for the fact that I did not get around to starting this blog until I was a good ways halfway through this project. I wanted more pics up here anyway, so that will be a nice way to do it. When I first air it, it probably won't have all the photos that I want on it but I'll add to it as the year goes on. Although I have run events this year in Baltimore and Carroll Counties, I don't really have many pics handy from them just yet, so those will probably come later.

I am blessed to have such software as Microsoft PowerPoint, which I learned how to use back in a ninth grade software applications class to make slideshows. It's amazing what you learn so long ago comes in handy so suddenly, haha! Hopefully I can have this new addition up in the near future!

Take it easy everyone!

Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery Photos

Once again, I passed up a solid opportunity to include some photos of the event with an update, haha! The Howard County Striders (http://www.striders.net/) did a great job getting up the results, photos, and coverage of the Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery event within about a day of when it was run. Here's a photo of the race's start (right) and one of me near the finish (left), sportin' my "Jesus Christ" headband my friend J.D. gave me a while back

Run for Recovery from Grantsville Days

As you may recall from several posts earlier, I mentioned that I was thinking about running another race in Columbia called the Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery 5K, one of the most flattest, largest, and popular races in Howard County. I've run this race pretty consistently throughout high school and college years, sometimes running it hard and a coupla times taking it easy. Yesterday, I definitely took it easy since I went a lot harder at the Grantsville Days 5K than I intended and since I have some harder runs comin' up that I plan on doing.
I ended up running about 19:55, which was my slowest time I've ever run on this course, yet it was still faster than I was expecting (I was thinking I would land anywhere between 20-23 minutes), but since that course is pretty quick, I ended up picking it up at the end and just tuckin' under twenty minutes! I was really pleased that as tired as I felt from all the driving and lack of sleep during the weekend, I still managed to run another well-paced race for the second day in a row. I went through the first mile in about 6:27, the second in about 13:04, and then I must have stepped it up in the last mile, comin' through three miles in about 19:24 and still breakin' twenty (and that was probably one of my stronger dashes between three miles and five-kilometers too, covering that distance in about 31 seconds). It was cool, I gave myself a little workout and yet I still felt like the race served as a good recovery run (aptly named event I must say).
It really felt good to do a race on the home front in Howard County again for the first time in over a month. I've gotten so used to longer commutes to other counties for other events and it was nice to have one that was less than a fifteen minutes away! It was nice because I got to see some runners there from the Howard County Striders and other places who I had not seen in a while. I even saw my first running coaches from my days as a sprinter with the Howard County Junior Striders when I was in middle school. I told quite a few people I knew about this goal, and it was encouraging that they seemed interested and that they wished me luck. I know I caught some people's attention when I mentioned that I had run a race in Garrett County, MD the day before, but I'm hopin' they understand that it's part of this project.
Afterwards, I was able to go to the volunteer picnic with the Howard County Striders by Centennial Lake, and just chill with them and munch on some good grub. I definitely had a fun and encouraging day. I'm glad it worked out like that, it made me feel better about having to miss the River Run 5K in Worcester County (a county where I have yet to run a running event in this year) for work. I'm stayin' positive about it. Had I been able to go to the River Run 5K, I would have most likely missed the volunteer picnic (which I had always been interested in attending), so it looked like one of the two worked and there are still some Worcester County running events comin' up on the horizon (I really hope I can run in one of them soon)!!!! I am just going to continue to be patient and let God order my steps, He will help me to have a successful running season for His glory and for my well-being, of that I'm becoming more confident!
Thank you for your continued reading and support:

Running Events I have done this year as of Monday, June 25, 2007

Maryland

Allegany County
- Queen City Striders Junior Striders Cross Country meet (1 mile and 2 mile) – Tuesday evening, June 19, 2007 – Paris N. Glendenning Park/Frostburg
- One mile race – 2nd overall – 5:51
- Two mile race – 7th overall – 12:37

Anne Arundel County
– Governor’s “Non-Bay Bridge” Run (2.93 miles) – Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Sandy Point State Park/Annapolis – 8th overall (1st in 20-24-year-old age group) – 18:09 (clock), 18:07 (my watch)

Baltimore City
- Survivor Harbor 7-mile/3-mile – Sunday, June 10, 2007 – Baltimore City – 2nd overall (3-mile run) – 17:56 (clock), 17:53 (watch)

Baltimore County
– Patapsco State Park Avalon area trail race (a little over 6 miles) – Sunday, May 13th, 2007 – Near University of Maryland-Baltimore County/Arbutus area – 18th overall – 58:03

– PopPop and Pinhead Trail Scramble (about 5-6 miles) – Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Perry Hall/Gunpowder Falls State Park area – 5th overall - 52:14

Calvert County – Nothing yet

Caroline County
- Adkins Arboretum Arbor Day Fun Run (10K) – Saturday, April 21st, 2007 – Ridgley – 1st overall – 37:59 PR (Personal Record/best time in that distance!!!!! :)

Carroll County
- Westminster Road Runners Club (W.R.R.C.) Predicted Time Four-Miler – Saturday, March 10, 2007 – Westminster/Bachman Valley area – 2nd person in, 14th closest to predicted time – 25:34 (my predicted time was 27:00, I was 1:26 fast, whoops J-)

- Andy Hayes Memorial 5K Run – Saturday, April 7, 2007 – Westminster/near Farm Museum – 2nd overall – 18:47

Cecil County
- Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (N.M.R.A.) Fools Frolic 22K (I ran the much shorter 5-6 mile route) – Sunday, April 1, 2007 – Fair Hill/Elkton – First person in, but it was not much of a race, just pretty much me and another gentleman chillin’ and chattin’ our way through – 1 hour, 21 minutes, 55 seconds

- Run4Fun 5K Run/Walk – Sunday, June 3, 2007 – Elkton – 5th overall (1st in 20-29 year-old age group) – 19:29

Charles County
- Civista Health Services Run for Wellness 5K – Sunday, May 20, 2007 – LaPlata – 5th overall (1st in male 20-29 age group) – 19:14 (clock), 19:08 (chip)

Dorchester County
- Dorchester Family YMCA Healthy Kid’s Day Fun Run (1.9 miles, mainly flat cross country) – Saturday, April 14, 2007 - Cambridge – 1st overall – 10:54 (ran negative splits too :)

Frederick County – Nothing yet

Garrett County
- 1st Annual Grantsville Days 5K – Saturday, June 23, 2007 – Grantsville – 8th overall (3rd in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:37 (clock), 18:36 (watch)

Harford County – Nothing yet

Howard County

- Howard County Striders (H.C.S.) Weekly Winter Series (a.k.a. “Operation Iceberg”) # 3: Atholton High School 5 Kilometer – Sunday, January 21, 2007 – Columbia – 15th overall – 19:43

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #4: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2miles – Sunday, January 28, 2007 - Columbia - 30th overall - 20:17

- Penguin Pace 5K – Sunday, February 4, 2007 – Columbia – 8th overall (1st in 20-29 age group) – 18:43.86

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #6: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2 miles – Sunday, February 18, 2007 – Columbia – 2nd overall – 11:52 (my best time on that course J)

- Outback’s 5K for the YMCA – Sunday, March 11, 2007 – Ellicott City – 9th overall – 18:01.05 (clock), 17:59/18:00 (my watch – my best time on that course :)

- H.C.S. Spring Series Race (“Vernal Velocity) #1: Burleigh Manor Middle School 2 miles – Sunday, April 1, 2007 - Ellicott City/Columbia area – 2nd overall – 10:51 (best time on the course J)

- Inaugural Musical Madness 5K – Saturday, May 12, 2007 – Maple Lawn/Fulton/Scaggsville – 7th overall (1st in 20-29 age group category) – 18:48.71

- Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery 5K – Sunday, June 24, 2007 – Columbia – 52nd overall – 19:58.12 (clock), 19:55 (watch)

Kent County
- 31st Annual Chestertown Tea Party Distance Classic (10 miler) – Saturday, May 26, 2007 – Chestertown – 31st overall (2nd in 20-24 age group) – 1:15:01 (clock), 1:14:57 (watch)

Montgomery County
- Gaithersburg Firebirds Track one mile race – Thursday, April 12, 2007 – Gaithersburg – 3rd overall – 5:04

Prince George’s (P.G.) County – Nothing yet

Queen Anne’s County
- Shore Christian Fellowship Church’s Inaugural Race to Impact (10K) – Saturday, March 24th, 2007 – Chester/Kent Narrows/Kent Island (it was all on the shaded Cross Island Trail) – 1st overall – 38:51

Somerset County
- 2nd Annual McCready Health Services Foundation’ss Founder’s Day 8K Run & 2-mile walk (8K) – Saturday, May 5, 2007 (El Cinco de Mayo) – Crisfield – 1st overall – 31:58 (ran faster there this year than last year :)

Saint Mary’s County
- National Trails Day 5K (it was a little more than that, probably closer to 3.5 miles) – Saturday, June 2, 2007. – Historic St. Mary’s City area – 1st overall – 21:38

Talbot County
- Oxford Day 10K – Saturday, April 28, 2007 – Oxford – 1st overall – 38:35 (big improvement over last year’s time here, and a well-paced race on a relatively short amount of sleep J)

Washington County
- Tom Ausherman Memorial Series #1 (2-mile/1-mile) – Tuesday, June 5, 2007 – Hagerstown – 6th overall(2-mile race) – 11:36

Wicomico County
- Salisbury University Track & Field’s Seagull Home Opener Meet – Saturday, March 3, 2007 – Salisbury
- 1500 meter run – 7th overall – 4:48.7
- 800 meter run - 2nd overall – 2:12.5
- 4X400 meter relay (alumni team) – 4th overall (1st alumni team) – 4:01.5

- 4th Annual Tim Kennard 5 mile River Run and 3 mile walk – Sunday, March 4, 2007 – Salisbury – 14th overall (3rd in the 20-24 age group division) – 31:25 (clock), 31:14 (chip – Nice performance for me that surpassed my expectations, especially after running three track races less than twenty-four hours ago :)

Worcester County – Nothing yet

Events outside of Maryland

Delaware

Kent County
-March Moonlight Madness 5K – Thursday, March 1, 2007 – Wyoming – 2nd overall (1st in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:28

District of Columbia – Washington
-Hugh Jascourt Memorial Four Miler – Thursday evening, June 21, 2007 – Northwest Washington D.C./C&O Towpath area – 17th overall – 26:04 (clock), 26:01 (watch)

Grantsville Days 5K Finish Photo!

Got a little forgetful the other day and forgot to post this awesome photo of me at the end of the race in Garrett County last Saturday. The Queen City Striders had photos and other forms of coverage of this event probably in less than twenty-four hours after the event, they did a swell job with it!

Oh yea and another thing...

After playin' around with the settings I realized that it was set so that only Blogspot.Com users could post on my page, well I went ahead to change it so that now anyone can post. So if you have been reading over these blogs and have been wanting to post, I apologize for not checking up on that issue sooner. Now you can post away as you please. Take it easy!

Well that worked out!

All right, I just fiddled around on this ting a little more and found another way to get a constant pic up here (which is what I hoped to achieve with a "profile picture"). That seems to be how it goes with me and computers, I follow directions on them to the best of my ability but it doesn't quite work out, but then I still end up gettin' what I want if I still keep pluggin' away at...
I should not lose that kind of perseverance, especially at this point in my endeavor towards this goal.
I'll update more on my racing progress soon!

Nevermind, the pic still won't display on my profile page

Oh well, even though I followed the directions for displaying and "hosting" photos lonine for putting them in my Blogspot.Com photo, it still didn't work. Seems to happen a lot. Guess I'll try again with that later!

My profile needs a new pic

Think I finally got the hang of this picture posting thing :)-

"How the West was Run, YEEEHHAAAWWW!"

Whooohooo! Early this morning I ran in Grantsville, Maryland in Garrett County after finishing in the top ten in the first annual Grantsville Days 5K at the Grantsville Town/Area Park! I recently found out that running events in Garrett County (apparently Maryland's largest county) were rather slim pickin's, so it was a blessing to have found and finished this one. As of today, I have run races in every far western Maryland county within the month (by that I mean the ones to the far west like Allegany, Garrett and Washington Counties). Such wonderful fortune, in less than a week I finished races in both Allegany and Garrett Counties, the two western-most counties in Maryland if I have my geography right!
I definitely ran a lot better than I intended at this race. I came to the Grantsville Days 5K (part of the Grantsville Days festival) on probably no more than four hours of sleep (I had trouble falling a sleep last night, probably from being anxious of all the upcoming races) and then I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and I had trouble falling back asleep. I was definitely blessed enough to make it there and back without any traveling or logistical complications. I was expecting to run somewhere between 19:20ish-19:50ish on the balanced course that had plenty of solid uphills and downhills, an expectation based on my recent running and the fact I had run in two races earlier this week and that I may do another one tomorrow too. The race started going up hill and I was already huffing and puffing at the top of it, barely a couple of minutes into the race. I thought to myself already my hopes of having a strong performance were dwindling and that I only had to deal with this for about seventeen more minutes if I kept up a decent pace. I went through the first mile in about six minutes flat (a little faster than I intended, but that's normal for me), and shortly after that, the course had a couple of strong downhills and I ended up going through the second mile in about 11:36 (meaning my second mile was about 5:36, both of my mile and two mile times being faster than my mile and two mile race times at the Allegany County cross country running event earlier this week on Tuesday in the Paris N. Glendenning Park) I ended up having a fairly strong finish, crossing the line in about 18:36 (18:37 based on their clock, since I did not start my watch until I crossed the starting line and it took me about a second to do that since I started closer to the middle of the race pack). My body did not cramp up like it has been doing fairly often until like the last minute-and-a-half to two minutes of the race, and at that point I was on my way to the finish line and it did not mess me up all that much.
I was pleased to see that I finished eighth overall and that I earned a mug as a prize for finishing third in my age group (20-29)! I was definitely excited that my time was about a good 50-60 seconds faster than I intended, and faster than I've gone on some of the flatter 5K's I've done over the last month or so.
Tomorrow evening, I was intending to go all the way to the eastern end of Maryland for a Worcester County race in Berlin (the rescheduled River Run 5-Kilometer race at the River Run Community). Even though I requested off at Safeway for tomorrow afternoon and evening (after offering to get up early and work in the morning and reminding my department manager about this request), but I was still slapped on the schedule for a late afternoon-into-the-evening shift, and it seems like now there's nothing much I can do to change it (I could of course "call out"/just not show up, but that's just plain flaky and unethical to m if I did not have a good reason to call out since the schedule and us getting things done in the department are built around people being there when they should). Don't get me wrong, I was definitely disappointed. For the third time this month, my attempts to run in a running event in Worcester County were thwarted (the first two times, the races were postponed and now apparently my request to have off that evening was not honored). This is why I don't like leaving certain goal areas to chance for too long. After not having the request honored, it's a sobering reminder of how hard I may have to work/bug my manager to have the time off to run in an event, but if that event gets cancelled or postponed, I may not be able to get the time off again to go to the rescheduled event.... It just gets to me that Worcester County is the only county on the Maryland Eastern Shore that I have not run an event in this year (and if you read my previous blogs, you can probably see how much I want to get all the counties on the Maryland Eastern Shore in as soon as I can). I mean, if I were to run in an event in Worcester County now, I would have managed to pull off running in a running event in every (all nine) Maryland Eastern Shore counties in under four months, which, in my mind (and I'm sure a lotta other avid runners in that area of Maryland will agree) is no easy task!!!!! Yet, whenever I try to put a cap on it, the Worcester County running events seem to leap out of my hand like a wet escaping frog for one reason or another (and it just seems the reasons get more and more ridiculous). I mean I can understand them postponing the River Run 5K the first time for safety reasons because of that storm there the first weekend in June. Then the Splash and Dash 5K was postponed until later because I guess of "other stuff going on" (okay I guess I can buy that, I just hope that does not keep happening though), but now I can't make it to the rescheduled River Run 5K (on what looks like will be a really nice, rain-free evening) because my request to have off work at a certain time was apparently not granted (maybe deliberately, maybe it was an accident, I dunno, my manager was off today and she had gone home yesterday before I got to look at the schedule so I could not talk to her about it). I'm like, c'mon, I'm doin' things right here, I'm puttin' in my request with plenty of advance (almost two weeks worth) plus throwing in a couple of reminders in the days leading up to this weekend about it, and it still isn't granted. Man, this can't keep happening if I'm to be successful in this goal. Fortunately, though, Worcester County is one of the counties on the Maryland Eastern Shore these days that has been having more races year-around, but I want to get one of them in as soon as I can before I run into conflicts in other areas of my life. If I keep getting sidetracked because of all this stuff, I either won't be successful at this or I will be scrambling around in December, trying to look for running events in the counties I have not run in yet this year... And that's just why I do not procrastinate with this project. If I gotta run more than two or three races a week or even do more than one a day to make progress and get in goal areas where it may be difficult to find running events, then that's what it will take. I would rather be tired and worn-out from that then being stressed out about having to wait until the last minute to get in running events in certain counties.
So those are the constant worries that have wracked my mind constantly on this endeavor...
However, I know that God has a plan and He is ordering my steps in this! Perhaps if He intends for me to run in a running event in Worcester County this year, He may be preparing me for a find performance (and I might not have had it tomorrow, 'cause I may have been too tired from running a lot faster than I expected today at the Grantsville Days 5K). And hey, like I said, there are quite a few more races and other such events going on throughout this year in the Ocean City area and Wicomico County areas in general, so I'm sure it's reasonable to assume that something should work out if I keep tabs on the upcoming events (I just don't want to keep getting slipped up on something and then have to miss out on them constantly). I know in the above paragraph, it was probably a more "panicked overreaction" as some of you probably thought (especially if you are aware of a lot of the running events that go on in Worcester County). I guess that just goes to show how into this I am getting, with all of my emotions and planning, it's like I'm sitting up close to the television screen, rigid with a Nintendo controller clutched in my sweaty hands as I'm working very hard to beat a challenging videogame where enemies keep attacking the good guy/protagonist (okay, maybe that's a little far-fetched, but you get the picture :)- I just need to patient, pray, relax and recover from today's race, and see what God has in store for these coming days. Do not get me wrong, I am most certainly grateful for all that has happened for me as far as running and racing this year so far, not to mention all the progress I have made and all the awards that have come with it! I am certainly grateful to have gotten a Garrett County running event in today, running faster than I expected, and being a part of the town's history with their first Grantsville Days festival running race. Now I do not have to travel out that far in western Maryland for any more running events this year as far as this endeavor is concerned! And oh my gosh, the Queen City Striders did a wonderful job posting the results for the run and walk, as well as event photos and even video clips of it , today! Check it out on the front page of the Queen City Striders' website at: http://www.qcstriders.org/ Also, tomorrow, my morning is now free to run a race nearby in Howard County, the Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery 5K, a relatively flat 5K that I've been doing consistently since high school and throughout college that draws quite a crowd, and then I might go to a Howard County Striders volunteer bar-b-que afterwards. Of course, I'll take it easy in Damien's Run 5K because I had a harder effort today (though, with how quick that first mile is, I would not be surprised to still go through it in upper fives/lower sixes). Check out http://www.damien.tv/ for information on the Columbia, Maryland event in Howard County if any of you happen to be interested.
So yes, in conclusion, I recognize how blessed I am, it just concerns me that I have tried three times to run in a running event in a certain county, and for some reason something has always gone wrong. Thank you for being patient while I rambled on about all of it, but I also want this endeavor to be authentic from the inside out, and that involves me keepin' it real with how I feel and what I think throughout this! I continue to thank you all for your support, encouragment, support, and prayers! I am very grateful and fortunate for all of you, even if we do not know each other (yet) and for all my progress on this project! I wish others out there with similar challenges and endeavors to keep your head up always, because if you're lookin' down at what you missed, you will not be looking forward to what's ahead. It's just that simple, don't give up or wallow in discouragement for long (or not at all even).
Keep up the good work and I hope everyone continues to have a great weekend :)

Got a Washington D.C. race in this evening!!!

Good evening everyone! Not long ago, I ran the Hugh Jascourt Memorial Four Miler put on by the D.C. Road Runner's Club (http://www.dcroadrunners.org) this evening along the towpaths of the C&O canal, getting in my first Washington D.C. event of the year. While Washington D.C. is not a "goal area" in this project, I thought it would be nice to get a running event in there as well as part of this goal. I'm glad I went because I met a coupla avid runners who seemed interested in this goal and that was encouraging to me. One of them said he would like to eventually run an event in every county in Maryland, but not at the rate I want too in one year. It was neat, I'm glad I made it through getting a little lost in D.C. to the race (which the rains just missed, getting rid of some of the day's humidity).
I came with the intention of taking the race easy, hoping for a time between 26:30-28:30, since I wanted to save my energy for stronger performances in upcoming races. However, since the course was so flat and pretty straight along the C&O Canal, I ended up finishing 17th overall and running 26:01 (26:04 on their clock, since I did what I've been doing frequently, starting in the middle of the pack and it taking me a few seconds to actually get to the starting line after the clock starts). I felt a little tired afterwards and a little cramped too, but I did not feel like I pushed myself as hard as more recent races this month. I hope I did not over do it and that it served as a solid training run.
So yeah, I had fun tonight at the Hugh Jascourt Memorial Four Miler and then I ended up hanging out with one of my friends afterwards. For the first day off after school let out, I'm already having a pretty good time :)


Running Events I have done this year as of Thursday, June 21, 2007

Maryland

Allegany County
- Queen City Striders Junior Striders Cross Country meet (1 mile and 2 mile) – Tuesday evening, June 19, 2007 – Paris N. Glendenning Park/Frostburg
- One mile race – 2nd overall – 5:52
- Two mile race – 7th overall – 12:37/12:38

Anne Arundel County
– Governor’s “Non-Bay Bridge” Run (2.93 miles) – Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Sandy Point State Park/Annapolis – 8th overall (1st in 20-24-year-old age group) – 18:09 (clock), 18:07 (my watch)

Baltimore City
- Survivor Harbor 7-mile/3-mile – Sunday, June 10, 2007 – Baltimore City – 2nd overall (3-mile run) – 17:56 (clock), 17:53 (watch)

Baltimore County
– Patapsco State Park Avalon area trail race (a little over 6 miles) – Sunday, May 13th, 2007 – Near University of Maryland-Baltimore County/Arbutus area – 18th overall – 58:03

– PopPop and Pinhead Trail Scramble (about 5-6 miles) – Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Perry Hall/Gunpowder Falls State Park area – 5th overall - 52:14

Calvert County – Nothing yet

Caroline County
- Adkins Arboretum Arbor Day Fun Run (10K) – Saturday, April 21st, 2007 – Ridgley – 1st overall – 37:59 PR (Personal Record/best time in that distance!!!!! :)

Carroll County
- Westminster Road Runners Club (W.R.R.C.) Predicted Time Four-Miler – Saturday, March 10, 2007 – Westminster/Bachman Valley area – 2nd person in, 14th closest to predicted time – 25:34 (my predicted time was 27:00, I was 1:26 fast, whoops J-)

- Andy Hayes Memorial 5K Run – Saturday, April 7, 2007 – Westminster/near Farm Museum – 2nd overall – 18:47

Cecil County
- Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (N.M.R.A.) Fools Frolic 22K (I ran the much shorter 5-6 mile route) – Sunday, April 1, 2007 – Fair Hill/Elkton – First person in, but it was not much of a race, just pretty much me and another gentleman chillin’ and chattin’ our way through – 1 hour, 21 minutes, 55 seconds

- Run4Fun 5K Run/Walk – Sunday, June 3, 2007 – Elkton – 5th overall (1st in 20-29 year-old age group) – 19:29

Charles County
- Civista Health Services Run for Wellness 5K – Sunday, May 20, 2007 – LaPlata – 5th overall (1st in male 20-29 age group) – 19:14 (clock), 19:08 (chip)

Dorchester County
- Dorchester Family YMCA Healthy Kid’s Day Fun Run (1.9 miles, mainly flat cross country) – Saturday, April 14, 2007 - Cambridge – 1st overall – 10:54 (ran negative splits too :)

Frederick County – Nothing yet

Garrett County – Nothing yet

Harford County – Nothing yet

Howard County

- Howard County Striders (H.C.S.) Weekly Winter Series (a.k.a. “Operation Iceberg”) # 3: Atholton High School 5 Kilometer – Sunday, January 21, 2007 – Columbia – 15th overall – 19:43

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #4: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2miles – Sunday, January 28, 2007 - Columbia - 30th overall - 20:17

- Penguin Pace 5K – Sunday, February 4, 2007 – Columbia – 8th overall (1st in 20-29 age group) – 18:43.86

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #6: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2 miles – Sunday, February 18, 2007 – Columbia – 2nd overall – 11:52 (my best time on that course J)

- Outback’s 5K for the YMCA – Sunday, March 11, 2007 – Ellicott City – 9th overall – 18:01.05 (clock), 17:59/18:00 (my watch)

- H.C.S. Spring Series Race (“Vernal Velocity) #1: Burleigh Manor Middle School 2 miles – Sunday, April 1, 2007 - Ellicott City/Columbia area – 2nd overall – 10:51 (best time on the course J)

- Inaugural Musical Madness 5K – Saturday, May 12, 2007 – Maple Lawn/Fulton/Scaggsville – 7th overall (1st in 20-29 age group category) – 18:48.71

Kent County
- 31st Annual Chestertown Tea Party Distance Classic (10 miler) – Saturday, May 26, 2007 – Chestertown – 31st overall (2nd in 20-24 age group) – 1:15:01 (clock), 1:14:57 (watch)

Montgomery County
- Gaithersburg Firebirds Track one mile race – Thursday, April 12, 2007 – Gaithersburg – 3rd overall – 5:04

Prince George’s (P.G.) County – Nothing yet

Queen Anne’s County
- Shore Christian Fellowship Church’s Inaugural Race to Impact (10K) – Saturday, March 24th, 2007 – Chester/Kent Narrows/Kent Island (it was all on the shaded Cross Island Trail) – 1st overall – 38:51

Somerset County
- 2nd Annual McCready Health Services Foundations Founder’s Day 8K Run & 2-mile walk (8K) – Saturday, May 5, 2007 (El Cinco de Mayo) – Crisfield – 1st overall – 31:58 (ran faster there this year than last year :)

Saint Mary’s County
- National Trails Day 5K (it was a little more than that, probably closer to 3.5 miles) – Saturday, June 2, 2007. – Historic St. Mary’s City area – 1st overall – 21:38

Talbot County
- Oxford Day 10K – Saturday, April 28, 2007 – Oxford – 1st overall – 38:35 (big improvement over last year’s time here, and a well-paced race on a relatively short amount of sleep :)

Washington County
- Tom Ausherman Memorial Series #1 (2-mile/1-mile) – Tuesday, June 5, 2007 – Hagerstown – 6th overall(2-mile race) – 11:36

Wicomico County
- Salisbury University Track & Field’s Seagull Home Opener Meet – Saturday, March 3, 2007 – Salisbury
- 1500 meter run – 7th overall – 4:48.7
- 800 meter run - 2nd overall – 2:12.5
- 4X400 meter relay (alumni team) – 4th overall (1st alumni team) – 4:01.5

- 4th Annual Tim Kennard 5 mile River Run and 3 mile walk – Sunday, March 4, 2007 – Salisbury – 14th overall (3rd in the 20-24 age group division) – 31:25 (clock), 31:14 (chip – Nice performance for me that surpassed my expectations, especially after running three track races less than twenty-four hours ago J)

Worcester County – Nothing yet

Events outside of Maryland

Delaware

Kent County
- March Moonlight Madness 5K – Thursday, March 1, 2007 – Wyoming – 2nd overall (1st in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:28

District of Columbia – Washington

-Hugh Jascourt Memorial Four Miler – Thursday evening, June 21, 2007 – Northwest Washington D.C./C&O Towpath area – 17th overall – 26:04 (clock), 26:01 (watch)

School's Out, YAHOOO!

Hi there, just got in from Wilde Lake High School, where I've been subbing for close to two months with the special education students. Today was the last day of school for the Howard County Public School System schools and it had gotten pushed back this far into June because of the snow days earlier this year. I'm going to miss that school and many of the people who work there and attend. I worked with some cool people on the staff, as well as met some neat students both in the regular education and special education programs. It was nice to meet some of the teens on the cross country and track & field teams as well as the coaches. Plus there was a young guy in one of the gym classes I worked in who recently teamed up with his day in his first triathlon at the Pocomoke Triathlon earlier this month in Worcester County, Maryland.

I served as a student assistant, pretty much working one-on-one with a student (or small groups of them) and I enjoyed doing that, even though sometimes it took patience and there were tedious moments that just caused me to daydream (and I daydreamt of this goal a lot no less)... I would like to return to work at that school some more come late August when the school year starts again, preferably as a full-time instructional assistant (I.A.) or student assistant (S.A.), but we'll see what happens and where I can be fit in.

Even if I worked at another school, I think I would be fine. I would prefer Wilde Lake High School just because I've come to know some of the staff and I seem to click well with some of the students there. I think it's a valuable thing, patience, and working with those who are less fortunate than myself (such as physically/mentally disabled folks who are younger than me) helps build that up. Doin' simple and common things that help me get by, such as being able to go to the bathroom by myself, dressing myself, being able to form complete sentences... Those are things that some others struggle epically to do, and it can really make their entire day, if not week if they can pull off what common folks can do at the drop of the proverbial hat. I honestly think it's a rewarding way to serve and to meet people who value and care about the less fortunate. I also find that working in a school system, usually means a very firm and reliable schedule (pretty much workin' mornings to afternoons) with many evenings, weekends, and holidays off (a wonderfully accomodating schedule for family stuff, social stuff, running events, and also time to go to meets in case I end up helping to coach a running team). I hear the benefits are really solid too in addition to the salary. Though, aside from the lifestyle and pay, I think it is a strong way to serve people the way they are meant to be served, especially for the students. I know it may sound like a cliche, but I've come to believe more and more that a good solid teacher/mentor can really help make the difference for them in making important choices in their lives.

In middle school, I felt like I was gettin' into a pretty low spot... Didn't have many friends, got into a lotta trouble it seemed, lacked hope, inspiration, and solid vision for the future... Fortunately, towards the end of middle and into high school, there were some teachers and coaches and teammates who had a great influence on me and inspired me to be a good student, a kinder person, and a diligent teammate. Running no doubt played a large role in that and all those blessings have helped to motivate me to this unique goal that I'm goin' after now.

And on that note...

LAST NIGHT I GOT A RUNNING EVENT IN ALLEGANY COUNTY IN!!!! WHOOOHHOOOO!!!!

For those of you who are not too familiar with the state of Maryland, Allegany County is far to the west in Maryland and includes towns/cities like Cumberland, Frostburg, Little Orleans, and Lonaconing. There's a Cumberland-based running club that puts on a lotta events in Allegany and Garrett Counties called the Queen City Striders (http://www.qcstriders.org/) and yesterday evening at the Paris N. Glendenning Park in Frostburg, I ran the Queen City Striders Junior Striders summer meet #2, which included a cross country one-mile race and a cross country two-mile race (the two mile course was pretty much the one-mile course twice). It was set up like the Tom Ausherman Memorial Series cross country race I ran in Washington County a coupla weeks back. Yesterday evening, my times were not all that good, but I was definitely glad to have gotten the event in in a county that was a little over two hours from my house, and I ran both races. In the one-mile, I ran a 5:52 and placed second, and in the two-mile race, I ran about 12:37/12:38 and placed seventh overall. The course was kinda tough goin' up hill and then having some strong downhills during the second portion of the course (and I don't do cross country downhills all that well any more, I guess it's because of quite a few past injuries), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was definitely a blessing that they still had it, because it was raining and thundering a few hours before the event. I knew I was taking a risk in going out to the race, because if the weather was really rough, I'm sure it would have been cancelled and I would have driven two-plus hours out there for a cancelled/postponed race. That wouldn't have been too delightful, but fortunately God held the storms at bay it seemed and according to my dad this morning after checking out the weather, he said that the storms had skirted around us. I was definitely relieved and I was glad that God answered my prayers of allowing for that event to happen, 'cause who knew with everything else going on with my job at Safeway and with other counties I want to run running events in, when the next time I would be able to make it out to Allegany County for a running event would be.

I'm hoping for similar blessings in the future, in the near future I'm hoping to make some more progress towards this goal. As of today, I'm back to working one job consistently for the next coupla months or so, and then I'll most likely take up subbing again if I don't get back into Wilde Lake High School. This will leave me a little more time to keep up with my journals, updates, and more importantly, my health on this project. I will have a little more time to eat, sleep, train, and have fun too :)

We'll see what happens with the future events, I'm looking forward to them. School may be out, but there are still lessons to be learned for sure.

Running Events I have done this year as of Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Maryland

Allegany County
- Queen City Striders Junior Striders Cross Country meet (1 mile and 2 mile) – Tuesday evening, June 19, 2007 – Paris N. Glendenning Park/Frostburg
- One mile race – 2nd overall – 5:52
- Two mile race – 7th overall – 12:37/12:38

Anne Arundel County
– Governor’s “Non-Bay Bridge” Run (2.93 miles) – Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Sandy Point State Park/Annapolis – 8th overall (1st in 20-24-year-old age group) – 18:09 (clock), 18:07 (my watch)

Baltimore City
- Survivor Harbor 7-mile/3-mile – Sunday, June 10, 2007 – Baltimore City – 2nd overall (3-mile run) – 17:56 (clock), 17:53 (watch)

Baltimore County
– Patapsco State Park Avalon area trail race (a little over 6 miles) – Sunday, May 13th, 2007 – Near University of Maryland-Baltimore County/Arbutus area – 18th overall – 58:03

– PopPop and Pinhead Trail Scramble (about 5-6 miles) – Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Perry Hall/Gunpowder Falls State Park area – 5th overall - 52:14

Calvert County – Nothing yet

Caroline County
- Adkins Arboretum Arbor Day Fun Run (10K) – Saturday, April 21st, 2007 – Ridgley – 1st overall – 37:59 PR (Personal Record/best time in that distance!!!!! :)

Carroll County
- Westminster Road Runners Club (W.R.R.C.) Predicted Time Four-Miler – Saturday, March 10, 2007 – Westminster/Bachman Valley area – 2nd person in, 14th closest to predicted time – 25:34 (my predicted time was 27:00, I was 1:26 fast, whoops J-)

- Andy Hayes Memorial 5K Run – Saturday, April 7, 2007 – Westminster/near Farm Museum – 2nd overall – 18:47

Cecil County
- Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (N.M.R.A.) Fools Frolic 22K (I ran the much shorter 5-6 mile route) – Sunday, April 1, 2007 – Fair Hill/Elkton – First person in, but it was not much of a race, just pretty much me and another gentleman chillin’ and chattin’ our way through – 1 hour, 21 minutes, 55 seconds

- Run4Fun 5K Run/Walk – Sunday, June 3, 2007 – Elkton – 5th overall (1st in 20-29 year-old age group) – 19:29

Charles County
- Civista Health Services Run for Wellness 5K – Sunday, May 20, 2007 – LaPlata – 5th overall (1st in male 20-29 age group) – 19:14 (clock), 19:08 (chip)

Dorchester County
- Dorchester Family YMCA Healthy Kid’s Day Fun Run (1.9 miles, mainly flat cross country) – Saturday, April 14, 2007 - Cambridge – 1st overall – 10:54 (ran negative splits too :)

Frederick County – Nothing yet

Garrett County – Nothing yet

Harford County – Nothing yet

Howard County

- Howard County Striders (H.C.S.) Weekly Winter Series (a.k.a. “Operation Iceberg”) # 3: Atholton High School 5 Kilometer – Sunday, January 21, 2007 – Columbia – 15th overall – 19:43

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #4: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2miles – Sunday, January 28, 2007 - Columbia - 30th overall - 20:17

- Penguin Pace 5K – Sunday, February 4, 2007 – Columbia – 8th overall (1st in 20-29 age group) – 18:43.86

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #6: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2 miles – Sunday, February 18, 2007 – Columbia – 2nd overall – 11:52 (my best time on that course J)

- Outback’s 5K for the YMCA – Sunday, March 11, 2007 – Ellicott City – 9th overall – 18:01.05 (clock), 17:59/18:00 (my watch)

- H.C.S. Spring Series Race (“Vernal Velocity) #1: Burleigh Manor Middle School 2 miles – Sunday, April 1, 2007 - Ellicott City/Columbia area – 2nd overall – 10:51 (best time on the course J)

- Inaugural Musical Madness 5K – Saturday, May 12, 2007 – Maple Lawn/Fulton/Scaggsville – 7th overall (1st in 20-29 age group category) – 18:48.71

Kent County
- 31st Annual Chestertown Tea Party Distance Classic (10 miler) – Saturday, May 26, 2007 – Chestertown – 31st overall (2nd in 20-24 age group) – 1:15:01 (clock), 1:14:57 (watch)

Montgomery County
- Gaithersburg Firebirds Track one mile race – Thursday, April 12, 2007 – Gaithersburg – 3rd overall – 5:04

Prince George’s (P.G.) County – Nothing yet

Queen Anne’s County
- Shore Christian Fellowship Church’s Inaugural Race to Impact (10K) – Saturday, March 24th, 2007 – Chester/Kent Narrows/Kent Island (it was all on the shaded Cross Island Trail) – 1st overall – 38:51

Somerset County
- 2nd Annual McCready Health Services Foundations Founder’s Day 8K Run & 2-mile walk (8K) – Saturday, May 5, 2007 (El Cinco de Mayo) – Crisfield – 1st overall – 31:58 (ran faster there this year than last year :)

Saint Mary’s County
- National Trails Day 5K (it was a little more than that, probably closer to 3.5 miles) – Saturday, June 2, 2007. – Historic St. Mary’s City area – 1st overall – 21:38

Talbot County
- Oxford Day 10K – Saturday, April 28, 2007 – Oxford – 1st overall – 38:35 (big improvement over last year’s time here, and a well-paced race on a relatively short amount of sleep :)

Washington County
- Tom Ausherman Memorial Series #1 (2-mile/1-mile) – Tuesday, June 5, 2007 – Hagerstown – 6th overall(2-mile race) – 11:36

Wicomico County
- Salisbury University Track & Field’s Seagull Home Opener Meet – Saturday, March 3, 2007 – Salisbury
- 1500 meter run – 7th overall – 4:48.7
- 800 meter run - 2nd overall – 2:12.5
- 4X400 meter relay (alumni team) – 4th overall (1st alumni team) – 4:01.5

- 4th Annual Tim Kennard 5 mile River Run and 3 mile walk – Sunday, March 4, 2007 – Salisbury – 14th overall (3rd in the 20-24 age group division) – 31:25 (clock), 31:14 (chip – Nice performance for me that surpassed my expectations, especially after running three track races less than twenty-four hours ago J)

Worcester County – Nothing yet

Events outside of Maryland

Delaware

Kent County
- March Moonlight Madness 5K – Thursday, March 1, 2007 – Wyoming – 2nd overall (1st in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:28

Picking up some momentum!!!!

Well as many of you readers remember, last Wednesday, June 13th, I tried to run a track race in Frederick County, but it was postponed as a result of the storm over there and since I was busy for most of last week, I could not get in any other running events. However, the next day, Thursday, June 14th, I still managed to have a great run that was almost as fast as my time in the Survivor Harbor three-mile race I had run the previous weekend in Baltimore City. Since I did not race on Wednesday, I was rarin' to have a great workout on Thursday instead. I decided on trying to improve my time from almost seven years ago on this course that was almost 3.2 miles that started and ended in front of my house. During high school, I would often run it hard to stay in shape for the 5-kilometer distance in cross country, and sometime during the summer (I think it was in July) of 2000, I ran 20:28 with my split around the 5K mark at about 19:27.

However, last Thursday, I wanted to break 20 minutes on that course, a feat I did not think myself capable of back when I ran on that course frequently. I was hoping that since I've improved significantly since high school, I might have a shot at beating my best time on that course. I knew that lately my running was going so-so and last Sunday I had run a nice three-miler in about 17:53, but I did not have too much confidence that this would be that easy for me. Plus, I was fairly tired from working at Wilde Lake and playing basketball with the kids mere hours before.

I did this run in the afternoon right after I got home from Wilde Lake and before my late-afternoon/evening shift at Safeway, and I was blessed that the weather was not too hot or humid at all. In fact, I think it was under seventy degrees, great running weather for me!

The first quarter mile and then some was pretty much down hill and that helped me go through the first mile in about five minutes and forty-eight seconds (which in my recollection, was my best first-mile split on this course by about two seconds :)) I stayed strong for the next mile, going over some rather moderate rolling hills and a flat portion into the third mile. However, right around two-and-a-half miles, I could feel my legs tightening up, especially around my right foot (where I've had tendonitis issues during college). I kept on pressing though, into the last and more hilly phase of the course, knowing that (hopefully) I would be done in about five minutes or so.

After climbing one of the toughest hills on the course towards teh end and near where the three-mile point roughly was, my watch said 17:19 thereabouts and that gave me a lot of encouragment to pick up the pace (which to people goin' by probably looked like a funny sorta limp and hop). I was pleased to see that I went through about three miles in about 17:54/17:55, only a mere second or two slower than last Sunday's three-mile race in Baltimore City. I went through the point where I thought the 5K was about at in about 18:34 and tried to keep the pressure on. I knew that when I had run my best time on the course of 20:28, it had taken me about a minute and a second to run from the roughly estimated 5K point to the finish of the course, and I knew now that I was definitely fit enough to get through that distance in under a minute, and that even if I did not, I would probably still succeed at my goal.

I think I probably managed to slur a quick prayer of thanks as I tried to charge towards my street and driveway where the course ended. During this final stretch, I looked down at my watch and it read about 19:10, and I knew that if I kept pushin' I would definitely break 20 minutes.

Almost twenty seconds later, I bounded across the finish in about nineteen minutes and twenty nine seconds, shattering my old best time from almost seven years ago by fifty-nine seconds and covering that final stretch in fifty-five seconds!!!!! I was really happy, motivated, and encouraged from that point on that I was getting back into better physical running shape. I'm sure I pretty much ran faster than most of my three-mile and 5-kilometer distance races in the past month of May, so I'm lookin' forward to upcoming races. I just hope they don't get rained out or that my body does not cramp up as much either.

Although I missed out on running a Frederick County race the night before, it worked out because I was able to accomplish this smaller goal that I felt was a long time coming :)

Running Events I have done this year as of Monday, June 18, 2007

Maryland

Allegany County – Nothing yet

Anne Arundel County
– Governor’s “Non-Bay Bridge” Run (2.93 miles) – Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Sandy Point State Park/Annapolis – 8th overall (1st in 20-24-year-old age group) – 18:09 (clock), 18:07 (my watch)

Baltimore City
- Survivor Harbor 7-mile/3-mile – Sunday, June 10, 2007 – Baltimore City – 2nd overall (3-mile run) – 17:56 (clock), 17:53 (watch)

Baltimore County
– Patapsco State Park Avalon area trail race (a little over 6 miles) – Sunday, May 13th, 2007 – Near University of Maryland-Baltimore County/Arbutus area – 18th overall – 58:03

– PopPop and Pinhead Trail Scramble (about 5-6 miles) – Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Perry Hall/Gunpowder Falls State Park area – Not sure yet about my finishing place, I haven’t seen the results yet - 52:14

Calvert County – Nothing yet

Caroline County
- Adkins Arboretum Arbor Day Fun Run (10K) – Saturday, April 21st, 2007 – Ridgley – 1st overall – 37:59 PR!!!!! :)

Carroll County
- Westminster Road Runners Club (W.R.R.C.) Predicted Time Four-Miler – Saturday, March 10, 2007 – Westminster/Bachman Valley area – 2nd person in, 14th closest to predicted time – 25:34 (my predicted time was 27:00, I was 1:26 fast, whoops J-)

- Andy Hayes Memorial 5K Run – Saturday, April 7, 2007 – Westminster/near Farm Museum – 2nd overall – 18:47

Cecil County
- Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (N.M.R.A.) Fools Frolic 22K (I ran the much shorter 5-6 mile route) – Sunday, April 1, 2007 – Fair Hill/Elkton – First person in, but it was not much of a race, just pretty much me and another gentleman chillin’ and chattin’ our way through – 1 hour, 21 minutes, 55 seconds

- Run4Fun 5K Run/Walk – Sunday, June 3, 2007 – Elkton – 5th overall (1st in 20-29 year-old age group) – 19:29

Charles County
- Civista Health Services Run for Wellness 5K – Sunday, May 20, 2007 – LaPlata – 5th overall (1st in male 20-29 age group) – 19:14 (clock), 19:08 (chip)

Dorchester County
- Dorchester Family YMCA Healthy Kid’s Day Fun Run (1.9 miles, mainly flat cross country) – Saturday, April 14, 2007 - Cambridge – 1st overall – 10:54 (ran negative splits too J)

Frederick County – Nothing yet

Garrett County – Nothing yet

Harford County – Nothing yet

Howard County

- Howard County Striders (H.C.S.) Weekly Winter Series (a.k.a. “Operation Iceberg”) # 3: Atholton High School 5 Kilometer – Sunday, January 21, 2007 – Columbia – 15th overall – 19:43

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #4: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2miles – Sunday, January 28, 2007 - Columbia - 30th overall - 20:17

- Penguin Pace 5K – Sunday, February 4, 2007 – Columbia – 8th overall (1st in 20-29 age group) – 18:43.86

- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #6: Thunder Hill Elementary School 2 miles – Sunday, February 18, 2007 – Columbia – 2nd overall – 11:52 (my best time on that course J)

- Outback’s 5K for the YMCA – Sunday, March 11, 2007 – Ellicott City – 9th overall – 18:01.05 (clock), 17:59/18:00 (my watch)

- H.C.S. Spring Series Race (“Vernal Velocity) #1: Burleigh Manor Middle School 2 miles – Sunday, April 1, 2007 - Ellicott City/Columbia area – 2nd overall – 10:51 (best time on the course J)

- Inaugural Musical Madness 5K – Saturday, May 12, 2007 – Maple Lawn/Fulton/Scaggsville – 7th overall (1st in 20-29 age group category) – 18:48.71

Kent County
- 31st Annual Chestertown Tea Party Distance Classic (10 miler) – Saturday, May 26, 2007 – Chestertown – 31st overall (2nd in 20-24 age group) – 1:15:01 (clock), 1:14:57 (watch)

Montgomery County
- Gaithersburg Firebirds Track one mile race – Thursday, April 12, 2007 – Gaithersburg – 3rd overall – 5:04

Prince George’s (P.G.) County – Nothing yet

Queen Anne’s County
- Shore Christian Fellowship Church’s Inaugural Race to Impact (10K) – Saturday, March 24th, 2007 – Chester/Kent Narrows/Kent Island (it was all on the shaded Cross Island Trail) – 1st overall – 38:51

Somerset County
- 2nd Annual McCready Health Services Foundations Founder’s Day 8K Run & 2-mile walk (8K) – Saturday, May 5, 2007 (El Cinco de Mayo) – Crisfield – 1st overall – 31:58 (ran faster there this year than last year :)

Saint Mary’s County
- National Trails Day 5K (it was a little more than that, probably closer to 3.5 miles) – Saturday, June 2, 2007. – Historic St. Mary’s City area – 1st overall – 21:38

Talbot County
- Oxford Day 10K – Saturday, April 28, 2007 – Oxford – 1st overall – 38:35 (big improvement over last year’s time here, and a well-paced race on a relatively short amount of sleep :)

Washington County
- Tom Ausherman Memorial Series #1 (2-mile/1-mile) – Tuesday, June 5, 2007 – Hagerstown – 6th overall(2-mile race) – 11:36

Wicomico County
- Salisbury University Track & Field’s Seagull Home Opener Meet – Saturday, March 3, 2007 – Salisbury
- 1500 meter run – 7th overall – 4:48.7
- 800 meter run - 2nd overall – 2:12.5
- 4X400 meter relay (alumni team) – 4th overall (1st alumni team) – 4:01.5

- 4th Annual Tim Kennard 5 mile River Run and 3 mile walk – Sunday, March 4, 2007 – Salisbury – 14th overall (3rd in the 20-24 age group division) – 31:25 (clock), 31:14 (chip – Nice performance for me that surpassed my expectations, especially after running three track races less than twenty-four hours ago J)

Worcester County – Nothing yet

Events outside of Maryland

Delaware

Kent County
- March Moonlight Madness 5K – Thursday, March 1, 2007 – Wyoming – 2nd overall (1st in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:28