Hard to get running and goals outta my head!

I guess during these past few weeks, just consistently focusing on this goal and the events I've run so far (as well as the ones I hope to run) have not been enough. These past few weeks, the only dreams I remember having involve running or the people I have met at some of these eents. It's cool I guess, it lets me know how much my mind's been on it, but I gotta be careful it does not become too much of an obsession!

Sometimes I wonder what exactly occupied my mind more often when I was not goin' after and concentrating on such a goal as I'm workin' on now... Ah well, more later. Gotta get some ice on my rather stiff legs. Have a good weekend out there and a very happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!

Almost got Frederick County in!!!

Hey there, this evening I was headin' out to Frederick, MD in Frederick County to run a running event there that the Frederick Steeplechasers (http://www.steeplechasers.org) were puttin' on called the Decathlon Series Crazy Eights Run (an 800 meter run at the Frederick County High School track). I was hoping I could break 2:20 and maybe finish near the top of the pack, but when I got there and started warming up, the warm sunny day turned dreary with loud, rainy thunderstorms. The other people who showed up to participate and myself ended up sitting in our cars during the storm, hoping to wait it out so that we could start the event, but while listening to the radio weather reports we found out that the storms would probably not taper off until about 9 P.M. (and this was around 6:45), so the director called the event off.
Once again, the weather became an obstacle on getting a running event in in a county! At first I was a little disappointed (though not as depressed and ticked as I was feeling when the River Run in Worcester County was postponed the other week), but then I remebered that God has a plan and that it probably involves something better for me than what I was thinkin' of for myself! I had to keep my head up and look at the positives, such as I have been blessed with decent race performances for many of the ones I have run this year, and that I have participated in so many running events in so many Maryland counties already. Fortunately, Frederick County has quite a few races and events year around, so I'm lookin' forward to another one. I'm sure that Crazy Eights Run will probably be rescheduled too. Who knows, maybe God intends for me to run a better race this year in Frederick County than what I would have turned out today had the race not been rained out.
I had looked on Weather.Com, but I was lookin' at the weather for Columbia, thinkin' that since it was within an hour of Frederick, it would not be too different. According to the forecast, there would be a lotta rain and some stormin', but it would taper off by the evening, in time for the event. However, that weather came a little later in Frederick and as a result, the evening storm cancelled the event. Oh well. Hopefully this won't happen too often in the future and that I can continue to make steady progress. I know I have well over several months left before 2007 is over, but with workin' two jobs (especially one that has me workin' all sorts of hours on weekdays, weekends, holidays and all of that) I think it would behoove me to get in what I can as soon as I can, especially in counties where hte events are harder to find! Afterall, I don't want to put off makin' progress on this for too long and then have slim pickin's on events towards the end of the year that could very well be rained out or cancelled, leaving me hard pressed to find another event in the remaining counties to accomplish this goal.
Just gotta stay focused, stay encouraged, and keep focused on the larger picture!
Also, I was fortunate enough tonight to come clean to someone I really care about and I know who care about me, about what I've been doing with this project. I was worried about telling them, because they may really put forth a strong effort to stop me, but all they did was just think it sorta funny/crazy (well that was the impression I got anyways, I could be a little off on that). But right now, I am starting to feel a lot better and they seemed to like it that I was blogging all this stuff. I hope if they ever do read these, they enjoy it and get something out of it. And whether or not they think this goal is dope, or they don't think I can do it, I just hope that they see how much I believe it can be done and how hard I'm working (and have worked) to make progress on this. I care about this a lot, if anything, it has taught me to value planning, responsibility, organization, drive, and hardwork more strongly. If there is anything boyish in me, pursuing something like this is making a man outta me, it seems!
I am definitely prepared to have people discourage me on this or voice how crazy/corny they think I am for attempting this, but I am okay with it. Ever since I was in preschool/kindergarten, I always seemed to have a reputation of being a little... unique, maybe a little wild, and creative I suppose... So I guess people thinkin' I'm a little "weird" or "different" has not been so hard for me to accept over the years, especially after going through college where it seemed to be a norm to be unique.
I suppose I have not yet grown out of that college kid phase yet, haha (or that I have not grown up much at all)!
I can't get out of my head this one poster I see every time I go into the boy's locker room at Wilde Lake High School (where I've been workin' with special education students on a long-term substitute basis) that shows a picture of a determined track runner clearing a hurdle and below is a quote by someone anonymous that reads, "adversity causes some men to break, and others to break records."
I hope I end up on the side after the comma in that quote. I dunno what kinda record this may be or what it'll look like if I am successful with this, but all I know is is that the more people laugh at me for this or relate that they think I may be over my head in this, the more driven I feel to accomplish this, and the more progress I make (and more people I tell about it) the better I feel about it! I honestly do not know if I will succeed in this, but I am still as determined to make strong efforts to complete it and I have a very solid faith in God that He will provide what I will need to get this done if it is His will, and as I've said before, His work and His aid in this is almost visibly clear. Earlier on in this endeavor, when I had trouble figuring out events to do in certain counties, I prayed about it and soon enough He helped me find out about some in the counties I was wondering about. If anything it definitely encourages me to keep in prayer about it and not be discouraged!
All right, well that's my rant for this evening! Thank you for all those who both, discourage and support me. Now you all know that even though you may not agree with what I'm doing, you're still contributing to my motivation to press on. I hope all of you have a good night out there!

Baltimore City race!

This morning I was fortunate enough to make it for the three-mile run of the Survivor Harbor Run in Baltimore City. The premiere event was the seven-miler, but I wanted to stick with the shorter distance, especially after running so long a coupla weeks back in the Chestertown Teaparty Distance Classic with the ten-miler.

I ran just under a six-minute-per-mile pace, which was right where I wanted to be and I was really happy with that, because that's been better than what I've been turning out for 3-mile/5K distances for like the last month and a half, so maybe now I'm really starting to pick up some solid momentum. I just have to be patient and not expect too much of myself. I was definitely fortunate to finish second overall and enjoy the relatively easy course with simple slopes as well. They had some nice post-race festivities and quite a few awards for survivors, masters, overall finishers, and age-group divisions in both the seven and three-mile races.

I finished in about 17:53 according to my watch and 17:56 according to the clock (like normal, I started a coupla seconds behind the starting line after the race started, so that I would not go out too fast.

Lookin' forward to the next race, I'll keep you all posted on that if any of you are interested. Thanks for your support and continue to enjoy the weekend!

Running Events I have done this year as of Sunday, June 10, 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!!!!! 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 – 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 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) – 11:36/11:37

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

A Little "Slip Up"

So this mornin' I head up towards northern Maryland for what I thought was a Harford County trail race, but when I got there it ended up bein' in Baltimore County, a county I had run an event in almost a month ago. OOOPPSSS....
Oh well, no sweat, fortunately it was only a coupla bucks. It was called the PopPop and Pinhead Trail Scramble in the Lower Gunpowder Falls State Park trails and it was put on by R.A.S.A.C. (http://www.rasac.com) a group that has many of their events in Harford County, so I just assumed that this one would be in Harford County, but I was mistaken. It ended up being around the Perry Hall area and I'm glad I still made it. I had a good time and I think I finished about fifth or sixth roughly (haven't seen the actual results yet) in a time of 52:14 for a distance of about 5-6 miles. It was not too bad since I usually do not run that strongly on trail races and I wanted to have an easier paced run today anyways. There were some hills during the first half, but not too many during the second. It was not as hard or as treacherous as the 6+ miler I ran almost a month ago in Baltimore County in the Avalon Area of the Patapsco State Park, so I felt like I handled it really well. One thing worth noting about this event is that there are three "stream crossings" that are more like river crossings where participants cross the river by pretty much wading through it. According to runners who ran this in the past, the river seemed relatively low this year, but I would say it was at least one-to-two feet in some parts of it, and that's plenty deep for me if I'm runnin' through it! Upon gettin' through the first stream/river crossing, I thought to myself that one of the main reasons I ended up doing this is because of this goal, which has taken me all over Maryland in places like Kent County, Montgomery County, and even out to western Maryland a little bit. I'm lookin' forward to more progress soon as well as some more fun times like I had today at the PopPop and Pinhead Trail Scramble.
Have a good night out there everyone :)

Finished a Washington County event!!!

Good evening everyone! On Tuesday evening at Hagerstown Community College, I was fortunate enough to be able to finish and participate in the Tom Ausherman Memorial Series Race#1: 2-mile/1-mile event in Hagerstown, MD (which is in Washington County). The weather was wonderful, not too humid, hot, or windy. The event ended just before the rains came and I was definitely appreciative to have gotten this event in without any intereference from the weather. The event was put on by a PA-based running group called the Chambersburg Road Runners, and the people there were really nice.
This has been the furthest west in MD that I've raced I do believe, and it certainly has been this year, and the rolling, yet somewhat long hills gave me a preview of what's to come in Allegany and Garrett counties, I'm sure. Whenever I mention this endeavor to run events in different counties in Maryland to people, quite a few of them have mentioned Allegany and Garrett counties as tough ones because it's so mountainous and hilly, so I'm glad I was able to get Washington County in as some solid "hill work" I suppose. In a coupla weeks I will hopefully be available to run some races/events up in those two counties, so I should really start to focus in on some more hill-based running if I want to run decently in those counties... Anyway, I finished about 11:36/11:37, and my one-mile split was about 5:47/5:48, so I was really pleased that my pace was even and that I was about twenty seconds faster than my two-mile split of 11:57 two-mile split at the National Trails Day 5K+ trail run in Saint Mary's County last Saturday! I barely finished sixth overall and was glad to have gotten into the top-ten in such a competitive field of high school standouts and strong runners who were young and old. Hopefully my running performances are starting to go in a more positive direction once again, we'll have to see.
The day after the race, I called up the Francis Scott Key Resort in Ocean City about the upcoming third "Splash and Dash" series race at Stephen Decatur High School to get a Worcester County running event in, but then I found out that the 5K was postponed until either Saturday, June 23rd (which was when I planned to run the Grantsville Days 5K in Garrett County if I'm fortunate enough to be available for it) or on Saturday, June 30th (which was when I planned to run in the Lonaconing Iron Furnace 5K in Allegany County if I'm fortunate enough to be available for the event), so I'm glad it's being postponed, but I'm thinkin' because I have some opportunities to run events in western MD on those days, I might just suck it up and travel all the way out to the far Maryland Eastern Shore the day after goin' all the way out to Garrett County (if I end up doing that race), which would be on Sunday the 24th of June, for the post-poned River Run 5K that TriSportsEvents puts on in Berlin, MD. That will be a lot of traveling from west-to-east-to-west across Maryland within about two weeks, but if I'm available to do those events, it would be a huge blessing and it would help me to cover some serious ground on this project. Plus, I almost feel "thwarted" in my attempts to run an event in Worcester County, the only county on the Maryland Eastern Shore where I have not run a running event yet. I mean last weekend the River Run was postponed because of the storm and now the Splash and Dash 5K was postponed. Hopefully I can at least get a Worcester County running event in soon. However, I will not grump or complain about it much more. I know I'm blessed to have covered the territory I have already in this goal and to have performed as I have in the process and I have to keep in mind that God knows what is happening and He has plans for me that are better than my own, so I'm not going to get worked up about it. Again, last Sunday's service was a great "pick-me-up" to say the least, and I woulda missed it had I done the River Run instead.
Also, on the bright side, this Saturday is open for me to run a Harford County running event up towards northern Maryland. The Renaissance All-Sports Athletic Club (R.A.S.A.C.) is putting on a "Pop Pop and Pin Head Trail Scramble" run that's somewhere between five and six miles in the Gunpowder Falls area. I'm under the impression it's sort of a low-key trail run and I know they had it last year, so I'm sure it was a success if they're havin' it this year. I'm not workin' this Saturday morning and hopefully I can make this one and it will not cost too much to get in this event, so I can get a trail run in Harford County. Since it will most likely be a trail run (and I usually don't push those too hard for fear of injury), I'll prolly not work that one too hard and save my energy for the Survivor Harbor three-mile race the next day on June 10th. Hopefully there I can push myself to run a strong time on a nice course and get a Baltimore City event in in the process! We'll see what happens.
Sorry this blog has gotten so long, but if I wanna be accurate with this, I want to at least relate what's on my mind with this. I thank any of you reading/following this so much and I appreciate your attention and any support too! God bless you and have a good night!

Running Events I have done this year as of Thursday, June 7, 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 – None yet, but hopefully soon!

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

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 – 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) – 1:14:57

Montgomery County
- Gaithersburg Fireirds 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 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 :)

Washington County
- Tom Ausherman Memorial Series #1 (2-mile/1-mile) – Tuesday, June 5, 2007 – Hagerstown – 6th overall(2-mile race) – 11:36/11:37

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

Nice Sunday!

well some good and bad news on today's racing front. I'll start with the more disappointing news, but then move onto the better stuff. First off, after finishing up at the Run4Fun 5K in Elkton (Cecil County), MD, I was driving towards Worcester County (it was gonna be a haul across the MD Eastern Shore that's for sure) for the River Run 5K around Berlin this evening, when I get a call from the race director saying that because of the weather, they have to reschedule it to Sunday evening, June 24th. Oh man! I was pretty much lookin' forward to that race the most this weekend, because that was the only county on the MD Eastern Shore that I had not run a running event in. Good things happened for me in the previous two races this weekend, but for some reason that all got drowned out in a moment in the rain pouring all around me as I drove in a bitter daze towards the small towns and open fields of Queen Anne's and Caroline Counties. For a good portion of the afternoon I felt down about it, and it just put me in a dismal mood. It was nice it was postponed, but I did not want to have try and pull any more strings than I feel like I have to request another day off so I can have time to go out there and do that race, plus that's the same day as the Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery 5K, a very fast and popular 5K that I've become a regular at these past several years. Even though Damien's Run is in the morning and the River Run is at night, for some reason I did not want to have to deal with both and having to ask off work to run them both on that Sunday (though, if I had to choose, I would probably have chosen the River Run 5K over Damien's this year just for the sake of progress on my goal). Plus, I knew that there was going to be another Francis Scott Key Resort Splash and Dash 5K series race in Worcester County this coming Saturday morning (and I do have that Saturday), but it seems quite expensive and it may require me to actually have to go into Ocean City to pick up my race bib and all that, and then go a little westward to Stephen Decatur High School where the actual race would be held, and I may be really pressed for time in getting back to work. For some reason, I felt like I had a lotta decisions to make on my tentative schedule, and man was I tired.

Well one good thing was that I got back to Howard County a lot earlier than I intended since the River Run was postponed (and I probably saved on gas and did not get stuck back there in tight traffic and the rough rain storm brewin' over there). Instead, I was able to make it to Grace Community Church, where they have their Fusion (young adult ministry) service, and the guy speaking seemed to speak right to my situation. He was talking about temptation as well as the difference between faith and hope. He helped remind me that faith in God is faith based on Him and His promises, while hope involves wanting something that is not there. For example, I wanted the River Run to be on, so that I could have done a running event in every county on the Maryland Eastern Shore within a year like I wanted, but that did not happen. But let's be fair, I don't think God promised that I would be able to make that race either (that's why in previous posts I'm like "if I make that event...") From then on, the speaker said things that made me realize and be reminded that I must continue to trust God and know that everything happens for a reason. Just because I did not get to run the event I wanted did not mean that I would not have other opportunities to run events in Worcester County. I had become so fixated on that event at the EXCLUSION of some of the other things that went on. Maybe that is a race He wants me to run, maybe not. Maybe God knew that I would not perform as well since I have not slept all that great this weekend and that I had already run two 5K races, so maybe if I ran a different one in that county, I would run and perform better. Who knows. The message was about not manipulating God to bend to my plans, but to learn to cooperate with His. Time and again He's proven His plans are better than my own.... And wouldn't you know it, I found out that the Splash and Dash race this coming Saturday in Worcester County is apparently not going to require participants to pick up their race necessities in Ocean City, but at Stephen Decatur High School, the race site itself. Plus it's apparently going to be cross country, a kind of environment where I have surprisingly had some solid races this past year. So yea, now I'm definitely lookin' forward to that on Saturday and then scramblin' back to Howard County for my work shift. Plus, I'm also lookin' forward to Washington County's cross country race at Hagerstown Community College (the first Tom Auschermann's series 2-mile/1-mile) in the Hagerstown area. I have off that Tuesday night (and this time I looked at the weather report, hopefully it stays dry), so I'm lookin' forward to more progress in western Maryland in the near future. On that note, I took a good gander at the Queen City Striders' website (http://www.qcstriders.org) a huge western-Maryland-based running club that has a lot of their races in Allegany and Garrett counties (and some in West Virginia too even) and they had quite a few events comin' up this month and in July for Allegany and Garrett, so I'm hoping I might even have some opportunities to get out there!

Also, feelin' a little bitter and upset about the postponement of the River Run, I almost forgot about the fact that yesterday I got a running event in in Saint Mary's County yesterday (and even won it and ran stronger there than I had in the past month), and then earlier today there was the 4th annual Run4Fun in Cecil County. That race was cool, a lotta friendly folks. I intended to take it easier there and what hills there were were not too bad at all. I felt my legs go leaden/cramp up on that last mile and my form began to fall apart, but I was blessed enough to hold it together and finish fifth overall and first in the 20-29 year age-group. I might have been able to push it a little harder had I know I was only going to run that one event that day instead of two, but it was probably better for my body. I ran 19:29, which was actually faster than the 19:40-19:50 times I was hopin' for.

Definitely some good blessings to count. I guess I just felt the wind sorta knocked outta me for a while there, because I was really gettin' ready to be all happy about finishing up the Maryland Eastern Shore portion of this goal. Oh well, like I said, maybe I'll be in better shape to have a stronger performance in Worcester County than I would have had a run the River Run this evening! I'm definitely glad I made it into church and got to prayerfully talk to God about what was on my mind and feel His comfort and reassurance that I should not be worked up about this, that it is all part of a better Plan!

All right, thanks for reading. Hopefully some more interesting things to follow in the near future. Have a good night and I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Running Events I have done this year as of Sunday June 3, 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 – None yet, but hopefully soon!

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

Calvert County – Nothing yet

Caroline County
- Adkins Arboretum Arbor Day Fun Run (10K) – Saturday, April 21st, 2007 – Ridgley – 1st overall – 37:59 PR!!!!! 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 – 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) – 1:14:57

Montgomery County
- Gaithersburg Fireirds 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 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 – Nothing yet

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

One down, two more to go (hopefully) in this weekend of 5K's

Hey there, I just ran a 5K trail race in St. Mary's County. It was cool, but an avid runner who runs the event a lot says it's actually a lot more than a 5K. After finishing in about 21:38 I would agree and say that it's probably closer to 3.5 miles. It was still fun, nice morning for a run, and I don't think anyone got hurt. It was flat with some rolling hills, but nothing much compared to what I've run in like Howard or Carroll Counties. I finished first, went through the first two miles in just under twelve minutes and maintained a good solid pace towards the end. I was pretty happy with it and the fact that I finished a running event in Maryland's southernmost county!

Tomorrow morning I will hopefully be able to make the Run4Fun 5K in Elkton and then tomorrow evening be able to make the River Run 5K in Berlin, MD. Thanks for all of your support, reading, and prayer so far!

Enjoy your weekend!
Noah W.