Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/SZBAN1eniW7nFSsN6  

Before the start:   My 36^th  race of 2024 was the E-Dragon 5K Summer Series, Race #2, on Sunday, June 9^th at the South Side Lions Park East in San Antonio. This was my 2^nd race of the weekend after doing The Big Run 5K the day before.   The Summer Series event raises funds for a scholarship. This is a nice park in San Antonio, that is part of the  San Antonio Parks and Recreation Greenway Trails System, that connects several city parks with each other. The events have an early start time of  shortly after 7 a.m., after the Kids Run is held. For 5K #2, there was a total of 93 finishers, per the results list. I arrived with about 45 minutes until starting time. I saw my friend, Erik, co-owner of E-Dragon, who was just about to leave as he got word his wife had just delivered their new daughter. We had a brief exchange, wished each other well, and I congratulated him on his new family addition, and he was on his way. I also saw my walking friend, Peggy, and got a photo of her and friend. After getting my packet, I then got a few more pre-start photos before we got going.

On the course: This was an out-and-back course on the park’s paved trails, giving us a couple of nice views of the park’s man-made Lake, Lion’s Park Lake, where several people fish. The first mile or so was fairly flat,  with us crossing a short bridge, and then we began climbing a bit, after crossing another bridge.  The course took us on a trail that would have taken us to Comanche County Park on Rigsby Road, if we had continued that far. We climbed up to a water station and then went downhill, crossing underneath an overpass, and then down short hill, and crossed over a short concrete bridge. We rounded a trail bend after the bridge and then had a short uphill climb to the turn-round point and then did the course in reverse to get back to the finish.  As usual, I did my run/walk thing – can’t run nonstop anymore for a whole race with this spinal arthritis – and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks.  After crossing the short bridge we’d gone over to get the to turn-round, I began running again and went nonstop to the finish, ending up with a chip time of 40:34, good enough for 2^nd in my 70-99 males age group, out of the 4 people in it.  I might have finished a bit faster, but my darn running shorts tie string broke, and so I had to keep pulling up my running shorts on occasion, lol, which slowed me down each time I had to do that; probably the right thing to do, though; don’t want anyone wanting to put their eyes out if they inadvertently see my wrinkled old-man butt.  We old guys, you see, are like trees that get a new circle each year we age; we old guys get a new butt-wrinkle each year.   

 After my finish:   Did a short cool-down walk, got some water in me and then got a few photos of other finishers coming in. After that, relaxed a bit in the shade of the park pavilion, drinking some more water and chatting with friends, other participants, etc., who were in the pavilion; then it was up-and-out again to get some post-race photos of the happy finishers, etc., and to watch the post-race awards being handed out.

Epilogue:  This is a really well-done event by E-Dragon and their volunteers, with a really nice course – hilly in places, but nice –  that gives you some nice views of the lake along the way and then the creek near the turn-round point. The award medals are small ‘coins’ that have a code on it to get a discount when one registers for another E-Dragon race, very nice.   Various post-race fruits and other goodies were offered and they also had these  “frozen pops” things that hit the spot on a humid day; official photographer on the course getting participant photos, and plenty of cold bottled water; I don’t recall if there was post-race beer. Race shirts were sold at very reasonable prices to help raise funds for the cause, as the entry fee for these races is pretty low, and if you sign up for more than one initially, then you get a nice discount with that, too. Mucho thanks to all who helped make this event possible for we participants: the sponsors; all the many volunteers; our MC Anthony; E-Dragon, of course for initiating it; the race photographers; and anyone involved I didn’t mention.  Thank you all!  Hope to see you at a future race sometime!  Also, big congrats to my friends,  E-Dragon co-owners Erik and Christine, whose baby daughter was born this race morning.

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/pPBzQwJvAPtQSqfY9   

Before the start:   My 35^th race of 2024 was The Big Run 5K held on June 8^th, at McAllister Park, with a 7:30 a.m. start time. The Big Run celebrates Global Running Day. Prior to the event you had to choose a day to pick up your packet a few days before race day at one of the local Fleet Feet stores, and then had to go to that specific store to get your packet.  If I remember correctly, race day packet pickup was quite limited, so it was best to get your packet at one of the Fleet Feet stores. I think with all these people, it would have gotten really crazy if packet pickup had been open for all, so probably a good method to use for this popular event. I heard there were over 500 registered for this event; the results for the live event show 403 finishers, so some participants may have done it virtually.  The start finish area was near the pavilion at the lower soccer fields of  the park. With a 7:30 a.m. start, I figured if I left at 6 and got there by 6:30 a.m. – I live really close to the park – I’d get some nice parking.  Apparently, lol, everyone else had the same idea; parking was already packed in when I got there.  I did find parking fairly close, and then before the start enjoyed chatting with friends and other participants, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, etc.  We had fairly nice weather for it, with a mix of sunshine and cloud cover, although it was pretty darn humid, and the temp was already in the upper 70s, low 80s.

On the course:   The planners arranged the start quite nicely, with the ‘elite’ runners, heading onto the course a little before the main body of participants started, so they could maintain their speedy paces without getting ‘crowd-interrupted’. The rest of us started about 10 or so minutes after the elites left. We started on the road where the lower soccer fields were on our right, and the pavilion restrooms were on our left.  The course was nice and flat. We went past the youth baseball field on our right and then continued straight, going onto a road that goes toward Becken Pavilion and a 3-way stop-sign intersection in the park. This part of the course took us to Mile 1.  We did not go as far up as Becken Pavilion; we turned left onto a paved running trail that was a short way down from Becken Pavilion.  This trail wound us through a shady part of the park, and then onto a paved trail that went past a police substation on our left. We continued around on this trail and then took a left turn that took us across the road that is right then park entrance road from Jones Maltberger. After crossing the road, we continued on the paved trail.  This brought us just down from Becken Pavilion, which was down the street to our right. We crossed over the street, got on the paved trail on the other side and then proceeded to a trail intersection that put us now behind the youth baseball stadium.  We turned right onto this trail, going behind the baseball field, which we could see on our left. At the next trail intersection, we turned left; if we’d turned right, we would have gone to Becken Pavilion; this left turn took us back to the road we had initially started on, with the baseball field now on our left, and proceeded back to the finish line the way we had first come out. As usual, I did my 8-minutes-run/2 minutes-walk thing and took photos during my walk breaks; however after my walk break just a tad past Mile 2, I then ran nonstop to the finish.  There were only 3 in my 70-99 age group, so I ended 2^nd, with a chip time of 40:53.  My friend Jim, also in my age group, runs quite a speed pace – 8-minute miles –  so I knew I was not getting first, lol. My slow old legs averaged 13:10 per mile and it’s all good. These days, I’m not into the ‘shoot for the medal’ thing anymore after 41 years of being a runner (I started April 15, 1983 – tax day! – when I was assigned in Turkey, so I always remember the date). My goals these days are just have fun, finish standing up, and no ambulance waiting for me at the finish, lol.  So far so good! If I get a medal, great; but it’s not something I intentionally shoot for;  all good.

 After my finish:  A short cool-down walk, get some hydration in me and then got a few post-race photos.  I then went and just relaxed for a while at the pavilion, getting in some more liquids while enjoying a chat with my speedy friend Woody, who just about always places in his age group. After that, I wandered around some more, chatting with volunteers, participants, sponsors, etc., and got some after-photos.  I also, as usual, had a pocketful of doggie treats, so handed those out to the dogs there as I wandered about. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Epilogue:  This is quite an active event, with some games to play; a raffle; a costumed dragon wandering around; many running organization tents/booths – such as Speed Burro Running, Wolfpack Running, Scallywompus and more; lots of Team Beef members there, as well as, Brooks Running, Fleet Feet, and more – and there were also some nice post-race goodies, including Kiolbassa sausages; these frozen popsicle stick things of various flavors; Shiner beer; various fruits, and lots more. The race shirt is of very nice quality – although my old man brain can’t remember now where I put mine, lol, after I picked up my packet – and very unique award medals from E-Dragon for those that placed, and a very nice finisher medal for all finishers; and even the race bib is very nicely designed.  As noted, this is a dog-friendly, chair-friendly, and kid friendly event. I will certainly do this one again and would recommend it to others. Mucho thanks to all the people that made this one happen for we participants, including E-Dragon Productions; Fleet Feet and Brooks Running which, I think, were the major sponsors, but I may be mistaken on that; Kiolbassa Sausage for those tasty sausages; Shiner Beer; the person that led the pre-start warm up stretching; all the many, many volunteers out there for us, and the Park Police officers out there for our safety; our MC Anthony Z. and our music guy Paul, doing their usual great job; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thanks for giving us participants this event. Hope to see you sometime at a future race. 

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/2TTuwNx2Pfx4X3179

Before the start:  My 34^th  race of 2024 was Aid The Silent 5K, held on June 1^st in Boerne, Texas.  There was also a 10K. This event raises funds to increase awareness of deafness issues and support the deaf-and-hard-of hearing community.  This was the 10^th anniversary of the event.  I’m not sure if I’ve done all 10, but I’ve done quite a few of them. I have some hearing issues myself due to an ear surgery I had during my Air Force days, and my late Dad also had some hearing issues, so I do this too in remembrance of him.   The venue for the event was at the Boerne Main Plaza, a large grassy rectangular area that had a small pond and a gazebo area.  Lots of room for everyone. There were 654 finishers for the 5K and 67 finishers for the 10K, so a very nice turn-out for this one.  Considering the hot weather our area has been having lately, Mother Nature cooperated nicely with us for this one, with a temp in the low 70s and a fairly nice humidity level, with a mix of cloud cover and sunshine. I arrived with about an hour to go until the advertised 8 a.m. start time, got my race packet and then got a few pre-start photos as I wandered around chatting with organizers, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, friends, and other participants.  There were lots of booths with all kinds of things provided by the sponsors and vendors,  and a food truck was also on-site.     

On the course:  We had a bit of a late start, with the 10K folks going first, and then we 5K folks got going around 8:20 or so. The course was on paved roads through a nearby neighborhood and then onto part of the Boerne Riverwalk to finish up. For the first part of the course, we started in front of a nearby hotel by the main plaza and then made a right turn onto San Antonio Avenue. This took us down a short incline. We then crossed a small roadway bridge and proceeded to do an out-and-back on San Antonio Avenue. On the way back, a short ways from the roadway bridge and the start/finish area, we made a right turn on Yoalana Street  and went into a very nice neighborhood area with wide streets and some nice homes.  We then did an out-and-back on West Graham, and then made our way over to O’Grady Street, via Herff Street. We went down a steep but short hill, crossed over another bridge – I think the sign before the bridge noted this was Cripple Creek, if I remember correctly – and then had another steep hill, this one up, but thankfully short. We then made our way over to West Theissen Street, which took us across another bridge. After crossing this bridge, we then turned onto a Riverwalk paved trail which brought us back to the finish line, coming off the riverwalk with the hotel at the main plaza on our left, and then did a short jaunt to the finish line….whew!   I finished 10^th out of 21 in my 60-99 age group – bummer, no 70-99 age group, but what the heck – with a chip time of 40:41, averaging 13:06 per mile, and had a negative split for the last mile, nice. Nicely thought-out course, at least for me, I enjoyed it. I did hear from a few friends post-race, that the speedier participants had a bit of a maneuvering problem for that last ½ mile on the Riverwalk park as they were fairly crowded on it.   I did not have that problem at all. At my slow pace, lol, I had plenty of room to move around – by the time I headed to the finish on the Riverwalk  part, the participant crowd had thinned out quite a bit. I liked the course, but I get the point of those faster runners.

 After my finish:  I got a few photos of some other finishers coming in, and then did a short cool-down walk and went to get some water and post-race goodies, and there were quite a few of them that included lots of water, post-race beer, various fruits, items you could purchase from the food truck and much more. I also enjoyed chatting with lots of people there; taking some after-photos, and handing out treats to the doggies there, including the live “Hank The Dog”, who I got a photo with, like I did last year too. Hank is a very cool dog. I’ve got a stuffed “Hank The Dog” right in my home office, so he keeps me company during my work time; good boy, lol.

Epilogue:  Once more, from my slow-runner point of view, a very nicely done event with a nice course on very wide roads and then taking in a bit of the local riverwalk before we finished, which included crossing over a wooden bridge; unlike the bridges in San Antonio parks, this one did not ‘sway’ at all when I crossed it; race director, can you please have the Boerne bridge-maker call the San Antonio bridge maker for our parks to tell him/her how he/she does that, lol.   Lots of ongoing activities post-race, with some live music, the awards ceremony, and more. They even had a couple of Super Heroes there for photo ops and the awards ceremony. Also, behind the gazebo, there is a very nice little pond area with some statues and benches and lots of shade, which is a really nice place to just sit and relax for a bit after the race. Very nice awards for those that placed; nice quality race shirt, and a very nice tote bag too; pet-friendly and stroller-friendly event; and all for a great cause.  This is one of my personal favorite events of the year; I will definitely keep on doing this one as long as I am able and would certainly recommend it to others.  Much thanks to all the ones that made this one happen for we participants, e.g., all the sponsors and vendors; our race director and the many volunteers out there for us, as well as the law enforcement folks on the course for our safety; iaap, of course, for the course setup, timing, and results; and the group that performed for us post-race; also, thanks to the drivers in this area, and the residents, for their patience as we invaded their space for quite a while; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all!  Hope to see you there next year!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/svnUiQsWiobfxn5RA   

Before the start:  My 33rd  race of 2024 was on May 26^th at Comanche County Park in San Antonio. The American Hero races, usually held during the Memorial Day weekend, is a series of races honoring our veterans, especially those who sacrificed their ‘all’ during their service time. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who gave their lives in service to our country. The event was put on by e-Dragon, with local race management company iaap doing the timing and results. The 25K Relay had a team of 5 members, each doing one leg. The 25K Challenge was one in which participants do the whole 25K solo; a 10K Ruck; and a 5K.  There was also a 400-meter kids run before the main events started. I did the 5K Race start time was 8 a.m. I picked up my friend, Carolyn, who also did the 5K, and we then went down to the park, arriving just after 5:30 a.m. and then had to wait a bit until someone came and opened the park gates at 6 a.m.; thus, we were there in plenty of time before the start, lol.  We had already gotten our packets the day before, so after getting parked, I wandered around, helping here-and-there, and also getting some pre-start photos.   

On the course:   The courses were out-and-back, so the individual 25K participants had to do the course 5 times, wow; I admire their patience and determination. As noted, the 5-member relay teams each did one leg, carrying a baton that had a timer on it, if I remember correctly; then, again, sometimes I forget my own name, so apologize if this is incorrect. The 5K participants did one out-and-back. The course was nicely thought out, taking us on the paved trails of the park; the San Antonio greenway trails are made with asphalt and concrete, so they’re usually a nice, firm setting to run, walk, or bike on. San Antonio area has been having a very warm spring; not even summer yet and the temp at start time was near 80 degrees. Thankfully, we did have a lot of gray skies, so the sun was not beating down on us as we went along; and the park trails are pretty well shaded, too, by lots of trees along the way. The race folks also had on hand a lot of water and Gatorade and even had a Med Tech on the course, just in case. The course was fairly flat, for the most part, with a few inclines to climb, but nothing one could really call a hill. Even so, I could feel those a little as, the day before this event, I had done a very hilly 5K. I did my normal 8-minutes running/2 minutes walking thing and took some photos during my walk breaks. I managed to do fairly well, averaging a 13:08 pe mile pace and ran the last mile almost nonstop, ending up with negative splits. I finished 2^nd in my 70-99 males division with a 40:46 chip time. The first guy in my age group finished only 2 minutes ahead of me. Guess I should not have stopped for that last photo, lol. It’s all good, I enjoyed myself.   Per iaap posted results, there were 83 finishers for the 5K; 17 finishers for the individual 25K challenge; 10K Hero Ruck had 5 finishers; and the relay had 21 teams.

 After my finish:  First thing, rehydrate! It was warm out there. Got some Gatorade and sipped that as I did a slow-and-easy cool-down walk. I then went and sat with my friend Gilbert for a while at his tent area and just enjoyed relaxing for a bit and chatting with him. After that, I wandered here-and-there, like we dogs do, lol, chatting with participants, vendors, supporters, etc., and getting some post-race photos. Also enjoyed chatting with my friend Miguel, who had grilled up some Kiolbossa sausages, which were pretty good -my favorite brand of sausage; and also chatted with lots of other participants and supporters. Since this is a veteran-oriented event, lots of fellow veterans were there, active duty, former, and retired, to chat with, and we chatted a lot about our various experiences during our military time; and btw, spouses of military members are pretty veteran-oriented too; while some may not have been actual military, they served too in a lot of ways, such as having to relocate with every assignment the military spouse received; setting up households and taking care of the kids, and so forth, while the military member is doing his/her military duties, and a lot more; so honor them as veterans too, in their own way.

Epilogue:  This is a very nicely done event by E-Dragon and all its affiliated helpers, sponsors, volunteers, etc. This event too, also gives out cash awards to overall placers, if I remember correctly, for the overall winners in a few of the events. You can check the E-Dragon website to see which events are eligible for cash awards. All finishers get a really nicely designed finisher medal, and all placers got a nicely designed award medal.  The race shirt is very unique with a great design, and depending on how soon you register, the race bibs can be personalized with the name of your ‘hero’. In my case, for example, I had on my bib, the name of my late dad, a veteran of both WWII and The Korean War.  As usual for events they do, iaap did a great job with the timing, results, etc;, as did our MC, Anthony Zamora, and our music-and-sound man Paul, and, of course, Erik and Kristine of E-Dragon, the driving force behind this event.  The Burciaga family is awesome. All the many volunteers there were also great. Mucho thanks to all of them and to all of the sponsors and vendors that helped make this one happen for participants.  This event is definitely a keeper on the race calendar.  Hope to see you out there next year.          

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!