Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/GwssY5VwHYg2XRSm9

 Before the Start:    My 49^th 5K of 2024 was the Windcrest 9/11 Remembrance Race, held on September 8^th in Windcrest, Texas. There was also a 1-mile walk. This event, held on September 8^th, was my 2^nd 5K of the weekend, after having done the 5K of the Tour de Las Misiones World Heritage Festival the day before.  The Windcrest 5K honored the fallen and the heroes of 9/11. Windcrest is a small incorporated city in the San Antonio area, located just east of the Intersection of Interstate-35 and Loop 410, and about 10 to 12 miles from downtown San Antonio.  Race start time was 8 a.m., with race day registration and packet pickup at 7 a.m.  This race was ‘old school’ with self-timing done and then putting your results onto an index card and dropping the card into the appropriate age-group basket. There were no age-group awards, but all participants got a finisher medal. The course started and finished at the top of Jim Seal Drive, the location of Takas Park, the city park of Windcrest.  Participant-wise, this was a fairly small event; not sure of the exact number of participants, but the turn-out made it feel like it was a get-together of friends to enjoy a nice outing together, which was really nice. Local firefighters and police also turned out for this one and a fire engine near the start/finish line proudly displayed the colors. I arrived with about 45 minutes until start time, got my bib number, and then enjoyed chatting with other participants and volunteers and getting a few photos.  This is also a dog-friendly event, so of course I had treats to hand out to them.

On the course: We started at the top of Jim Seal Drive, made a right turn onto Crescent and headed in the direction of Randolph Boulevard and I-35.  We made a left turn on Midcrown Drive, entering a residential area where this loop course started in earnest. We wound through various streets in this area. The Windcrest Police were out in force (no pun intended), with blocked roads for the course, and also with some of them driving on the course, making sure everyone was okay. For the most part, this course was really flat, with a few small inclines to climb, until we got near Mile 2, and then we had a couple of fairly long  up inline climbs. They were not really steep, they just kept going up and my legs felt those a bit, after the hillier Missions 5K I’d done the day before. This winding course eventually led us back to Crestway Drive, heading toward the finish line in the opposite direction from which we had started. We had a fairly long downhill on this end of Crestway, and then a climb up to get back to the finish, whew!.  Overall, I felt pretty good, doing my usual run/walk thing until just after the halfway point and then I ran most of the rest of the course nonstop, with just a couple of quick photo breaks.  I ended up with a finish time of 40:05, averaging 13:41 per mile and had negative splits too, for each mile, nice.

 After My Finish:   A volunteer handed me a small bottle of water – thank you! – and I did a short cool-down walk and then got some post-race photos.  One of the firefighters also kindly took a few photos of me standing in front of the awesome flag the firefighters displayed.  I ended up being first In my 70-and up males age group, since I was the only one in my age group, lol.  I also enjoyed post-race chatting with several other participants there and getting a couple more photos.

Epilogue:  I have not run in Windcrest for several years – I did a couple of races here way back when, after I first moved to San Antonio – and had forgotten how really nice this small city is. It really is a great place to get in a good run, walk, ride, or whatever your exercise passion is. Takas Park is a very nice park too, with some paved trails, tennis courts, batting cages, a really nice dog-park close by, indoor restroom, water fountains, and more. I will definitely start using this location for some of my future training runs.    Mucho thanks to my friend, Deborah, for telling me about this one when we did our Saturday 5K. I will definitely keep this one on my race calendar and would recommend it to others.  I don’t know if my friend, Race Director Lisa, wants this one to grow or not, lol, since that would involve a whole lot more work for her, but if it does, it surely is for a good cause.  Mucho thanks to all the people that made this one happen for we participants, and were there for us,  e.g.,  Windcrest city officials; the Windcrest Fire and Police departments; all the volunteers out there for us; the city residents along the course for their patience, as we invaded their space for a while, and who had some of their roads blocked off during the event; the military musician folks who were there entertaining us; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all so much. See you again next year if this one happens again; I sure hope so; it really is a very nice quality event.

Photos are here:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/buoix6ixLaJrQeLZ9

 Before the Start:   My 48^th “race” was the World Heritage Festival Tour de la Misiones held on September 7^th at Mission County Park, with a start time of 7:15. There was a 5K, a 10K, and a bike ride also, which had an option for 22 miles and 14 miles. This event was put on by the City of San Antonio World Heritage Office,  and its partners that included San Antonio River Authority and city organizations, celebrating 300 years of the San Antonio Missions and their being named a UNESCO World Heritage site, the only World Heritage site in San Antonio, and also celebrating the history and culture.. There were other events too, taking place from Sep 4 through Sep 8, culminating with this event, if I remember correctly.  I arrived with about an hour or so to go until start time and got a few pre-start photos.

On the course:  The runners and walkers started first, with the cyclists starting after those of us on foot had gone. We started from the parking lot in front of the park’s plaza, making our way to a nearby sidewalk and going up that, then making a left turn onto Padre Drive. After a very short jaunt down this street, we then made a right turn onto a paved trail, winding us around a bit until we came just outside the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park.  The trail took onto the grounds of the park, taking us past an historic building, and then we made our way to an exit on the other side of where we had entered, and were back on the road again.  This road took us back onto a far end of Padre Drive. We went up this for a bit, crossing by Pyron Avenue and then made a right turn that took us onto an off-road paved trail that got us onto the Riverwalk.  We went over a bridge to the side of the Riverwalk that is on the opposite side of where Mission County Park is located. I could see a large hill ahead of us  – good grief! – but when we got up it a bit, there was a sign showing 5K to the left and 10K to the right, so we got the smaller hill, lol, and thank goodness. This trail took us down to another turn, where we went right and that ended up with us doing a loop around the Hot Wells ruins, which is part of the World Heritage group.  One fellow runner I chatted with told me this place had a history of ‘ghosts” sometimes and they have ghost tours there. After looping around Hot Wells, we then went back onto the Riverwalk trail, for a couple more climbs, but nothing really hugely steep, and this took us to VFW Drive.  We crossed a bridge, when down a short incline and then took a paved trail on our left that took us back to the finish. There were no awards for this one, but I ‘raced’ myself, lol, challenging myself to see if I could do negative splits for this one and I did succeed in that. I ended up with a 43:32 finish time, averaging 14- minute miles, with splits, per my Garmin, of  14:21; 14:00; and 13:43. Probably a tad off from the official iaap time, as my Garmin is like me a bit…it’s slowed down as it has aged.

After My Finish:  I got a few photos of some others coming into the finish, that I had interacted with on the course, and then went to get some water and a banana and just relax a bit. After that, enjoyed post-race chatting with some of the volunteers, vendors, other participants, etc., and getting some post-run photos. Lots of the vendors had give-away items and the Public Works department had this roulette wheel thing you spun around, and it would land on a question; if you answered it right you got to select a prize; I ended up getting a nice little battery-operated hand-held fan, lol. It even fits in my running shorts pocket so I could take that with me on some of my runs on warmer days, lol.    

Epilogue:  This is the first time I’ve ever done this event, but it won’t be the last.  This is a really nicely organized event with a very enjoyable course – in spite of those inclines on the Riverwalk they made us do, lol – and lots of post-race giveaways by the vendors; you also get a food ticket (beans and rice I think was the food) and a drink ticket too.  There were a few dogs there too, so of course me being “Scottydog”, you know I had to visit with them and give them treats.  Sad thing, though, that ended up turning out well;  one guy came up and asked me if I had the number to Animal Control because when he was on the course, he found an abandoned dog tied to a pole; good grief, I don’t get people that do that. I told him to check with the Park Police officers that were there, they could get in contact with them.  However, this turned out well, because one of the other participants brought the dog back to the pavilion area; it was a very friendly young dog and well-behaved and one family with a couple of kids decided they would keep it, so a happy ending for this abandoned dog who got a new home in record time. Oh yes, I did give it a couple of treats.  Mucho thanks to all the people involved that made this one happen for we participants, e.g., all the sponsors; iaap for course set up and timing;  the involved San Antonio city offices, all the many volunteers out there for us; the group before we started that performed a cultural ceremony; our MC and our music-and-sound guy; the police officers there for our safety, and our medical guy present for us, if needed; and of course, our Race Director who made sure everything was going smoothly; and anyone else involved I may not mentioned here.  Thank you all!  Now I have to get some rest. I am doing my 49^th 5K of the year on Sunday, Sep 8.  Whatever your exercise passion is, may you always be successful and safe.

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/sxGV389z4NHbWtmZ9  

 Before the Start:  My 47^th race of 2024 was the San Antonio Roadrunners Whine Run 5K, held on Labor Day, September 2^nd at the Tuscany Wedding Venue on Old Fredericksburg Road in San Antonio. The location was quite near the 1604 frontage road, La Cantera Shoppes, UTSA, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse, etc. .  Tuscany Wedding Venue campus at this location is a great place with lots of room, indoor restrooms and port-a-potties, a very nice raised stage, picnic tables, indoor rooms, and more.

The main event was a 5-miler and there was also a 5K.  There were 328 finishers for the 5K and 180 finishers for the 5K, so a very nice turnout at this popular event. Start time for the 5-miler was 7:30  with the 5K following at 7:35 a.m.  .  Our MC, Anthony Zamora was keeping us apprised of all that was going on and our Music Man Paul was cranking out some tunes.  There was also a race-day packet pickup so those volunteers were pretty busy.  I arrived with about 45 minutes before the start time and got a few pre-start photos.  Unfortunately, my old-time push-button Canon camera does not like taking photos when it’s still dark, so the first few photos look like I was wandering around in an alcoholic daze dream, lol; sorry about that to the folks in these photos.

On the course:  Weather folks had predicted it may rain on us, but it did not happen while we were on the course.  Courses were out-and-back mostly done on the paved trails of what is the Salado Creek Greenway, if I remember correctly.  San Antonio has done a good job of renovating and connecting several of the greenway trails, so you user can now get in a very long run, walk, cycle ride, etc., if they are so inclined.  We started on the Tuscany Grounds, going across a short gravel path and then making a left turn, going down a short slope in the direction of the 1604 frontage road. We did not go that far, making an almost immediate left turn onto the greenway trail. The majority of the course was mostly flat, with the 5k having just a few inclines to go up; the longest was the one right before we got to the 5K turn-around. I think the 5-mile folks got the bulk of the more steeper hills.   There was a construction area on part of the course – not being worked during this event since it was Labor Day holiday – which did not impede our progress.  I did my usual 8-minutes running/2 minutes walking, taking photos during my walk breaks, and trying to just do this one nice-and-easy as I had pushed myself a bit at a 5K I’d done the day before this one, which had several climbs. My goal for this one was just to kind of relax and run easy and maybe get positive splits.  Saw the first 5K runner heading for the finish and got photo; looked at my watch and figured, wow, this guy is doing 6-something minute miles.  I found out later in the results he was doing that, jeez. I made the turn-round and started heading for the finish. By now, at my slow pace, the crowd had thinned out pretty good, and I had lots of maneuvering room.  A number of the 5-mile participants also now started showing up around me as they too headed for their finish, and there were still people going to their turn-round points.  Lots of camaraderie along the way, with participants calling out words of encouragement to each other.  From Mile 2 I did run most of the way toward Mile 3, but did stop and talk a shorter walk break before finally going non-stop to the finish. I ended up with a chip time of 44:21 averaging a 14:17 per mile pace, but I did behave myself – for once, lol – and got my positive splits. I was third in my 70-74 males age group, mainly because there were only 3 in my age group.  I’ll take it.  My 3^rd place award was a vert nicely done Whine Run coaster, which I like much better than the wine glass given to first place people. I will definitely use that coaster a lot more than a wine glass.  I am more of a beer guy than a wine guy.

After My Finish:   Got some water, did a short cool-down walk and then went to find a place to just sit down and relax for a while, since I think I was just a tad dehydrated – forgot to drink some water before the start. Found some picnic table seating and ended up sitting with two fellow military veterans, so we had a nice chat about what we did, where we were stationed, etc; good people, very enjoyable talking with them.  After that, I wandered around chatting with known running and non-running friends and  making new running and non-running friends – we all have a story, so it was enjoyable hearing some of the experiences of others. I also got several after-race photos. Our sound-and-music guy was still blasting out a variety of tunes for us from a variety of eras, resulting in a lot of dancing going on, which was fun to watch.

Epilogue: Very nicely done by the San Antonio Roadrunners, with a well-thought-out course, challenging, but not too challenging – like those crazy Helotes hills courses, lol – and plenty of room on the course for all.  Post-race goodies included wine, Shiner Beer, Force water, various fresh fruits provided by my friend Gilbert, and some various food items provided by the sponsors. Post-race massages were also offered, and the sponsors had several small give-away items. Nicely done and good quality race shirt – I got one for my wife – and lots of post-race fun things; at one point, our music guy Paul had some people ‘dancing in the streets’, lol.  I would definitely do this one again – did it last year too – and would recommend it to others.  Much thanks to all the people who made this one happen for we participants, e.g.,  our MC, Anthony Zamora; our Music Man Paul; all the many volunteers there; all the sponsors; the staff of Tuscany Wedding Venue, who took good care of us; our bike lead guy for the event; Pushbutton Photography folks for their ‘official’ photos; and thanks for the patience of the other users of the trail – cyclists, walkers, non-race runners, and so forth – for their patience with us as we invaded this space for a couple of hours.  Thank you all!  Whatever your passion is, I hope you have much success at it.  Stay safe and stay active.

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/KDwEf3hXe5vsDZKV6

 Before the Start:  My 46^th race of 2024 was the E-Dragon Productions Run Festival on Sunday, September 1^st.  Put on by the Burciaga family, this event was held at Southside Lions Park East in San Antonio as a celebration of their 11 years in business and as a thank you to all in the running community who have supported them, e.g., runners, walkers, volunteers, etc. Registration fees were done at a really low price: $1 for the 1-mile walk; $5 for the 5K; $6.20 for the 10K, and $13.10 for the half marathon…get it? The price was the distance of each event. This made it a pretty popular event; 47 finishers for the half-marathon; 69 for the 10K; 117 for the 5K; and 8 doing the 1-mile walk, totaling 241 doing the live events. There was also a virtual option.  

On the course:  Courses were a kind of out-and-back-and-loop done on the paved trails of the park, depending on which event you did. If I remember correctly the 1-mile walkers were out and-back.  The running events took each of us to a turn-round point, where we then came back the way we had gone out.  The turn-round point for the 5K was a paved trail that would have taken us to Comanche Park if we had continued on it, but we did not go that far. I’m not sure how far the 10K and half folks had to go for their turn-round point. After making the turn-round point, we then came back the way we had gone out, but after crossing a park road that took us back onto the trail we had started on, instead of going back the way we came out, we headed to the finish in a different direction, following a trail that took over a causeway near the park’s man-made lake, then went onto a trail with the lake to our right as we went to the finish. It was a very nicely-thought out course. It did have some hills – more like up-and-down inclines for the 5K course, not steep and not too bad at all; the 10K and half folks had to go farther up than we 5K folks, so their up-and down climb was probably a bit more challenging. The last half mile was pretty much flat all the way to the finish.  There were only 2 in my 70-99 male age group with the other person being my speedy friend Jim Yanaway who finished under 25 minutes.  I ‘closely’ followed him, lol, with a 41:15 finish, lol.

After My Finish:   Got some water, did a short cool-down walk, and then got a few photos of some others coming in. After that, went to visit my good friend Fruity Gilbert (he’s a fruit vendor and a cyclist) who is at local events quite a bit offering a super nice array of post-race fruits.  Sat chatting with him for a while as I cooled off, and then it was time to wander around, chatting with other participants, supporters, sponsors, volunteers, etc., and getting some after photos.

Epilogue:  As usual for e-Dragon, a very nicely done event.  Age-group placers got a nice -e-Dragon coin that has a code on it that can be used for a registration discount for e-Dragon races.  They also had a medal rack at the finish of various medals from many of their events and you could just pick the medal you liked; same with the shirts; there was a table with shirts left over from their various events; many styles to choose from, e.g, singlets, long-sleeve, hoodie, dri-fit, etc., and you just chose the one you wanted. Mucho thanks to the Burciaga family for all the work they put in giving us these events. Thanks also to iaap, who works closely with e-Dragon and does the timing, results, etc. Also, a big thanks to all the others who made this one happen for we participants, including volunteers, sponsors, our MC Anthony, and anyone else involved; thank you all so much.  Happy running, walking, cycling, or whatever your passion may be.  Stay safe, stay happy, keep going, and Never Give Up! Hope to see you at an event in the future.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QDXBcXhonvWWBqm27

 Before the Start: My 45^th race of 2024 was the Summer Meltdown 5K, held on August 18^th at O.P. Schnabel Park in San Antonio, Texas.  Event was put on by Bigfoot Running.  There was also a 10K and a half marathon.  This was the only event I found in San Antonio for this weekend, so there was quite a nice turn-out, with 189 finishers for the 5K; 15 finishers for the half-marathon; and 99 finishers for the 10K; well the 10K was listed in the results as a Quarter Half, so it was actually 6.6 miles instead of 6.2 miles.  All the event started at 7 a.m.  Prior to the main events, there was a kids run about 10 minutes prior to the other events. I arrived at the  park with about 45 minutes to go until the start. I’d picked up my packet the day before, so wandered around chatting with participants, volunteers, and supporters and getting a few pre-start photos.    

On the course: National Anthem was played and we started right on time.  All the events started at the same time. I have done quite a few races over the years in OP Schnabel Park so knew what to expect. The course was on the paved trails of the park.  We started to the side of the park pavilion and went up a long incline; I suppose you could ‘technically” call it a hill, but it really was not steep, just a bit long. Once at the top of this, we then made a right turn and had a down incline. This part of the course took us to a left turn, where we went down a short but steep incline; after getting down that, we then went down a longer incline that was a bridge over the park’s grounds below; the bridge being there mainly because some tough terrain below; and also when it rains pretty good, the ground below this bridge gets flooded from the creek that flows through parts of this park. One we hit bridge bottom, we were on a flat part for just a short bit, and then went down another short incline. At the bottom of this there was an intersection, where one could turn left onto a paved trail, or right onto another paved trail.  I was glad to see we went left because that trail to the right has some pretty darn steep climbs. The one we took has more gradual climbs. I did my usual run/walk thing – 8 minutes running/2 minutes walking – and took some photos during my walk breaks. I was feeling pretty good and kept on steadily going.  Before I got to the 5K turn-round, I saw some of the speedier 5K folks coming toward me heading for the finish. We did have some climbs along the way to the turn-round, but they were pretty gradual uphills and downhills, so not too tough.  Got to the 5K turn-round – thanks to the water station lady there for us – and then it was back the way we had come out.  Since I am currently getting physical therapy for a piriformis issue, I had instructions from my Physical Therapist (PT) to just take it easy, so I did – for most of the way anyway, taking my walk breaks and walking up about half the way on that darn long bridge – which was now an uphill on the way to the finish – and the following uphill right after it. … I did take all my walk breaks until my last ½ mile.  I was feeling pretty good so I just thought, okay, let’s just get this thing done and ran nonstop for the last ½ mile.  My running pace during my therapy has been 14 to 15 minutes miles and that was so for this event; but the last mile I finished in 13:50, sweet; a confidence builder that I am slowly getting back to my normal running self. There were only 2 in my 70-and-up age group and I ended up being first with a time of 44:04.

After My Finish:  It was pretty warm out there so, as usual after I finish, I got some water, did a short cool-down walk and then went and sat in my car for about 15 minutes with the a/c on full blast….ahhhhh, nicely cooled down now.  Then it was back to the race area to chat with friends, supporters, volunteers, and other participants and get some after-photos. There were several dogs at this event too – most of them not running or walking since it was pretty humid – so, as usual, I handed out doggie treats too. I got in the habit of carrying them with me when I do my run/walks because some of the neighborhoods and parks I run in have several dogs around; so if one gives me ‘chase’ I toss the biscuit in the other direction and the dog usually goes after that, giving me time to get away in my direction. The friendly ones I give a treat to directly with, of course, permission from their humans.

Epilogue:  Very nicely done event by Bigfoot Running.  All finishers got a really nice finisher medal and all age-group placers – top 3 in each age group – got a “Gorrilla” pin: gold for 1^st place, silver for 2^nd place, and bronze color for 3^rd place, so kind of unique. There was not an awards ceremony; you just checked your results and if you placed picked up your pin at one of the volunteer tables, where race day packet pickup was. Force Water was also handed out to the finishers after they crossed the finish line. Pretty nice quality cotton race shirt.  I would do this one again.   Mucho thanks to all the people who made this one happen for we participants, e.g. Bigfoot Running Company; the park police officers out there for us; all the many volunteers, including the volunteer race photographers; all the sponsors who supported this event; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all!

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/HTT2CJ1MisHYnUAT8       

 Before the Start:  My 44^th race of 2024 was the Rember The Alamo Beer 5K held on August 3^rd at McAllister Park. The main event was a half marathon and half-marathon relay, and there was also a 10K, a 5K, and a 5K walk for competitive walkers who would get awards in their own category, so would not be competing with the 5K runners.  The half folks were supposed to start at 6:30 a.m., the 10K at 7:15 a.m. and the 5K at 7:55 am; however, there was some kind of delay, so the half folks and 10K folks started late.  I never did find out the reason for the delay. We 5K participants went at our scheduled time, since we were going after everyone else.  Of course, by the time those half folks left, it was already pretty darn warm, with bright sunshine, so I felt for them, having to do that long distance in this heat and humidity. Thankfully, the course did have a lot of shade, but even so…

On the course:  I lined up way in the back of the pack, planning to mostly walk this one as I have been dealing since June 30 with a pulled piriformis issue (the piriformis is a small muscle in the buttocks, connecting with the sciatic nerve) so had to give up 4 races I had registered for to let this thing recover for a bit.  I did see my doc and got referred to physical therapy, which started on August 1^st. In the meantime, I talked to a friend of mine who is a personal trainer and physical therapist and he showed me some stretches I could do and those really did help. I was doing walks around my neighborhood which also seemed to help. On Sunday, July 28, I went out on my own and tried a slow-and-easy 3 miles to see what would happen and managed to get it all done; it took me a while, but that’s okay, I was just happy to be running again; so I was pretty sure I could do this 5K, as the course is pretty flat with just a few mild inclines along the way. I did my usual 8-minutes-running/2-minutes walking and took photos during my walk breaks. When I first started out, I could feel slight pressure in my piriformis area, but no pain. My pace times were much slower than when I am completely healthy, but that was okay too, I was feeling pretty good, all-in-all. I ended up with a 46:02 chip time, averaging a 14:49 pace, not too far off of my normal 12 to 13 minutes per mile pace, and came in 2^nd of the 3 males in my 70-74 age group. My speed friend George, was first, finishing 10 minutes ahead of me.

After My Finish:  First, find some water; it was warm out there!  There was quite a lot of shade along the course, but no wind at all, and the temp was already in the upper 70s when we started. Local weather stations are predicting today (Aug 3) will be San Antonio’s first 100-degree temp day in a month, and it sure was on its way, lol, when all these events started. I got a few photos after the finish but was kind of dragging – my friend Rick Rue told me “you don’t look so good, Scotty.”  Gee, thanks, lol – so  after I finished, went and found some water and then one of the race vendors kindly let me sit on her cooler in the shade of her pavilion as I got some liquid into me, felt much better after that.  I wandered around chatting with participants, vendors, supporters, and also got my 2^nd place Scallywompus souvenir glass for placing in my age group. I have a lot of these from past events, so gave mine to some kid who liked the glass.  I kept the very nice finisher medal that all finishers got.  I spent the rest of my time there chatting with friends, supporters, other participants and, of course, getting several more photos for my race report.  Some of these folks are quite an inspiration.  One lady was visually impaired but did the 5K; and one lady I talked with – a fellow cancer survivor – told me she lost her leg to cancer, but here she was on the course with her prosthetic leg and got it done; her friend too, wow.  I store these people in my ‘memory bank’ and when I start feeling sorry for myself, I bring them to mind to help get my act together and keep on keepin’ on. I have a whole lot of them in my head and they are all awesome.

Epilogue:  All in all, a very good outing.  The only thing I don’t understand is the way they took us on the 5K course. We started in front of these lower soccer fields, went past the youth baseball stadium in the park, and then turned right onto a paved trail.  This took us behind the baseball field. It’s a pretty narrow paved trail, so was fairly crowded. Normally for a 5K here, once we past the baseball field, we continue on straight onto a park road, which is very wide and can accommodate a lot of people, allowing us to spread out a bit, so I don’t know why they had us go the other way; maybe it had something to do with the start delay, some kind of thing on the course, or whatever; anyway, it all worked out and after we passed Becken Pavilion, we did start spreading out a bit, and went onto the paved trail that took us past a police substation near the park.  Our last mile, heading back to the finish, was on that wider road, going past the baseball field and soccer fields again near the finish, and then back to the finish. Post-race goodies include Alamo Beer; Tequila; Kiolbassa sausage on a stick; these frozen popsicle things in a clear bag (cut the top off, squeeze out the popsicle); those things were good and really hit the spot on this warm morning; there was also Force Water and various other things; post-race massage tables; some fresh fruits, and more. Our DJ and sound guy, Paul, was doing the tunes for us, and Pushbutton Photography was all over the place, taking lots of photos.  All in all, in spite of the heat and late start, a pretty nicely done event. Mucho thanks to our MC, Anthony; Pushbutton photography; our sound man Paul; all the many volunteers, vendors and sponsors that helped make this one happen for we participants; Alamo Beer for pre-race day packet pickup location; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all!

Photos are here:      https://photos.app.goo.gl/RBxm152mGJY616CV8    

 Before the Start: My 43^rd race of 2024 was the E-Dragon Productions Summer Series 5K, Race 4, held at McAllister Park, San Antonio, on Sunday, July 21^st . This is  series of 5 races held in various San Antonio parks.  Participants can register for each race individually or register for all 5 at once and get a nice race entry discount registering for all of them. The series of races provides funds for a youth scholarship, usually presented to the recipient at the last race in the series.  These events usually have an early start time, which is nice considering how warm it gets pretty early in Texas summer.  I had pre-registered for this one so arrived fairly early, got my race bib, and then got a few photos before the start.

On the course:  I lined up way in the back of the pack, planning to mostly walk this one as I have been dealing since June 30 with a pulled piriformis issue (the piriformis is a small muscle in the buttocks, connecting with the sciatic nerve) so had to give up 4 races I had registered for to let this thing recover for a bit.  It is a lot better than it was when I first pulled it. I normally do an 8-minutes-running/2 minutes walking thing when I do my running. I’d seen my doctor a few days before this event and told I was not fully recovered but feeling a lot better and had been able to do some 3 mile walks around my neighborhood. She gave me permission to try and run just a tad with this one, e.g., totally walk the first mile and after that then walk the first first 4 minutes of my 8-min run segment and then could try and run VERY EASY for the last 4 minutes, but if I felt any pulling to go back to completely walking. After my first mile walking, I followed these instructions, and after my watch counted down my ‘run now’ segment from 8 minutes to 4 minutes, I then did a very easy run-pace for the last 4 minutes. When I did the very first one of these, I did feel a little pull, almost like a quick ‘pressure and then suddenly the piriformis area felt much better, so maybe I knocked something back into place. Never-the-less, I followed her instructions, not pushing myself and that was okay, and it felt so good to be running again, even for these short bits. When my watch beeped for walk break, I behaved myself and took all of those, and just kept following the above pattern she had told me to, going very easy.  I even ended up doing negative splits, Mile 1 (walked that entire mile) 21:15; Mile 2 1945, and Mile 3 18:13, and I ran across the finish line. I ended up with a 1 hour and 34 seconds chip time, good enough for 3^rd in my 70-74 males age group, since there were, lol, only 3 in my age group. This is a far cry from the usual  38 to 40 minutes finishing time for a 5K, but I don’t care; my real reward was being able to run a little again and feeling good, which makes me think I am now on the healing path for this thing; not much running, as noted, but it was something, making me a happy mutt.  I’ve still got some physical therapy to get through in the coming weeks, but this was a nice confidence builder that I will get back to my normal running self in time.  

After my finish:  The awards ceremony had already finished, but I guess I timed it right, lol, because I crossed the line right as they called my name for 3^rd place, so got to get my medal right then. After that, I took a few more after photos, got some post-race treats – my ‘fruity friend’ Gilbert knows I like to eat a post-race banana, so always has one ready for me – and enjoyed chatting with some other participants still there, and did hand out more treats to the doggies still there.    

Epilogue:  Very nice event with 151 total finishers.  The course was also very nice – flat and a kind of loop course that started by the lower soccer fields in the park; then past the youth baseball field, and onto a paved road that took us in the direction of Becken Pavilion. We then turned onto an off-road paved trail that took us near a police-substation by the park, and then onto another paved trail that eventually led us to a trail going behind the youth baseball field.  The last paved trail put us back onto the road we had started on, and then we went back to the finish line in reverse of the way we had come out; no little out-and-backs to do anywhere on the course, which was very nice. The award medals are huge, with a code on it that can be used to get a discount for future E-dragon events one registers for. Nice photo back-drop for photo ops; indoor restrooms, water fountains – also plenty of bottled water – and McAllister Park also has lots of shade.  All-in-all, a very nicely done event by both E-Dragon and iaapweb, who did the timing, results, and probably helped set up the course too. Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants, e.g., iaap; E-Dragon; all the volunteers; the police officers out there for our safety; the official photographers; the bike lead person, our MC, Anthony doing his usual great job, and the guy in the Dragon costume – had to be hot in that thing – post-race for the awards, etc. Thanks also to all the race sponsors, and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Happy and safe running, racing, walking, biking, etc., to all!  Maybe I will see you at a future event sometime.

Photos are here:         

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3oyCsyWV4DVtzsiw5

For 2024, I have completed 42 5K races so far, my last 5K being on June 30^th, when I pulled something in my left piriformis area and my left leg went numb for about 3 minutes or so. I had to walk the majority of that course and then ended up in the Brook Army Medical Center to make sure that numbness was not stroke related, since I have an AFIB and a pacemaker. Thankfully, it was not stroke related and I was able to see my Primary Care doc during the week who verified that I indeed has a sciatica and piriformis issue, which makes sense, since I do have spinal arthritis and degenerative disk disease (DDD) in my spine and she got me scheduled for physical therapy starting on July 25. 

Good news, however, is after a couple of days, it did start feeling better – not good enough to run on – but I was able to do a few 3-mile walks around my neighborhood with no problems. Bad news, however, is I had to give up all my races I had scheduled for July, so June 30^th was my last race/run. They were all paid entries and I hate seeing an entry go to waste, so as much as possible I tried to arrange with the race directors to give my race entries to friends, and most of those race directors cooperated with me for that.

After 2 weeks of no running and missing seeing my running friends like I normally do, I volunteered to help with packet pickup at the Stars and Stripes half-marathon, 10K, and 5K at the Stars and Stripes Drive-In Movie Theater in New Braunfels, put on by Athlete Guild.  Packet pickup started at 5:30 a.m.., so I was up pretty early to make the trip to New Braunfels. I missed a turn on the way, so was a tad late getting there. When I did get there, someone told me between the 3 events, there was a total of 500 or so participants, so packet pickup was pretty darn busy.  I was helping by handing out the race shirts and I must apologize to the poor lady who had me as an assistant. Because I do so many races, and because of my photo race reports, I am fairly well-known in the running community.  People I know and other participants who recognized me kept coming to chat with me during the pickup, so I missed a few things, and the poor lady with me was really busy.  I found out pretty quickly packet pickup is probably not one of my volunteer strengths, lol. I better just stick with being a course marshal or something like that if-and-when I volunteer again.  The lady I was with was very patient about it all, bless her heart, especially when it got crazy-busy and people had questions about the shirts, sizes, etc.  It really got nuts for a while there.  Finally, we were all done, with the half-marathon folks starting at 6:30 ., the 10K folks staring at 7 a.m. and the 5K folks starting at 7:30  a.m., if I remember correctly. 

I did manage to get a couple of pre-start photos and then for a very short time – maybe a couple of minutes with the finisher medals, mainly picking up some boxes –  and then was able to wander around the race area for a bit, chatting with some of the race sponsors and some spectators who were waiting for their participants who were doing the events, and got a few more photos of our MC, the Athlete Guild timing guys, and a few others.  This is a dog-friendly event – although most people did not run with their dogs because it was just too darn hot and humid – so I was popular with the dogs there since at races I usually have a pocketful of dog treats. I also chatted with a couple of people who were fellow veterans and we shared some of our military experiences.   Some of the faster runners began coming into the finish line – gosh, the guy that won the half marathon averaged 6-something minute miles and this was a hilly course too – and the first lady and first male for the 10K both averaged 5-something minute miles, wow!  I stood near the finish line for a while and got photos of some of the people coming in, including a couple of my friends who were doing entrants.  As the finish line got a bit more crowded, I wandered around some more, taking a few more photos of various participants, including some of my friends who had finished. I have several speedy friends – when I do an event they usually leave me pretty quickly, eating their dust, lol – and made new friends too, I hope. Again, I was very popular with the dogs, once they found out I had treats. A couple of them even tried to follow me around, lol.  Several of my friends placed in their age groups. My friend, Eileen, was first in her age group for the half-marathon.  The awards ceremonies for each event was nicely done and the placer medals are pretty nice.  The movie theater folks also kindly opened their lobby area for participants – so no porta-potties, nice indoor bathrooms – and even provided free food post-race for the participant who could enjoy that in the lobby booths in the indoor air conditioning to cool down a bit after a very humid outing on the course.  I met one of the movie theater employees – I think he was one of the managers – who turned out to be a fellow veteran so we shared some of our experiences. The theater also has a very nice play area, so the kids there – and some of the adults too, lol – enjoyed that.  Very nice quality race shirts too. All finishers got a finisher medal and the placer got an additional medal if he/she placed in the age group.

A very nicely done event by Athlete Guild. I sure missed doing it, but for once I made myself behave, lol. Now on to physical therapy and getting recovered so I can hopefully soon be wearing a race bib again and be back out there with all my fellow runners.  Meanwhile, happy and safe running to all!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/kxqp9Wc4AJbaUoBF7     

Before the start:    My 42^nd race of 2024 was the Dragon Den Texas Summer Series, Race 3, held at Lady Bird Johnson Park in San Antonio on June 30^th, starting at 7 a.m. The Summer Series races helps provide a scholarship for a youth athlete. There were 127 finisher for this event. I had registered early so arrived at the park fairly early, just after 6 a.m., and got my packet, and then got a few pre-race photos.  

On the course:   Out-and- back course, starting and finishing on the park’s traffic circle near the park pavilion, dog park, and trailhead. There was a kid’s race before the main event.  After that, we all got going, doing a loop around the traffic circle and then going down to the park’s paved trail. We headed in the direction of Los Patios Shoppes, near the Loop-410 frontage road in that area. I did my usual 8-minute run/2 minute walk thing, but too a lot more walk breaks than I usually do, as my piriformis muscle was acting up – a literal pain in the butt – and end up doing this kind of shuffling run/walk pace, looking like Tim Conway’s old-man character, lol, in the Carol Burnett Show.  Around Mile 1 my left leg went numb for about a minute or two, which was kind of scary, so I ended up mostly walking the rest of the race, with a bit of running here-and-there. Never been a DNF in any event I started, and my stubborn self was not about to start that now.   I ended up with a chip time of 51:23, which is about 8 minutes longer than it normally takes me to do a 5K, and amazingly finished 3^rd in my 70-99 males age group.

 After my finish:  I got a couple of after photos, but did not stick around for the awards.  Because I have an AFIB, I am at risk for stroke, so my medical folks had told me if I had any numbness, voice slurring (other than drinking 😉), etc., then get to the ER to verify it was not a stroke. Thus, I carefully drove home – I live only 10 minutes from the park – and then had my wife take me to the BAMC ER. BAMC folks have always taken very good care of me and today was no exception. They did a thorough exam and verified no stroke, it’s a piriformis issue. They gave me instructions of no running until it heals up – usually about 2 – 4 weeks – although I can do some walking, so that’s something, and no hills for a while, so I will probably have to give up a couple of races I signed up for already. I also got referred to Physical Therapy for some exercises they would show me that will help heal and help keep it healthy in the future.  

 Epilogue: Well, not good news that I may miss some races, but I was happy to be able to finish this one. As my wife knows, I have little patience when I can’t run – I become a big whiner about it, lol – but I will try and behave myself.  Will just take it one day at a time and see how things go, and I know I will eventually be back out there running and doing races. It could have been a lot worse, so am thankful that it was not; may do some race volunteering while this is going on. Meanwhile, much thanks to all that made this one happen for us: E-Dragon, via Erik and his family; Erik for doing the MC duties as well; iaap doing their usual great job of course setup, timing, and results; all the race day volunteers there for us; our bike lead guy; the official photographers out there; thanks to other park users for their patience with us; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned; thank you all!

Photos are here:    https://photos.app.goo.gl/r7emoWj9SWFkCFzGA    

Before the start:    My 41^st race of 2024 was the Big Red and Barbacoa 5K held on June 29^th at Martin Luther King Park in San Antonio, with a start time of 8 a.m.  There was also a kids’ run about 15 minutes before the start. Course set-up, timing, and results were done by local race management company iaap. There were 288 finishers for the 5K.  I arrived with just over an hour to go, got my packet and then got a few pre-start photos. It as already pretty warm with a temp in upper 70s and the humidity, as usual for San Antonio summer, was right up there.

On the course:  The course was an out-and-back starting from the park’s main area and then heading down a paved trail that went toward Comanche County Park. There were not any ‘serious’ hills, but we did have a few up and down inclines along the way, and we also had to cross – and then recross after the turn-round point – a bridge that swayed a bit as the runners and walkers went over it.  As usual, the park was open to other users not doing the race – other runners, walkers, cyclists – and they were pretty patient and polite about us 5K participants invading the park for a while. I did my usual  run/walk of 8 minutes running/2 minutes walking and got some photos during my walk breaks.  I was feeling pretty good and ended up running just about all of the back half of the race to the finish, doing the last mile completely non-stop. I ended up with a 42:24 chip time, good enough for 2^nd place out of the 4 in my 70-99 males age group. I knew before the start I was not going to be first, because I’d seen Jose was there, and that guy does around a 9-something minute mile. He finished over 12 minutes ahead of me.

 After my finish:  I got some water and did a short cool-down walk, and then had to sit down, as I felt a bit woozy for just a short bit.  I noticed on my Garmin my heart-rate had dropped to 41 beats a minute…what?  Kind of scary; probably may have had an A-Fib episode,  or was  experiencing some side effects from this forehead cream my dermatologist had given me to use; and I think I won’t use it anymore until after I chat with my dermatologist next  week  – I read online later about possible side-effects, and one of them was  the cream could possibly affect the heart a bit. Thankfully, however, my pacemaker kicked in and got it back up to my normal rate in about less than a minute, thankfully.  Usually, post-race, I am just wandering around chatting with other participants and getting photos right away, but when I did not do that my friend, Sally came over to check on me.  Nice to have caring friends who watch out for you. After my pacemaker kicked in and I got a few more minutes relaxing, I felt much better after that, so then wandered around  post-race like I usually do, chatting with friends and other runners, and getting some after photos.  Also got my placer medal pretty quickly during the awards presentation, since iaap usually starts with we old folks first, which is nice, so we can get home and take our afternoon nap, lol.

 Epilogue:   iaap folks do a great job with all the events they manage, and this one was no exception.  The course was very nice; we had use of the park’s indoor restrooms instead of porta-potties, and there is even a splash-pad at the park which several participants, and kids with them, took advantage of to cool off. Every finisher got a finisher medal, and the age-group placer got a second medal for placing. The race shirt is of very nice quality, although they ran a bit large; I got a medium and it was huge, lol.  I gave mine to a friend to give to her niece.  Big Red company was serving up post-race Big Red soda and barbacoa tacos for those that wanted it, and there were ‘official’ race photographers taking lots of photos before, during and after.  My friend Liz – another friend who came over to check on me post-race – was our MC/Race Director – she actually is certified as a Race Director – and did a great job. BTW, she also is the primary person who puts on the Confetti 5K at Our Lady Of The Lake University, which just opened up for registration; a great event, so check that out; iaap does the timing for that one too, if I remember correctly.  Along with Liz and iaap crew members, mucho thanks to all who had a hand in making this one happen for we participants:  all the many volunteers; our sound and DJ guy; the bike lead guy, Eddie Otho who helped out with the event and the awards ceremony; friend Mini, of iaap, who had a really nice booth at the event, with shirts, gear, etc.  She does a great job with race shirts, btw, and has often done the printing for some of my Beat Cancer shirts. Thanks to a couple of police officers I saw there, checking in to make sure everything was going safely; to all the race sponsors, of course, that supported this event; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all!  Hope to see you at an event sometime! My next one is the day after this one, when I do a Sunday 5K at McAllister Park on June 30^th.  To all; Happy running, walking, cycling, or whatever your chosen exercise method is; may you always succeed in your goals.