Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/yw6wL5i1MKycoCLVA

Before the start:  My 32^nd  race of 2024 was on May 25^th, held at the San Antonio State Hospital (SASH) just off of New Braunfels Avenue.  The SASH Spring Thing 5K “benefits the Volunteer Services Council of the San Antonio State Hospital. The Council’s primary mission is to improve the quality of life and enhance the well-being of patients receiving treatment at the San Antonio State Hospital by providing goods and services not funded by the state.”  Race start time of 8 a.m. in front of the new hospital building which was just recently completed and opened. It is a very nice-looking modernized building inside and out. It also has a huge parking lot, so no problem parking for this one. We got to go into part of it, as we had use of the indoor restrooms, which sure beats porta-potties, lol.  The event had 113 finishers.   I arrived with about 30 minutes until start time and got a few pre-start photos.

On the course:   The course was out-and-back, so this being an iaap event, of course it had hills, lol. OK, to be honest, iaap could not do anything about the hills, it’s just the way the campus is; it’s hilly in several places. It was pretty darn humid and warm too, with the temp already in the low 80s. Thankfully, Mr. Sun was hiding behind a gray sky for most of the event, and we did have just a tad of wind after we made the turn-round and headed back for the finish. The course was asphalt-paved roads. I did my usual 8-min-run/2-min-walk thing and took some photos during my walk breaks.  I felt okay, but probably should have hydrated better before the start. I had about a half-bottle of water before the start to wash down my GU energy gel.  My pace is so slow, lol, my GU usually kicks in at about the halfway point and gives me a nice little boost for the back of the course; not today though. I did okay until about the 2.5 mile mark and that last small uphill got to me a bit, so I took an extra walk break. Once I crested that hill, it was only a short ways to the finish, so I ran that in.  I ended up with a chip time of 43:09, averaging 13:53 per mile and my miles were definitely positive splits. My fastest mile was Mile 1 at 13:12, and that pace went downhill from there, literally, lol. Even so, I managed to enjoy myself, interacting with other participants on the course, and cheering friends on when I saw them.  There were only 2 in my age group, 70-99 male, so I managed to finish first in the age group.

 After my finish:  Got some water and some Gatorade and sipped those as I walked around, cooling down. After that, sat with my speedy running friend Woody for a while and then wandered around getting some after-photos.  There was also a raffle and I won a big basket of all kinds of stuff, very nice. One of the things in there was a grilling spatula that had ‘Dallas Cowboys’ on the handle, so, since I grew up in the Washington DC area, and definitely not a Cowboys fan, lol,  I pulled that out and gave it to a friend who is a Cowboys fan. She was quite pleased with it. The age group awards were only for the overall winners – which I get; this race has a tight budget, which is understandable – and wow, some of those folks are pretty speedy. The first overall male came in at 23 minutes and change, averaging 7-something minutes per mile…in this humidity and on those hills, good grief. The first overall female’s time was 26-something, jeez.  I think I could run that pace….for about 10 seconds, lol. Congrats to them. Epilogue:  I’ve done this event before, when SASH was still in the old building.  The course is pretty much similar to the old one – I can’t remember if it’s exactly the same one, but I don’t think so – but the facilities are a lot better.  It seems to me, too, that on this course we had wider roads and more maneuvering room, but maybe that’s just my lousy memory at work, lol.  Either way, even with the hills, it’s a nicely laid-out course allowing lots of interaction between the participants, e.g., shouting out encouragement to each other, getting photos, and so forth.  The volunteers on the course were all great, especially the water station ones, I had a lot of fun interacting with them, even though they didn’t have any cold beer;  just kidding, just kidding.  Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union provided the bags that held the goodies, and they had all kinds of stuff in it. The race shirt is very nice quality and very nicely designed.  Post-race there was all kinds of food, including fresh fruits, donut holes, chicken tacos, if I remember correctly, with the chicken being grilled up right there, and other items.  The organizers really have brought this race a long way since it first started, so it is definitely a keeper on my race calendar.  Mucho thanks to all the people that made this one happen for us, including SASH staff members; the Volunteer Service Council; all the many volunteers out there for us; the many race sponsors, all listed on the back of the race shirt; Iaap for the course set-up, timing, and results; our MC who kept us in the loop about things and did the awards presentation; the SASH security folks; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so much!  Hope to see you again at this one next year.     

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/n6k7fQN9AB2SuNDB8    

Before the start:  My 31^st race of 2024 was on Sunday, May 19^th, at Martin Luther King (MLK) Park in San Antonio. This was my 2^nd race of the weekend after doing Gabriella’s Cupcake 5K the day before this one.   The E-dragon SA Summer Series is a series of 5 races held in various parks of the San Antonio Parks Greenway system.  The series runs from May to August with one series 5K each month. Participants can register for all 5 races and get an entry discount; or can register for each one individually. The series assists with funding scholarships for youth students. There were 87 finishers for this event.  Start time was 7:15 a.m., with a race-day packet pickup from  6 a.m. to 7 a.m., and a Kids Run right before the 5K started. I arrived about 5: 30 a.m. and did a little helping out with some of the volunteers there getting things ready, and then got my packet and got a few pre-start photos.

On the course:  The course was out-and-back on the MLK Park paved greenway trails.  I’ve done events here in the past and the normal course goes in a different direction than the one we took today, due to some ongoing construction on those trails. I did my usual thing of 8 minutes running, 2 minutes walking, and got some photos along the way. For this one we started in the park and then went across a bridge near the MLK parking lot and then went onto a greenway trail just after the bridge.  Personally, after being on this trail for a bit, I decided I liked this course better than the one usually used for 5Ks at this park.  The trails on this side are much wider than the trails on the other side, so more room to move about. On thing did not change, lol, which is that my friend, Erik, co-owner of E-Dragon, does not know the definition of ‘flat’, lol.  When you do an E-Dragon race, the chances are you will encounter a hill somewhere, and we had three on this one – up on the way out, down on the way back. The longest one was the climb to the 5k turn-round point. They were not super-steep or anything like that, but it was still a fairly good climb.  We did have some nice views along the way of Salado Creek that flows through various parts of the park; we crossed over 3 bridges on the route. I tend to have trouble crossing small bridges when I run – during my 41 years’ running life, I’ve fallen off 4 of them, lol – but I managed to stay dry crossing these.  After the turn-round, I took a few brief photo stops, but for the most part ran just about non-stop most of the way. I ended up with a chip time of 40:11, gun time 40:24, good enough for 2^nd out of 4 in my 70-99 males age group. #1 guy in my age group was whipping right along at a 7:36 per mile pace, wow.  I was waaaay behind him, lol.

 After my finish:  Short cool-down walk and got some water and then got a few photos of others coming into the finish and then some after-photos of happy finishers, supporters, volunteers, etc.  This is a dog-friendly event too – and I had a pocketful of dog treats – but the only dog on the course that I saw was my friend Lucy Dog, with her human, Carolyn.  They did really well too, finished 2^nd in Carolyn’s age group.

Epilogue:  This series has been going on now for a few years. It is really well-done by E-Dragon, with good courses, very economical pricing for the events, nice, good quality race shirt, and the age-group and overall placers get a really nice award coin that contains a code number good for a nice discount at a future E-Dragon event; the higher you place, the higher the discount is. The parks chosen for the races are all part of the Greenway System, so usually have really good amenities, such as indoor restrooms, water fountains, nicely paved trails, and so forth. Iaap, probably the top-notch race management company in San Antonio, does the timing and results for these events, and the results are placed pretty quickly on their website, as well as being posted at the race location right after the finish of the race.  There are not a lot of ‘frills’ – no goody bag full of stuff, not a lot of fancy eats after the event, and so forth, which saves to help fund the scholarship, but it’s one of the friendliest events you’ll ever do; feels like friends gathering together to enjoy each other’s company and get in a run or walk with each other. I would definitely recommend this one and will continue to support it in the future.   As noted, you don’t have to sign up for the whole series; try just one first and see how you like it, and I bet you will be a return participant sometime.  Mucho thanks to all the people that made this one happen for we participants, e.g., e-Dragon; iaap for timing and results; the official photographer at the event – photos much better, I am sure, than mine with my old-time pushbutton Canon camera, lol; the law enforcement folks on the park road for our safety; all the many volunteers out there, helping make this one happen for we participants; our always-excellent MC, Anthony; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all! Hope to see you at a race sometime and if so, I’ll probably take your photo, lol.    Happy running and/or walking and, most of all, stay safe.   

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/rVcF4UhAxzAfcWYK9

Before the start:   My 30^th race of 2024 was Gabriella’s 5K Cupcake Run, held at Bluebonnet Palace in Selma, Texas, on May 18^th, 2024.  The Gabriella Smile Foundation puts this one on every year in honor and memory of Gabriella Elise Torres, who was 5 years old when she battled a rare form of pediatric brain cancer which most children diagnosed with it not usually surviving. Sadly, she passed away in 2016, shortly after her 6^th birthday.  Her family started the Gabriella’s Smile Foundation to keep her legacy alive and provide awareness about this insidious disease, as well as raising funds to help other families who have children with it. This is a very popular running/walking event that usually draws a lot of participants. I’ve done just about every one of them since it started. I think I missed one year due to my being treated at that time for my own cancer.  I am not sure how many participants there were for this year’s event, but it may have sold out; it sure looked like a “packed house” to me. I got my bib and race shirt but did not keep the shirt for very long. I do so many races I have a LOT of race shirts, so for this one I ordered a youth small and then gave it to the young daughter of a couple who were doing the 5K with the daughter in a stroller, so now all the family members had a shirt. I wandered around before the start, chatting with friends, volunteers, other participants, etc., and got a few pre-start photos.  This is a dog friendly event too, so I handed out some treats to the doggies there. I was very popular with the dogs, lol.

On the course:   I did my usual 8 minutes running/2 minutes walking routine and took photos during my walk break.  I can’t run a whole race nonstop anymore with this darn spinal arthritis and degenerative disk disease, but I still manage to do okay. The event had a fairly late start for Texas Spring of 8:30 a.m. We began on the road to the side of Blue Bonnet Palace – Schertz Parkway, if I remember correctly – and then went down to Lookout Road, making a right turn onto that.  This took us down to Doerr Lane, where we made a left turn and then went out on that road…and out some more…and out some more, lol; this was a long haul that included a fairly long hill – not that steep, but it was a long up climb – before we got to the turn-round. This was an out-and-back course, so I could see other runners on the other side of the road already heading for the finish.  I finally got up the hill and then made the turn-round and headed for the finish. I was feeling pretty good overall so decided to push it a little and ended up running the last 1.5 miles non stop to the finish, sweet.  I ended up first in my 70+ males age group – I think I may have been the only one it in, lol- with 39 minutes and change and had negative splits too, with my last mile being 12:26, per my garmin.

 After my finish:  Got some water and did a short cool-down walk, and then wondered around chatting with finishers and supporters and getting a few photos of what I call the “Happy Finisher” photos since more people seem to be smiling after they are done than  before and during, lol. I also continued to hand out some dog treats that I had left. One young lady was having a birthday party there, post-race, so I got a photo of her and her family and then gave her my finisher medal as a birthday present to her.   Several of her family members had done the race, so they all had finisher medals too. I got my Old Geezer 1^st place prize, which was a hand-painted drawing of a cupcake. After the awards ceremony, our MC introduced a young lady, with her family. who was currently fighting her rare form of cancer, and she had also done the run/walk. Well, shoot then, she may not have placed but she deserved something, so I gave her my placer drawing. I also had extra “Never Give Up” cancer shirts in my car, so I gave her one of those too. I got a photo of her and family and of her with the drawing.  May God bless her; rooting for her to win her battle!

Epilogue:   This is an excellently done event, with a good course that has plenty of room for both participants and traffic, as the roads are still open for this one; the majority of drivers were pretty patient about it all, so thanks to them.  Of course, there were a ton of cupcakes post-race.  The place was, of course, packed with cupcakes; all kinds of cupcakes.  The volunteers and cupcake makers must have spent hours getting all those set up in place.  One volunteer told me she’d been there since 5:30 a.m. The race shirt is very nice quality – the little girl I gave mine to seemed to like it quite a bit, lol – and the finisher medals are very nicely done too.  Considering Texas has crazy weather that seems to change hour-by-hour, we ended up having a pretty good morning for it, with some sunshine, a temp in the mid-60s and though it was fairly humid, still it did not feel too bad at all. The event also included a guitar-man playing some music for us; a DJ playing some tunes for us; and some prizes for various things; they had a largest team contest, and other things, and somebody, or maybe a team,  also won a $150 gift from iRun Texas, a local running store, nice. This is definitely a keeper event on the race calendar. Much thanks to all the ones who made this event happen for all we participants, e.g., Gabriella’s Smile Foundation; iRun/Split Second Timing for the course setup, timing, and results;  all the many, many volunteers out there for us – known as Gabriella’s Cupcake Squad; our MC and DJ, the music and sound guys; our Race Director; Blue Bonnet Palace for use of the grounds; the law enforcement folks out there for our safety; the volunteer folks out there in Super Hero costumes –  it had to be warm in those things! – and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here;  thank you all!  Hope to see you at this one next year! Give me a shout-out if you see me, I am pretty easy to recognize.

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/utkNkXpuhP2D3rx69

Before the start:  My 29^th race of 2023 was the inaugural Power of Caring 5K on May 11^th. This event was held on the campus of Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) put on by the hospital nurses, which was appropriate as this past week was Nurses Appreciation Week.  I really wanted to do this one because I owe the BAMC staff so much for so many things and certainly do appreciate the BAMC nursing staff that was a big part of taking care of me. BAMC is my servicing hospital for my military retirement and the staff there have literally saved my life over the years, via procedures that include inserting my pace-maker; prostate cancer treatment; skin cancer treatment, along with Wilford Hall staff on this one; putting in the mesh across my abdomen for my double hernia; and, of course, all the scheduled tests and lab work to make sure I continue being healthy and to things in the early stages if I have any recurrences.  I signed up for this one as soon as it was announced. The start and finish was at Freedom Park, a really nice park on the BAMC campus. The park opened on the BAMC campus in 2013. It includes a walking/running trail of about a half mile or so; picnic area; volleyball “court’ on natural grass surface; restrooms; exercise stations; picnic tables and benches; and even a small amphitheater. The race start time was 8 a.m., with packet pickup on race day only. This event was also open to community runners/walkers and a message was sent out to participants that if you were not military related – e.g., no ID card, etc – then to provide requested info so the gate guards would know you were doing this event and give access to the base.  Race start time was 8 a.m., with packet pickup on race day only. I arrived at the gate around 7:15 and noticed the guards were directing a few drivers back to the visitor center, so apparently not everyone heeded or got the email. I’m not sure how many were registered for this one, but the results show there were 75 total finishers, so not a bad turn-out for a base run/walk open to the public.  I got my packet and then got a few pre-start photos. Since it was the Power of Healing 5K, several people had on various super hero costume items.

On the course:  Hey, this is the military, so we started right on time, lol. One of the race volunteers gave us our instructions, and then The National Anthem was played and then we got started.  I did my usual thing of 8-min-run/2 min walk – can’t run nonstop anymore because of my arthritis these days – and took photos during my walk breaks. We began the 5K by going around the trail, then exited the park via a frontage road near the park. The course then took us up toward BAMC – the top of which we could see in the distance – and then we made a left turn and proceeded along a road to that took us to our turn-round point, which was a closed back gate on the campus that was near the I-35 frontage road BAMC gate, which we could see from our turn-round.  I noticed the turn-round was at the 1.3 mile mark, so was wondering how the organizers were going to make up the distance to get a full 3.1.  I soon found out, lol. After going down this road we had come up, we then made a left turn that took us past one of the BAMC parking lots and then turned onto a BAMC driveway entrance, running directly toward BAMC. We passed by the BAMC main entrance and then went back down the driveway on the other side. At the end of the road, we turned left, and then went down to a road that took us past the Center for the Intrepid, a rehab treatment center for Wounded Warriors, etc. We then crossed the road and could see Fisher House – a lodging place for family members of patients who are being treated at BAMC for various things – and then did a short out-and-back that brought us back to a road to the side of the Center for the Intrepid. This took us back to the road we had first started on and that took us back to the start/finish line.  I ended up with a chip time of 41:15, good enough for 2^nd place in my 60-and-up males age group; there actually were only 2 in my age group, lol. The other guy in my age group was way ahead of me, finishing in 32 minutes and change.

 After my finish:  Got some water and did a short cool-down walk, and then wondered around chatting with finishers and supporters and getting a few photos of what I call the “Happy Finisher” photos since more people seem to be smiling after they are done than  before and during, lol. I also continued to hand out some dog treats that I had left.  I was very popular with the canines, lol. During the awards ceremony I sat with friend Deborah, who also placed in her age group.  She and I have known each other for quite a while and over the year we do a lot of the same events.  She may do even more events in a year than I do.

Epilogue:  For an inaugural race, this one was really well done.  Excellent pre-race instructions sent to all the participants; really nice course – very flat too, with only a few small inclines, so a good course to shoot for a 5K PR for all you speed demons out there, lol.  All the organizers and volunteers were awesome.  I don’t think there was a race shirt – if there was I probably just missed that – and there were finisher medals for all finishers. This is a dog friendly and stroller-friendly course. The course roads are pretty wide, so there is plenty of room for all.  Traffic is still open on some parts of the course – especially on BAMC’s main road which we were on for just a very brief time – but all the drivers I saw at any given time were pretty patient about it all; a couple of them, after reading my Cancer shirt even gave me a shout-out, nice.  Post-race there was a table full of some goodies and a spinning game where you could win some items displayed on a picnic table; my spins kept landing on “Coffee” which would make my coffee-fanatic running friend, Woody, laugh like crazy since he knows I can’t stand the stuff, lol, not even the smell of it.  All participants got finisher medals, and the age-group placers got an additional medal.  I don’t know if they will hold this one again – the Race Director, when she thanked us all for being there told us she would not be here next year, so I assume she is being reassigned which, of course, is part of the military life at times; so I really do hope someone steps up and we can have this one again. I’d really love this to become one of my regular To Do! Races each year. Much thanks to all the people that made this one happen for we participants, e.g., all the organizers, volunteers, sponsors, donors, our race director and our MC and all the other BAMC staff members and anyone elsle helping with this one; the vehicle drivers on the course for their patience with us; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so much! Hope to see you next year at this one.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/U6iBpfDLYapv87ow9     

Before the start:    My 28^th race of 2024 was the Girls On The Run (GOTR) 5K, held on May 5^th at Mission County Park in San Antonio, with a start time of 9 a.m. Originally scheduled to be held at Comanche County Park in San Antonio, this event was moved to the larger Mission Park after registration got to 1,200 participants. GOTR is a program” that inspires girl empowerment by building confidence, kindness and decision-making skills”.  It culminates with this annual run/walk, celebrating their accomplishments. The teams are made up from various local area schools. Given the number of participants this year, I left pretty early, arriving around 6:30 a.m. to get some good parking, and then took a short nap in my car, lol.  I got going around 7:30 a.m., getting some pre-start photos.  My friends from iaap, a top-notch San Antonio-based race management company were very busy setting up the start/finish line area, getting the course marked, and so forth.  I chatted with them for a few minutes and got a couple of photos. Along with all the participants, there were also a whole lot of vendors/sponsors there, offering lot of various products.  A popular one was Dutch Boy coffee, which was handing out various types of hydrating drinks, juices, and some coffee too, of course. There was also a table near them that had boxes of various fruits and snacks. I wandered around, seeing many runner and walker friends there, and getting some more photos. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I also handed out some doggie treats that I carry whenever I run. The weather was pretty overcast with predictions that storms may move in around 11 a.m. We got lucky and during race time it never did rain on us, thankfully.

On the course:  A JROTC Navy Color Guard presented the colors and then a young lady gave a very nice a cappella singing of The National Anthem, very well done. We got our instructions from my friend, Lana, one of the iaap crew, and then got started. I can’t run nonstop anymore for any major length of time, due to some spinal arthritis, so did my usual 8-min-run/2-min-walk-break thing and took some photos during my walk breaks. We were warned about a large puddle area right in front of the start/finish line.  Thankfully, there was room on either side of it to go up onto the grass on side of it or on a sidewalk on the other side, to get around it.  We proceeded out of the park’s main parking lot, made a left turn onto a sidewalk and then took a left turn onto Padre Drive, a very wide road that could accommodate all the participants; it had plenty of room for us to spread out a bit. We went past Mission County Park 2 – Padre Pavilion – and proceeded on straight by it. Just above the top of the trees on our right, we could see a small portion of the spires of one of the old-time historical Hispanic Missions in this area.    We continued on Padre Drive and then made a left turn onto Mission Parkway.  This road had a short series of uphill and downhill inclines – nothing you could really call a hill – that took us under a bridge to the 5K turn-round point right after the bridge. We then returned to the finish line the way we had come out. While on Mission Parkway, we had a brief view of the San Antonio river, which was flowing pretty good after some rain during the night before the race and on some days of the past week.  After getting back onto Padre Drive to head back to the finish, I got a few more photos, and then pretty much ran most of the last mile non-stop to the finish. I ended up with a chip time of 39:54, gun time 40:35, which was good enough for 1^st place among the 4 participants in my 70-99 males age group.

 After my finish:  I got a few photos of some others finishing, then did a short cool-down walk as I drank my Zero Gatorade and ate a banana, and then it was off to get some post-race photos. Post-race activities included some festively dressed Hispanic dancers, music played by our DJ Paul, and lots of post-race goodies of all sorts. This is a very popular annual event and there were sponsor-and-vendor tents everywhere.   I think I talked to all of them, lol. I also chatted with several other participants post- race and continued to treat the doggies I saw.  The weather still pretty much behaved itself until the awards ceremony started and then Mother Nature came in with a boom, with a pretty good downpour that even included some small pieces of hail bouncing onto the surface. There was also some thunder and then a short burst of lightning. Thankfully, this park has some really good covered pavilions, so we were all able to stay under cover. Most of the participants and families started to leave after the short storm started. It passed pretty quickly, thankfully. I got my placer medal and after that I also left.  As I was driving home, it began raining again, with some more small hail falling, and then there was a HUGE streak of lightning across the sky, followed by a booming clap of thunder, wow. Glad I was not outside when that one happened. The hail kept falling for a bit during my drive home and then it was just rain, and then, just like that, it was all done; good grief; Mother Nature sure can get crazy at times. After I got home, my wife told me there had hardly been any rain at all in our neighborhood; go figure.

Epilogue:  This 5K was very well-managed by my friend Race Director, Sally Seeker and her many volunteers who did everything just right. My friend from the iaap family, Lana, did a great job as our MC, and all the race volunteers, water station crew, race-day registration and packet pickup folks all were very efficient.  This is a nice course to run or walk on and there were several Cheer Teams along the way enthusiastically cheering everyone on the whole way. I’ll tell you what, some of these GOTR young ladies – even the very younger ones – are way faster than me. I wish I had half their energy, lol. It’s fairly obvious they have really learned something from this program. I wish all these young ladies happy running and much success in the future. Meanwhile, I will just keep plugging away like an old dog with no new tricks, happy that I am still able to be out there as much as I am. Mucho thanks to all the people who made this one happen for we participants:  GOTR Director Minka; Race Directory Sally; all the many volunteers, sponsors, and vendors; the law enforcement officers there for our safety; iaap for the course set up, timing, and results and MC duties; all my fellow participants for being there; all the people who allowed me to take photos of them; the group of dancers who performed for us; everyone I interacted with; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so much!  Hope to see you at a future race sometime.

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/9JCS7rDHbNp24xve9

Before the start:   My 27^th race of 2024 was Run For The Hills 5K on May 4^th, held in Bulverde, Texas. There was also a 10K and a Kids Run. This event is a fundraiser for the Bulverde Spring Branch Activity Center, which provides various types of support to its local senior citizens to “help them keep healthy, active, and self-sufficient”.  Race start time of 8:30 a.m., so I got to sleep in a tad more, as I live only about a 25-minute drive from Bulverde.  Timing and results were done by Split Second Productions of iRun Texas, a San Antonio-based local race management and running store company. For a smaller event, it had a nice turn-out with 257 participants for the 5K and 10K. I had picked up my race packet the day before – and had a very nice chat with the packet pickup volunteer and also another lady at the Activity Center, who I think was the Race Director.  When I arrived at the Center on race day I chatted with friends and other participants and got a few pre-start photos and also handed out doggie treats, as this is a do-friendly event.   The weather was gray/over-cast and it was a bit humid, with a 73 degree temp, but it could have been a lot worse, considering rain was moving in-and-out of the area; thankfully we only got lightly sprinkled on and that did not last long at all. The colors were nicely presented by a young Jr. ROTC group of 4 – I think they were Coast Guard, but not sure about that – and then we all got lined up for the start of the 10K and 5K.  

On the course:    The course for both 10K and 5K were out-and-back on open roads to traffic. We were instructed to stay on the right side of the road, per the request of local law enforcement. This meant at times, that we did have some traffic coming up behind us, but it all worked out as the drivers we encountered – at least where I was at any given time – were pretty polite and cautious about it all, and participants were good about giving the “CAR BACK!” call very loudly when a vehicle came along. We started at the activity center, went to a stop sign, made a right turn onto Bulverde Road, and then a left turn onto Old Bulverde Road, if I remember correctly.  This took us past a park on that road, and then down to another part of Bulverde Road, so I guess Bulverde Road makes some kind of loop in this area, since we’d been on Bulverde Road behind us, lol. Once on this part of Bulverde Road, both the 5K and 10K participants went to their respective turn-round points and then went back to the finish in reverse of the way we had come out.  For the most part, the course was pretty flat, although the road camber was pretty slanted, so I tried keep to the most level parts of the road I could find. I did my usual 8-min-run/2-min-walk thing, taking some photos during my walk breaks. I ended up with a time of 40:04, averaging 12:54 per mile, and had negative splits too.  I was first finisher in my males 70-79 age group.

 After my finish:  I did a short cool-down walk as I sipped some post-race water, and then got a few photos of others coming into the finish. I then got my medal. There was no award ceremony.  The males got into one line and the females in another line and then volunteers looked up your results and handed you your placer medal. I am just guessing there was no awards ceremony due to some kind of time constraints; maybe the organizers had to be packed up and out of there by a certain time; whatever the reason, nobody seemed to mind.  Also, post-race, I chatted with several participants, volunteers, sponsors, supporters, etc., and got some post-event photos.

Epilogue:   It’s been a few years since the last time I did this event and that was when the start and finish was at the local park we passed by on this year’s course. I liked this year’s course better because the old one had us go farther out on Bulverde Road and there were a couple of major hills on that course, lol. I think this one is more participant-friendly. This event was nicely done by the organizers, with some really nice post-race goodies, including a pancake breakfast – which I passed on since I am one of the rare people that actually don’t like pancakes, lol. There was plenty of other stuff though, provided by the sponsors and vendors, so I made out. The race shirt is very nicely designed good-quality cotton tee with the race name on front and the sponsors listed on the back. I also scored a hat, given to me by one of the sponsor companies, Carmen Health, for ‘motivating’ people out there. Awww, that was so nice. What especially made this race for me, personally, is the goodie bag included this really nice, waterproof ID/card holder that has a closure attachment. This was perfect timing for me as I’ve had my old one for years and it is starting to fall to pieces.  I’ve put so much masking tape and more on that thing to hold it together, it’s turned into the Frankenstein of ID holders, lol. The one in this goody bag was a bit more slender and fits perfectly into the side pocket of my running shorts, even better than the old one, nice.  Since I have a pacemaker, I am required to carry a pacemaker card just in case, so any medical folks will know what kind it is, etc., if I have some type or medical emergency. I forgot to ask the race folks where I can get more of these as backups. Mucho thanks to all the ones who made this happen for we participants, e.g., all the sponsors, the Activities Center staff, the many volunteers, i-Run/Split Second Timing, the Color Guard presenters, the law enforcement and medical folks out there for our safety, and all the drivers on the course that were so patient with us for invading their vehicle space for a while; and any others involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all so much!  I will definitely be doing this one again – and a lot sooner, lol, than the last time I did this event way back when. Hope everyone stays safe, happy, and healthy. Happy running to all my fellow runners!

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/EgoU43WSofXmAGTN7

Before the start:  My 26^th race of 2024 was the Siesta 5K put on by Scally Wompus, a local race company that puts on several events over the year.  It also has a program where it puts on a series of races that includes 4 races in each series. Participants can register for all 4 at the same time and get a nice discount or can register for each one individually.  The Siesta even was the 4^th event in the Texas Hill Country Series; as you can tell from the title, all these events in this series had hills, including this last one, which was held a Mission County Park #1 in San Antonio.  The event included a half marathon, a 10K, a 5K, and a competitive walk, if I remember correctly. I had picked up my packet the day before, so when I arrived I chatted with friends, other participants, etc., and got a few pre-start photos. I had watched the weather report the night before and it was mentioned that a ‘front of rain’ may be moving into the area around 6 a.m. or so.  As I started out for the race, sure enough, right around my house, it did start raining, and there was lightning also; so I waited to see what would happen and it passed by pretty quickly.  I went on down to the park and by the time I got there, the light rain was there also, but not too bad.  However, shortly after arrival at the park, right before the half was to start, there was a rain delay, so we all waited under the park pavilions – there are two of them – hoping it would soon stop. While we waited for the weather front to move on, our MC, Anthony, kept us entertained by having a pull-up contest, and other things going on.  The original schedule was 7:30 am start for the half, 8:15, 10K and all walkers, and 5K, 8:35 . It did not quite work out that way as it just kept raining and raining.  I seriously thought about just changing to Virtual and going home because, although I am cancer-free now, my immune system still has not totally recovered from my cancer treatments, so my medical team had warned me to be careful about being out in cold weather, heavy rain, etc.  My friend, Max had a weather app on his phone and showed me how fast the front was moving, so told me to just wait it out. Well, I trust Max, so I did. It took a while, but the rain finally did stop, and the race organizers got us out there pretty quickly about an hour after the originally scheduled start times. The half first, then the 10K and competitive walkers  went, and then we 5K folks started around 9:20. And we were off!

On the course:  Although a bit humid because of the storm, the weather actually was pretty nice, with a temp of 67 degrees, and very little wind. All events were out and back and started in the same direction, so the half and 10K folks pretty much did the 5K first, then did a turn-round and went back the way they had come out, passing by the park pavilion and going to another turn-round farther down the Riverwalk. With 3 races on the course going on at the same time, it could have gotten pretty crowded, but several participants had decided to head out instead of waiting for the storm to pass on, so that made for a bit of ‘lighter traffic”.  Even so, there was a total of 226 finishers for the 5k, so a pretty nice turn-out in spite of the weather delay. Since we 5K folks started last, we could see some of the half and 10K participants coming toward us as we made our way to the turn-round. The 5K course was the hilliest part of the 3 courses, which was nice, because with all those hills, the pavement was pretty dry, all things considered, with no standing water on it, and the river in most places was not as close to the 5K course as it was for the Part 2 course that the half and 10K folks had to do.  After my finish, friend showed me some phone video he took, where a part of the half/10K course was under water, good grief.  I was feeling pretty good overall and did my usual 8-min-run/2-min-walk, taking photos during my walk breaks. The 5K course – which all the main events participants did – started with a downhill from the start area; then an uphill, then a short fairly flat part; then another downhill, and then a not too bad uphill, then another flat for about 2 blinks of the eye, then a loooong uphill. going underneath a bridge. This took us onto a flat part of the course that got us to the turnround, and the we did the course in reverse.  With the back-and-forth hill repeats, we ended up doing 6 total hills, with the last one being the climb back up to the Riverwalk entrance to the park to get to the finish line. That one was not the steepest on the course but, lol, after all those other hills done, you sure could feel it.  I ended up first in my 70-74 males age group with a chip time of 40:28.  There were only 2 in my age group.

 After my finish: I did a short cool-down walk and got some water, and then stood near the finish line and got some photos of others finishing, including my friends Max finishing his half, and Carolyn and Lucy Dog finishing their 5K. After that, enjoyed the after-party for a while. The Scally Wompus motto is “Come for the race. Stay for the party.” They are not kidding either. There were all kinds of post-race goodies, including beer, fresh fruits from my good fruity friend, Gilbert, energy drinks, margaritas, if I remember correctly, Kiolbassa Sausage-on-a-Stick, and lots more.  Music and sound provided by DJ extraordinaire, Paul. Some of the sponsors/vendors also had free give-aways, and there were also 3 different backdrops for photo opportunities. Scally Wompus throws one heck of a party.

Epilogue:   Scally Wompus events are very popular and they are one of the few race companies that has a competitive walker division, so the walkers get their own awards without competing against the runners. All finishers get a really nice quality finisher medal.  Age Group winners get a very nice souvenir Scally Wompus glass.  Very nice quality race shirt, although I opted out of getting that; I do so many events over the year, my shirt drawers are starting to overflow, lol. I keep some of them, but donate most of them to charitable organizations, such ad Disabled Vets of America, Street2Feet, etc. If you have never done a Scally Wompus event, give it a try; I am sure you will not regret it.  Mucho thanks to all the ones who made this one happen for we participants, including Race Director Tony Garcia, Bart Childers and his wife – whose name I can never remember, lol, even though she is one of the nicest people I have ever met, but I think it’s Sarah; all the many volunteers, and the many sponsors and vendors who help pay for it all; the law enforcement officers that were out there for our safety; Pushbutton Photograph for all the photos they took – much better than mine, I am sure, lol, with my hand-held ancient Canon camera – and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned. Thank you all!  I wish all my fellow runners, walkers, etc., fulfilling and safe race and exercise outings. Keep getting out there as much as you can and Never Give Up! Hope to see you at a race sometime.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vvUXex8AaaJ568uy6

Before the start:   My 25^th race of 2024 was the Run To Remember 5K held on April 27^th at Comanche Park in San Antonio. This event, established by two brothers, Miguel and Matt, raises funds to help find a cure and better treatment options for Alzheimer’s.  Why the name Beards and Beans? OK, if I remember correctly, because one brother does not like beans, and they both have beards.  So, say the Beans brother raises the most funding for the cause. Then the other brother who does not like beans, has to eat a plate of them. If the Beards brother wins, then the beans brother has to shave off his beard.  The results, done by iaap, a top-notch San Antonio-based race management company, showed 265 finishers for the 5K, and 65 finishers for the 10K. There were also several untimed walkers for the 5K walk. There was also a 10K and a .5 Beer Run/Walk. The 10K had  a start time of a little after 7 a.m. with the 5K start around 7:20 after the 10K folks got started. There was also a Kids Run that began at 7 a.m. before both the main events started. There may have been some no-shows as, per one of the Race Directors, there were a little over 500 who registered and/or donated to the cause. I picked up my friends Carolyn and Lucy Dog and we then arrived very early; it was still dark, so we were almost the first participants to get there; we got great parking, lol. The volunteers, iaap staff, etc. got there even earlier than we did and were in the process of setting up the start/finish line, the photo backdrops, preparing eats for after, and so forth.  I wandered around getting a few pre-start photos and chatting with people there and helping just a tad with some of the start up prep.

On the course:  We started near the park’s main pavilion and then proceeded to do a loop on the access road of the park that went around the grounds of the park. We then diverted on the park’s paved greenway trails and each event went on those trails to a specified turn-round point.  We then headed back to the finish the way we had come out.  When we got back onto the trail that was adjacent to the park road, we then made a turn onto that and went to the finish line. The course did include a few up-hills and downhills, with the longest one being a downhill on the way out, so that was an uphill on the way back. My friend Erik, of e-Dragon Productions – another really good race company – laid out the course; if you’ve ever done any of his Dragon’s Den events, then you know that for Erik “flat” is a 4-letter word, lol, not to be used in race events. I felt pretty good the whole way and did my usual run/walk thing, taking some on-course photos during my walk breaks. I ended up with a chip time of  39:43, averaging 12:36 per mile, good enough to be first among the 4 of us in this age group.

 After my finish:  Water and banana first and sitting and relaxing for a bit after my cool-down walk around.  Then I was up-and-at-it again, going around to get some after-photos; chatting with participants, supporters, sponsors, etc.; and, of course, handing out treats to the doggies there. We also watched the Beer Run, and event where the participants had to carry a full glass of beer and try to finish, spilling as little as possible, and then had to drink what was left of the beer in the glass. It was fun seeing some of the ways these participants tried to make that happen. The guy who did win actually had almost a full glass of beer when he crossed the finish line. I enjoyed talking to a lot of people and made some new running community friends. 

Epilogue:   This is a nicely done event by Matt and Miguel – the Beards and Beans brothers – for a very good cause.  Alzheimer’s is a very insidious disease and a sad one too for both the recipient and the family. I think probably everyone knows personally of a friend, family member, or someone in their family-and-friends circle that may have dealt with this disease, so a big thanks to Matt and Miguel for starting this. Much thanks also to all the sponsors; volunteers; iaap, e-Dragon Productions; the officers out there for our safety; our MC, Anthony, and our sound-and-music-man Paul, our Grill Masters that did up the Kiolbassa sausages on a stick for us; and the other folks that provided goodies; our Fruity guy, Gilbert – best fruits around! – and there was even post-race beer – Modelo, I think, but apologies if I am in error on that – and all kinds of other items.  Apologies if I missed anyone.  Thanks to all involved.  This one is definitely a ‘keeper event’ for me, one that I will continue to do as long as I am able. Happy and safe exercising to all, whatever your passion in that area may be.  Hope to see you at a race sometime!

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/7AA9MBfCEzRjEdnL9

Before the start:  My 24^th race of 2024 was the San Antonio Roadrunners (SARR) Mission 5K on April  21^st, held at Mission County Park 1, San Antonio, put on by the SARR, the oldest running group in San Antonio, celebrating is 50^th anniversary this year.   This was my 2^nd race of the weekend, after doing the Our Lady of the Lake 5K the day before.  This event included a half-marathon, a 10K, the 5K, and a Kids Run. The Kid’s Run was at 0715; the half at 0730; the 10k at 0800 and the 5K at 0815. Rainy night in the late hours of Saturday, so there were a few areas of puddles and wet spots for this one. Mother Nature also provided us with a pretty stiff wind, making the upper 50s, lower 60s temp feel a bit colder.  The 5K start time was 8:15.  I arrived just in time to see the half-marathoners heading out for their event and got a photo of some of them starting out. I then got my race bib; didn’t get one of the tech tee shirts, so since I did race day packet pickup I just assumed they ran out; no big deal, I’ve already got a ton of race shirts, lol, as many races as I do in a year. After that, I wandered here and there getting a few pre-start photos. All the vendors, volunteers, etc., were in the main pavilion of the park, and pretty much just about everyone was crowding in there to get out of that wind. Between all the sponsors there, the vendors, the volunteers, friends, and participants it was pretty crowded. Per the results on iaap website, there were 263 finishers for the 5K; 200 finishers for the 10K; and 184 finishers for the half. Add to those 647 finishers all the vendors that were there, friends, relatives, MC, volunteers, etc., it made for a pretty crowded pavilion; this is also a dog-friendly event and there were also several of them attending.

On the course:  The courses did not go onto the Riverwalk.  They were all out-and-back. The start/finish line was on the main outside plaza of the park.  We lined up behind the start/finish timing mats, with some of the  farther back participants being down the pavilion stairs and inside the pavilion, since there were so many participants. After crossing the start line, we made a left turn, heading along a gravel path near the pavilion’s parking lot, and then crossed the street and went onto a sidewalk that took us to Padre Drive.  We passed by Mission County Park 2 on our left, and then turned onto Mission Parkway, with the Riverwalk area on our left. On this part of the course, we had a few mild hills, but nothing really serious and not too long, but was glad I regularly do hill work once a week, so got through these pretty easily. We went around a curve and there was a water station there, so I got a photo of those volunteers. The 5K turn-round point was just down from the water-station, right before a bridge that the 10K and half folks had to go under to continue on their courses. After the turn-round, we went back to the finish the way we had come out, but on the way back we went right into a head-wind, which was now blowing like crazy.   I stopped to take one more photo and then ran nonstop to the finish, ending with a chip time of 38:52, averaging 12:31 per mile, and I nicely had negative splits for each mile on the course. I came in 2^nd in my 70-79 males age group, largely because there were only 2 in my age group, lol. Jim, first in our age group, finished 6 minutes and 31 seconds ahead of me.

 After my finish: All kinds of post-race goodies at this one, including Kiolbassa sausages; lots of fresh fruits from my fruit vendor friend, Gilbert; all kinds of small give-away things from the various vendors and sponsors; and the age group awards were these small hand-crafted cups of various design filled with various candies and sweets.  I kept the cup and gave the candies away, lol, to a couple that had two kids with them. The vendors and sponsors had quite a few freebies too. The race shirt looks pretty nice, from what I saw of it, a nice tech tee.  I did not get one when I picked up my race number on race day I don’t     remember if I told them no shirt when I registered – I do so many races in a year, I have a ton of shirts – or I just forgot to pick the darn thing up when I got my race bib, but it’s all good.  This is a very enjoyable event, well done, and well managed, in a very nice race location. It was pretty windy before, during, and after, but still a very enjoyable course. Due to all the rain late Saturday night, there were a couple of ‘water hazards” – e.g., large puddles we had to negotiate – but for the most part the course was pretty dry. The route streets are nice and wide, accommodating nicely the participants from all 3 events. 

Epilogue:  Nicely done event by SARR, and nice quality race shirts from what I saw of them.  The course is well thought-out with plenty of room for this many participants of the three events. Personally, I like this 5K course much better than the very hilly Riverwalk 5K course, although on a good day, the Riverwalk does offer some nice views of the river. I would definitely do this one again and recommend it to others.  Mucho thanks to all the people involved that made this one happen for us and who were out there for us, e.g.,  police officers for our safety; all the many volunteers; all the many sponsors and vendors; our MC Anthony, doing his usual great job; my favorite sound-and-music man, Paul; the Race Director and all the people of SARR involved; and anyone else  involved that I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so much! Take care, stay safe, and see you next year!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/hKQPc7eVWLoafUDA8

Before the start:     My 23^rd race of 2024 was the Confetti 5K on April 20^th at Our Lady Of The Lake University (OLLU) in San Antonio. This event benefits OLLU scholarships at the university.  The Confetti 5K is part of the festivities of Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day event each April that includes races, parades, and many other activities such as the Oyster Bake, Taste of New Orleans, Battle of the Flowers parade and more.  Start time of 9 a.m.  I arrived early, around 6:45 a.m. – too early to get my packet – so enjoyed getting some good parking and then chatting with friends and sponsors who were volunteering/supporting the event, and I also got a few early pre-start photos.  Around 7:30 or so, people began arriving in larger numbers. I got my packet and then the race day registration volunteers surprised me by giving me a personalized shirt that my friend, Race Director Liz, had ordered for me.  This event is a ‘streak’ race for me. I have done this 5K every year since it first started and have reported on every one of them. Liz tells me I am the ”Poster Boy” of the event, lol, and she often surprises me with things for this event. This year she even put a photo of me from one of the previous races on the online registration announcement page.  After getting my race bib on, I then continued to chat with fellow participants, volunteers, sponsors, etc. and got a few more pre-start photos.  The weather was just about perfect; temp of around 62 degrees, a tad humid, but not too bad, and overcast skies, but it never did rain on us.

On the course: The National Anthem was sung beautifully by my friend Meghan – who also ran the event – and then we all got started.  They don’t call this event the Confetti 5K for nothing.  As we started off, confetti was shot into the air, floating all around us as we went out of the starting gate. The course took us toward the back gate of the campus, doing a short out-and-back on one campus road, and then continued on, exiting the campus via the back gate on Commerce Street. Once off the campus we then proceeded to a bridge which we crossed over, and then went along the off-road paved Greenway trails of Apache Creek, if I remember correctly, with some nice views of the water. We passed the Mile 1 marker along the part of the course.  We then went to the end of this trail, crossed over another bridge that took us to the other side of the water and continued on some trails on that side. This part of the course had us do 2 bridge crossings, going across the water, and then down to another bridge that took us back to the side we had just left.  After crossing this bridge we came to a water station, where I stopped momentarily to give a biscuit to a dog at the water station. We then went along another paved trail that took us back to Commerce Street. Once on Commerce Street, we went back to the finish the way we had originally come out, with the exception of not doing that short out-and-back we had done after starting. For my 70-99 males age group, I ended up 2^nd with a chip time of 40:16, and I had negative splits for the course too, nice. Leo, first in my age group, finished about 4 minutes ahead of me. There were 10 total in our age group.

 After my finish:  I did a short cool-down walk, got some water into me, and then enjoyed the post-race festivities and goodies, that included sausage-on-a stick Dos Eques beer, lots of water, and lot of various other sundries and goodies from the sponsors, vendors etc., and also got some after-photos. I was there post-race quite a while and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Epilogue:  This is one top-notch quality event.  OLLU also politely keeps the doors of the main building open so participants can use the indoor restroom facilities, which is nice. Really nice quality race shirts done by Quali-Tees Etc.; timing and results done by exceptional, and locally owned race management company iaap; sausages and beer provided by Kiolbassa and Dos Equis; and there were lots of other food, drinks, and various goodies provided by many of the other sponsors too; I saw plates of cookies on one table, and another had some hand-out candies – popular with the kids, lol. There were 571 5K finishers for this event, so you can see how popular it is. Liz and her crew do a great job with this event, and always have. It is one of my favorite events of the year and I will keep doing it as long as I am able. Mucho thanks to all the people that made this one happen for we participants, e.g., all the sponsors; OLLU staff and students who were out there for us;  all the many volunteers; the law enforcement officers, e.g. campus police, SAPD, etc., who were there for our safety, our MC, Anthony, doing his usual great job;  our music-and-sound folk who were jammin’ us with some classic rock n roll, my personal favorite music; and there was also a Kids Run right before the main event, so thanks to those who organized that; and, of course, all the many sponsors/vendors who help pay for it all. Apologies if I missed anyone. Thanks to all involved!   See you next year!