Circling up for the Frozen Finger 5 Miler

January was a fun month, starting with the Frozen Fingers 5 Miler, which had a mix of cross country, a road course and even some laps on a track.  A crew from Baltimore also traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in Snowlympics, a field day filled with games and friendly competition among the teams. On January 18^th, Orientation 2.0 took place where members shared their personal stories of addiction and how it has affected them and their families.

Training is underway for the 3^rd Annual Nikia’s Nippy Nor’easter Half-Marathon and Relay which will take place on March 31^st.  Several of our teammates will participate in this race, some of them running their first half marathon.  There are also relay options so this race has something for everyone.

Team Baltimore Station has charged headfirst into the new year, with excitement and eagerness for what 2012 will bring. Residential members Len and Gary hope to run half marathons again this year, and Daniel has started training for his very first half! Many non-residential members are lacing up their shoes for the Nikia Half too, and hoping to fare well on the NCR trail. Also, Mid-January saw a changing of the guard at BSTAT. After a send-off breakfast for Fast Dan (who stepped down so he could step up his training and become even faster!), Sarah took over as team leader. Her mile times might not look like Dan’s, but her smiles—and jokes and weekly videos—will hopefully make up for it. All of BSTAT looks forward to a great year ahead!

Team Christopher’s Place has had a lot of change and good times during January.  Jordyn took over as team leader and Ben H. has stepped up as the Social Coordinator.  He is SUPER enthusiastic and excited to share his ideas with the team.  Sarah M. has also stepped in to assist Amy U. as the non-residential member coordinator since the CP non-res contingent has grown to be so big!  This month we had a happy hour at the Green Turtle that was well attended.  As for the residents, EIGHT guys went down to D.C. to participate in their Snowlympics.  A good day was had by all, and the CP band lives on strong!  Residential member Jerome is now working!  While he misses some of the regular runs, he still is there when he can and is still training for the Nikia half.  George ran his first 5 miler at the Frozen Fingers race and loved every minute of it!  He is now considering training for the Maryland Half. Coaches Paul and Kevin are thinking up new ways for CP to eat hills for breakfast and are adding new fun runs including “Freaky Fridays” and “Wacky Wednesdays” to the weekly schedules.

Team McVET has had plenty of exciting news as 2011 came to an end and 2012 kicked off. Right on the heels of the birth of Maya’s daughter and Darryl M’s daughter, Walker welcomed his fourth child, JP, into the world.  Paul D. announced that he’s now expecting a fifth child so soon enough, the two of them will be able to field an entire baseball team for the rest of us to cheer on! In addition to newborns, the team welcomed Odell and Joy as our newest residential members! Also this month, existing members took on new opportunities. Ja-Aura started dental school and Tim secured an interview and a new job in Port Covington! Longtime non-residential member Lauren L. also took on duties as part of her role as an intern with BoMF Baltimore and began rotating her running schedule among all 5 teams.

Team Helping Up Mission welcomed one new member this month, Paul P.  Paul is already a runner and is very excited to be part of the team.  We had three guys run the Frozen Fingers 5 miler, Mike B. 36:22, Frank P. 37:01 and Barry B. 44:43.  We celebrated a few big accomplishments this month as Mike H. celebrated two years of sobriety and Tim B. graduated from Helping Up Mission.  After a little over a year with the team, Mike B. moved back home to get started on the next part of his journey. We are sad that Mike will no longer be at the morning runs, but very excited that things are going well for him. We love to see him so happy and able to make this step in his life!

We’re already looking at the end of 2012′s first month, and our January has been the best kind of winter! We’re thankful for warmer-than-usual temperatures on most days, snow-free sidewalks and a team that just keeps running! The votes are in, and DC’s January Members of the Month are:

Clean & Sober Streets (CSS)

Resident Member: David C. -

And, congrats to Gary D. for his newly-elected Captain status!

Non-Res. Member: Linday M.

NSV 

Resident member: LaJuana C -showing strong leadership from the start, and she’s already motivating new team members!

Non-Res. member: Sarah B – a smile that can brighten everyone’s morning, a good attitude and consistent attendance to our morning adventures!

La Casa

Resident member: Michael “Heavy” H – doing wonderfully at his new job, and now officially moved into his own apartment! Heavy continues to show tremendous dedication to his BoMF team, still joining for weekly morning runs.

Non-Res. Member: Sandra – shows up rain, shine or sub-freezing temps, with her cheerful and motivating attitude!

Emery

Resident Member: Duane W. (see picture below)

Non-Res. Member: Kyle R (see picture below)

December has always been one of the busiest and most exciting months for all of Back on My Feet Baltimore and 2011 certainly was no exception. The month kicked off with Baltimore Bash, a truly wonderful evening hosted by the Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards where friends, members and supporters of Back on My Feet Baltimore came together to reflect and celebrate the past year’s feats and accomplishments. Highlighted by a great group of speakers and a silent auction that featured a personal training session with Ray Lewis and his trainer Monte Sanders, the night was a huge success for Back on My Feet and helped raise more than $50,000 for our chapter!

As the month continued, there were plenty more plenty more reasons to celebrate both with the holidays and with a bevy of personal milestones and accomplishments in our members’ lives.

Team MCVET welcomed several new members to the roster this month including three new residential members: Chris M., Jason L., and Walter L., as well as two newborn Team MCVET’ers! Congratulations to Maya and her husband Ian on the birth of their daughter and alumni Darryl M and his wife Keta on the birth of their first child! We wish them all the best and expect to see them out running with us soon!

Team Christopher’s Place has also been growing at a rapid pace with nine new residential members joining the roster this month alone! Meanwhile, George and Jerome both graduated from their second phase at Christopher’s Place and Kani is already employed! In addition, all-star CP team member Dom, fresh on the heels of completing his first marathon at the Baltimore Running Festival has committed to and signed up for the D.C. Rock n’ Roll Marathon in March and has already started training!

Team Helping Up Mission welcomed two new teammates, Frank P. and Dre D., to the team while also celebrating Eric B. and Dave H.’s graduations and stalwart Back on My Feet’er Barry B. celebrated his third year of sobriety!

Some longtime Back on My Feet Baltimore members are transitioning into new roles as Jordyn will take over for Sadie as Christopher Place’s new team leader, Sarah steps into Fast Dan’s (bright orange!) shoes as team leader for Team Baltimore Station, and Henry T. passes the MCVET team captainship to Tim R.

December, of course, marks the holiday season, and Back on My Feet soaked up the holiday spirit with teams planning evening runs through the Miracle on 34^th Street, cookie bakes, and of course the annual holiday party and Celtic Solstice 5 miler! The holiday party was highlighted by crock pots, ugly yet festive sweaters dug out from our grandmothers’ closets, and the joy of being able to come together as a chapter to celebrate and thank each other for our commitment to Back on My Feet.  During the evening’s events, the member of the year award winners were announced to the cheers of their teammates. Mike B., from Helping Up Mission, was recognized as the Residential Member of the Year while Diane was awarded the Non-residential Member of the Year award. Congratulations to Mike and Diane, and thank you both for the hard work and time you have given to BoMF and its members over the course of the past of the year to make this such a memorable program for all of us.

Celtic Solstice Circle

Well-fueled on oatmeal, holiday cookies, pasta and chili dishes, BoMF Baltimore came out in full force for the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler in Druid Hill Park the next morning. Alumni, res, non-res and family members were all well represented among the field of more than 3,000 runners. While the day saw several PRs, first time racers, and Santa Claus costumes, it was highlighted by the return of our dear friend and teammate Sean F., of Team MCVET to the starting line. Sean was struck by a car while running on his own one night in July and after months in the hospital and physical therapy, took the starting line alongside his teammates at the morning’s race. His strength and resolve in getting there the past few months has captivated and inspired all of us and truly demonstrated that through hard work, grit and teamwork, no obstacle is too great. Sean continued to pick up more teammates as he made his way through the course, finishing alongside a huge pack of caroling and cheering teammates.

As we move into a new year, we are thankful for all the great memories and accomplishments that 2011 brought us and look forward to another great year in 2012.

Back on My Feet at the BRF

October for American Rescue Workers (ARW) was an amazing and exciting time. As the temperatures started to dip, our spirits stayed high! Patrick instilled Fun Fridays to keep that momentum going. No matter if it was Crazy Hat Fun Friday or Favorite Sports Team Fun Friday, Team ARW got up ready for fun on the run!

The Baltimore Running Festival had a lot of firsts for the team – with many members running their first marathon or half marathon. Floyd sped through the finish line at 2:15 – very impressive for his first half marathon! Quentin teamed up with three guys from Christopher’s Place to run a relay – beating the rest of his team’s splits! Finally, Harold PR’d from Nikia’s Nippy Nor’easter 5k with a time of 36:06. Alumni Darius ran a really strong half too! Thanks to Harold, Kevin, and the rest of Team ARW for helping at the Mile 22 water stop – we never could have run those last couple miles without your tasty beverages!

In other very exciting Team ARW news, Kevin A. was inducted as a Back on My Feet Baltimore Alumni. Current Alumni Darius was on hand to present Kevin with his monumental award along with a few touching words. We are so proud of Kevin as he moves his life forward with a great big smile on his face! Stay cool Kevin!

October was a big month for team Baltimore Station. At long last, October 15^th brought the Baltimore Running Festival – the pinnacle of many impressive training efforts. We had two residential members participate in the half marathon, Len L. with a time of 1:53:16, and Gary A. with a time of 2:41:33. It was Gary’s first half marathon, and Len pointed out that he had run another half more than 20 years ago only a couple minutes faster. As he put it, age has not slowed him down very much! We also fielded a marathon relay team, with three of the four spots taken up by Baltimore Station members. Kenny M., Sam M., and George H. each ran a leg of approximately 6.5 miles. Another runner from Philadelphia joined them to fill out the team. Eight of our non-residential members joined the party as well, many running the half marathon.

Team Christopher’s Place also had a great showing at the Baltimore Running Festival with more than 15 non-residential members running, and almost all of our residential members participating as well! Kani, George, and James all ran the 5k, while Jerome, Solomon, Abdullah, and Steven raced in the relay! Brian cut 30 minutes off his marathon time and Dominique completed his first marathon and crossed the finish line with the support of team Christopher’s Place and other Back on My Feet Baltimore runners. If you haven’t seen this video yet, chronicling his journey, you have to check it out! Even Tony and Ricky, alumni, came out to cheer us all on, and several Christopher’s Place teammates manned the BoMF water stop. It was a day many of us will never forget.

In other news, many of our members are also are looking forward to the Tuerk House 5k on November 5^th to cut time off of their previous races.

Finally, Team Christopher’s Place is happy to report that Erick got a job working for the MTA and Michael got a new job in the kitchen at the NSA. We’re also very excited to celebrate the alumni induction of Johnathan and Brian this month.

October was also a great month for Team Helping Up Mission Baltimore (THUMB)!  Many of our teammates ran in the Baltimore Running Festival, with several running a distance for the first time. It was quite a celebration with all five Baltimore teams as well as Philly and D.C. in attendance.  Here is a recap of the time for the members who ran:  5k – Eric L. 34:50, Stefan B. 28:49, and Bryant J. 30:07.  Relay (approx. 7 miles) – Eric B.  1:07:00. Half Marathon – Nicko R. 2:05:13, Tim B. 1:58:25, Steven W. 3:11:53, and Dave H. 2:11:10. Marathon – Barry B. 4:44:54 and Mike B. 3:46:52. We are so proud of all our runners!

Not only did Eric L. run the 5k at the Baltimore Running Festival this month, on October 7^th he graduated from Helping Up Mission. Congrats, Eric! Steven W. celebrated 250 miles with the team and ran his first half marathon while Mike B. passed 500 miles and completed his first marathon!

Team MCVET also had an exciting October. Alumni member Carlos entered the Baltimore County Fire Department. Residential members Tim, Ja-Aura, and Jay all ran their first half marathons at the Baltimore Running Festival, while Kevin and Henry ran the 5k. Alums Greg and Arnold ran the half marathon at BRF and also ran the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct 30 (the third marathon for both of them). Greg was inducted into alumni status on October 27^th. Finally, non residential member Ricky O. left for a year-long deployment with his Airborne Unit in Kuwait. Our thoughts are with him and we are looking forward to running with him when he returns!

Baltimore’s September Team Updates

With September nearly behind us and fall in the air, Back on My Feet Baltimore is looking forward to the Baltimore Running Festival, a day where we runners get the city all to ourselves!

September started on a very interesting note with the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix Indy Car race in town for the first weekend. The downtown racing course split the city in half, but that did not stop our teams from getting in their Saturday long run. Though all five teams could not meet up as normal, we arranged two separate meeting points so no one would miss their miles. Now that is dedication!

On Sunday the 18^th, the chapter attended an Orioles game at Camden Yards.  Back on My Feet was recognized at the game.  Even though the Orioles were blown out by the Angels 11-2, the group had a great time.

On the weekend of the 23^rd, Back on My Feet (Baltimore and D.C.!) sent numerous teams of runners and volunteers to participate in the Ragnar Relay, a 200 mile relay race from Cumberland, MD to Washington, D.C. Two 12-person teams participated including “Team BoMF Bmore/DC,” and “We Are the BoMF.” Those not running helped out at relay exchange zones and even cooked up some pancakes at one of the rest stops.  Don’t let the term “volunteer” fool you; they worked just as hard as the runners did!

With that, here are some highlights from the teams:

Baltimore Station has been focusing on diligently getting its miles in for the Baltimore Running Festival. Len has been very consistent and looks nearly ready for his first half marathon. He even participated in the Ragnar Relay, running some of the hardest and longest legs of the race. Gary has had a tough time getting his long runs in on Saturday, but thanks to the dedication of Training Coach Susan and Social Coordinator Dana, the three of them have been doing their runs on Fridays. Gary should definitely be ready for his half marathon! Get those miles in any way you can!

Christopher’s Place welcomed four new residential members this month, most of whom are super speedy. In his third week of running, Jerome kicked out a 23 minute 3-miler. Like whoa. James and Solomon reached their 10 miles in record time and George is learning to love those hills.

Kani, Dom, Erick and Tony all joined others from Christopher’s Place and Back on My Feet Baltimore for the Oriole’s game on September 18th. We had a great time, despite the team’s loss.

Our non-residential members have been super busy this month! Both Claire and Brendan qualified for the Boston Marathon! Jordyn ran the Rock and Roll Philly half! Amy M. competed in a triathlon and beat her PR by more than 10 minutes. She says it’s all that training for the Baltimore Running Festival that helped her shave that huge chunk off! Amy U. walked 60 miles for Breast Cancer and Sadie walked 30 miles for the National MS Society. We’re all over the place!

MCVET is proud to announce that Greg “The Road Runner” S. passed his GED exam! This was a great display of teamwork and support, as fellow Back on My Feet teammates Karem B., Erin H., Claire C., Kim C. and Mike M. all worked together to help Greg with his studies. Congratulations Greg!

Team Helping Up Mission Baltimore (THUMB) welcomed two new residential teammates in September, David F. & Bryant J. David & Bryant have already logged a few miles with the team and are really enjoying themselves.

Moses J. and Nicko R. celebrated completing 250 miles with the team, while Barry B. just completed 2,000 miles since joining Back on My Feet in 2009!  Nicko R. is training for his first half marathon and Barry is training to complete another marathon.

On September 16th, our teammate and friend, Steven W., graduated from Helping up Mission and celebrated one year of sobriety. Steven is training for his first half marathon and has several great things going on in his life. We are all so proud of him. Congratulations Steven!

We are getting closer to the Baltimore Running Festival on October 15^th. THUMB will have many teammates running the races, with several running this event for the very first time. We are really excited for the day to arrive. We have logged many miles in preparation and it is sure to be a great celebration for many of our teammates!

St. John’s:

With the majority of our members planning to participate in half or full marathons in the coming months, August marked the beginning of Fall race training for the St. John’s Team.

With the team logging miles at record speed this month, team coach Heather decided it was time to mix in some cross-training. Philadelphia Sports Club was generous enough to donate a SPIN room for our use one Friday morning, and former team leader of RWA, Megan Oxenford instructed the team in an intense 45 minutes of spinning, and singing to the original St. John’s requested playlist.

At the Wissahickon Wanderer’s Track Meet, St. John’s proved that training is paying off.  Bob set a new PR during his 5k race around the track, Mike P. showed us that walking is a thing of the past and he is ready to run, and the St. John’s relay team (Dan, Ron, Henry and Leonard) closed out the night with a great performance!

Sheila Dennis:

We celebrated our team’s 1^st birthday with cake and dancing. Esterlina, Lisa, and Eleanor all began classes in Philadelphia’s OIC program.  Esterlina earned her 50 mile medal and 60 mile watch. Lisa and Rhoda earned their 30 mile shirts.  Dawn, Wilma, Eleanor, and Jesse ran the 400m at the Wissahickon Wanderers Track meet. Dawn and Jesse also joined a relay medley.

Our Brother’s Place:

First, team OBP would like to give a HUGE thanks to Pete DeCarolis for serving as our team leader for the last 6 months. Pete brought a tremendous amount of dedication, patience and a genuine sense of caring to our team. He’s a terrific guy and a wonderful friend to us all. He always brings his clever sense of humor and always makes each of us happy to be living in the moment. Thanks Pete!

Our new team leader is Marisa Jones. She’s been with the team for quite a while. She’s a natural leader, someone we all predicted would eventually take the helm. We are all glad that she did! We’re looking at an active 6 months ahead of us.  Thanks you Marisa for your commitment to our team.

OBP is super excited to welcome our new res-members. Just as our team was beginning to feel like a small group, we’ve added Mequan,  Jeree, and Adam. For milestones, Lamar has already crossed the 50 mile mark while Dave F. reached 100 miles! WOW! Congrats to Dave!

We witnessed stellar performances by Olani, Lamar, Christine, Pete D., Pete S., Matt, and Sebastian at the Wissahickon Wanderers Track Meet, capped off with a 3rd place finish by Team OBP (Lamar, Christine, Matt and Pete S.) in the Distance Medley Relay! The full team will be meeting up this weekend for some roller skating, which should make for a few good laughs and memories.

New Jerusalem Now

August was another great month at NJN. After the crazy July, many of our team members enjoyed the more relaxing month of August. We participated in the track meet. We loved being able to include more of our team with the shorter events. Our ladies participated in the 400-meter relay. Dave set a personal best in the mile! Mohamed also ran in the 2 miles. Awesome work guys! We continued to keep pushing our running in our training runs. Almost everyone on the team is doing at least half of the mileage at run and the other half at a jog. We have many team members who are working towards their first 5k race.

We added several new volunteers throughout the month of August. Our fearless leader was off on vacation for much of August, so we give a big thanks out to our awesome volunteers for helping to keep our team running smoothly! We also added new team members Dan and Nikki. The new res members just reached their first 10 miles! Mereald reached 250 miles and Palmar hit 50 miles. Mohamed is also starting classes at CCP.

A sad event that affected our team was the loss of Roswell, an awesome and well respected non-res. We will miss him greatly and proudly participated in a memorial run and organized cards for his family. We will always remember this amazing person and he will always be a part of our team. Some of our residents have also dedicated future races to his memory.

As we start to move into the cooler fall weather, we are looking forward to our social events and a lot of awesome fall races which we are working on building towards and having more entries in! Come out and join us for a morning run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:40AM!

Ready, Willing, and Able:

August was a hot month for team Ready, Willing and Able, but that didn’t keep us from getting our miles in! Therion and Wardell have managed to keep their attendance at a whopping 100% while James is close behind at 99%. Both Therion and Wardell have also attended Saturday runs to help train for the ING half marathon and potentially the Philly full marathon! Maurice, our team captain, recently reached 250 miles while balancing his busy work schedule. We congratulate all of you! We recently welcomed in two new res members: Vern and Todd, who both bring an optimistic attitude and unwavering smiles to our morning circle. Lastly, Sarah stepped down from her position as team leader. Her positive spirits motivated the team and made every member feel welcome. One res member has even described her as the “Energizer Bunny” due to her upbeat attitude. We all thank you for everything that you have done!

Troy running at the Wissahickon Wanderers track meet

Troy is the standard by which all other gentlemen are measured. Troy occasionally stops by the office to keep us updated on how things are going with him. Every time he leaves he expresses thankfulness for everyone’s time. Troy will always get the last thank you even if he says as the elevator doors close as he leaves our office.

When Troy is not cheering people up around our office he is working at Oasis in the kitchen. After spending 14 weeks at the Philabundance Community Kitchen completing the culinary arts training program he quickly found employment, but Troy’s ambition does not stop there. He is currently looking for a second job in the food industry. Troy has also recently moved in with family. With steady employment he was able to furnish his new house and finally create a home.

Amidst all of Troy’s vocational accomplishments he is also an accomplished runner. In the past year Troy completed a half marathon and is currently training for upcoming fall races.

Whenever Troy visits the office I am reminded of how a simple expression of gratitude can make someone’s day. As one of our volunteers said about Troy “it only takes a short while for anyone to be impacted by Troy’s determination, spirit and dedication”.

Thanks Troy!

Wow…what a month it was!  August brought Back on My Feet’s first duathlon, our 3^rd Annual Wipeout and more long Saturday runs as our teammates train for the Baltimore Running Festival!

Many of our team members participated in their first duathlon.  The event was a 2 mile run, 26 mile bike ride and 4 mile run through the hilly streets of Howard County.  The homes and scenery were beautiful, but we didn’t take much time to notice as we were climbing those hills with all of our energy!

On Saturday, August 20^th, we had our 3^rd Annual Wipeout.  Wipeout is a field day for adults where all 5 Baltimore teams, and this year a team from DC, battle it out in various events for bragging rights.  The events included relay races, tug o’ war, water balloon toss and many more. Baltimore Station took home the prize this year, while American Rescue Workers were awarded the most spirited team with painted faces and wigs showcasing the team.  We ended the day by enjoying the awards ceremony and lunch (and some trash talking!).  Everyone really enjoyed the event and we are already gearing up for next year.

The Saturday training runs for the Baltimore Running Festival continue to get longer.  By month’s end, some of our teammates training for the marathon will be up to runs of 18 miles.  With the race only 7 weeks away, it’s crunch time!

Now for some great highlights from some of our teams!

Here are some amazing things that have happened at American Rescue Workers and BoMF in August:

~Enjoyed and learned a ton from Dr. Josh who went over a brief overview on what they do in the Running Injury Clinic including learning what mistakes many runners make in their form, went crazy on the Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill, and then did some exercises that should be in every runner’s program.

• Celebrated a couple of birthdays including our Floyd!
• Both Floyd and Harold celebrated their 100 mile marker!
• WipeOut practices at Rash Field!
• Took home the best trophy ever! Disco Ball for the BEST SPIRIT! We honored Joe since we couldn’t have done it without his one-of-a-kind songwriting skillz.
• Most of Team American Rescue Workers are training for the Baltimore Running Festival in October, including res members; Floyd and Quentin are training for the half, Harold for the relay, and Joe for the 5k!!

At Team Helping Up Mission Baltimore (THUMB), Mike B., Nicko R. and Dave H. all completed their first duathlon, Du the 2, while Barry B. used his experience as a triathlete to complete this event as well!  The course was tough and the guys battled many hills, both on bike and on foot, and celebrated with other team members upon finishing the race.  It was a great day for these team members and all those that came out to support.

The team competed in Wipeout on August 20^th and THUMB got all decked out in orange tube socks and white shirts and brought our usual spirit.  The team competed in a field day with events like tug o’ war, relay race, water balloon toss and more.  THUMB even supported their Back on My Feet friends from DC by providing a few extra teammates to their team.

On August 5^th, our teammate and friend, Mike B., graduated from Helping up Mission and celebrated 1 year of sobriety.  Mike looks to attend college, maybe as soon as the fall semester, and also is training for his first marathon.  Congrats, Mike!

At Baltimore Station, both Kenny M. and Len L. completed Du the 2, their first ever duathlon event.  Though the rolling hills, 6 miles of running and 26 miles of cycling left them tired, they were both extremely proud of their accomplishments!

The Sharp-Leadenhall Green Team, a group of teenagers who spent the summer keeping the streets around Baltimore Station clean were supervised by our very own Sam M.  He was even quoted in a Baltimore Sun article about the group.  Though unable to make it out to run most mornings, we are certainly all very proud of him!  Now as summer is winding down, he is back out with the team.

Baltimore Station, the Station Nation, the underdog of underdogs showed up to Wipeout 2011 on a mission to go from lovable losers to champions.  Residential members George H., Kenny M., Len L., Alumnus Mitch S., and non-residential members John B., Dan M., Pat H., Travis, Kelcy N., Shawn, Mark M., and Erin M. provided just the right mix of speed, strength, and finesse to give the Station 56 points and the victory.  As our cheer so eloquently put it: we can bench 500 pounds, run an 8 second 100 meter dash, throw water balloons with finesse, and win, in dominating fashion!

American Rescue Workers Members of the Month: Joseph & Carrie

Joseph is one of the founding members of ARW and is still running strong.  Though he admits running up hill is one of his biggest weaknesses, he doesn’t let that get in the way of his accomplishments (such as finishing the St. Patrick’s Day 5K) or his goals (getting a job).  You might recognize Joseph showing off his musical brilliance as the bass behind the ARW team cheer.

Team Leader Carrie has been with the team since October and is gearing up for her biggest race since the B10: finishing the Baltimore half-marathon.  You’ll be able to spot her on race day amidst the sea of runners if you are on the lookout for the ARW team uniform – green wipeout wigs and warpaint.  She’ll be the one keeping pace to the tune of “keep breathing-keep talking-keep breathing-keep talking.”

Team Helping Up Members of the Month: Eric & James

When he’s not cleaning up the community around Helping Up, Eric can be found pushing himself to train harder as he prepares for the Baltimore Running Festival Relay.   Still reeling from his first race at the MCVET 5K, Eric takes an introspective approach to thinking about life when he’s out there getting his wind up to run longer distances.  His team leader Rob says  ”he’s has been a great addition to our team.  He has been very dedicated and focused since coming out for his first run.  He’s worked hard to overcome some obstacles that stood in his way this summer and has not let anything get in his way of enjoying his running.

Though the highlight of James’ Back on My Feet career up until this point was working at the Baltimore 10 Miler waterstop, he’s destined to top that as he prepares for the his first marathon at the Baltimore Running Festival this fall.     Running with his Helping Up Team relieves him of the obligation to THINK, and also gives him the opportunity to get to know his teammates.  He’s been a big inspiration to the team both through his consistent presence as well as his dedication to the training regimen.

Team Christopher Place Members of the Month: Chris & Jeanne

Chris has steadily been improving his endurance, not just in distance running, but areas of water balloon toss and tug-o-war, making him a versatile asset on any Wipeout team.  As of late, his running has been compromised by his newly acquired job hours.  While the team misses his presence, they are very excited for his next steps forward.

Mean Jeanne is a founding member of the Baltimore chapter, who, even after two years still “love[s] every run with BOMF. From the first mile for a new member, to celebrating mileage milestones, to any weekday run – there’s always something to smile about out there with the team.”  She has poured her heart into making sure her teammates are trained properly for the Baltimore Running Festival and claims she will be the loudest cheerleader as they cross that finish line. Is that a challenge?

MCVET Members of the Month: Tim & Dee

As one of our newest members, Tim has already accumulated over 100 miles and is well on his way to accomplishing his Baltimore Half Marathon goal.  As Tim’s teammates have noted, “From day one, he’s had a positive, enthusiastic attitude.”  He’s been dependable and committed, even on days when he worked 2-4am firewatch, or mornings when couldn’t run with team, and he’s also the first  to volunteer and support his teammates in whatever capacity needed. When he’s not out there focusing on his running form and movement, he’s enjoying some of his best moments with the team, running with people who are genuinely interested in who he is.

Dee is better known as our “Team Mom.” She still recounts her greatest BoMF moment completing the Philadelphia Marathon side by side with her teammate Gary.  She has the big SUV and is quick to carpool to BoMF races and events, and always has plenty of waters and Gatorades to keep everyone properly hydrated.  TL Peter says, “Her maternal nature goes beyond the clichés of carpooling or the fact that she is actually the mother of our teammate Lauren though. When our teammate, Sean, was in an accident that left him in the hospital for the past month, Dee has been quick to be there to look after him, visiting regularly and organizing activities at the hospital for the team to take part in.”  Not only does Dee truly does have the best interest of our teammates at heart, but she sets the bar very high for stylish running tights! You can catch her in those tights as she chases down a BQ at the Richmond Marathon in November.

Early July brought a slight break in training as the Baltimore 10 miler was last month and the Baltimore Running Festival is still a few months off.

On July 9th, a scavenger hunt designed to test how well everyone knew Baltimore was held.  A small but smart and dedicated group of BSTAT teammates braved the heat running around downtown Baltimore to get pictures of various landmarks based on a series of clues.  We even managed to score style points for being the only team that had a mini tripod for our camera.

On July 10th, team BSTAT left the friendly confines of paved roads to take up some trail racing.  The Sweet Air Trail Race, put on by the Baltimore Road Runners’ Club certainly lived up to its reputation as a tough trail race.  Complete with steep hills, mud, and multiple stream crossings, it was certainly a change of pace for many of our runners!  Kenny M. ran a 60:18, Len L. a 1:09:01, and George H posted a 1:27:04.  They were joined by non rez members Victoria G, Greg S, and Amelia C.  The race was advertised as “approximately” 7 miles.  It can always be hard to tell for sure with trail races!

The following week brought 20 in 24, one of Back on My Feet’s largest fundraising events.  Various racing events all centered around an 8.4 mile loop around the Schuykill River in Philadelphia.  BSTAT sent a nonrez team to take part in the Gold Category Relay Challenge.  A team of 5 people were required to run a total of 126 miles over 15 laps; 25.2 miles per person.  It was certainly milder than years past, but still a tough event!  Station Nation Domination managed an 18 hour 52 minute time, and an 8th place finish overall.  Victoria G., Chris C., Kevin F. (a “free agent” from team CP), and Dan M. made up the team.

In non running news, Sam M. has been quite busy with an early morning job lately.  In a couple of weeks, he will be rejoining BSTAT for regular morning runs.  His job involves supervising children in completing various tasks in the local community.  As he best put it, “I think they are the ones keeping me in line!”  Roy T. has been very busy working, using his construction and handyman skills in many different ways.  Despite working long hours, he still finds time to make it out in the mornings when he can.

As July comes to a close, training for the Baltimore Running Festival is starting to gain momentum.  Despite brutally hot temperatures, even early in the morning, it is not stopping us from getting our miles in!  Len L, Gary A, and George H. are all targeting the half marathon.

BSTAT’s next race will certainly be an adventure as we are taking our running skills to the multisport world.  A brand new duathlon is being held in Howard County the first weekend in August, “Du the 2.”  The USAT (USA Triathlon) sanctioned event will feature a 2 mile run, a 26 mile bike ride, and a 4 mile run, complete with transitions and everything else that makes up the multisport world!  Kenny, Roy, and Len are all planning on doing the whole race and taking their bikes out for a spin.  It should prove to be a unique experience!

BSTAT, July 2011

RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: LEONARD “LENNY” L.

July Member of the Month, Lenny L.

Shoe size: 8

Member since: May 2011

Miles accumulated: 115+

Best BOMF moment: The Baltimore 10-Miler Pasta Party

Biggest challenge with running: Pacing; not going out too fast at the start

Goal in the next three months: Finish a half marathon and the Du the 2 Duathlon

What do you think about when you’re running?: Not getting hurt

What’s the next race you’re doing with the BoMF crew?: Du the 2

What was your last race and how did you do?: Sweet Air trail race, was happy with the results and overall pace

Favorite post-race meal?: pasta

What advice would you give a brand-new runner?: Pace yourself

“Len joined team BSTAT in May and has proven to everyone how strong of a runner he is.  Since joining, he has run the most miles of all rez members for both June and July.  It shows in his pace on the early morning runs as there are not many people that can keep up with him.  Despite battling some hamstring issues early, he has continued to move forward and gets stronger every day.  Though he was a bit on the quiet side when first joining, he has really come into his own and is a strong presence on the team.  He is certainly willing to take on athletic challenges with ease, having done a 10 mile run already.  Du the 2 and a half marathon are up in his future, and I’m sure he will do well.  His dedication and confidence really help energize our team.”- “Fast” Dan Miranda, BSTAT Team Leader

NON-RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: AMELIA CONLON

July Member of the Month, Amelia C.

Shoe size:  7 or 7.5, depending on the shoe

Member since: February 2011

Best BoMF moment: Pacing res member Sam through the Baltimore 10-Miler

What do you think about when you’re running?: My mind is a vortex, filled with doubt, darkness and fear when I am racing. When I am training, I’m generally thinking, ‘shut up legs.’

What was your last race and how did you do?: I’ve been racing injured…so I am pumped that my legs are still attached to my body.

Favorite post-race meal?: 4 pancakes with strawberries and blueberries, 3 egg omelet with tomato, onion and smoked salmon topped with avocado and siracha, hash browns, turkey sausage, chocolate soy milk, coffee and maybe a fruit cup. (for races marathon distance or greater ☺ )

What advice would you give a brand-new runner?: In the words of Serge [Arbona]: ‘train hard.’ Oh yeah and ice ice baby.

Fact most people would not know about you?: I can bend over backwards and touch my heels. I also make my own bagels.

Running mantra?: Currently shopping around for a positive and constructive one

Favorite workout?: Hill repeats, close second is the Fartlek.

Biggest challenge with running?: resting and nutrition

Running calendar?: Annapolis 10, Baltimore Half, MCM, Philly Marathon and Houston Marathon.

Goal in the next three months?: B-O-S-T-O-N

“Amelia recently took over the role of Non Rez Member Coordinator from longtime incumbent Allison B.  With her willingness to help out on the team, it was a natural fit.  She helped pace Sam M. through the Baltimore 10 Miler and put up with his complaining at the very end all to get him through the line in mostly one piece.  She has also used her background as a yoga instructor to lead BSTAT in a yoga session.  We have now officially commissioned “Fun First Fridays” to make yoga a more regular BSTAT event!  Dedicated nonrez really drive our team, and I am always extremely appreciative of those who step up and really pitch in!  Amelia has been a great addition to our team.” -”Fast” Dan Miranda, BSTAT Team Leader

We welcomed 3 new rez members this month:  Stefan B., Tim B. and Bill Y.!  These are the first new rez teammates to join the team since the beginning of May.

On Saturday July 9^th, THUMB too part in BoMF Baltimore scavenger hunt.  It was a closely contested battle to the end and THUMB took 3^rd place!  The following day some of our teammates took part in the Sweet Air Trail Race up in Baltimore County.  This is a tough 7 – 8 mile trail run that is not for the faint of heart!

Some of our teammates also participated in the Back on My Feet Stroehman 20 in 24 in Philadelphia on July 16^th.  Mike H. ran two 8.4 mile loops and was really strong out there in the heat.  He ran the loops in 1:02:33 and 1:04:01, respectively!  Steady as can be!

There were several more great milestones achieved this month.  Stefan B. got his 5 mile wristband also hit 10 miles with the team.  Tim B. had a big first month receiving his 5 mile wristband, 10 mile hat and medal for running 5 consecutive miles!  Bill got his 5 mile wristband with the team. Mike B. hit 250 miles with the team!  Eric B. and Dave H. received their 50 mile medals this month!

Training for the Baltimore Running Festival has begun!  We have teammates running the various distances.  Some will be competing in the first marathon, while others will be running the half marathon.  We will also have teammates running the 4 person relay and the 5k.  October 15^th is sure to be a special day for our team and the next few months will hold the hard work that will get us there!

Team THUMB, July 2011

RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: DAVE H.

July 2011 Member of the Month, Dave H.

Shoe size: 12

Member since: May 2011

Miles accumulated: 60.5

Best BOMF moment: Every day running with the team.  They make me feel like I am running a marathon each time I am out there!

Biggest challenge with running: My age and the fact that my brain says one thing and my body can only do so much.  Pacing myself is a challenge.

Goal in the next three months: I am going to run my first half marathon!  I also want to get my license.

What do you think about when you’re running?:  Music.  I have upbeat songs running through my head.  I used to run with music, but I don’t now with the team.

What’s the next race you’re doing with the BoMF crew?: Du the 2 Duathlon

“I can see that Dave is working very hard, not only on his running, but on many aspects of his life.  He is very happy being a part of the team and I am excited to see how positive the team has been for him.  He has his sights set on running his first half marathon and with his hard work and dedication he is sure to do great!  I am thrilled Dave is part of our team and always look forward to seeing him at our morning runs.”   Rob Carfagno, team leader

NON-RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: GREG EPPLEY

July Member of the Month Dave E. (with Meredith)

Shoe size: 13

Member since: March 2011

Best BoMF moment: Looking back one of my most memorable moments was the Baltimore 10 Miler and the Friday pasta party.  The Friday pasta party was my first opportunity to see the team dressed up and I enjoyed the chance to sit, talk, and EAT!!!  Then on Saturday morning being in the biggest circle ever was so motivating, i was so proud to be part of BoMF.

What do you think about when you’re running?: I usually try to focus on my surroundings and chat with the people i’m with.  I enjoy running in the city because there is so much to stare at.

What’s your next race with the BoMF crew?:  My next race with the BoMF crew is the Baltimore Running Festival where I’ll be doing the 1/2 marathon.  I look forward to training with the team!

“Greg didn’t waste any time jumping in to make a difference on our team.  In the few months since his first run, he had made a big splash with many of the guys.  Greg continually sacrifices his own running to support others on a regular basis and this is the essence of what Back on My Feet is all about.  Greg could choose to run fast and far each morning, but he seeks out his teammates and helps them reach towards their goals, whatever the pace or the distance.  He makes a big difference to many people on our team and I appreciate all that he does!”  Rob Carfagno, team leader