Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/LBM5AYbEMhxnYQ9F6

Before The Start:   On December 25^th, 2023, Christmas Day, I completed my 71^st race of the year.  The actual 5K was held on Dec 24^th, but I passed on that as heavy rain was threatening – poured and there was lightning on my drive to the race site – so I got my packet and went home, planning to do this one virtually, per my doctor’s instructions. I found out later from friends who did this event that it actually cleared up by start time so I probably would have been fine, but it’s okay, it is what it is.  My chosen site to do this event virtually was Joint Base San Antonio – Lackland, which is quite near to Pearsall Park where the live event was held.  I did my usual run/walk thing and took my camera with me to get a few photos.  I got started just after 11 a.m.  There was “abundant sunshine”, as the news weather reporters would say, and bright blue skies.  It was pretty chilly though with a temp of 43 degrees at the start and the wind blowing about 10 – 15 mph, making the “feel like temp” being around 39 degrees. 

 On the Course:   I started and finished at the Chapparal Fitness Center on the training side of the base. Mile 1 took me to one of the pedestrian overpasses used to get over a traffic road on the base.  I did not go over this first overpass, crossing the road via the public crosswalk and then going past the chapel on the training side of the base, which brought me out to a building that is one of the main buildings for trainee processing, if I remember correctly, and also where parents, family members, etc. can meet their basic training graduating family member. There is a huge stadium behind this building which is also used for graduation functions and so forth. From the front of this building, I then crossed over the bridge that goes from the training side to the ”permanent party” side of the base. This bridge was my uphill and downhill #1 for this course, as it is quite a climb, up for the first part, down on the other side.  I was also running straight into the wind. It was blowing pretty darn good too, as I could see from the flags that line each side of the bridge; they were standing almost straight out.  After getting across the bridge, I then made my way to the static display area.  This is where several historical aircraft, previously used by the military, are on display, with a plaque in front, explaining when it was used and for what purpose.  There were also some small pavilions that honored Military Training Instructors, K-9 dogs and their handlers, and so forth.  There is also a nearby parade ground were graduations used to be held  – this parade field is actually where I graduated from Air Force Basic Training many many MANY years ago, lol. I made my way through here, stopping along the way to get some photos of the planes and some of their plaques.  The aircraft display has quite a variety, including the SR-71, the B-52  – both of which were located at bases where I was assigned – the P51 of the Tuskogee Airmen, the Lockheed, and many more. After working my way around this field, I then headed to my next pedestrian overpass – Uphill 2 and Downhill 2 – that took me over Military Highway and back to the training side of the base.  I then proceeded back to the Chapparal Gym, actually ending up with a total of 4 miles instead of 3.1, but I noted my 3.1 time on my watch so I could report that as my 5K time – 42:30.  My total time was 55:22 for 4 miles and I had a negative split for Mile 3 – Mile 4.

After My Finish:  Nice to have access to the gym after my run. I was able to take a nice, hot, hot, HOT shower – felt great after being in that darn wind – and then change into some dry clothes. After that, drove home and relaxed a bit, eating some lunch and watching the idiot Kansas City Chiefs entirely blow their game against the L.A. Raiders.  I wonder if State Farm insures Patrick Mahomes for that.  😉

Epilogue:  A very nice outing at one of my favorite running locations. Lackland is always a great place to run and also a very safe place to run too, as it is a secured base.  Being retired military, I love having this option of being able to run on the local bases and San Antonio has quite a few of them.    The other nice thing is if you ever need a restroom on a run, the bases usually always have at least one building open with a restroom in it somewhere, but if you are not close to any of those, the bases also have a lot of porta-potties all over the place, especially on the training sides of the bases.  No need to carry water either, as there are also several water fountains around too.  5K done, so now I can wear my race shirt, a very nice quality shirt from e-Dragon.  There was also a very nice finisher medal in the race packet too. Mucho thanks to the Burciaga family and all their volunteers for giving us some really good quality events.  I also want to thank the trainees out there that I encountered as they were making their way to places they had to go. The times I did intersect with them, I had my own  personal cheer squads for a while, lol, as they called out encouragement as I passed by and also wished me Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, and so forth.  Very nice, and good luck to them all with their training. Erik knows of what I speak, I believe he went through Air Force basic training too, if I remember correctly.

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

Before The Start:   On December 17, 2023, I completed my 70^th race of the year.  The Santa Antonio 5K was held a Alamo Beer brewery in San Antonio, Texas, with a start time of 9 a.m.  This event was put on by the San Antono Road Runners (SARR), the oldest established running organization in San Antonio, celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. Instead of a race shirt, participants get a Santa Suit.  Lots of participants also come costumed as various holiday season characters. Even some of the dogs were costumed, as this is a dog-friendly event. This is a very popular annual event which had 509 finishers.  The event had a start time of 9 a.m.  I arrived fairly early, a little past 7  a.m., to get good parking, and then just napped in my car for a bit before it was time to go mingle and get some pre-start photos.  Prior to the start, there was also a very nice performance done by a music/dance entertainment group.

 On the Course:   There was a Kids Run done first and then we all lined up for our start. The 5K was an out and back, starting and finishing on Burnet Street, a road behind the Alamo Brewery grounds.   Right out of the gate, we immediately began climbing up the Burnet Street Hill, which was no baby hill, that’s for sure.  It was a steady uphill climb.  Burnet Street was a dead-end at the top near Lockwood Park.  We went through the small pillars at the top of Burnet Street and continued downhill on the pavement on the other side. When we got to New Braunfels Avenue, we made a left turn, and then another left turn onto Hays Street. This took us up yet another hill, and then down one, and then we went up and over the historic Hays Street Bridge to a turn-round point.  After doing the turn-round on Hays Street Bridge, we went back to the finish exactly the way we had come out, so we got go have twice the fun with those course hills, lol.  I had done a 5K the day before this one at Morgan’s Wonderland and that one also had hills on the course, so I just took it fairly easy for this one, taking a few more walk breaks than I usually do and getting some on-course photos.  After I made the turn-round on Hays Street Bridge, I  took one more walk break to get some photos and then pretty much ran non-stop  from Mile 2 to the finish. I ended up with a chip-time finish of 41:23, averaging 13:19 per mile, with Mile 2-3 negative split of 12:39.  I was 7^th out of the 12 in my 65-69 males age group.

After My Finish: Got some post-race photos and enjoyed talking to the two medical guys near the finish line, both of whom were fellow veterans.  I then wandered around getting more photos, chatting with friends, other participants, and supporters, and enjoying some post-race goodies that included breakfast tacos, Alamo beer, water and other various drinks some of the vendors had.  There was also a contest for participants with pets; kids costumes; and participants in costume, no pets. This is a very lively after-party with lots going on. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus were also there, with participants getting photos with them. There were even a couple of Grinch-costumed participants and one dressed up in a costume like the kid in A Christmas Story; and, by the way, he did not shoot his eye out, lol.

Epilogue:  This event goes back several years when friends Darlene and Adrian established it to raise funds for research for kids cancer.  It has always been a very popular annual event for a great cause.  The course has varied over the years, depending on road construction and road closures, location availability and so forth, but it used to be held quite regularly at Alamo Beer, so it was nice to be back at this location this year. Thanks to all the people who made this one happen for we participants and/or were out there for us:  Alamo Beer staff, San Antonio Roadrunners, all the many volunteers; iaapweb for the course setup, timing and results; the official event photographers; law enforcement and medical folks there for our safety; the music folks and dancers that were there for us; all the doggies who gave me face-kisses, lol, after I gave them treats; Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus; all the people in costume who gave us lots of smiles; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here; personal note to Adrian and Darlene, thank so much for founding this event, it’s a winner. I hope you two are doing well and will have a great holiday season.  Next 5K for me:  Frosty Five and 5K at Pearsall Park on Dec 24. See you there, if you are registered.  Happy and safe holidays to everyone!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/RKcU6o89C1ZhwK4DA

Before The Start:  On December 16, 2023, I completed my 69^th race of the year. The Snowball 5K , starting at 9 a.m., put on at Morgan’s Wonderland, an all-inclusive theme park that caters to all patrons, including those with various disabilities. The park facilities include the original park; Inspiration Island, a water-themed park with accessibility for those with disabilities, and Morgan’s Wonderland Sports, an inclusive area of sports activities for all. As Morgan’s Wondeland Park is currently under renovation, the start and finish for this event was at the sports area, near Heroes Stadium, an athletics facility San Antonio North East Independent School District. This is a popular event that raises funds for Morgan’s Wonderland mission of assisting and giving access to the disabled.  There were 329 finishers for the 5K.  I arrived with about 40 minutes to start time, and chatted with friends, sponsors, vendors, other participants, as I wandered around getting some pre-start photos and handing out treats to dogs that there were there, as this is a dog-friendly event.

 On the Course:  Rain the day before, but on race day we had abundant sunshine, a slight wind, and a 61-degree temperature at start time. We started and finished in the sports area. Our route took us past Inspiration Island and the entrance area of the original Morgan’s Wonderland Park. We then went back toward the sports area, going past that on a road that took alongside of Heroes Stadium. After coming to an intersection, we turned left, going beneath an overpass of the Wurzbach Parkway. This road took us to a hill climb with a turn-round at the top near an exit from the Wurzbach Parkway on the side where the traffic was going south. After going down this hill, we went back under the overpass, and then turned left to go up yet another hill, this one fairly steep.  The turn-round for this one was near the Wurzbach Parkway access road for traffic going north.  After the turn-round we went back alongside the stadium, entering the parking area on the far side of it.  After going a short ways behind the stadium, we went back onto the road we had used to get to the stadium, and then made a right turn for the last ½ mile that took us back to the finish at the Sports area. I ended up being the 123^rd finisher, chip time 40:37, 4^th of 13 in my 60 to 69 age group, averaging 13:05 per mile.  I had a negative split for Mile 3, with 12:08 for that mile.

After My Finish:  First, went back to my car and got on a dry base-layer shirt.  After that I went back to the race area to partake of some post-race eats and get a few more photos of happy finishers, supporters, sponsors, characters, etc.  There were quite a few people in various costumes for this one. Morgan’s Wonderland staff also had the area decked out with various decorations, ballon figures, and so forth.  I also got to meet Gordan Hartman’s daughter, Morgan, for whom the park is named, that was very cool. Awards were given to the overall winners and the males and females who placed first in each age group, but all finishers did get a small snowball medal.  There was also a drawing for a very nice gift basket, won by a young lad.   

Epilogue: I have done this event for quite a few years. The original route was a loop around the park’s man-mad lake area and Hero Stadium and then a return to the park, finishing by doing a second lap around the lake.  The main park, however, is undergoing renovations right now, with a grand opening expected in June 2024, so this is the route currently being used. It is not a bad route at all, gives you a nice scenic tour of the whole area; however, I did notice a couple of the wheelchair entrants did to have a bit of a challenge with the steepness of the hills, especially that second hill we did.  They ones I saw all made it though, God bless them; that is some true determination and fortitude.    This event included post-race tacos and drinks from an on-site food truck, a very nice quality race shirt, a coupon for a discount price for a season ticket to the parks; and medals for the first-place age division winners and overall winners. I would definitely do this one again and recommend it to others.  Mucho thanks to all that made this one happen for us: all the many sponsors/vendors; Morgan’s Wonderland staff and all the many volunteers; the police, EMTs, and other safety/emergency people there for us; our food preparers for the post-race goodies; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so very very much!  Hope to see you next year out there!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/r93cPbBCBBztwFTA8

Before The Start:   On Dec 9^th, 2023, I completed by 68^th race of 2023. The SJRC Jingle Bell 5K was held in Gruene, Texas, with start and finish across from the historic Gruene Hall. Built  in 1878, Gruene Hall is the oldest  continually operating dance hall in Texas. The event supports the SJRC, an organization providing services for children and families who have experienced trauma from abuse, violence, neglect, etc. This is a very popular annual event which had 772 finishers this year.  After the 5K, there was also a kids run. I had picked up my packet the day before so, with an 8 a.m. start time, was able to sleep in a tad.  I arrived at race site around 7:20 a.m. and enjoyed my usual pre-race ritual of chatting with friends and getting a few pre-start photos.

 On the Course:   The weather was quite overcast, with a temp in the 60s and it did spit a little bit of rain on us off-and-on.  I guess Gruene got some rain the night before and in the morning, because the streets were quite wet in various areas.  The humidity was crazy. Athlete Guild was the company that set up the course and did the timing and results.  They are very good about starting right on time and today was no exception. There was a prayer given and the National Anthem was sung beautifully by some young lady singers and then we all lined up. We started in a parking lot area across from Gruene Hall, made a short loop on a couple of the roads near the parking lot, which brought us back out to Gruene Road. We passed by the start/finish line access road, passing by Gruene Hall on our right, heading north on Gruene Street, passing by some shoppes and businesses just up from Gruene Hall.  We continued on Gruene Road ending up turning into one of the residential neighborhoods. Once we were in here, the course took us through several of the residential streets, including a short out-and-back on one of the streets which had the course water station and, across from that, a musical ensemble playing for us as we passed by. We ran through the neighborhood past the music players, eventually ending up back on Gruene Road, and went back to the finish line the way we had come out.  I did my usual thing of 8 minutes running/2 minutes walking and taking  on-course photos during my walk breaks.  Just before Mile 2, three dogs in their yard were ‘barking cheers” at me, so I took a quick break and gave them treats.  I stupidly stopped my watch when I did this, so knew my time would not match the race clock, duhh; however, I was feeling pretty good, so made up the time by running the last 1.1 mile nonstop.  My watch showed a 40 minutes and change finish, the race clock showed 41 minutes, so I did make up quite a bit of the time. I ended up with a chip time finish of 41:19 chip time, 10^th in my 65-69 age group and my last mile was a negative split at 12:14, nice. The first guy in my age group finished in 24 minutes and change, so he literally was almost twice as fast as me, lol.

After My Finish:  Took a few photos of others coming in after me, then got some water and a banana and ‘refreshed’ a bit. Also, after we finished, we had sunshine and blue skies from that fickle Mother Nature who would not do that for us during the time we were on the course, lol.
I went back to my car and put on a dry shirt I had brought with me and then wandered around chatting with friends, participants, supporters, volunteers, etc., and got a few post-race photos. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I soon had a lot of new 4-legged friends, since I carry dog-treats with me when I do a race or go for a run – which is how I got the nickname Scottydog; I register for all my races as Scotty Dogg – and they were very happy to see me, lol. Some of them even tried to follow me around.

Epilogue:  This is a very good event, very nicely organized and has a very nice quality long-sleeved race shirt too. The course was also laid out nicely by Athlete Guild, with no hills at all. It is a pretty flat course, so a good course to shoot for a PR if you are one of those speedy people at the front who won’t be challenged by the normal ‘pack’ of runners like me that fill up most of the course along the way.   I have done this event several times in the past, but missed last year and the year before as I was dealing with my ongoing prostate cancer at the time. It was nice to be back this year.  Aside from the goodie bag, which included that nice shirt, a couple of jingle bells – which I did not wear, as I hear enough ringing already in my old-man head, lol – other nice things included post-race beer; sausage wraps; a variety of fresh fruits courtesy of New Braunfels Orange Theory; lots of bottled water; a bouncy castle for the kids; indoor restrooms at Gruene Hall – where race day packet pickup was – as well as an ample number of porta-potties, just in case; Santa Claus on site; a costume contest – there were quite a few people in costume – and Athlete Guild also had this nice computer where you could enter your bib number and get your results printed immediately. Lots of the sponsors also had free give-aways of various items, and there was also a holiday-themed photo backdrop. This really is one fun, enjoyable event which I will continue to do in the future and certainly would recommend to others.  Much thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants: Athlete Guild; the SJRC organizers and all their many volunteers;, all the many sponsors; the law enforcement officers out on the streets for us doing traffic control, etc; our music-and sound-guy; Gruene Hall management and staff for opening the hall up to us; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so very much!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZzrdfFzWhdb2LrKg8

Before The Start:  On December 2, 2023, I completed my 67^th race of the year. The Holiday Hunger Run & Walk 5K was held at Bulverde City Park in Bulverde, Texas, with a 9 a.m. start time. This event supports Provisions Outreach, the food pantry of Bulverde for those in need.  This was a fairly smaller event, with 66 total finishers. The San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and relay events were all happening the day after this one, so probably a lot of those participants were resting up for it on this race day. I arrived later than I expected – missed the turn to the park; I am directionally challenged, lol;  – but thanks to some volunteers on the course who directed me, I got there just in time to get my packet, get just a couple of pre-start photos and give a couple of dogs a treat, and then we were lined up and getting ready to start. We had some pretty nice weather for this one. It was overcast a bit when I first arrived, with the temp hovering between 59 – 61 degrees.  Right before we started, the sun did come out brightly, but the course had lots of trees along the way, giving us quite a few shaded areas.

 On the Course:   Athlete Guild was the company that set up the course and did the timing and results.  They are very good about starting right on time and today was no exception. The National Anthem was played and then we all got started. The course was an out-and-back on paved roads. We exited the park, making a right turn onto Bulverde Lane, and then a right turn onto Bulverde Road.  Once on Bulverde road we proceeded to a turn-round point – where two gentleman who were manning the course water station had given me directions to the park – and then went back to the finish the way we had come out. Bulverde Road is a nicely paved asphalt road and there was plenty of room for all of us.  The course was open to traffic, but it was okay; where I was at any given time the drivers on the road were pretty patient about it all, so thanks to them for that; also, the local police had a presence, keeping an eye out for our safety too.  There were not any real ‘hills’ on this course – more like a couple of longer up-and-down inclines – and the road was nicely paved and pretty smooth – no holes in the road, debris, etc – so that made for some pretty smooth going. I did my usual thing of 8-minutes running/2 minutes walking, and took some photos during my walk breaks.  After the turn-round, I stopped for just a couple more photos, and then for most of the last mile I ran nonstop, ignoring my watch beeping for my next walk break.  I ended up with a chip time of 40:24, averaging 13-minute miles and had a negative split for the last mile, at 12:25, zowie! Have not seen a time like that in quite a while, since before I finished my prostate cancer treatments in Dec 2022, so I was quite happy with this, made me feel like I am finally, slowly but surely getting back to my old running self. There were only 3 in my age group, so I ended up 2^nd out of the 3.

After My Finish:  I chatted with a few other finishers near the finish line, got a few more photos and then wandered around chatting with more finishers and their supporters and explored the park a bit, as this was the first time I’ve ever been to this one. The awards ceremony was very nicely done, with medals for the top 3 in each age group.  Also, post-race, they had a lot of goodies, such as bananas, donut holes and some pastries, and some other things, as well as bottled water, and participants were encouraged to take some home.     

Epilogue:  This is a very good event, very nicely organized and has a very nice quality race shirt too. The course was also laid out nicely with not a lot of challenging hills, as noted before, just a few inclines along the way – although people who don’t train regularly on hills may disagree with me, lol; to them, they probably were hills. The longest up incline was the one right after we made the turn-round, but for the most part it was fairly flat; well, the road did have a camber to it, but nothing too serious; I just looked for the flattest parts of the road, lol, and tried to run on that. This is the first time I’ve ever done this event, but won’t be the last.  I’d do this one again and would recommend it to others. It is also a nice course for beginner runners/walkers; it is also dog-friendly and stroller friendly.  Also, if you have kids, the park has ample things for kids to do, while you may be out running and have someone to watch your kids; very nice playground areas, and I saw there was this miniature “soccer” area, where kids could kick the ball around and into some small nets. There is a nice walkway too – 1/3 of a mile around, if I remember correctly – with a big greenway field in the middle of it. It’s a fairly smaller park, but a nice one and does have restroom facilities and water fountains.   Mucho thanks to all those responsible for making this one happen for us: the Food Pantry staff; all the many sponsors; Athlete Guild for the course setup, timing, and results; the many volunteers out there for us for registration, packet-pickup, water station, etc., law enforcement officers for watching out for us; and any others involved I may not have mentioned here.  if you do several races over the year. To all of you, happy and safe running, walking, cycling, or whatever your choice of exercise is. See you out on the road sometime or maybe at a race, if you do races.

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/NpAfCZNPt4jqjc1r9

Before The Start:    On Thanksgiving Day 2023, I completed my 66^th race of 2023. The San Antonio RoadRunners 4-Mile Turkey Trot was held on the trails at The Rim, a shopping complex in San Antonio located near Loop 1604 and Interstate Highway 10.  There was also a 2-Mile walk, which my wife Gai did, and a Kid’s Run. The Rim trails are part of San Antonio’s Greenway Trails System, connecting many parks and trailheads via paved concrete/asphalt trails.  Start time for the 4-miler was 8:30 a.m. I got there with a little over an hour to go, as I had not picked up my packet before race day.  I got mine and Gail’s packet and then got a few pre-start photos. Glad I got there early because after a while the packet pickup line was quite long, as there were 476 finishers for the 4-miler. Probably more were actually registered, with maybe a few no-shows.

 On the Course:  We started right on time. Weather report had predicted possible rain, but for a while we got nothing….until the start; figures, lol, that Mother Nature can be fickle. It was a pretty light rain for about 10 minutes and then it stopped completely, thankfully. During the time I was on the course, it never rained at all.  It did start again a bit after I finished.  The course was out-and-back, taking us on the paved trails in the direction of IH-10 and Eisenhower Park; glad we did not go all the way to Eisenhower Park since that park has some really major hill climbing. After crossing the start line, we went down a short hill, then wound around some curving trails, with a few more short downhills and some short uphils, which felt to me more like long inclines rather than hills.  There was nothing really steep, like the hills in Eisenhower Park or Helotes. We went under a road overpass and then had some flat for a while, then a few more down inclines. The last down incline we did took us to the 4-mile turn-round point, so this meant on the way back to the finish we had more up inclines than down. A little after Mile 2, I encountered my very young friend, Natalie, doing the 4-miler with her mom. Natalie is quite the little runner, a member of Sally Seeker’s Girls On The Run program and I’ve done races with her before.  Her mom told me she was glad I showed up since Natalie was getting tired.  Her mom told her “Look, there’s Scottydog, so you can run with him now.”  I guess this remotivated her because she did just that – and she actually does run faster than me, lol.  Her mom ran a bit in front of us and Natalie and I kept company, chatting as we went along; well, Natalie did most of the talking, lol, she is quite the talker, and pretty entertaining too. Right before the finish line, we started climbing the last up incline, went around the curve and saw the finish line, so I told Natalie to go for it, and she and her Mom took off like Wile E. Coyote when he spots the Roadrunner, lol, leaving me eating their dust. I ended up with a chip time of 53:21, averaging 13:21 per mile. I felt pretty good, too, so more encouragement that although I am still far from being back to my pre-cancer paces, I am slowly but surely making progress.

After My Finish:  I stood near the finish line and got a few photos of some of the other finishers, some of whom I had been around during most of the course.  After that, went wandering getting some post-race photos and chatting with participants, supporters, vendors, etc. After the finish, it really did start raining in earnest, coming down a bit more, but still not a pouring rain, thank goodness. After the awards ceremony – I ended up 5^th out of 9 in my 60 – 69 males age group, I packed it in and went home to get a nice hot shower and watch some football; both of my teams lost pretty badly, so it’s a good thing, lol, I am not a gambler.   

Epilogue:  This is the 50^th anniversary year of the San Antonio RoadRunners.  They have always put on quality events such as the very popular Whine Run.  I joined them in 1996 when the Air Force reassigned me to Lackland, and have done several of their races over the years. They always have some nice finisher medals and nicely designed race shirts.  This one was no exception, with the “shirt” this year being a very nicely designed long-sleeved shirt with a hoodie and a front-of the-shirt long “pocket” that you can put your hands into during cold or wet weather, nice. All finishers also got a nice finisher medal, one that looks like it is hand-carved with a very nice design on it. There was also a variety of post-race goodies, and even a food place right across from the start/finish area where you could purchase eats. In spite of the not-so-great weather, this event was done very well by the SARR organizers and its volunteers. I definitely would do this one again and would recommend it to others. Mucho thanks to all the people that made this one happen for we participants, e.g.,  SARR, the police, medical, and security folks out there for us, all the many volunteers, our MC, iaap for doing the timing, results, etc., and anyone else involved that I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all and have a great-and-safe holiday season!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/26iZxvAo71A5uGEe9

Before The Start:   On Sunday, Nov 19^th, I completed my 65^th  5K of 2023, the Ryan Bielke 5K, put on by Two Rivers Running, a New Braunfels, Texas running-and-race management company, as well as having a really good running store. The event was hosted by Rockin’ R River Rides, an excellent tubing company in Gruene, Texas, that rents inner-tubes for floating along the nearby Guadalupe River.  It also provides events and catering services and a food truck on the premises. As well as the 5K, the main event was a half-marathon.  Half marathon participants parked in the Rockin’ R area and then were bused to their start line and finished back at the Rockin’ R. The half started at 7 a.m, with the 5K starting at 8 a.m., with a start and finish on the grounds of Rockin’ R.  I arrived with just under an hour to the 8 a.m. start time, got my packet, and then enjoyed chatting with friends and other participants and getting a few pre-start photos.  This is also a dog-friendly event and the dogs soon knew I was carrying treats for them. I was very popular with the dogs, lol.

 On the Course: I’ve done this course a few times in the past, so knew what to expect. We exited the grounds of the Rockin’ R, making a left turn onto the road in front of the facility. After a short jaunt on Gruene Road, we made a right turn that took us into a very nice residential area, with wide roads and some pretty nice homes.  After going around a couple of curves, we then began to climb our first hill. This is a fairly hilly course in places.  The first climb was fairly short and then we had flat for a bit, but that did not last.  We went around a curve in the road and proceed up the longest hill on the 5K course. It is not super-steep like some of the hills in Helotes TX for example, but it sure went up quite a ways. Once we got up this, we had a downhill and then a bit of flat for a while…a short while, lol.  We turned onto another street – another really nice are with nice homes.  This was fairly flat and had a short downhill, and then we went around a curve and had another short uphill. We then made a right turn, and went up another hill.  After getting on this road, some of the half participants started showing up on this road.  One of the pacers went blazing by me, soon followed by the first half-marathon participant I saw going past me. Once we topped this hill, we had a flat bit for a while. This took us past the course water stop. At the end of this street, we turned right, and that took us back to the street we had originally started on. From that point, it was downhill back to Gruene Road, where we made a left turn and then had a short jaunt back to Rockin’ R to finish on the grounds there. WHEW!  For the 5K there were 232 finishers. The half marathon actually had more people than the 5K did, with 307 finishers, go figure. Somehow managed to finish 2^nd in the 65-69 males age group for the 5K; there were only 3 of us in my group, but I’ll take it.  I was quite pleased with my 41:31 chip time finish, and especially with my last mile, which was a negative split for me at 12:13 pace for the mile. I’ve been doing 13-14-minute miles post-cancer, so this 12:13 mile made me feel like I am slowly but surely finally starting to get back to my pre-cancer self. I know it will still take quite a while yet, but at least I am finally going in the right direction.

After My Finish:  I stood near the finish line and got a few photos of some of the other finishers, some of whom I had been around during most of the course.  After that, went wandering around to see what else I could find.  This is a popular event, so there were quite a few vendors/sponsors booths and some free give-away stuff. I was also still popular with the doggies post-race, lol.  I’d be chatting with a friend/other participant and suddenly I’d feel a nose nudging my leg and there was a dog looking at up at me….where’s the treats, dude?  Lol.  Also watched some of the half-marathoners finishing up, including some friends of mine who were participants in that event.

Epilogue: Very nicely done event.  Haven’t done this one for a while, so it was nice to be back. Very “user-friendly” for participants, volunteers, etc.  There was a food truck on site, as well as post-race tacos, energy bars and other sundries from some of the vendors, fresh fruits – primarily bananas, which I always enjoy after a race or run, as well as some beer, energy drinks, etc. Very nice quality race shirt, and the half-marathoners got finisher medals.  The age group placers got a nice medal too, and also a free pair of socks, nice. Our MC, Anthony, and our music-and-sound man, Paul, did their usual great jobs. We also got to hear from the parents of the late Ryan Bielke, which was very moving…some of them ran the 5K and his mom, if I remember correctly, actually place in her age group, as well as being a volunteer that helped with the awards ceremony.  Awesome. Yeah, this one is definitely a keeper. Oh, btw, INDOOR restrooms too, nice.  We also had some pretty fair weather. It was a bit humid, but the temp was in the low 60s, with lots of cloud cover.  It never did rain on us during the race, although it did begin sprinkling a little afterwards, but nothing much.  The rain began in earnest on my drive home, so it may have gotten some of the later-finishing half marathoners. Mucho thanks to all involved who made this one happen for we participants, e.g.,  Two Rivers Running; Rockin’R folks; Athlete Guild for the timing, results, etc; all the many volunteers out there for us; the police officers doing traffic control and keeping us safe; the professional race photographers out there snapping photos of us – lots better than mine, I am sure, lol; all the sponsors and vendors; the EMTs there; I saw a couple of them;  and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here; thank you all!  The Lord willing and he river don’t rise, hope to see you next year!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/rGKNntmVTMvAZNkd7

Before The Start:  On Saturday, Nov 18^th, I completed my 64^th race for the year of 2023. The Boerne Family YMCA Turkey Trot was held in Boerne, Texas, about a 30 minutes or so drive from San Antonio.  Events included a 10K, a 5K, and a 1-mile trail walk along part of the city’s Riverwalk.  If I remember correctly, this was the 12^th year for this event and is one of my ‘streak’ races. I’ve done every one of them since this event first started.  I could not make it to the packet pickup the day before so looked to pick up my packet on race day, but one of the volunteers told me there was no race day packet pickup, so I was left without a timing bib.  However, the Race Director and some of her volunteers and Athlete Guild, the company doing the timing, pitched in to get that corrected and got me a race shirt and a bib, and got me into the computer with my ‘new’ race bib number, which I much appreciated. I wandered around pre-race getting a few pre-start photos and also, since this is a very dog-friendly event, got to make new doggie friends when I handed out treats to them. A few of them wanted to follow me after that, lol.

 On the Course:   All events started and finished on a road that was between the Boerne Town Square aka Boerne Plaza, and a local Bank America across from the plaza. The 10K folks started first, since their course was the longest, followed by the 1-mile walkers who were going onto the nearby Riverwalk.  The 5K folks started last.  We had a somewhat different route from the other events and from the previous courses in the past. Instead of going straight on the road in front of us, as in past years, we made a right turn heading toward a hotel near the plaza; went past that, and then made a left turn into a parking area.  This took us onto another street adjacent to the parking lot.  Once on this street, we proceed through some very nice neighborhoods on very nice streets wide enough to give everyone plenty of room.  We also never did any “out-and-backs” – not my favorite type of course, I much prefer a loop course and that’s what we did here.  We did make some turns onto other streets, once doing a “square” through a very nice neighborhood, ending up going around a the streets and coming back onto the one we had used to come into the neighborhood; nicely done and much better than an out-and-back, lol.  After exiting this neighborhood, we then went onto another street, then up a short incline, and then turned onto the street that eventually took us back to the finish.  This final street did have a short uphill – not bad at all – and then on the way to the finish we did another uphill slope, just before hitting the flat, final part right before the finish line. I had anticipated doing around 42 to 44 minutes, what with my photo-stops during my necessary walk breaks – darn spinal arthritis, can’t run non-stop anymore –  but I surprised myself by managing to run the last mile almost non-stop, and ended up with a 40:48 chip time, averaging 13:08 per mile and my last mile was a negative split at 12:26; haven’t seen that time since before my 2021-2022 treatments for my prostate cancer, so gives me hope I am finally and slowly but surely getting back to my pre-cancer runner-self.  Still got a ways to go, but at least I am progressing.

After My Finish:  I stood near the finish line and got a few photos of some of the other finishers, some of whom I had been around during most of the course.  After that, went wandering around to see what else I could find. This event is always chock-full of vendors/sponsors, with lots of goodies. There was even post-race beer, nice, so I congratulated myself with a small cup, thoroughly enjoying it.  There was also grilled sausage wraps, some games for the kids, and lots more dogs who all loved me, lol, since I’m the Good Humor Man for dogs. I also enjoyed chatting with several participants and supporters there, as well as some of the vendors, and also with my good friends from Athlete Guild, the people who did the  course setup, timing and results; I’ve known them for many years; Athlete Guild is a top-notch race management company doing several races over the year in both our local area and other Texas locations at times.  I also watched the awards ceremony – I was far from placing at my pace, lol, but my friend Jim placed in his group; I thought my friend Cindy would too, in the 10K, but I missed seeing her. I had a very enjoyable post-race outing.

Epilogue:   This is a very popular annual event, well done, with a finisher medal for all participants and a very nice quality long-sleeved race shirts.  I heard through the grapevine there were a few issues with packet pickup, but I am sure they will get that all sorted out. In the long run – no pun intended; well, okay, maybe; – this really is a very nicely done event, with a great course, really nice race shirts, and a nicely designed finisher medal.  Add to that all those vendors and sponsors out there with all those goodies, along with our “sound guy” playing some pretty nice music,  and a Color Guard there for us who very nicely presented the colors for The National Anthem, and the Top 3 finishers in each age group getting awards, plus a very nice location and a great course all makes this one of my very favorite events of the year. I will continue to do this one as long as I am able; it is definitely a keeper for me on my race calendar.  Maybe I will see you out there next year, the Lord willing, and the creek don’t rise.  To all, I wish you happy running – or whatever your chosen exercise method is. Stay safe and never give up!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ncfEF2PbtQFVtV9J6

Before The Start:    On Saturday, Nov 11, 2023, Veterans Day, I did my 63^rd race of 2023. Steps4Vets 5K, put on by Soler Sports, supports the Endeavor Center/Endeavors Veteran Wellness Center.  The center supports veterans and their families through a wide array of various programs that include family housing, homelessness, veteran suicide awareness and counseling, and much more. The event included a 4-mile run/walk, and a 1-mile untimed walk. The 4-miler had 71 total finishers. Race start time of 8 a.m., with the event being held at HemisFair in downtown San Antonio.  I arrived on site with about 45 minutes until start time and got a few pre-start photos.

 On the Course:  We started in HemisFair Park just down from the Tower of the Americas. After crossing the start line, we wound a short way through the park, and then exited it going onto South Alamo Street for a bit, then South Presa and South St. Mary’s, and then made our way onto the San Antonio Riverwalk heading in the direction of Pioneer Flour Mill. The course was out-and-back with the majority of the course on the Riverwalk.  This is a nice, quiet part of the Riverwalk, as the majority of the tourists, visitors, etc., usually are on the side of the Riverwalk where The Pearl area and other businesses are located.  We did start on one side of the Riverwalk then crossed over a bridge and resumed on the other side of the Riverwalk.  I never felt crowded during this event; we all had plenty of maneuvering room; especially me, lol, at my slow pace. There were non-participant runners and walkers along the way and also a few cyclists, and they were all pretty patient with us. I did my usual 8-min-run/2-min-walk thing and took photos during my walk breaks.  I also made additional stops to hand out doggie treats – with its human’s permission, of course – when I encountered a dog, so this pretty much killed my time too, but what the heck; not like I was going to win anything, lol, and I enjoy this and had a lot of fun with this one.  The course was very well marked with directional arrow signs, a blessing for directionally challenged me, lol. Right before I hit the 2-mile marker, I stopped to treat and dog and was chatting with its human and stupidly stopped my garmin. After I got started again, I was like, oh shoot, why did I do that, now my Garmin time won’t match what my actual chip time is, duhh.  Well, it is what it is, so I pressed on.  About a half-mile after making the turn-round, a cyclist came up beside me and we started chatting. It turned out he was a veteran also and now worked as a medic. He kept me company – and probably killed his calf muscles, lol, cycling at that slow pace to stay beside me.  Very nice guy, though, and enjoyed chatting with him as I went along; before I knew it, I was at Mile 3, yay.  At this point a young lady child runner, with her mom, tripped and fell on the concrete, so we both stopped to check on her.  She seemed okay, just had banged her knee a bit, if I remember correctly My new friend told me to keep going, he’d keep them company, so I did. I pretty much ran nonstop from Mile 3 to Mile 4 – one short photo stop – and ended up with a chip time of 55:04, averaging 13:46 per mile; really surprised that I finished under an hour – and Mile 3 was my slowest mile.    Cycle Guy – he told me his name, but it went right out of my head – soon showed up and told me the little girl was fine. She certainly was; I saw her a little later coming full-blast to the finish line and got a photo of her.

After My Finish:  I got some water and did a short cool-down walk and then did my usual thing of getting some after-photos. There was then a post-race ceremony in which the colors were presented by an Air Force Color Guard from JBSA-Lackland; and an Air Force lady beautifully sang The National Anthem. We then heard from retired Major General Alfred Flowers, the longest-serving airman in Air Force history – 45 year career!  If I remember correctly, he is one of the Endeavor board members. He spoke to us about Endeavor’s mission, encouraging us to all support it.  He kindly allowed me to have a photo with him, post race. After that, the awards ceremony was done, Top 3 in each age group, and then the overall male and female.  Selected winners – I am assuming the overall winners – were also invited to ride on the Endeavor Float for the San Antonio Veterans Day parade today, very cool. 

Epilogue:   This is a smaller event, but a really good one. Lisa and her volunteers definitely did a great job in getting this all organized. There were also vendor booths pre-and-post race, and a few of them had some freebie things. Timing done by one of the guys from iaap.  Very nicely laid out course, with a water station along the way.  Very nice quality race shirt and also a very nice small towel in the goodie bag too. There was also a very nice finisher medal given to all finishers.  Even the race bib was nicely done in  a colorful yellow. I will definitely do this one again and certainly would recommend it to others.  Nice event for a great cause. Mucho thanks to all the people who made this one happen for us, all the sponsors/vendors, Soler Sports, the police officers out there for us on the road parts of the course, our MC, the Air Force Color Guard folks there for us, iaap for the timing and results, and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  See you next year!

Photos are here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/nXmnuZfpFW29kGv49

Before The Start:   On Sunday, November 5^th, 2023, I completed my 62^nd race of the year and my second of the Nov 4 – Nov 5 weekend. Trails Fur Tails 5K, held in McAllister Park, is an event that supports Alamo Area Partners for Animal Welfare (AAPAW) which provides support and veterinary funding for rescue groups in and around the San Antonio area. Race start time of 9 a.m. Packet pickup was on race day morning.  This was a fairly smaller event with 69 finishers.   I live pretty close to McAllister Park so, along with the time change of moving the clocks back the night before, I got to sleep in a bit. I arrived with about an hour or so until start time, got my packet, and got a few pre-start photos.

 On the Course:   The course started just a bit past the park’s lower soccer fields and a bit down from a nearby youth baseball field. We went straight past the baseball field and continued onto the road straight ahead of.  This was a flat road that took us in the direction of Becken Pavilion and the park entrance at Jones Maltsberger Road. Prior to getting to Becken Pavilion, we made a left turn onto an off-road paved trail that took us past a police sub-station adjacent to the park. We rounded a couple of curves on the trail and then proceeded down a trail that took intersected with another trail just down from Becken Pavilion.  We turned right onto this trail, leaving Becken Pavilion behind us and went onto a trail that took us back to the road we had started on. After crossing over this road, we were then on winding trail that eventually took us to a trail intersection, where we made a right turn and then came out back onto our starting road, just down from the baseball and soccer fields.  After making a left turn, we then proceeded back to the finish.  After having pushed myself a bit during my Saturday 5K, I took it fairly easy for this one, making photo stops and also stopped to hand out treats to any dogs I met along the way.  This pretty much killed my finish time, lol – 45:14 chip time today vs my 41 minutes and change for my Saturday 5K – but it was all good, I enjoyed myself.

After My Finish:  Awards were given to the overall winners and the overall placers in each age group, so I knew I would not be getting anything, especially as my age group was 60 – 99 males –  but during a drawing, I did win a very nice gift basket full of good things, including a pet store gift certificate, some various dog treats and dog toys – which my cats actually enjoy now, lol – and more.  Very nice. I did my usual post-race thing of chatting with other participants and getting a few photos of the happy finishers and their accompanying supporters/friends and, of course, some of the dogs in attendance.

Epilogue:   As noted, this is a fairly small event, but a very well organized one and a fun one. Very nicely thought-out course, with flat roads and trails, lots of shade, and lots of deer along the way too; this park is chock-full of deer who are very used to people.  Mucho thanks to AAPAW for putting on this event, and also thanks to Athlete Guild that did the course setup, timing, and result, and to all the people and organizations who sponsored this event.  There was also a food truck on site as well.  Very nice quality race shirt too.  I would definitely do this one again and would recommend it to others.