Saturday - May 10, 2008 - First annual Run for Reading 4K at Bayview Elementary School in Bayview/North East (Cecil County), Maryland
All right, so I've been coming off of an injury and not running a whole lot (the last time I had run was the previous Sunday, May 4, at the Patriot's Cup 8K at George Mason University), so here's the story of why I went all the way up to the more northeastern part of Maryland for another race.
As some of you may recall me telling you, I met this gentleman over the internet, a Dr. Daniel Williams, who is a professor at a university in Georgia. Back in March, I was just searching around on Search.Com (the first search engine I was taught to use back when I was in eighth grade when I was learning more about the internet). I was looking up information on people who have attempted and/or succeeded at my successful endeavor to run in a running event in every county of Maryland within a year. After going through a few pages, I came across something about a guy from Georgia who was attempting to run races in different counties of Maryland: Dr. Daniel Williams. Here is a link to his website for any who are interested in reading about him: http://science.kennesaw.edu/%7Edwilliam/da00028.htm
I saw that and I was like "whoa, I wanna read more!" And that's what I did. It turns out Dr. Williams has been trying to run a race in all 159 counties in Georgia, an amount of counties that dwarfs Maryland's 23 counties. He calls himself "the County Runner" (or something like that). I thought that was so cool and as I read on about what he was doing, he wrote about how he had run on all of the runnable areas of the C&O Canal and how he was trying to run a race in every county on the Mason-Dixon Line. He had also run a race in all three counties of Delaware (like I did last year), and even got to run a race (the Governor's Fall Festival 5K Run on October 2, 1999, which I think was a Saturday and I think they have that race still) with the Governor of Delaware at the time (Governor Tom Carper). This was around the Dover (Kent County) area of Delaware (and Dover is Delaware's state capital). What I thought was really impressive on this guy's list of accomplishments was that throughout the course of his life, he has run at least one race in ever state capital of the United States of America (wow, talk about pin-pointing a location for a race). It looks like if he can not find a race to do in a goal area, he actually works to put one on in that area and then he runs in it. I thought that was so inspiring he goes to those lengths to work toward his goals.
One of the things that really stood out to me on the web page was that Dr. Williams was trying to run a race in every county of Maryland south along the Mason-Dixon Line (I think he wants to get every county along the Mason-Dixon Line eventually if he has not already). This includes a lot of the northwestern counties and northern counties of Maryland. The only county he had yet to hit was Cecil County, on the northeastern region of Maryland and considered one of nine counties on the Maryland Eastern Shore. I knew from my experiences last year of running races in every county of Maryland that Cecil County was one of the harder counties to find running events in; in fact, it was probably my first significant challenge in that goal. I knew then that I wanted to find some way to help this gentleman finish out his goal of running races in the Maryland counties along the Mason-Dixon line if he had not already. I looked on the university's website of the university that he teaches at and I found his contact information. I called his office, and left him a rather lengthy voice mail about how I shared similar interests as he in running and racing in different counties, and mentioned the names of a few running events I have heard of in Cecil County. I hoped that he had gotten my voice mail and a few days later, I was pleased to see an e-mail from him (I had left him my e-mail address in the voice mail). From then on, we corresponded through e-mails mostly and we talked about races taht he could do in Cecil County to finish out his goal.
At first we set our sights on the Third Annual "Run/Walk for our River Keeper 5K" in Galena (Kent County), Maryland. This is part of the Galena Dogwood Festival (check out details on it at: http://www.sassafrasriver.org/index_files/page0004.htm).
I had talked with race coordinators of this event in the past and learned that it starts and ends in Kent County, but that the middle of it goes into Cecil County (very few races and running events I've heard of in Maryland span more than one county). However, a little over a week before this event (which was scheduled for Saturday, May 10, 2008), I got an e-mail from one of the coordinators saying that there was a location and course change. I called the coordinator to ask if it would still go into Cecil County and he said it would not... Oh man, there goes that idea of having Dan finish out one of his goals in Cecil County with this race!
Fortunately, God blessed us both with a nice clean back-up. Mere days before I found out about the course change on the "Run/Walk for our River Keeper" I had come across something in Runners World.Com about a Run for Reading 4-Kilometer and 2-Kilometer (kids' race) in North East (Cecil County), MD scheduled for the same morning (May 10) as the "Run/Walk for our River Keeper". I guess Dan Williams had seen it too, 'cause we both easily agreed to do that one instead of the "Run/Walk for our River Keeper" (although I hope to make it out to that race sometime in the future if they still have it, God-willing). On a side-note, it looks like they did find a river keeper for the Sassafras River (check out the article at: http://www.sassafrasriver.org/index_files/Update.pdf)
I am grateful that this option was there for us, especially since Dan was able to come up from Georgia for the weekend and do some work on his summer job (of which he works a lot on in Maryland apparently) and stay with his relatives in Maryland. So, on the morning of May 10, 2008, I earnestly made my way up to the Bayview/North East area (and I actually made a wrong turn and went through the more quaint and historic section of North East instead of hanging a left off of Interstate-95 and heading towards the more rural Bayview area of North East, MD where Bayview Elementary School was (the venue for the race).
When I got there, the skies were a bit overcast but I was confident that the race would get on before any rains started. I jogged over to the race site, and I was able to pick out Dan Williams after seeing a few of his photos on his internet pages, and we met (and we're pictured together after the race there). It was great to meet this gentleman who had run and accomplished so much, especially as far as running in different areas was concerned. It was inspiring to talk with him and learn about some of his experiences. One of the things that really stuck out in my mind was that he started running after God helped get through and recover from a cancer with a low survival rate. Since then he had lost quite a bit of weight and taken up a more healthier lifestyle. It was a testimony of how God has taken a rather unlikely person as far as running goals is concerned, and helped set him up to accomplish greater things than he could think of with his running and other things in his life (similar to what He did to me and what He appears to do with others :)
I thought the course was great. It had some rather minor hills, which is kind of unusual for that part of Maryland since a lot of the Maryland Eastern Shore is flat. Though, they gave me enough of a work out since I had gone almost a full week without running. The course started and ended at Bayview Elementary School and it was two loops. Each loop involved running up a couple of smaller hills towards Cecil Community College, and once there, running back down the hills past the elementary school towards a technical school that shares the same parking lot as Bayview Elementary School (a lot of this race takes place on this parking lot that connects Bayview Elementary School, Cecil Community College, and the technical school). Once coming up a hill out of the parking lot we had to run a lap around the elementary school's back field before running towards the front of the school, through the starting/finish line, and doing the whole loop a second time.
The race started out all right, I ended up taking an early lead and held onto it. I slowed a little bit after the first downhill or two because I was a bit uncertain of where to go, but fortunately one of the course marshals helped straighten me out. I could not believe it, but I was not feeling that worn out. God was keeping me strong and form solid. By the time I had gotten through the parking lot and getting ready to run around the field, I felt like I had extended my lead by a fairly size able margin. Upon turning onto the field, I saw some of the runners coming up the hill away from the technical school and I knew somewhere in there was Dan Williams, en route to finishing out his goal of running a race in every county of Maryland along the Mason-Dixon Line. That was awesome and it was something that inspired me to keep it up.
As I was finishing out my lap on the field, I slowed my pace a bit to make sure I was following the cones/course markers correctly since there were not really any other runners around me or volunteers/course marshals at this area of the course. Before making this last left turn on the field, I saw a marker, and went around it and made a left, grateful to be clearing the more grassy and uneven terrain for the more solid concrete. As I came up towards the starting line to finish up my first lap, I looked at my watch and it read some time that was a little ways under six minutes-and-thirty-seconds, and I'm thinkin' something like,"no way, this course is mighty short, 'cause if I keep up the pace I'm goin', I'd hit sometime in the low 13-minute range and I don't think I've ever run a 4-kilometer distance any faster than a lower 14-minute time!" And I knew I was not quite in shape to be gunnin' after personal best times (even though I felt pretty strong). I thought that even if this course was short, I felt good and I was sure that Dan Williams would finish out his goal this morning!
Just as I began running up the slight uphill towards Cecil Community College, I felt my legs get fatigued and the fact I had hardly run much that week. However, God blessed me with the ability to use my upper body strength and stamina gained from recent weight lifting sessions at the gym to press on up that hill, and then back down it for a second lap. This second lap seemed to go by better (probably because I was more confident since I knew where I was going) and I was in the lead.
Before I knew it, I was clearing the second lap on the field. At this point of the course, it reminded me of the Dorchester Family YMCA Healthy Kids Day Fun Run that I ran back in the April of 2007 in Cambridge (Dorchester County), MD, because most of it was on the fields behind the YMCA and Sandy Hill Elementary School (and to this day that has been the only running event I've done in Dorchester County). That memory of that race that seemed so long ago shortly after I got it in my mind to try and run in different running events in all of Maryland's counties last year, but it lifted my spirits nonetheless!
Before I knew it was barreling towards the finish, which I crossed in about 13:13. Whoa, a nice and even pace and a personal best time to boot! however, I knew it was short, even though when I asked the race director about the distance, he said it was fairly accurate after measuring it a couple of times. I was thinking to myself that it was still short because I knew that even though I felt like I had worked hard, I knew I had not run that fast to run a personal best time on that course (nor did I feel I was in shape for it). Yet, I was still pleased with my time and confident that I had covered the course at a pace under six-minutes-per-mile.
I cooled down by running over the last portion of the course and cheering some of the runners who were still running in the race. I saw Dan and yelled for him and encouraged him that he was coming really close to the finish line and the finish of his goal along the Mason-Dixon Line in Maryland.
However, it was also at this point as Dan was finishing up his lap around the field that I realized why I thought the course was so short: At the point where I turned left at the last marker on the field I was in fact supposed to straight a little longer around this little playground, and then move off of the field. As a result of missing this two times, I probably cut off close to a quarter-mile's worth off of the course. Yet, in that case, I was confident that going at the pace I was going, I probably would have still made it in in under fifteen minutes, or slightly under a six-minute-per-mile pace had I gone the correct way at the pace I was going.
I did not let that bother me too much and I was fortunate enough to cheer Dan as well as others on as they crossed the finish line. It was so awesome to see Dan finish not only the race, but his goal as well of running a race in every county along the south end of the Mason-Dixon Line. It was nice to have that done too at a race that was in its first year. I told the race director about how I accidentally cut the course and he was understanding of it and said that it would probably not have affected how I placed in the race. Phew! Glad I was not disqualified or anything like that!
Another blessing from this event was that I met this gentleman at the starting line named Fred, and he had on a yellow FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) t-shirt on. I told him I liked the shirt and that I had been involved with FCA a little bit at Salisbury University, and he thought that was great. It was nice to meet another believer in Jesus Christ at the race, and it was also terrific that Fred was also one of the top finishers (and I think he said he was more of a longer distance runners o this relatively shorter distance was probably not one he was all that used to running).
After the race, Dan and I went to a coffee shop in the more historic area of North East, MD (where I had made the wrong turn in driving to the race). We had an awesome time chillin' and drinkin' coffee, talkin' about running and our unique goals related to it. We talked about our jobs, his own business (as I too used to be an I.B.O. (Independent Business Owner)), our families, and God! It was such an awesome time and I felt like God blessed it wonderfully. It was great to be in the presence of someone who not only enjoyed the same kind of county-based running goals that I do, but who had just become successful in one of them! After hanging out, Dan went back to his relatives in Maryland and I headed back to Howard County for some errands. On my way there, I had to use the restroom and I saw a sign for Port Deposit, MD. I had heard of this town in Cecil County, MD and I was curious about it, so I figured I'd just stop there and use a bathroom. As I entered town, I was amazed by how beautiful the quaint, riverside town was (even in the overcast skies). The town seemed to run along the Susquehannah River (which pretty much divides Harford and Cecil Counties) and it had some small shops as well as this huge waterfall along this hill, and there were steps leading to the top of it. I'll try to get some photos developed, scanned, and posted on here of my little stop in this town.
Anyway, I came across this general store soon after parkin' my car and I went in to use the bathroom. When I went into the bathroom, I saw some reading material on the top of the toilet and I noticed a Bible verse (or maybe it was some Biblical-based book) among them, and I thought that was awesome. After I finished up, I went to the front desk and told the woman behind there that I thought it was great they had some Biblical reading material, to which she responded delightfully that she thought so too. We had a nice conversation about how she and her family opened the store at least a couple of years ago and they try to keep their business Christ-centered for God's glory. I thought that was terrific and I told her that I was out of town, and that I was in Cecil County for a race, and that led to me telling her about my interest of doing running events in different counties in Maryland, and about how God helped me do one in every county of Maryland last year. I found the conversation to be quite encouraging and I don't think the woman was too weirded out about my mention of last year's Maryland-wide running endeavor. If I'm ever in Port Deposit again (which I hope I am), I hope to make it back to that store.
After leaving the store, I climbed up the steps of that waterfall and took a photo or two of the town and river from atop it. Very fun!
Once I drove out of Port Deposit, I headed back to Howard County for some errands, and then back to my place in Baltimore County where I ended up meeting up with my friend Oni to play tennis! We had a great time chillin' afterwards. The day was just awesome, and I'm glad my spring semester at Howard Community College ended a few days before, so I did not have to sweat homework or other such obligations during a day that I felt God's blessings all over :)
- Sunday, May 11, 2008 - "Happy Mother's Day Mom!... I'm home all muddy!"
In order to cool down from the previous day's surprisingly great run in North East, I decided to do this rather inexpensive low-key trail race in the Patapsco State Park right near where I live. I had run this event for the first time last year, and ran about 58:03 for the distance that was somewhere between five-or-six miles. It was fun, but since it is on sometimes dangerous trails, I make a point to take it easy, because I don't usually run trails all that well, and I did not see it worth the injury.
I started out towards the middle-to-back of the pack when we started in the road. The course quickly narrowed as we entered the Patapsco State Park where the rest of the trail race was to occur. The course quickly took a downhill with a lot of rocks, ruts, roots, and mud puddles. All these people behind me seemed to dash past me down the hill as I was just trying to carefully get myself down the hill without twisting my ankle or taking a face plant (and since it had rained a bit the previous day, it was quite muddy). It did not take long for a lot of people to get in front of me and take off through the twisting trails. Whenever the trails would flatten out or turn into an uphill, I felt like I could pick it up because I felt like the terrain and conditions were such that I could control myself and better avoid obstacles. I heard that they also slightly increased the distance of this course a little more from last year's
I ended up running with a couple of other people when we got to the bottom of that first big down hill. However, we ended up running the wrong way and we went well over a quarter-of-a-mile until we figured out that we were off course, so we ended up running some extra. Once we got back on the track (or trail rather), we went up a fairly steep up hill which was pretty grueling. However, since I was going at a slower pace than usual on this course, I felt I was able to save my energy for the other two steeper uphills that came later towards the middle and end of the race.
Now the end of the race involved going up that steady and rather long incline that we ran down at the beginning of the race. Fortunately I had paced myself well and I was able to get up this hill and to the finish line in a matter of several minutes. When I got to the top and broke out of the forest and back onto the road where the finish line was, I finished in an hour, five minutes, and fifty-nine seconds for a distance that was probably closer to six miles (someone said that their GPS thingy measured it out to be about 5.8 miles). However, since myself and a couple of others (one of which I was keeping up with for a good portion of last year's trail race here), went the wrong way, I figured I covered a little over six miles. In that sense I could have very well have run close or a little faster than last year, which is not bad at all since I had not been running all that consistently.
As I result, we were all fairly muddy, but it was all in good fun. I saw a lot of people I knew from the Howard County Striders as well as folks for the Baltimore County area. I guess since I live around this area now, I should maybe look into some of these trails for running (even though I'm not much of a trail runner) or just some areas around the Patapsco State Park in general!
Thank you all so much for reading through this lengthy post! I am glad to have all of your support, enthusiasm, and attention with these blogs; it's definitely a blessing! I hope you all are enjoying the weekend and I'll try to get some more photos and updates up here sometime soon. Take it easy out there :)
