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!
Monday, June 25, 2007
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!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
"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 :)
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 :)
Thursday, June 21, 2007
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)
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)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
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
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
- 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
- March Moonlight Madness 5K – Thursday, March 1, 2007 – Wyoming – 2nd overall (1st in male 20-29 age group division) – 18:28
Sunday, June 17, 2007
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)
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
