It makes me feel like a robot at times, but I respond the same way almost every time when someone asks what I’ve been up to, lately.
“Just grinding and looking forward to the next fun thing.”
While this might seem like a throwaway line to advance through the small talk, it’s also the truth.
Whether it’s on the landscaping beat carving a path through the brush or at home churning out hundreds of inches of newspaper copy, I am constantly at work.
It all takes a physical toll, and a sizable mental one as well. But no matter how exhausted I get, I bear it all with a smile on my face.
How? It’s simple. I’m looking forward to the next fun thing, which for the past several months has been cheering on my favorite sports team. When I’m out weed-whacking a steep hill with the sun bearing down and bugs coming in from all directions seeking to exact their revenge, my mind is in a whole different world, just analyzing and fantasizing about the next matchup on the schedule.
No, I’m not talking about the New York Knicks, but rather the U9 Firecrackers, who welcomed my daughter for her first season of travel soccer this spring. She grew up leaps and bounds from her years in the recreational leagues and more importantly, formed lasting bonds with her teammates and coaches.
The parents bonded, too. When Vivienne was fed to the wolves as our emergency goalkeeper, another dad was there to comfort and check in on me as I anxiously paced the sidelines. When she lost her retainer, another mom was there rolling up her sleeves and digging through the trash right alongside me. It was a situation where everyone wanted to see every kid succeed as much as their own.
It doesn’t happen like that for every team, but I’m glad it did for ours, because those Firecrackers are what carried me through some grueling weeks of work this spring.
But now that summer is nearly in session — with the temps increasing and the manual labor only getting harder — my favorite team is done playing. While I’m sure many parents look forward to the end of the chaos and constant driving and emotional roller coaster that is youth sports, I’m left with a feeling of emptiness and longing nostalgia.
With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, I needed to shake this sadness, and I believe I’ve succeeded. How, you ask? I think you already know the answer: adding the next “fun things” to my schedule.
Now with a full summer calendar including a beach vacation and registration to run at least one race, my daydreaming mind is once again back at ease and my body is once more fully willing to embrace the grind.
This plan, if successful, should get me all the way through summer… or at least until fall workouts begin for the Firecrackers.
1 STEP BACK, 3 STEPS FORWARD
There was no shortage of fast times from locals at the Gary Brown Memorial 5 Mile Run in Williamsport, Md.
Two Hagerstown runners — Zane Chalker and Rebecca Tellez — swept the winner’s spots, while three others landed in the top five. Chalker torched the 94-runner field by 45 seconds with his time of 25:51, while Tellez claimed top female in 30:18. Chalker and Tellez were chased by Smithsburg’s Will Merritt (2nd in 26:36) and Jonah Smith (3rd in 28:14), Hagerstown’s Ryan Rasco (5th in 28:59), Seandor Emmerson (31:57), Bryan Durboraw (32:39), and Allie Isaacs (34:33), Waynesboro’s Devin Barger (30:38), and Greencastle’s Joshua Reddoch (31:01).
One area runner, Hagerstown’s Harol Samir Baca Ponce, cracked the 30-minute barrier at Frederick Summer Solstice 8K, a race that drew more than 400 runners. He posted a time of 29:01 to claim third in the 25-29 AG and was followed to the finish line by Hagerstown’s Mike Martin (36:06), Megan Curry (40:26), Bradley Lundberg (42:49), Moises Caballero (45:14), and Kristi Rule (49:03).
In Waynesboro, the Strokes, Spokes and Strides Triathlon drew the attention of 30 athletes, including three race winners. Heather Burns, of Waynesboro, defended her home turf in the triathlon by finishing as top female in 1:26:45. Three other Waynesboro competitors — Adam Heebner (5th in 1:14:15), Wynn Fertig (8th in 1:24:58), and Doug Pauselius (9th in 1:25:22) — landed Top 10 finishes while another, Dodie Moats, clocked a 1:29:51 to win the 60-64 AG. Waynesboro’s Meghan Neumann won the Clydesdales/Athenas race in 1:38:54, while Smithsburg’s Han Gong finished as top male in 1:54:36 in the duathlon.
Staying on the triathlon theme for a moment, Ethan Downie put on a solid showing at the Columbia Sprint Triathlon. Downie, from Hagerstown, crossed the finish line in 1:02:06 to win the 20-24 AG.
The Greyhound Trail Challenge 5K/10K/2H, held in Shippensburg, saw area runners post top 10 finishes in all three races. Chambersburg’s Craig Leisher finished fifth in the 10K in 1:23:17, while Orrstown’s Bre Grove clocked a 26:33 in the 5K for sixth. Mileage wasn’t listed in the results for the two-hour race, but we can confirm that Fort Loudon’s Dennis Reamer (4th), Chambersburg’s Brady Keller (7th) and Haley Keller (10th), and Fayetteville’s Danielle Portier (9th) all finished in the Top 10.
Speaking of top 10 finishers, Chambersburg’s Trent Shank competed at the God’s Country Marathon in Coudersport and had a sharp day on the race paths, posting a time of 3:44:15 to take ninth in the field of 82 runners.
More than 2,600 runners gathered for the Baltimore 10 Miler, including several local competitors in Hagerstown’s Mady Welsh (1:58:08), Mary Plank (2:04:48), and Brian Eichelberger (2:10:48), and Waynesboro’s Samantha Dulany (2:04:49).
In Fulton, Md., Madison Hanes hardly broke a sweat breaking the two-hour barrier at The Maryland Half Marathon. Hanes posted a 1:53:20 to lead a group of Hagerstown runners that included Rodney Zack-Williams (2:23:24) and Ishan Dean (2:33:37). The Maryland 5K was highlighted by a finish in 29:41 from Hagerstown’s Francisco Silva.
A number of others were active in races across the region and beyond, including Waynesboro’s Wes Gundacker (2:40:28 at Great Chesapeake Bay 4.4 Mile Swim, wetsuit), Chambersburg’s Benjamin Gilbert (24:02 at Forest County Bigfoot Festival 5K), Stacey Rice (4:29:50 at Slate Run 25K), and Erin Barket (2:55:37 at Great Chesapeake Bay 4.4 Mile Swim, non-wetsuit), and Hagerstown’s Marc Griffin (25:20 at Bel Air Town Run 5K) and Sierra Saunders (52:37 at Navy Federal Credit Union 5K).
And now, a look ahead:
Solstice 5K/10K: Sunday, 6 p.m., in Shippensburg. Celebrate the start of the summer season with this race, which will be held on the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail. Sign up for the race on timberhilltiming.com.
On the Rocks Trail Run 10K/16.7K/33.3K/50K: Saturday, June 27, 6:15 a.m., in York. Rocky Ridge County Park will serve as the backdrop for this technically challenging event. Look up the event on ultrasignup.com.
Baltimore Women’s Classic 5K: Sunday, June 28, 7:30 a.m., in Baltimore, Md. This event, in its 51st year, is the second-oldest all-women’s race. Learn more on runsignup.com.
Also: Ghost Town Trail Challenge 12K/25K/50K/50M (Saturday, in Black Lick); Medal Madness 5K/10K (Saturday, in Akron); Newville Fountain Festival 5K (Saturday, in Newville), Rachel Carson Trail Challenge 34M (Saturday, in Pittsburgh); Sproul 10K (Saturday, in Hyner); Hempfield recCenter Tri for Life (Sunday, in Landisville); Smith’s Challenge Trail Race 5M (Sunday, in Lancaster); Union Mills Women’s Distance Festival 5K (Sunday, in Westminster, Md.); Great Island Triathlons (Saturday, June 27, in Lock Haven); Hamburg Half Marathon (Saturday, June 27, in Hamburg); Hell Hath No Hurry 10K/30K/50K/50M (Saturday, June 27, in Carnegie); Medal Madness 5K/10K (Saturday, June 27, in Manheim); Medal Madness 5K/10K/Half Marathon (Saturday, June 27, in Hughesville); Rodale Park 12 Hour Challenge (Saturday, June 27, in Breinigsville); Love INC Run Your Race 5K (Saturday, June 27, in Hershey); Coventry Woods Trail Running Festival (Sunday, June 28, in Pottstown); Evergreen Lake Triathlon (Sunday, June 28, in Bath); Run for the Ages 10K (Sunday, June 28, in Reading).
