Unfortunately, as you've probably noticed, there are not any photos up here as usual, and that's because I think my camera has broken. I don't know what happened to it. All I know is is that when I got to the Mid-Shore Family YMCA in Salisbury (Wicomico County), Maryland for the Funny Bunny 5K Run, I got my camera out to take some photos of the area, but unfortuantely it sowed a messed up screen. I know it was sprinkling a little bit out, but I don't think water could have messed it up, as it was inside its case and in a duffle bag (which has had no apparent damaging affects on the camera in the past). When I tried to use the digital camera, it just showed a fractured-sorta looking screen. It was as if the internal system of it was scrambled. Ah man, what do I know. I really hope there's some way to get it fixed; my folks gave it to me as a graduation present when I graduated from Salisbury University almost two years ago.
Well enough of my gripin'! At least I was able to buy a relatively cheap disposable camera from a convenience store on the way to the North Easton Sportsplex in Easton (Talbot County), MD for the Talbot Kids Fun Run put on by the YMCA of Talbot County in Easton. I just have to wait I guess to finish out the camera, get the photos developed, get 'em scanned, and then get 'em up on the 'net. A longer process, but hey, better than nothing!
And now for the two races I ran last Saturday (March 8, 2008). First I ran the Funny Bunny 5K. That went all right. The week before last week, I did not run much because my right foot was hurting, so I was pleasantly surprised to go through the first mile in about 5:47 with relative ease. After that I went down the hill outside of the Salisbury Zoo in the Salisbury City Park. From there, we did a loop around a portion of the park near where I ran hillls with the team when I ran cross country for Salisbury University, and the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center where the commencement ceremony was when I was blessed to graduate from Salisbury University. There were a couple of short and steady uphills around this middle portion of the race, in addition to a well-staffed water stop.
I was starting to get tired around this middle area of the course, and I know I slowed quite a bit when I through the two-mile mark in about 12:15 (I must have really slowed, 'cause I went through the first mile in 5:47). I tried to maintain. I was pretty confident that I was holdin' down second place pretty nicely. I was also beginning to gain on the younger gentleman in first place as well as the pace biker, but as I tried to pick it up to catch up to them, I felt the inflammation-like pain in my right foot (much similar to what i felt in my last race, the Road Runners Club of America Ten-Mile Club Challenge in Howard County), and I felt that begin to slow me mentally and physically. Before I knew it the lead runner and the pace biker had opened up a larger gap ahead of me, but the Good Lord was keeping me going and before I knew it I was within a few minutes of the finish line. I ran up the hill near the Salisbury Zoo that we had run down after the first mile of the race, and I felt all right. One thing about that race is knowing you have that fairly long and steep hill towards the end of it, and having to pace yourself accordingly (and who knows if I've ever paced msyelf "accordingly" when I've done this race). I guess I didn't do too bad considering my foot was hurting. I managed to get through the third mile in 18:56 (almost 30 seconds slower than my three-mile split of about 18:28 at the Ten-Mile Club Challenge a couple of weeks back, but oh well), and then finish up fairly strong in 19:35 (according to my watch, surprisingly the official clock read about 19:32, and that's surprising, 'cause normally if there was a discrepancy in finishing times, the clock would usually give the slower time, becauseit would start before I would reach the strating line where I would start my watch if I started back in the pack). I guess I'll take that time as a decent race considering I was hruting and I had taken about a week off. I'm also glad for the young gentleman who won the race, I think he had run one of his best 5K times to date! That was really cool! I also ended up finishing second and winning my age-group division of 20-29-year-old males (I think that was the age range there). The race had ended and we had gotten under the pavilion just as the heavy rains started. PHEW!!!!!
So I felt all right about my race, but not about my right foot. I was disappointed to have been feeling pain, even after running a 5-kilometer time for myself that is relatively slower than a lot of other times in that distance I have been turning out over the past several years. That kinda discouraged me a bit. I stretched and cooled down, contemplating taking some serious time off of running in the next week or so, and maybe seeing where I'm at in late April/early May. If I did that, I could probably still run at least one race or running event in every county of Maryland, Delaware, and the Delmarva Peninsula this year so long as things work out according to the race schedules. The important thing is that I treat my body well, and if running/training/racing at this point is not what I should be doing, then so be it, 'cause I want to make some healthy decisions, and not abuse the gifts and joys of running that God has blessed me with. Running is something I would like to keep up for a long time (no surprise there, huh).
Well the next race of the day sorta lifted my mood a bit about my foot....
The next race I ran in that day was the Talbot Kids Fun Run (a three-mile race for ages seven and up with a one-mile run for children about 4-6 years of age in addition to parents/guardians of the children) in Easton, MD. Despite the race name, there were other fit adults who showed up to run in the three-mile (and possibly in the one-mile as well) I've heard of the Easton-Clayton Rail Trail (referred to as the "Rails-to-Trails" by locals), and this was the first time I ran on it. As you can tell, I'm usually quite grateful to run in new areas when the opportunities present themselves. When I got to the North Easton Sportsplex/("North Easton Park" as it was referred to on the event application I think), it was raining, and it rained off-and-on before the event. Fortunately the YMCA of Talbot County team was hardy and dedicated about it, as well as the participants (including the kids). There was one part of this event where they would award the top-three-to-four males and females based on their St. Patrick's Day costumes. Before the race I changed into some green gym/running shorts as well as the nice green dry-fit t-shirt I got last sumemr as a result of particpating in the Rembrances Five-Mile Run in Federalsburg (Caroline County), MD last September. Plus, I wore my green "Robin Hood-ish" cap (now feather-less) that I bought at the Maryland Renaissance festival about a year-and-a-half ago, so minus my shoes, socks, and white long-sleeved shirt I wore underneath my green t-shirt, I thought I had a nice green ensemble goin' and that I might possible earn an award for that...
... The kids smoked me in that competition...
Ah well, it was fun running in my cap and in green, haha! The only other time I recall running in that cap was in the November of 2006 when I ran in the Men in Kilts 5K Run in Timonium (Baltimore County), MD. I decided to try running in a kilt and in addition, some medieval garb I picked up at the Maryland Renaissance Festival including the cap, and as a result I had won the "best-dressed/costume" prize. But enough bragging, I think I've gotten off topic.
I got to the starting line (which was right on the shaded and paved path where the one-mile course also started and ended) and just thought to build into it and see what happens, so as not to aggravate my right foot (within which the inflammation and pain had subsided a little bit after the Funny Bunny 5K Run). I figured that maybe I could proably still break 20 minutes for the three-miles, and maybe come close to the 18:56 three-mile split from earlier in the morning's 5K race.
Just before the race started, I realized that my wristwatch was still in stopwatch mode from the race earlier in the morning,a nd the race started as I was foolin' with my wristwatch, trying to reset the stopwatch mode so I could time myself ('cause I knew that this race was not being timed). However, I jsut seemed to mess it up and just decided to suck it up and run it without worrying about my time. Later on I realized I had set the actual time of day on my watch, which actually was fine 'cause that night we had to "spring-ahead" an hour for daylight-savings time.
Once the race started, my buddy Darryl (who I've seen at some of the Maryland Eastern Shore races over the past few years) and I worked to get around the kids (I think that both the one and three-mile races started simultaneously) and moved up to the lead. I'd say within a quarter-mile or so of the start/finish line, there was a neighborhood street to cross, and by the time I got there, I was blessed enough to have taken the lead and I held onto it throughout the race!
I can't remember if it was raining, but I know if it was it was certainly not coming down hard. I thought at this point of the day, the weather felt pretty nice. Maybe it was that or something about how the shaded and straight Easton Rails-to-Trails reminded me of the "Columbia bike-path system" back in Howard County that I do a lot of my running on (except the bike paths back around the home front have a lot more hills and turns too), but something made me go out quick. For some reason that did not bother me too much, 'cause my foot was feeling fine. I had no idea where I was at in the race, because I was not timing myself and there were not any apparent mile markers (although it seemed that every quarter-mile was marked on the trail, but that was not relevant to how far I was in the race, as the race started in the middle of the trail. I got to the turn-around point just before teh second neighborhood street crossing (which seemed a little bit early for an out-and-back, three-mile course, but again, I was not timing myself.
Shortly after the turnaround, I began to feel tired in my legs, no doubt from the race earlier in the morning as well as probably going out fast. God helped me maintain. Towards the end of the race, I started passing runners/walkers in the one-mile race, and for the most part had an easy time dodging around them. Looking back I think it was cool that so many young kids were running/walking a mile. When I was that age, I doubt I was anywhere near fit enough to run half-a-mile without stoppin', much less walk one without gettin' tired, haha! Praise the Good Lord for helping me in that transformation!
When I saw the intersection we crossed near the beginning of the race, and I knew I was close to finishing, probably wihtin a couple of minutes of it. Keeping that in mind, I ran really hard towards and through the finish line area. Once I finished and caught my breath, I asked if any of them had gotten my time, and of course since no one had decided to officially time the event, no one seemed to have my time. Fortunately, the gentleman who finished third (whom I think I was at least two mnutes ahead of), said he had timed himself and ran 16:57, and then my buddy Darryl who finished next said he ran about 17:30. From there I could extrapolate that I probably ran low-to-mid 14's for a distance that the three of us easily agreed was much shorter than the advertised three-mile distance (the gentleman who finished third said I porbably ran around the 14:30's or something like that). I don't even think it was even 2.5 miles (although I could have been going that strong, 'cause I'm pretty confident I was under or pretty close to breaking a six-minute-per-mile pace at the beginning). Plus, I do believe that my best time for three miles is about 17:05 from several years ago in cross country while running for S.U. and I don't think I was running that strongly. But hey, it was still fun and I enjoyed running on the Easton "Rails-to-Trails", and God-willing, and I hope to run three-miles under 15 minutes en route to a sub-five-minute-per-mile pace 5K in the future. Who knows, it could happen at this very event if it was actually measured out to a three-mile course. I could see myself running PR's on that venue given better health circumstances with my body! And on that note, I'm glad to say that I do not recall feeling any of the pains I felt in my right foot like I did earlier in the day with the first race. I wonder if that race served as a warm-up for this one, because at the Talbot Kids Fun Run I'm confident that I ran about as fast or possibly even faster than I did this morning. If that's the case that is really awesome; improving throughout the day, just like how my quality of races seemed to imporve throughout the indoor track & field meets that I ran back in late January and early February this year. Plus, this is the first time that I can recall running two road races in one day where I actually won the second one :) Soon after this race, the races had let up (at least from the Easton-to-Salisbury areas) on the Maryland Eastern Shore,a nd the sun had come out for a little bit before it got real windy (and believe it or not, I played capture-the-flag on campus at Salisbury University that night with some people from Campus Crusade for Christ, and on-campus ministry I was involved with for a majority of time as a student at S.U. :)
Well racing-wise, I'm happy! I got to do races in both Talbot and Wicomico Counties on the Maryland Eastern Shore, and I finished as one of the top runners in both. Plus, I'm hoping to soon post the results of/give a little synopsis of the Funny Bunny 5K Run on http://runinwicomicocountymd.blogspot.com one of the blogs I use through my Blogspot.Com account to give coverage too/display results of running events that do not typically get coverage/have their results displayed on the internet. In addition, I hope to have mention of some top-finishers at the Talbot Kids Fun Run on http://runintalbotcountymd.blogspot.com in the near future. Of course, I won't have much in the way of finishing times outside of what individuals told me about their finishing positions and finshing times that they got as a result of timing themselves. I have premission from authorities of both events, and I hope that sometime I can get photos developed from the Talbot Kids Fun Run and have them come out decent and post them with my coverage of that event.
Just wish my foot would feel better and not act up. At least it did not seem to bother me during the second race on Saturday nor even during capture-the-flag for that matter. It has not been giving me too much grief this week with running. I'm praying about it and if you could pray for me too if you think of it, that would definitely be appreciated. I hope to have clarity on whether or not I should take some more time off, and that no matter what happens, I can glorify God with my running and my attempts to run in a running event in every county of Maryland, Delaware, and the Delmarva Peninsula this year (even if I have to take some more time off). I felt like about a month ago, when I was starting to turn out some strong times at the indoor track & field meets, and then barely breaking 18 minutes at the Valentine's Day 5K Run in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, I thought I was really getting to a good part of this season of running, but now it looks like I'm experiencing another set-back.... Of course, I'm waiting for what God may do, He always has a way of "blowing my mind" over something positive when I'm not expecting it or I don't feel like I deserve it... That's grace for you :)
Thank you all for reading this rather lengthy post, and I appreciate it in advance for any prayers you lift up on my behalf. I hope everything has been going well for all of you. Please do keep in touch, and let me know how your running/racing is going/if there is anything I can pray for on your behalf/or if you just want to say "hi".
God bless you all and have a good night :)
Running Events I have done this year as of Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Maryland
Allegany County
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 :)
Baltimore City
Baltimore County
- Baltimore Road Runners Club (BRRC) Grand Prix Series Eight-Mile Run – Sunday, January 13, 2008 – Loch Raven Reservoir – 11th overall – 53:34
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
Caroline County
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)
Cecil County
Charles County
Dorchester County
Frederick County
Garrett County
Harford County
- Leap of Faith Fun Run (7K prediction run – Approximately 4.35 miles) – Sunday, February 17, 2008 – Abington (Harford County, MD) – 3rd/4th overall (8th closest to predicted time) – 27:24 (predicted time: 28:00)
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 :) – Columbia – 11th overall – 1:10:11
- Road Runners Club of America Ten-Mile Club Challenge – Sunday, February 24, 2008 – Columbia (Howard County), MD – 122nd overall – 1:07:58.85 (clock), 1:07:52 (watch)
Kent County
Montgomery County
- 5th Annual Walnut Hill Ribbon Run 5K – Sunday, February 10, 2008 – Gaithersburg – 2nd overall – 19:51
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 :)
Queen Anne’s County
Saint Mary’s County
Somerset County
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
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
Worcester County
Events outside of Maryland
Delaware
Kent County
New Castle County
Sussex County
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
Northampton County
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