Well one of the main reasons for going to the Maryland Eastern Shore this weekend was to try and get a race in in Worcester County: The 8th Annual Pink Ribbon Classic 5K in Ocean City.
Let's just say I got a lot more in than that!
I'm glad that this race was scheduled for Saturday morning (October 18), because the day before that there was this huge M.S.T.A. Convention (it was for educators all over the state) at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City. I wanted to go there for my job (and I had gone last year and thought it was worthwhile) as well as the race. Plus, this was the same weekend that the Man-Up Summit Conference for men was going on at St. Paul's United Methodist Church (currently more commonly known as the Uprising Church) in Hebron (Wicomico County), MD within an hour of Ocean City. I used to go to this church when I was a student at Salisbury University. I was grateful that I had plenty of reasons to be in town and God-willing, I would be able to have time for these three events as well as time to see some of my friends who live on the Maryland Eastern Shore. So on Thursday evening, after doing a tempo run of about five miles (about 33:59 and some change around the Lake Elkhorn loop that I measured out on my bike to be about 5.04 miles), I got some things together and headed off to my friend John's house in Salisbury (I stayed with him almost two weeks ago when we did those two 5K's on the Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, October 4; the North Dorchester High School Eagle 5K and the Vernon Powell Shoes the Athlete 5K Challenge.
Friday morning, I got up early and met up with my friend Laura for a quick breakfast at the local Panera bread (their bagels are delicious, especially that cinnamon crunch one). Afterwards I headed off to the convention. One of the reasons I wanted to get there early was to watch Maryland governor, Martin O' Malley, speak. I made it to speech (and there were school system delegates there from every county of Maryland and I was there as one fo the guests). He presented himself very well, and I liked his speech and assembly. I had never really seen him speak before and I did not know much about him. I figured since I've been all over Maryland to do races, I thought it might be a good idea to get to know the Maryland governor a little bit better by attending one of his programs at the M.S.T.A. convention. Afterwards, as he was exiting people were shaking his hand and having photos taken with him, and asking him questions about his governing and working with the schools in Maryland. I just wanted to have the opportunity to meet him in person and perhaps have my photo taken with him. I was fortunate enough to shake his hand, have a photo taken with him (which I will hopefully get developed in the near-future and posted up here), and congratulate him and tell him briefly about my Maryland-wide running endeavor from last year and this year, and I thought he responded well to it considering there were probably many other things on his mind. I was grateful to have met and have had a photo taken with Governor O'Malley!
I walked around the convention a bit, and attended a couple of classes/workshops; one on classroom management and one on working with students and people who had trouble reading. I thought both were well-done and thorough.
Later that evening I went over to Hebron to the Uprising Church for the Man-Up Summit. I was a bit late since I was coming from the convention and I had stopped to visit my friends Jess and John (not the same one I was staying with this weekend). The evening portion was great; it spoke to me a great deal. It was about how God can give us dreams and visions and how if we hold tight to them, they can come to fruition, even if it does not seem possible (because the Gospel of Luke in the Bible says that what is impossible with man is possible with God). I really wanted to keep God in the center and lead of my quixotic running endeavors with doing running events in the different counties of Maryland and Delaware, and the message was powerful that I found myself on my knees, humbled before God, just grateful for all that He has blessed me with and also that in my current running endeavor that He continue to be the one who is at the center and glorified, and not me. I'm just grateful that by doing this, I feel that I can worship God, bring glory to God, and also help/connect with other people doing something that I enjoy and feel passionate about.
And on that note, now on to the actual running race. Saturday morning came around and I was feeling a little sleepy. The cloudy, chilly, and breezy weather didn't really seem to beckon me to get up early and go out to do a race, but I knew it was a terrific opportunity to get a running event in in Worcester County. So I got in my car and headed back to Ocean City (which is within an hour of where I was staying in Salisbury) to the Ocean City Health and Racquet Club for the 8th Annual Pink Ribbon Classic 5K.
There was a pretty decent turnout for a cool and cloudy day. The course was really flat, mostly on the main highway going through Ocean City. The Ocean City Health and Racquet Club is just off of 61st Street and the course runs south to about 39th Street in Ocean City, and then turns around, so it is definitely an out-and-back course where you come back the way you go out. However, coming back north up the main drag, there was a lot of wind resistance.
The race started by the parking lot in front of the Ocean City Health and Racquet Club and I moved up near the front at the start. By the time we hung a left on the main drag, I had barely taken the lead, but then with the wind blowing right behind us, I felt like I was shooting southwards down the flat street. Before I knew it, I passed through the first mile in about 5:46, right around where I wanted to be for the first mile. Then, I must have really picked it up, because when I got in front of the Roland E. Powell Convention Center and 39th Street, which was the half-way turn-around point of the out-and-back course, I came through in 8:48, and I knew that if I kept up that pace I would finish in about 17:36, which would be a 5K personal best for me, beating out my current personal best for that distance which is about 17:42/17:43ish. Though, when I turned around, I knew it would certainly be hard to maintain that pace in the face of the wind blowing at me.
Yet, the Good Lord had blessed me with energy to get through this windy second half of the race. I ran northwards up this road, and I passed the two-mile mark in about 11:49, so I knew I had definitely slowed down a bit, but I was still under a six-minute-per-mile pace, and I would glad take that considering the windy conditions. With this motivating me a little bit more, I pressed on on the street, hoping for that left turn that would take me off of this windy highway and back onto the streets where the Ocean City Health and Racquet Club and finish line were.
My legs were beginning to fatigue and I prayed that God would help me stay strong and He certainly helped hold me together against the wind and on the straight flat road (which in my opinion can get a bit monotonous, but at least there was the city of Ocean City all around me for the visual stimulation and looking off to my right at this point, I could actually make out the beach). It was great to see the runners and walkers who were coming from the other direction and hearing them cheer me and the other runners on.
Up ahead, I saw the 7-11 and gas station on my left, and I had seen that on my warm-up run, and I knew that once I was around there, I would have about two minutes left in the race until I reached the finish line, granted I held onto a decent pace. Soon after, I hung a left back onto 61st Street and headed straight towards the Ocean City Health and Racquet Club, tired from running hard with wind resistance for a lot of it.
I ran through three miles in about 18:20, but I knew that the three-mile mark was a little further up than it should have been, because about 18 seconds later I crossed the finish line in 18:36, and I don't think I've ever run the difference between 3 and 3.1 miles in under 30 seconds before, and according to these splits I did it in 16 seconds. Other runners definitely agreed that the three-mile mark was a bit off, but no harm, no foul. I was certainly grateful with the 18:36 and finishing out as a top finisher! I think I just managed to tuck under a six-minute-per-mile pace on average throughout the 5K, if not I'm pretty sure I was right at six-minutes-a-mile with the 18:36. It was so terrific to finish out a running event in Worcester County, Maryland in this half-a-year circuit that I'm in, and to do it for the cause(s) that this Pink Ribbon Classic 5K puts on this event for. Plus, at least from looking at races and such on the internet, it seems like this one is probably one of the better-promoted running events I've seen in Worcester County. I mean, it's been going on for at least eight years now, so I'm sure something must be goin' right!
Afterwords I got to hang out a bit and see one of my buddies, Robert, who does a lot of Delaware and Maryland Eastern Shore races and who is also in the Fifty-Plus Races-per-Year Club. I met a few new people there as well, it was fun. I had to cut out early though because I wanted to get back to Hebron for the Man-Up Conference. That was terrific with the worship, messages, and fellowship there at the church. I would not have minded so much if it went on a little longer.
Well, maybe it was for the best that it ended when it did, 'cause I was getting pretty tired once it ended. I eventually headed back over the Bay Bridge towards home. Though, I had plans to go this huge high school reunion at McFadden's in Washington D.C. that evening, for the graduating classes of 1996-2005 (I think those were the years). I had gotten invited to it via TheFacebook.Com. I was going to meet up with my brother who kind of lives near there 'cause he was thinking about going, but he decided not too. Once I realized how late it was, how cold it had gotten, and how long it would take me to ride the metro buses there, and then walk to McFaddens and then come back (probably at least an hour-to-an-hour-and-a-half), I decided it wasn't worth it. So I headed back and decided to get some shut-eye, 'cause I had some plans the next day and I wanted to rest up after my so-far busy weekend.
Sunday morning I got up early, went to church, and then went to my folks' house and mowed the lawn (as I usually do about once ever week or two since I moved out back in April). Afterwards, I went over to Longfellow Elementary School in Columbia, MD for the Howard County Striders' fall weekly series race (http://www.striders.net) that consisted of a two-miler, a 10K, and a 15K; all of which are fairly hilly courses. The first time I ever ran a road race was in the winter (I think in the February of) 1998 when I was in eighth grade, and it was the two-miler at this venue with the Howard County Striders. At first I did not want to do it at all; in fact it was during a time when I did not really care much for races. Yet, I was blessed to have finished second with a time of about 14:35, which I think was my best time that I had run for two-miles at that point. I was really happy about that and I thought that those races were kinda cool, and afterwards, I did them almost every Sunday afternoon that the Howard County Striders put them on. Later on that spring, just before I graduated from middle school, I ran about 13:27, which was my first time breaking 14 minutes in two miles (and before that my two-mile personal best time had been about 14:20, which I had run at the Thunder Hill Elementary School venue later on in the winter of 1998). That was significant, because I was running under a seven-minute-per-mile pace. Over the years, I had come back and run the two-miler at Longfellow Elementary School, and while I was home on spring break from college in 2006, I ran 12:06 (breaking the 12:48 personal best time I had run in 2005) and I was beat after that because I had actually been coming down with a fever when I ran the 12:06 (and I thought I had gone out a bit fast for that, hitting about 5:36 in the first mile).
So, on Sunday, October 19, 2008 I came back to that two-mile course at Longfellow Elementary School, hoping to come away with a new personal-best time on that course. My personal best time for two miles to-date is 10:36, and that was at a two-mile cross-country timed trial I had my sophomore year running for and with the team at Salisbury University. I would have been fine just breaking 12 on this hilly course, especially having run pretty hard the day before at the Pink Ribbon Classic 5K. Also, I have run the two-mile races at every Howard County Striders weekly series venue over the years and have gotten my best times on those courses under 12 minutes except for this course.
With all this in mind, I started the race in earnest. By the first quarter-of-a-mile, I had sped to the lead and ran down the long and fairly steep downhill into the shaded Columbia neighborhood. From there I went up a couple of hills and through what was the area around the first mile (I didn't see it marked and I did not check the course map to see exactly where it was). Shortly after, I began to feel fatigued, no doubt from probably going out fast and yesterday's 5K in Ocean City, but I knew I had to press on in hopes of beating 12:06 (and hopefully 12 minutes). Shortly after this point, I made a left and went down this steady downhill, and then it flattened out. Yet, I knew I would not have that much relief, because I knew there was a fairly long and grueling uphill towards the end of this two-mile loop. Sure enough, there was a brief, but challenging uphill that I huffed up and then it flattened out briefly before I started up the longer hill. At this point I was breathing and puffing hard, and getting exhausted. Yet, I knew I was almost done and that God was getting me through. Going up this hill, I almost felt like I was climbing a mountain, and the 10K and 15K runners who had started a couple of minutes before us two-milers that I had caught up too, seemed to be going as fast as me, and me running the shorter distance, I was expecting to go faster. Man, this was tough!
Fortunately, I topped the hill, and there was a nice gradual downhill afterwards before making a left back onto the road where the Longfellow Elementary School was. At this point, I started to pick it up (or at least I hope I was picking it up, haha), as the road seemed to steadily go uphill for a short while, and then after this little hill, I made a left into the parking lot and pushed my way down the steady hill towards the finish line near the other end of the parking lot. After getting through a bit of the parking lot, I rounded a slight gradual corner on the left, and then I saw the finishing clock read about 11:52 and I thought "oh no, I'm not gonna break 12 minutes probably, but at least I'll probably get just under 12:06 and have a new personal best time on the course..." However, God helped me have a strong kick, and then I'm like, "wait... 11:57, I might just, 11:58... crack it..." 11:59... YES!!!!! :)
Several seconds after crossing the line and bending over to catch my breath, I heard one of the race officials call out my time of 11:59 (and officially he had me at 11:59.53), and I joyfully thanked God soon after for helping me break 12 minutes for the first time on this course and win a race for the first time on this venue. The 11:59 two-mile time was pretty much the same kind of pace it would take to hit about 18:36 (well maybe a bit faster than 11:59) in a 5K distance, which I had run the previous day! God is so good for helping me run two races back-to-back, and running them pretty well for my level of fitness. I think had I paced myself better I could have had a stronger finish time, but no complaints. It took me a while to cool down, I was still feeling a bit winded even after I did a cool down with my buddy Mike, who is an avid runner and racer as well.
Later that night I went to the young adult service, "Fusion" as its called at the community church I usually attend and that was great, even though I was pretty tired by that point and was lookin' forward to gettin' back to my place and gettin' ready to "hit-the-hay" as they say. It was certainly a really heavy weekend, Yet, well-worth it and certainly a motivation booster.
I hope that this coming Saturday (October 25, 2008), that I make it to the Fall into St. Michaels 5K Run/Walk in St. Michael's, MD and run a great race there. As you know, Talbot County is now the last county left in my endeavor to do a running event in every county of Maryland within a half-a-year, and this 5K run in St. Michael's seems to be my last opportunity to get a running event in in Talbot County before Monday, November 3, 2008 (when my sixth-month time-limit is up, and then I gotta sorta redo some of the counties until I get them all within a half-a-year if I don't do a running event in Talbot County before then). So yea, that's my next race and I'm pretty excited. I appreciate all of your support, reading, enthusiasm, and prayer. I thank you in advance for any of you coming out to support and even participate for those of you walking/running/spectating/volunteering. If you are interested in getting in on it, you are welcome to check out:
http://www.stmichaelsmd.org/events/fism2008.htm
And you can also check out the registration form at: http://www.stmichaelsmd.org/events/5Kinfo.pdf
Those of you who have been praying for me on this, I really appreciate you doing that and I hope that you continue to do so. I am almost done with this and really excited :)
You know what else is really nice about this time of year is that right around this time of later October, it will mark the ten-year anniversary of when I ran a 19:34 in the Howard County Public High Schools Cross-Country Championship at the hilly Howard Community College course in Columbia in the October of 1998. 19:34 was my best 5K time during my freshman year of high school and I was glad to have run it at the County Championships in the Junior Varsity/"B" race. I think that this race was on a Thursday evening, and I think it was just before Halloween, so I think it could very well have been Thursday, October 30, 1998. Even now, I sometimes still struggle to run that kind of time in 5K's. Earlier, in the late September/early October of 1998, I had broken 20 minutes for the first time in a cross country race at the pretty flat Long Reach High School cross-country course in Columbia in a tri-meet between us (Hammond High School), Atholton High School and Long Reach High School. I'm not sure if it was a full 5K, or if it was more closer to three miles, but I ran 19:42 and that was my fastest cross country time to date, and it certainly beat my best 5K time of 20:36 at that time (which I had run on a Friday afternoon earlier in September at the Howard County Invitational in Howard County).
Ah to go back and think on these earlier days of high school cross-country races, and even earlier days of road races with the Howard County Striders. I'm not trying to talk too much about myself, but I realize that I'm living in a ten-year anniversary of my first sub-20-minute three-milers and 5K's :) And God has helped me improve much, so much so that while I ran for Salisbury University, He was helping me run 3-mile and even 5K splits under 18 minutes for 8-kilometer and five-mile races, and He still gives me reason to believe that I can improve on those times through Him! A couple of years before my freshman year of high school, I never could have seen myself even running under 21 minutes in three miles, much less off of a flat track or even running competitively and consistently for that matter! I say it many times; God is awesome and it's not just true with running :)
So yea, I just figured that while I am coming to a hopeful completion of this running goal within a week, I thought it would be nice to give mention of those memories. I had no idea I would be enjoying running much more and be doing better ten years later... And I can't believe it has contributed to me doing unique things with it and blogging about it! God certainly has a great imagination.
All right, thank you all for readin through this longer post. I hope to have some photos of these past few days that I have blogged about, up on this post in the future. I hope that you all have a good night :)
Running Events I have done this year as of Wednesday, October 22, 2008
(Italicized ones are the ones within my attempt to run a running event in all of Maryland’s counties within a half-a-year period)
Maryland
Allegany County
- First Annual Spring is Here! 10K – Sunday, April 6, 2008 – Cumberland, MD – 7th overall (20-29 age-group division winner) – 41:40
- Queen City Junior Striders Meet #2: Paris N. Glendening Park – Tuesday, June 17, 2008 – Frostburg:
- 1-mile cross country race: Winner – 5:52.11
- 2-mile cross country race: 8th overall - 13:13.08
- Andrea’s 5K Memorial Run – Saturday, August 16, 2008 – Barton – 8th overall (3rd in male 20-29 age-group division) – 18:49
Anne Arundel County
-Valentine’s Day 5K Run – Saturday, February 9, 2008 – Kinder Mill Farm Park, Millersville/Severna Park – 10th overall (3rd in male 20-29 age group division) – 17:59.15 (my best time on course J)
- John Wall Mile – Sunday, July 6, 2008 – Severna Park High School Track, Severna Park – 8th overall (fastest heat – 2nd in male 20-29 age-group division) – 5:07
- Annapolis Striders Women’s Distance Festival “Run After the Women” 5K (Men’s race) – Annapolis – 7th overall (25-29 age-group division winner) – 18:50.60 (clock), 18:49 (watch)
- Dog Days 8K Cross Country Run – Sunday, August 3, 2008 – Anne Arundel Community College/Earl Scott Trail, Arnold – 22nd overall – 32:33.04 (clock), 32:30 (watch)
- 22nd Annual BWI 4-Mile Run – Sunday, September 28, 2008 – Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Linthicum – 16th overall – 25:34.6, (clock) 25:33 (watch)
Baltimore City
- Kelly St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5K – Sunday, March 16, 2008 – Baltimore City – 61st overall (guntime-based) – 18:33 (guntime), 18:28 (chiptime)
- Dreaded Druid Hills 10K – Saturday, June 28, 2008 – Baltimore City – 22nd overall – 43:12.65
Baltimore County
- Baltimore Road Runners Club (BRRC) Grand Prix Series Eight-Mile Run – Sunday, January 13, 2008 – Loch Raven Reservoir – 11th overall – 53:34
- Patapsco State Park Trail Run (5-6 miles) – Sunday, May 11, 2008 – Patapsco State Park Avalon Area, Arbutus/Catonsville area – 41st overall- 1:05:59
- Inaugural TEVA Genessee Valley Trail Run 5K – Saturday, June 21, 2008 – Genessee Valley, Parkton – 5th overall (20-29 age group division winner) – 20:07
- Inaugural Maryland Running Cross Country Trials (5K) – Tuesday, August 26, 2008 – Oregon Ridge Park, Cockeysville – 12th overall (finished 11th overall, but the gentleman behind me accidentally started late and ran a faster time than I did, so really I ran the 12th fastest time in that race instead of the 11th – I was 9th in age group, awarded for 8th place)) - 19:20.1
Calvert County
- First Annual Southern Maryland Community Network Resolution 5K Run/Walk – Tuesday, January 1, 2008 – Prince Frederick – 4th overall (20-29 age group winner) – 18:47
- 13th Annual North Beach 5K – Saturday, September 27, 2008 – North Beach – 2nd overall – 19:01
Caroline County
- First Annual St. Patrick’s Day 5K – Saturday, March 15, 2008 – Denton – 2nd overall (20-29 age group division winner) – 18:58 (clock), 18:55 (watch)
- Caroline Hospice Remembrances Run 5K (first year running a 5K course here instead of a 5-miler) – Saturday, September 20, 2008 – Federalsburg Marina Park, Federalsburg – 3rd overall (20-29 age group division winner) – 19:15
Carroll County
- Winfield Mile – Tuesday, January 1, 2008 – South Carroll High School, Winfield – 6th overall (2nd in 20-29 age group) – 5:11 (clock), 5:10 (watch)
- Kowomu Trail 5K Road Race – Sunday, August 17, 2008 – Westminster – 2nd overall – 20:21
- 5th Annual Labor Day 5K Rogue Race – Monday, September 1, 2008 – Liberty High School, Eldersburg – 5th overall (20-29 age-group division winner) – 18:28 (my personal best time on this course and at this event to-date J)
Cecil County
- Inaugural Run for Reading 4K – Saturday, May 10, 2008 – Bayview Elementary School, North East – Winner – 13:13 (accidentally cut the course a bit short) As of this race, Daniel Williams ran a race in every Maryland County along the Mason-Dixon Line J
- Inaugural Paws for Life/Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue May Day 5K – Sunday, May 18, 2008 – Chesapeake City – 20th overall – 29:18
- St. Roch’s Trail Run 7K – Saturday, July 19, 2008 – Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (N.R.M.A.), Fair Hill/Elkton – Winner – 51:36 (this was after running a little past the actual finish area J)
- Inaugural Charlestown Riverfest River Run 5K – Sunday, September 14, 2008 – Charlestown – 4th overall (20-29 age group division winner) – 20:13
Charles County
- General Smallwood Sprint Triathlon – Sunday, June 29, 2008 – General Smallwood Park, Indian Head/Ironsides/Silver Hill – 194th overall (112th male finisher) – 1:59:32:
- 750-meter swim – 21:15 (ranked 111th fastest male time at this point)
- 1st transition area – 6:29 (ranked 132nd male time at this point)
- 16-mile bike – 1:10:28 (PR and it was ranked 135th male time at this point :)
- 2nd transition area – 1:18 (ranked 60th fastest male time at this point)
- 5K – 20:03 (ran very evenly or even had negative splits, and it was ranked 4th fastest overall, and 3rd fastest among the males J)
Dorchester County
- North Dorchester High School Eagle Athletics Boosters 5th Annual Eagle 5K Run – Saturday, October 4, 2008 – Hurlock – Winner – 18:49 (as of this race, I ran in a running event in every county of Maryland within 2008; God is Awesome J)
Frederick County
- Inaugural the Great “Deadman’s Hill” Down Hill Mile – Friday, April 4, 2008 – Brunswick, MD – 4th overall – 4:50 (off-track PR for a mile distance J) - They had mistaken me for finishing 8th overall with a time of 4:54
- Frederick Steeplechasers Summer Track Series (Two miles on the track) – Wednesday, June 18, 2008 – Frederick High School, Frederick:
- One mile warmup
- Two miles - 6th overall (13th in age-adjusted time) - 11:47 (I ran negative splits :)
- 3X800-meter relay race – Our team earned 2nd overall – My 800-meter splits were about: 2:53, 2:48ish, and then 2:26 (and I think I ran negative splits on that last one as well as keeping a fairly even pace on the first two J)
Garrett County
- Inaugural TEVA Adventure Games 10K Trail Run – Saturday, July 26, 2008 – A.S.C.I./Wisp Ski Resort, Deep Creek Lake – 6th overall (4th male finisher and 20-29 age group division winner) – 50:24 (I ran negative splits on one of the most hilliest and challenging races I’ve run in so far, and it was great scenery too J)
Harford County
- Leap of Faith Fun Run (7K prediction run – Approximately 4.35 miles) – Sunday, February 17, 2008 – Abington – 3rd/4th overall (8th closest to predicted time) – 27:24 (predicted time: 28:00)
- World No Tobacco Day 5K – Sunday, June 8, 2008 – Liriodrendron Mansion/Ma & Pa Trail, Bel Air -- overall (2nd in 20-29 age-group division) – 19:37
Howard County
- Howard County Striders (H.C.S.) Weekly Series (“Operation Iceberg”) #1: Burleigh Manor Middle School 5-mile run – Sunday, January 6, 2008 – Columbia/Ellicott City area – 7th overall – 32:18
- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #3: Atholton High School 5K Run – Sunday, January 20, 2008 – Columbia – 6th overall – 18:38
- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #5: Jeffers Hill Neighborhood Center 15K (first 15K I’ve done as part of the H.C.S. weekly series :) – Sunday, February 10, 2008 – Columbia – 11th overall – 1:10:11
- Road Runners Club of America Ten-Mile Club Challenge – Sunday, February 24, 2008 – Columbia – 122nd overall – 1:07:58.85 (clock), 1:07:52 (watch)
- H.C.S. “Operation Iceberg” #9: Elkhorn 10K – Sunday, March 30, 2008 – Columbia – 13th overall – 43:42 (clock), 43:39 (watch) – Ran negative splits: 21:53 the first half! J
- Mt. Hebron High School Viking Backers Viking 5K – Sunday, April 13, 2008 – Mt. Hebron High School, Ellicott City – 2nd overall – 18:52
- 30th Annual Clyde’s 10K – Sunday, April 20, 2008 (my five-year anniversary of accepting Jesus Christ as my personal Savior :) – Columbia - - 42:09 (clock), 42:05 (chip)
- H.C.S. “Vernal Velocity” # : Thunder Hill Elementary School 2-miler – Sunday, May 18, 2008 – Columbia – 4th overall – 13:35
- First Annual Friends of the Howard County Library Fun Run/Walk (approximately 2.3 miles) – Saturday, June 7, 2008 – East Columbia Branch Library, Columbia – Winner – 14:25 (I ran a little further past the actual finish area J)
- Damien F. Massella Run for Recovery 5K (new course) – Sunday, June 22, 2008 – Columbia - overall – 18:38
- H.C.S. “Summer Sizzler” #2: Burleigh Manor Middle School 5-miler – Wednesday, June 25 – 6th overall – 32:26
- Police Pace 5K – Sunday, September 7, 2008 – Centennial Park, Ellicott City – 11th overall – 18:17.94 (my personal best time on this course to-date J)
- H.C.S. “Legends of the Fall” #2: Longfellow Elementary School 10K – Sunday, September 21, 2008 – 2nd overall - 44:32 (great pacing, because I went through the first half in about 22:13 J)
- H.C.S. “Legends of the Fall” #3: Atholton High School 5K – Sunday, October 12, 2008 – 11th overall – 20:38 (clock), 20:37 (watch) – I ran with a water bottle J
- H.C.S. “Legends of the Fall” #6: Longfellow Elementary School Two-miler – Sunday, October 19, 2008 – Winner – 11:59.53 (my best time-to-date on this course :)
Kent County
- 32nd Annual Chestertown Tea Party Distance Classic 5K – Saturday, May 24, 2008 – Chestertown – 3rd overall (20-29 age-group division winner) – 19:15 (clock), 19:12 (watch – best time at this event :)
- 27th Annual Rock Hall Flat Five – Friday, July 4, 2008 – Rock Hall – 2nd overall (“Open Men” age group division (20-36) winner) – 32:31 (it probably would have been a bit faster had I not accidentally missed a turn towards the beginning).
Montgomery County
- 5th Annual Walnut Hill Ribbon Run 5K – Sunday, February 10, 2008 – Gaithersburg – 2nd overall – 19:51
- Riley’s Rumble Half-Marathon – Sunday, July 27, 2008 – Riley’s Lock, Seneca/Poolesville – 132nd overall (117th male finisher) – 1:48:18 (clock), 1:47:27 (watch) – First half-marathon :)
- Sandy Spring Friends School Practice Meet #1 (5K cross country race) – Wednesday, August 20, 2008 – Sandy Spring – 3rd overall (ran unattached) – 19:42 (I really picked it up the third mile :)
Prince George’s (P.G.) County
- Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex Track Showcase (indoor track) – Sunday, January 27, 2008 – Landover:
- 1,500 meter race – 15th overall - 5:04.9
- 800 meter race – 2nd overall –2:17.5
- 3,200 meter race – winner – 11:24 (best indoor track time for that distance by one second, and the 10:43 3,000 meter split I believe was right around an indoor track best time for me as well :)
- Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex Track Showcase (indoor track) – Sunday, February 3, 2008 – Landover:
- 800 meter run – 3rd overall – 2:15
- 3,200 meter run – 2nd overall – Have not gotten time yet, but I’m sure it was close to the 11:24 I hit there last weekend :)
- Poker Run (3 laps around the lake at the Buddy Attick Park which is approximately 3.79 miles) – Friday, July 11, 2008 – First finisher (my poker hand did not win anything) – 24:44ish (and I was trying to break 25 minutes J)
- 10th Annual Run for Kathy 5K – Saturday, October 11, 2008 – Allen Pond Park, Bowie – 8th overall (male 20-29 age group division winner) – 18:28 (clock), 18:27 (watch)
Queen Anne’s County
- A Day at the Races – Saturday, March 29, 2008 – Queen Anne’s County High School, Centreville:
- 5K (on the high school cross country course) – Winner – 18:59 (probably a little shorter than a 5K, somewhere between 3 and 3.1 miles)
- 1,600 meter/1-mile track open fun run – 3rd overall – 6:34
- Kent Island Relay for Life – Saturday, June 7, 2008 – Kent Island High School, Stevensville – I ran about or almost four miles worth and I was one of the few joggers/runners at the event.
- Kennard Alumini Association 5K Walk/Run & Family Day (new course this year) - Saturday, June 14, 2008 – Kennard Elementary School, Centreville – Winner – 19:20
Saint Mary’s County
- 27th Annual Chaptico Classic 5K – Saturday, August 30, 2008 – Chaptico – 4th overall (20-29 age-group division winner) – 19:10
Somerset County
- 3rd Annual McCready Health Services Foundation Founder’s Day 8K – Saturday, May 3, 2008 – Crisfield – 2nd overall – 34:51 (clock), 34:27 (watch)
Talbot County
- Talbot Kids Fun Run (advertised as three-miles, but less than that) – Saturday, March 8, 2008 – North Easton Sportsplex (Rails-to-Trails), Easton – Winner – Probably ran low-to-mid 14’s based on the times of other runners (I did not run my watch on this one)
Washington County
- 27th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five-Mile Run – Saturday, August 23, 2008 – Williamsport - 21st overall – 31:31
Wicomico County
- Mid-Shore Family YMCA Funny Bunny 5K Run – Saturday, March 8, 2008 – Salisbury – 2nd overall (20-29 age-group division winner) – 19:35
- Winter Place Park Summer Cross-Country Series #1 – Saturday, August 2, 2008 – Winter Place Park, Salisbury – 4th overall (won a Chick-Fil-A coupon as a door prize) – 19:01
- Vernon Powell Shoes The Athlete 5K Challenge – Saturday, October 4, 2008 – Salisbury – 5th overall (2nd in 20-29 age-group division; second to Fernando Guerrero, a famous boxer) – 19:08
Worcester County
- Ocean City Factory Outlets 5K – Saturday, April 12, 2008 – Ocean City – 2nd overall – 19:11
- 8th Annual Pink Ribbon Classic 5K – Saturday, October 18, 2008 – Ocean City – Winner – 18:36
Events outside of Maryland
Delaware
(Italicized ones are Delaware counties that I ran in the week of 5-25-to-5-31-2008)
Kent County
- 4th Annual Firefly 5K Run – Wednesday, May 28, 2008 – Smyrna – 6th overall (2nd in male 20-29 age-group division) – 18:53 (clock), 18:52 (watch)
New Castle County
- 7th Annual Friends of Mary Husty 5K – Monday, May 26, 2008 – University of Delaware, Newark – 8th overall (male 19-29 age-group division winner – Now I’ve won my age group in all three counties of Delaware in my lifetime J) – 18:38 (clock), 18:36 (watch)
Sussex County
- 15th Annual Masser Five-Miler – Sunday, May 25, 2008 – Lewes – 12th overall (3rd in male 25-29 age-group division) – 31:47 (clock), 31:45 (watch – My pace got faster later in the race :)
District of Columbia – Washington
- 410th Tidal Basin 3K – Wednesday, March 19, 2008 – Tidal Basin, Washington D.C. – 9th overall – 10:46
- 412th Tidal Basin 3K – Wednesday, June 18, 2008 – Tidal Basin, Washington D.C. - overall – 11:01
Virginia
Accomack County
Arlington County
- Potomac Valley Track Club All-Comers’ Indoor Track & Field Meet – Sunday, February 3, 2008 - Thomas Jefferson Community Center, Arlington:
- 1 mile run – 6th overall – 5:17.0
- 800 meter run – 6th overall – 2:22.5
- 3,000 meter run – 7th overall – 10:59.8
Fairfax County
- 30th Annual Patriot’s Cup 8K – Sunday, May 4, 2008 – George Mason University, Fairfax – 20th overall – 32:27 (clock), 32:23ish (watch)
Northampton County
No comments:
Post a Comment