Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/CsYz8PX2GDPFVA7z7

Before The Start : Held on December 3, 2022, Jingle All The Way 5K was my 60^th of the year. There was also a 10K. Hosted by Tusculum Brewing, this event was held in Boerne, Texas, starting and finishing on the brewery ground, the 10K started at 8 a.m., with the 5K following at 8:15 a.m. I arrived with with about 30 minutes to start time, got my packet, and then got just a few pre-start photo before we were off-and-running…literally!  I saw my friend Rick who had planned to do the 5K, but was having some hamstring issues and did not want to push it, so he probably wisely decided to forego the event.  Weather was not too bad for us at all.  It was very humid (92%) with temps in the upper 50s, and dark cloud cover, but never did rain on us. I felt quite comfortable out there, even with the humidity; but then, I am one of those crazy runners, lol, that like it hot better than cold.

On The Course:   Top-notch company Athlete Guild did the race setup, timing, and results, so they probably had a hand in laying out the course. Whoever laid it out did a nice job selecting the route. From the brewery grounds, we went directly onto a portion of the Boerne Riverwalk. The first part of the course took us over to the Boerne Town Center, where we did a turn-round and then went back the way we had come out. We then passed by the start/finish line and continued on the Riverwalk to another turn-round point. Back the way we had come, and then crossed a bridge over the river.  This took us into a really nice neighborhood with very wide streets and some nice homes.  We went down this street to our last turn-round point (thank goodness, lol) and then back the way we had come out.  After re-crossing the bridge, we got back onto the river path and then went to the finish line.  The 5K folks only had to do all this once; the 10K folks twice, so they had lots of out-and-back.  I admire their fortitude, lol.  I ended up with  41:18 chip time, averaging 13:18 per mile, and had a negative split for Mile 3, very nice. My friends tell me if would quit stopping to take all those on-course photos, I probably could do 11-minute miles or faster; maybe, but because of my spinal arthritis, I can’t do non-stop running anymore – unless I don’t feel like being able to get up for about the next  2 days, lol –  so have to take my walk breaks; and I enjoy doing my reports and sharing with my fellow participants, etc., so it’s all good.

After My Finish: Got some water and did a short cool-down walk, relaxing a bit, and then enjoyed interacting with other participants, volunteers, and supporters.  Super nice people at this event, enjoyed chatting with them and making new friends.  Dog-friendly event too, so the dog-treats I carry were gone pretty quickly; had to get a few more after I finished. I got quite a few more photos after my finish than I did before my start. Small world too; I met another veteran there and we discovered we both had been at the same Air Force base at the same time during our careers.

Epilogue:  This is a smaller event – 27 finishers, runners and walkers, for the 10K and 154 finishers, runners and walkers for the 5K – and with all these very friendly people I encountered, it felt more like a neighborhood get-together social run than a race, which I thought was great. I think I made a few new friends. Nicely designed course and Tusculum Brewery refreshments available post-race. I met the owners and they are super-nice people operating a really nice establishment; check it out if you are ever in Boerne. This event supported Transformation House, which offers services and transitional housing for women and children who have experienced domestic violence, so a very worthy cause.  Finisher medal for all finishers, age group award to Top overalls, and a nicely designed race shirt. This is the first time I’ve done this event but will not be my last. I certainly recommend this event to others. MUCHO thanks to all those who made this one happen for we participants; Tusculum Brewing, Athlete Guild for the timing, results, etc; the many volunteers out there for us, as well as the police officers on the course for our safety at a couple of road crossings; all the event sponsors; and anyone else involved I may have missed mentioning; thank you all!