Photos are here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cNL3pZZYjfn1Eok7A
BEFORE MY START: My 1st race of 2020 was the La Cruda 5K, held on Jan 1st at Helotes Creek Winery in Old Town Helotes, a small city on one of the San Antonio city limits border. Race time of 10 a.m. This is a very popular event and always has a nice turn-out. This is the 3rd year for this race – I’ve done all 3 so far – and this year was the best weather we’ve had so far for the event. First year was 19 degrees, with a wind and some sleeting going on – BRRR! Second year we had sunshine and blue skies but chilly at 37 – 39 degrees. This year a temp ranging between 49-52, with gray overcast skies, but at least no wind, and no precipitation. I arrived with about an hour to go before start time to get a few pre-start photos.
ON THE COURSE: The first part of the course is fairly flat, with us going out around a small traffic circle, then on a flat road to a turn-round point. The roads were open to traffic, so we had to watch out, but the drivers I saw on the course were pretty patient about it all. After the turn-round point we went back to the traffic circle, then past the start/finish line area, and here is where the inclines and hills started. Not steep though, just mainly long. After getting to another turn-round point, we went back the way we had come and then turned in to the driveway that took us to the finish line. I had a “Senior Moment” before the event, lol, and forgot to get my timing chip, so no official time for me – not like I was going to win anything anyway, lol – but per my Garmin, I finished in 38:21, averaging 12:06 per mile. I went out a bit too fast – 11: 53 – and paid for that by ending up with positive splits. Even so, felt pretty good but, after not running regularly like I usually do, after having to reduce my weekly mileage way down for a few weeks as my sore foot healed, I certainly felt this one. Still, just happy to be running again and am slowly working on building my stamina back up to where it used to be. All in all, pretty nice course and, with two sections of out-and-back, lots of friends to see and cheer on as we passed by each other.
After My Finish: Where’s the beer? Wait…first hydrate a bit, and get a banana in me and cool-down walk. Then some photos and my post-race one beer and sausage-on-a-stick and wandering around getting some post-race photos.
EPILOGUE: One of my favorite races of the year and a good way to start the running year. Finisher medal to all, nice quality race tee, lots of post-race goodies that included Alamo Beer (my personal favorite) and some ‘harder’ choices of drinks, including bloody mary and tequila, sausage-on-a-stick, various fruits, etc, and apparently a “New Year’s tradition around here of menudo, a spicy soup. There also was a raffle for some Brooks running shoes and I think there was some kind of hotel stay give-away prize too. Really nice event, one which I will continue to do as long as I am able, and I certainly would recommend this to others. MUCHO THANKS to all the people who made this one happen for us, including Race Director Tony Garcia, our MC Anthony Zamora, our ‘bike’ guy George, all the many volunteers and sponsors, Scallywompus running organization and anyone else I may not have mentioned here.
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