What's it like running for more than 60 miles in an unmarked course through the wilderness of a Tennessee state park in one of the world's most respected endurance events? Geoffrey Baker may never know firsthand, but he does at least understand the experience of these athletes after photographing what is known as The Barkley in Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee. Baker, a freelancer photographer based in Catonsville and Ellicott City, is himself an ultrarunner and decided to photograph the race because it's rarely been done. He wrote the following in an email to Patch when asked about his …

I had never done it before, but there I was at the start of the hill on 33rd Street in Baltimore...walking. All around me at the Baltimore Ten Miler in June of this year, runners are powering through, headed up to the crest near where Memorial Stadium once stood. I've run the race before and in all the races I've done, I have never walked, except through water stops. No matter how steep it is, I always at least jog up hills. But this year I was walking. Following that hill, I walked at least twice more in the race. It was like once I did it, there was no stopping me from doing it again. I …

Happy National Running Day! For those of you who read the site regularly, you know I'm a runner. And by that I mean I ran high school track, I run two times a week (the other workouts are reserved for yoga and the climbing gym) and the longest race I'll ever do is a 10-mile race. So I wouldn't consider myself in the hardcore category. But I love a good run outside. Also after living in the Baltimore area for six years and living with other runners, I've done a lot of routes. I 'nerd out' a little and do track my mileage and pace, but that's as far as I go. So here's my list of five great area…

Running hurts.  But not nearly as much as chemotherapy, radiation and bone marrow transplants. Such is the thinking behind the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, known to its participants as TNT. The group enlists walkers, runners, cyclists, triathletes and hikers to take part in races locally, nationally and even internationally, all the while raising awareness for the fight against cancer.  Emblazoned in their trademark purple jerseys, TNT members stand out from the rest of the pack in their appearance, but they also stand out because of their cause. TNT athletes raise money in…

Several winters ago I was running in my Paradise neighborhood.  The weather was cold and the sidewalks were icy.  Mounds of snow had been pushed up along the sides of the road, forcing me to run in the street.  Although it was daylight, cars passed perilously close to me as I ran along, forcing me to wonder if I had somehow become invisible since leaving my house.  I quickly realized that it was going to be up to me to avoid get run over rather than the other way around. As I turned right onto Frederick Road I decided that the traffic was too heavy to jog along the side of the road and …

According to C.S. Lewis, "man's conquest of Nature turns out, in the moment of its consummation, to be Nature's conquest of Man." The Buzzards Rock, Ilchester Rocks and Sawmill Branch Trails in Patapsco Valley State Park reinforce Lewis’s notion in more ways than one. Whether running, walking or biking on these trails, a person has the opportunity to travel deep into dense forests and next to flowing streams.  They can also travel alongside railroad tracks, walk through tunnels or stand next to a roaring dam.  The duality of civilization and nature is truly the hallmark of these trails. …

Ferris Bueller once said, “life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  The same could be said for Patapsco Valley State Park; it lies right next door to Catonsville, but if you’re like me, you often overlook what the park has to offer. Patapsco Valley State Park is a dream come true for runners, bikers and hikers.  According to the park’s website there are “170 miles of trails, with 70 of those miles identified as maintained trails.”  The park features ponds, bridges, tunnels, playgrounds and picnic areas.  It is even used by equestrians who…

"What in the world do you have on your feet?" Questions like this have become the norm for me as I walk and run around town in my Vibram Five Finger running shoes.  Five Fingers, or VFFs for short, look like gloves for your feet complete with individual pockets for each toe. The unique look of the shoe has elicited any number of names and adjectives from people as I've worn them around town.  One lady at Giant called them "unique," but judging from the look on her face I feel that she may have been holding back from telling me her true feelings.  A kid who I passed while running past the …

"ON ON!" This call came from one of the people in front of me as we ran along a forest trail marked by random spots of flour sprinkled along the base of trees.  I followed the sound of the voice, trusting they had found yet another spot along the path. Our objective on this cold day was simple: follow the flour trail markers through the woods, proceeding over any hills, walls, bushes or rivers which might get in the way.  We were to do this until we arrived at our final destination, a spot where this group of runners and friends would meet to enjoy a few tall and tasty glasses of beer. A …

It's hard to believe it's already the middle of the week and the Baltimore Running Festival is long gone. Are you still recovering from the race? What's your next race on the calendar? I did a quick search of the results on the site and found tons of Catonsville runners, which was great to see. Catonsville's top finisher was Brendan Morrison, who placed 64th overall and finished in 3:01:59. Congratulations to Brian Darmody, who was right behind at 68th place overall, but placed first in his age group (55-59) with a time of 3:02:45. Catonsville's top female finisher was Lisa Farias, who ran an…

Sadly, three weeks after I moved to Catonsville, I developed what I think was a stress fracture in my foot, or at least that was my Internet diagnosis. A 30-minute run around downtown Catonsville on Sept. 18 lead to excruciating pain for the rest of the weekend. I don't think it helped matters when I spent the following day at Great Falls, VA, rock climbing with friends. By the time I got back to Catonsville Sunday night, I was hobbling around. As a result, my running and climbing have been non-existent for the past two weeks in an attempt to heal whatever this is. I decided to take this …