Photos are here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pSWhWRMQZVBiKg4w7
BEFORE MY START: My 41st race of 2021 was the Dia de Los Muertos 5K on October 23. Start time of 5 p.m. at McAllister Park, this evening event is a kind celebrates a kind of ‘memorial holiday’ that honors and remembers deceased family members. Originating in Mexico, this “Day of the Dead” celebration is actually a lot more involved than my simple explanation and is now celebrated in several places around the world. Several participants wore costumes – probably quite warm for them in the San Antonio 77 degree heat at start time – and there were several unique backdrop items for photo opportunities. I picked up my race packet a couple of days before the race so when I arrived I was ready to wander around chatting with friends/other participants and get some pre-start photos.
ON THE COURSE: The course was kind of a loop course on the park’s off-road paved trails and right before the finish the last part was a bit of an out-and-back on one of the park roads – which I always find a bit annoying, lol, because when I hit the end of that last trail, I don’t want to do an out-and-back, I just want to head right for the darn finish line. Even so, a pretty nicely thought out course, that provided us a lot of shade, which was nice on this warm-and-sunny Texas evening. After having completed my very first week of radiation therapy for my prostate cancer I am currently battling I was not sure how I would do, so I really did not push it much. I had done training runs during the week of my training and felt good on those, with no adverse reactions, so felt I was ready for this. Just took it fairly easy, doing my usual walk/run thing, and taking some on-course photos during my walk breaks. I ended up 4th out of 6 in my age group, with a chip time of 40:01, averaging 12:53 miles. The 3rd guy in my age group was 30-something and the first 2 finished in the 20s, nice. I felt pretty good the whole way and enjoyed myself and was just happy I still could run as it was a long first week of treatment for me both psychologically and physically, especially as I am the first appointment of the day for the clinic; happy about that, but that 6:45 a.m. Mon-Fr treatment time means I have to be up way early in the morning to get there on time, lol. Four days done (started on Tuesday), 24 days to go. I am a BAMC patient and just have to say, my medical team is just GREAT, always patient and caring with me, and getting it done for me with the least discomfort possible.
AFTER MY FINISH: Happy with my performance, I mildly celebrated with one post-race beer, as I went here-and-there chatting post-race with friends, enjoying the costume contest and the music played by our sound guy, and getting some post-race photos. The ‘bride-lady’, who walked the course in full costume, was the costume contest winner.
Epilogue: This event, put on by iaap, one of the best race management companies around, was very well done. A family business, race director Ceci and her crew did a great job with this event, as they do with every event of theirs I have ever attended. This one was really fun too, and very colorful, with the backdrops, the costumes, etc. Anthony Zamora, our MC, also did his usual great job, being very entertaining and helping make it fun. I’ve done this one several times in the past and continue do to so in the future as long as I am able. I most certainly would recommend this one to others. Both runners and walkers welcome, and this is a dog-friendly, stroller friendly, everything-friendly event too.
MUCHO THANKS TO: The whole Iniguez family for all the great events they keep providing to we participants year after year; all the sponsors who helped foot the bill so we could all enjoy this event; the park police officers out there for our safety for the 2 park-road crossing we did on the route; our music man; our MC; all the volunteers for this event; Alamo Beer for the post-race adult beverage; and anyone else I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all so much!
Scottydog Reports 