Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qs1bpBpHjzUJydn7A

Before The Start: My 51^st race of 2022 was the Closing the Gate on Drugs Young Marines 5K held on Oct 22 at Rodriguez Park in San Antonio.  I was scheduled to do the Mission 4 Hope 5K at Eisenhower Park but, since I did not pay attention, didn’t realize it was a 9 a.m. start; for some reason I thought it was a 7:30 start.  Well, shoot, I did not want a race start time of that late – especially as I was signed up for a 2^nd race in the evening – so figured, well, guess I won’t be doing a 5K this morning, but then found this one on line.  I don’t live too far from Rodriguez Park – about a 20-minute or so drive – so got some cash for Race Day Registration and then zipped on down to the race location.  Nice bonus is that my friends Ed and his son Peter were the ones putting on this 5K.  After I arrived, I encountered my friend Ralph, who also did this one.  Got my bib and then got a few photos before the start.

On The Course:   Pretty small event, with maybe 25 or so participants.  I jokingly told everyone they did not have to worry about last since I was there, and I turned out to pretty much be correct, lol.   Ralph and I started together behind everyone else, but he was pretty soon way ahead of me.  Also, it probably did not help that I stopped to give treats to a couple of dogs that were out walking their humans. For the most part, I had the whole trail all to myself, so I just kicked back and enjoyed it.  The trails at Rodriguez Park – which is located just off the Enrique Barerra Memorial Highway aka Old Highway 90 – are really nicely done ‘greenway’ trails like most of the parks now in San Antonio.  The course was very wide and pretty flat, with one not-too-bad downhill.  River (or creek) to our left as we went along. Lots of shade in this park with all the treelines.  The loop we did on this trail brought us back to the parking lot. We went past the start/finish line, then did an out-and-back in another part of the park near some soccer fields. We then went back the way we had come – passing the start/finish area – and then went on another trail – this one off-road, unpaved, but really nice to run on.  After we exited this trail, we then proceeded to the finish line.  This park is fairly small – and isolated from other parks – so for what Ed had to work with to make this course a 5K, he did a very good job at it.  I ended up finishing in 36:30 – woohoo, haven’t seen that time in quite a while since  before I started my prostate cancer treatment – and felt pretty good the whole way. Someone told me it was a tad short; maybe, but not for me, lol.  I had 3.12 – probably because I often run BACK on the course in the direction I’d just come to treat a dog or get another photo – I did that twice on this course – so I usually end up with 3.1 or slightly longer even if the actual course is a bit short.  Anyway, whatever it was, nicely thought out; I liked it. We also had a couple of out-and-back, so I did get to interact with people on the course, even at my slow pace, lol.

 After My Finish:  For a smaller event they sure did this one up nicely.  Post-race sausage wraps and beer, water, and the Young Marines were even handing out various types of candy – lollipops, candy bars, etc – to those that wanted them…Trick or Treat! There was even a music group before and after, providing us some entertainment, nice.   Epilogue:  Ed told me he literally put this one together in about 2 weeks, awesome! Of course, didn’t make for much time to get a lot of people registered. Even so, very nicely done event with a nice goody bag, very good quality race shirt, and reasonably priced too.  Really nice race

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9vb8reyRHG21CZnW7

Before The Start: My 50^th race of 2022 was the City Manager’s 5K held on Oct 15, starting and finishing at the San Antonio Zoo. Very early start of 7:15 a.m., as we had to be off the Zoo Grounds by 9 a.m., so the Zoo could open for its regular weekend business hours.  I picked up my race packet a couple of days prior to race date so get to sleep in a bit extra. I arrived at the Zoo around 6:45 a.m.  My wife arrived shortly after, as she had signed up for the 5K walk. It’s very rare when she is with me at an event, so made for a nice outing.  I took a few pre-race photos but as it was still dark, my old-time Canon push-button photography camera was a bit ‘iffy’ as it does not like the dark – me either, lol – so quality not always good for some of them. Even so, enjoyed being there.  It was quite the turnout, as the course included starting in the Zoo and running a bit on the Zoo Grounds. This was a big turn-out.  I don’t know how many actually registered for the event and did not show up, but for this one iaap, the company that did the course setup, timing, results, showed 1,257 finishers for this event.

On The Course:   We started in the Zoo, pretty much in the same area where the Zoo Relay event is done. After the starting horn went off, we did a short route through part of the Zoo grounds, then exited a back gate to begin a loop through Brackenridge Park.  This look took us over the old Iron Bridge near the baseball fields, then across the Zoo’s train railroad tracks. On this road, we did an out-and-back, then re-crossed the railroad tracks and made a left turn, heading toward the water-crossing area across from the Zoo Entrance. We turned left near the water crossing and did an out-and-back on this road. Once we got back to the water-crossing area we turned right, went back to the railroad tracks intersection and then turned left.  This took us past a pavilion and restrooms on our right as we went back to the Iron Bridge, and then proceeded onto the cobblestones path that took us just down from the Zoo’s Main entrance. We turned right, went past the Zoo entrance and then entered a gate that was just down the road from the Animal Shelter.  Back onto Zoo grounds, we went to the finish line, passing by the Zoo’s main entrance and then back into the Africa Live section before getting to the finish. Nicely thought out course, with lots of room for everyone.  I never felt ‘crowded’ the whole time I was on this course.  I was shooting for a 39-minute finish, but ended up with 41 minutes because just before the finish, this leopard was walking around in its cage, so I stopped to get a photo of it as it walked past the viewing plexiglass window.  Very cool; it was worth the extra 2 minutes.  I ended up 24^th out of 51 in my age group, with a chip time of 41:14, averaging 13:15 per mile, with a negative split for Mile 3, nice. I felt good the whole way; my third event in a row now that I have run pretty strong, making me feel almost like I am getting back to pre-cancer old running self, and that I truly am winning my battle right now against my prostate cancer.

 After My Finish:   The Zoo folks threw us a very nice after-party in a really nice area near the flamingo pool, and there were also a few monkeys on exhibit there. Lots of happy finishers. I enjoyed chatting with friends and other participants and also had the rare pleasure of relaxing post-race with my wife who walked her 5K in under an hour – 49:31 chip time, so she was not far behind me. She is an active walker and walks about as fast as I run, lol.  This was a very enjoyable event, which has grown quite a bit.  I remember doing the City Manager 5K way back when, and it did not have nearly this turn out.  We also started and finished near SAWS headquarters, and that route took us up Gorrilla Hill, lol. It sure has grown since then!

Epilogue:   For as many participants as there were, this was really organized nicely and done well overall.  The route is really nicely laid out and, since there are 2 course out-and-backs, gives you a nice chance to cheer on friends and family as you pass each other by, coming and going. Course volunteers were really great, appreciate them being out there. Nicely designed race shirt, very nice post-race relaxing area and, surprisingly, lots of parking available.  I had no problem getting parked pretty quickly when I first arrived. I would definitely do this one again and recommend it to others.  Much thanks to all those involved that made this one happen for we participants: iaap, the Zoo staff, the many many volunteers involved for us through the whole process from stuffing the packet pickup bags to being there for race day and more; all the police officers out there for our safety, the bike pacers for the speedy leaders; and, of course all the many sponsors supporting this event. I was hoping maybe I’d run in the Zoo’s Director to say hello, since he is a UTSA alum and I work for UTSA; he may have been there, but I never saw him; but thanks, Tim Morrow, for allowing us use of the Zoo for this.  If I missed anyone, my apologies; thanks to all involved!

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/o5qpesz6dNEopvN68

Before The Start:   My 49^th race of 2022 was the CleftStrong 5K held on October 8 at McAllister Park in San Antonio.  There was also a Kid’s Run.  This event, per their website, is the primary fundraiser for CleftStrong, which works to promote understanding of craniofacial conditions; and create events that foster hope, motivation, for those in the community, and to raise research funds. There was an opening ceremony, the National Anthem, then the Kid’s Race, and then the 5K started at 9 a.m.  I live very close to McAllister Park so slept in a bit, and then arrived on-site at 8 a.m and got a few pre-start photos.

On The Course:  There was something like 9 other races around the local area, so lots of competition to get participants to sign up for each of these.  This event ended up with 131 finishers. Large enough to be a lot of fun and small enough so there was lots of room for everyone on the course, very nice. Our start and finish was in front of the lower soccer fields at McAllister Park, the 2^nd largest park in the San Antonio area. We headed past the youth baseball field, then onto a paved park road that took us just down from Becken Pavilion.  Before we got to Becken Pavilion, we made a left turn onto one of the park’s off-road paved trails,, then a left turn onto another trail just down from Becken Pavilion. This trail took us to our turn-round point, where we rounded the turn-round cones and went back to the finish the way we had come out. I ended up 2^nd of 4 in my 60-69 males age group, 40:45 chip time.

 After My Finish:  Got a couple photos of others coming in, then went in search of water and post-race goodies. I did enjoy a very good paletta (popsicle) after the 5K.  There was also a food truck on-site, and lots of vendors/sponsors had some table treats.  After a brief rest of munching and hydrating, I then went around chatting with other participants and getting some more post-race photos.  

Epilogue:   This is really a very nicely organized event, with iaap doing their usual great job of course set-up, timing and results.  Really nice quality race tee; I ordered a Youth Small and when I went to packet pickup, they said “Umm, I don’t think that’s going to fit you.” No, it won’t, lol. I told them I wanted them to give it to one of their kids they are helping, so they said they would do that.  Very nice course with lots of shade – although it was a pleasant 60-something degrees for this event, so very nice weather. Food truck onsite, nice, paletta (popsicle) lady on site too and, as noted, lots of vendors giving away some treats. Dog friendly event, stroller friendly, kid friendly. Very nicely designed race bibs and finisher medals, and nice trophies for the overall winners. I’ve done this one in the past, will definitely do this again, and certainly would recommend it to others.  Much thanks to iaap; all the sponsors/vendors; the park police officers out there for our safety, all the race volunteers that helped make this one happen; our sound-and-music folks there; and, of course, to the CleftStrong 5K people that get this one organized each year for we participants for such a great cause. Apologies if I missed anyone.  Thanks to you all!

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2u25svcuK18zh5yK9

Before The Start:    My 48^th 5K of 2022 was the Purple Run held on October 1 at Our Lady Of The Lake University.  This event supports The Battered Women and Children’ Shelter in partnership with the Kristine Meza Foundation, named for a young lady who sadly was killed by her ex-boyfriend at only 25 years old.  The Foundation’s mission is to raise public awareness about domestic violence. Race start time was 8:30 a.m., but opening ceremonies started at 7:30 am., with remarks from Foundation members – Kristine’s family, who started the foundation – and the San Antonio Police Chief, Bexar County Sheriff, and the Bexar County District attorney.  I arrived a little before 8 a.m. and got a few pre-start photos.  

On The Course:  Someone told me there were something like 400 registered for this event. If so, several missed out on a really nice 5K, as there were a total of 216 finishers.   We started in front of Our Lady Of the Lake University (OLLU), did a short route through part of the campus grounds, and then exited via one of the campus gates for a short stint on part of a sidewalk on Commerce Street.  Very short, as almost immediately we cut across a grassy field and then accessed the concrete trails of Lake Elmendorf Park.  We went to the end of this trail, crossed over a bridge and then returned toward the finish on the trail of the other side of the lake.  We crossed another bridge, returning to where we had first accessed the lake trail, and then returned to the finish the way we had initially come out.  I ended up 4^th in my age group (60 – 69 males) with a chip time of 39:39. I was 38 seconds behind the guy in my age group who finished 3^rd in 39:01.  I guess I shouldn’t have stopped during the last ½ mile to give  dog  treat, lol. All good though; I was very happy with my time.  I had a negative split for the last mile and also have not seen a finish time under 40 minutes in quite a while, since I began my treatment for prostate cancer back in 2021 (one more treatment in November and I am done, yay!), so this really affirmed to me I slowly but surely am beating this darn disease and getting better.  I did get  few photos of some others coming in after me, and then went searching for some post-race goodies.

 After My Finish:  First thing, get some rehydration and a bit of protein in me. After that, wandered around chatting with friends, supporters, other finishers, and getting some post-run photos.  Lots of post-run smiles, awards ceremony for the top 3 in each age group and for the overall finishers, and I also indulged in a popsicle a vendor had there, that was really good.

Epilogue:   This is really a very nicely organized event, with timing and course setup done by Athlete Guild, one of the area’s top race management companies, and they put on over the year quite a few pretty darn good Athlete Guild events too.  Music and sound provided by The Beat, 98.5, and there were just a whole bunch of vendors and sponsors there with all kinds of foods and goodies, including a food truck on site. Very nice quality race shirt. OLLU kindly gave us access to the main building, so we had actual restrooms instead of porta-potties, which was nice. I’ve done this event before; I certainly will do it again; and I would recommend it to others.  Very nicely done, all for a really good cause.

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/u17qfE8vxieXEmrq7

Before The Start:    My 47^th 5K of 2022 was Head For The Cure 5K held in San Antonio on Sep 24^th.  This event is held in multiple cities on various dates. Fund raised support medical research for brain cancer and patient programs.  This was the 9^th anniversary of the one held in San Antonio, started in memory and honor of local TV station KSAT-13’s news director Jim Boyle, who died of this disease. Start and finish are at historic Providence Catholic School in San Antonio, located near KSAT-13’s studio headquarters.  KSAT’s David Sears, if I remember  correctly, served as our MC for the event. There were something like 8 or 9 total races on this da around the San Antonio-Austin Corridor, so a pretty nice turn out for this one, with 459 finishers. Start time of 8 a.m.  I arrived about an hour before start time, wearing gray shirt – since gray is the ‘ribbon color’ for brain cancer, if you did not know – and got a few pre-start photos and also had a nice time chatting pre-race with friends and other participants.  As a past cancer survivor myself, and currently undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, I try to do as many cancer-related events as I can in support of anyone who is dealing with this disease.

On The Course:  We started in front of an historic building on the school grounds. The course was out-and-back.  We went down a driveway on the school grounds, made a left turn onto St. Mary’s Street, then made a left turn onto another street – I forget the name of the street; Richmond, I think – went down that street, made a left turn on another street that took us back onto St. Mary’s. We then went back to the school and in front of the school on St. Mary’s, we did a turn-around and proceeded back the way we had come out, finishing on the driveway at the school.  I ended up 5^th in my 60-69 male age group with a chip time of 40:25, doing my usual run/walk thing and taking photos during my walk breaks.  I also stopped at a café we passed right after the turn-round point to give a dog a treat, lol, which probably did not help my finish time at all.  I did, however, run the majority of Mile 2 – Mile 3 nonstop.  Have not done that in quite a while, since before I started my current prostate cancer treatments, with which I am almost done – my last treatment in November, yay! Nonstop for almost that full mile made me feel like I am truly making progress and will be my old-self again once I get through my treatment and over some of these side-effects from the radiation therapy I had.  My speedy friend, Woody, was first in our age group. When he reached Mile 2, I was probably still at Mile 1, lol.  Woody runs a pretty darn good pace. My VERY speedy friend, Jackie, was first overall female, zowie. 

After My Finish:   Got some water and a banana, which hit the spot, and then got a few photos of some other finishers coming in.  After that, I enjoyed wandering around, chatting with friends, and getting several photos of them and other happy finishers, volunteers, supporters, sponsors, etc., and made some new friends. Also enjoyed some post-race food and drink from some of the vendors there, and there was also a vendor of medical supplies that provided blood pressure reading.  Convenient, as I keep a BP log for my cardiologist – I have a pacemaker, so this fit in nicely for me.

Epilogue:  Very well-organized event, with finisher medal for all finishers, really nice quality race shirt, lots of various post-race goodies, and there was even a food truck on-site. With this crazy warm weather we’re having, would have been nice to have a bit of an earlier start, but probably would not have made that much difference, I guess, since it was already in the 70s at 7 a.m.  The one thing I did not get is no water stop on the course; I was curious about that but never found out why this is. For a 5K, water stops are usually at the halfway point, and since the turn-round was right in front of the school, near the start and finish, don’t see why some water couldn’t be put right there at the turn-round near the cones.  Maybe it was a safety issue or something, who knows. Well, it is what it is, so be it.  I’ve done this one several times in the past and will do it again. I try to do as many cancer-related 5Ks as I can, especially being a cancer survivor myself. I would also recommend this one to others.  Good cause, nice course – really flat course, so good one to try and set a PR if one is inclined to do that.  Mucho thanks to all the people that made this one happen for we participant: all the sponsors, KSAT-13, all the many volunteers, the school for allowing the use of the grounds, all the police officers that were out there for our safety, and anyone else involved not mentioned here.  Thank you all!

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/muswX1hxduJDkF5E9

Before The Start:   My 46^th 5K of 2022 was the Zero Prostate Cancer 5K held on September 18 at Mission County Park 1 in San Antonio. This event is held at various dates in a variety of cities in the US. With national headquarters in Washington, DC, this event raises funds for prostate cancer research with a goal to find a cure and eradicate prostate cancer altogether. The San Antonio event was an untimed run with no awards, except maybe for the overall winners. I am not sure if all the hosting cities were like that, but probably so, as this allowed all funding to go to the cause, without spending money on medals, awards, etc. There was also a Kids Run at the San Antonio event.  Packet pickup started at 7 a.m., followed by an opening ceremony at 8 a.m, and then at 8:30 a.m, a celebration of all prostate cancer survivors – including me – at this event.  I also served 24 years in the Air Force, so I was additionally celebrating on Sep 18 the 75^th anniversary of the Air Force, when it was named a separate service in 1947.  I encountered quite a few veterans at this event, several of them also Air Force.  I arrived around 7:20 or so, got my packet – and all survivors also got a shirt – and then got a few photos before everything started up.  Participants can get a bib to wear “in honor of” a prostate cancer survivor or in memory of someone.  When I arrived, I was very touched to see that a few of my friends had put my name on their bib.  On my honoree bib, I put the name of my survivor friend Bill “Doc” Byrd, former combat medic with the 82^nd Airborne – jumping out of planes to treat people, crazy person that he is 😉.  When I was diagnosed, after my wife, he was the first person I talked to about it, and he gave me so much good information about what he had experienced with treatment, side effects, and more, which was so helpful for me.

On The Course:  For those of you in San Antonio who have done races at Mission Park, this was pretty much the usual 5K course. We started in the front parking lot of the park, went down a sidewalk, and then left onto Padre Drive. This took us down to Mission Parkway, where we made a left turn – and climbed a few up-and-down inclines – going out to a turn-round point under a bridge, and then back the way we had come out.  It is a nicely laid-out course with lots of room for everyone to spread out. There is very little shade on this course, however, so with a 9 a.m. start, it was pretty warm out there. Thankfully, the had a good water stop on the course, in case anyone needed it.  I started out with my friend Bill, and we were pretty much in the same proximity for most of the course, doing run/walk.  Bill has way longer legs than I do, lol, so his walking pace is about my running pace, lol. Sometimes he was quite a bit ahead of me and other times I was ahead of him a bit. From Mile 2 to the finish, I was ready to be done – especially with having done another 5K the day before this one – so I cut my walk breaks for that part a little short and ran more.  My finish time ended up being a slow 43:54 per my garmin, averaging 14:02 per mile, but Mile 3 was a negative split, so nice. 

 After My Finish:   I stuck near the finish line area and got some photos of Bill and other friends coming in.  After that, got some water – and my friends Terry and Ed who make PB sandwiches for their post-race “rejuvenation” had kindly made one for me too, how nice – so she gave me that and then I sat in the my car for about 10 minutes, a/c full blast, sipping my Zero Gatorade and eating that sandwich – hit the spot too! Ahhh, felt much cooled-down and refreshed after that. Back to the race area and got some more photos of volunteers, friends, other participants, and even a dog. Yes, dog friendly event. The park’s large pavilion had all kinds of vendors/sponsors with goodies, freebie handouts, and so forth, and a nice cross-wind was blowing in there, so felt pretty good.  There was also a DJ there for us, and one of the race organizers and a volunteer were announcing some of the finish times of the faster folks. I wanted to get a photo of them, so I just walked right out onto the big stage, much to the amusement of several of my friends on the pavilion floor, lol; hey, I’m not shy – and the DJ and 2 presenters kindly accommodated me, lol. After that, just enjoyed relaxing post-run, chatting with friends, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, etc., and having some goodies – there were breakfast tacos, nutrition bars, and other items, and, of course, keeping my camera busy, until it was finally time to go.

Epilogue:  Very well-organized event – although I would personally like to see an earlier start time; but the time may have something to do with what time the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Dept. allows the park gates to be open, so beyond the control of the organizers.  Very good facility with plenty of room for everyone; two pavilions, actual indoor restroom facilities – beats portapotties, lol – and even a playground area for the kids. Very nice quality event shirt for the survivors, and a really nice event photo backdrop for photo ops.  Local race management and running training program company iaapweb did their usual great job of course setup, etc. All the local race organizers and volunteers for this one were tremendous, very helpful and willing. DJ playing some nice tunes for us. Prior to the start, a young lady beautifully sang The National Anthem.    I have regularly done this event many times and will continue to do so. I certainly would recommend it to others. Mucho thanks to all the people making this one happen for we participants; all the organizers, volunteers, sponsors; the local police officers at this event for our safety; our music-and-sound guy; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all!

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y4ZJZcXDqAmZHCXR9

Before The Start:  My 45^th race of 2022 was the Veronica’s Journey 5K, held on September 17 at South Lions Park East Side in San Antonio.  Veronica was a young child who died of brain cancer when she was just over 2 years old, so sad. In her memory, her parents helped establish the Veronica Nicole Finnie Endowment at the Catholic Charities Association of San Antonio, which supports Veronica’s Botique at The Guadalupe Community Center (GCC). GCC provides to those in-need free material assistance with such things as baby formula, diapers, wipes, etc. The event also supports Gabriella’s Smile Foundation, a local children’s cancer support organization. The 5K had 102 finishers.  There was also a Kid’s Run, about ½ mile, before the start of the event. Considering on this weekend, there were about 10 other races in-and-around the local area, not a bad turnout. Kid’s Run started around 8 a.m, with the 5K getting started at 8:30 a.m.  Mother Nature has not let up yet on completely ending Texas summer, so it was pretty humid with a start temp near 79 degrees, and the dew-point way up. After the kid’s run, there was an opening prayer and then the playing of the National Anthem by some very talented school band members. We then all lined up – me way in the back where I belonged at my pace, lol – and got going.

On The Course: Out-and-back course on the park’s paved trails, with some nice views at times of the park’s man-made lake. For those familiar with the park, we started near the main pavilion of the park, went along a paved trail, and then crossed one of the park roads. We then passed the first water station – about 0.6 on the course – went over a wooden bridge, and then climbed up a winding paved trail.  The ascent was more long than steep. We eventually flattened out, came to the 2^nd water stop – what, no beer?  😉 just kidding – and then went down a hill, traveled underneath an overpass, and down another hill.  After crossing another bridge, we then turned onto an asphalt trail that took us to our turn-round point. I recognized this trail from having done out-and-back races on the trails of Comanche Park, which is where we would have ended up if we had continued on. After making the turn-round, we proceeded back to the finish the way we had come out, with that long winding incline now being a downhill for us. Once back on the lake trail it was pretty flat back to the finish line. I ended up with positive splits – as usual for me right now with this prostate cancer I am dealing with – ending up with a chip time of 43:05 (gun time 43:28) and somehow managed to finish 3^rd in my 60-69 males age group. I also met my two primary race goals:  finish standing up, and no ambulance waiting specifically for me.  😉

 After My Finish:  First thing, a short cool-down walk for a little bit; sometimes I have a bad habit of just stopping after I cross the finish line and then, of course, the blood rushes from my head downward and I get a bit dizzy – which makes my pacemaker think I am having an issue and it starts zapping me.  You’d think after being a runner for 39 years (I started April 15, 1983, in Turkey, during my Air Force days) I would know better, lol. Well, no issues today.  Got some hydration back into me, ate a small protein bar, and felt much recovered.  Then it was off to chat with other participants – several of whom I personally knew – and get some post-race photos.   There was also a very nicely done awards ceremony with awards to the overall finishers, and age-group awards to the Top 3 finishers in each age group, very nice. I really was surprised when I found out I was 3^rd in my ag group, totally unexpected, but appreciated. 

Epilogue:   This is the first time I’ve done this event but certainly will not be the last.  It was really well-done and everything went off just as it was supposed to, which says a lot about the organizers, iaapweb who did the course setup, timing, and results, and all those many volunteers out there for we participants. Kudos to them all. Thanks to much to Veronica’s parents who got this event started, and to all the people that helped them get it done. A very worthwhile cause. Nice touch that there was also a food truck on site with breakfast tacos, water, coffee – my coffee-guzzler friend Woody would have been so happy at this one, lol – and other items too. Very nice course, set up by my friends of iaap, and the age group awards were really awesome, especially for a smaller event. Some of the larger-done events in the area could learn a thing or two from this group. Really nice quality race shirt too. I definitely would do this one again and would recommend it to others.  It is such a great cause; so I hope this one grows in the future. Mucho thanks to all involved that made this one happen for we participants; all the sponsors, volunteers, Catholic Charities and Gabriella’s Smile Foundation, the police officer out there for our safety – very nice guy, I briefly chatted with him – iaap web folks, all the band member kids, Mr. and Mrs. Finnie especially, and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all so much!

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z5ynpjhJcSaMzA9Y8

Before The Start: My 44^th race of 2022 was the CBC (Community Bible Church) 5K held on Saturday, Sep 10, starting and finishing at the CBC campus, which is a huge place. This event raised fund for Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA) and the Harlandale Alumni Basketball Fund Scholarship. Lots of CBC members were volunteers, course marshals, etc.  Start time of 8 a.m. I arrived about 6:45. Even though it was early, the place was already humming, with lots of volunteers setting things up, doing race day registration and packet pickup and sponsors/vendors also getting their areas set up.  There was also a firefighter truck with crane, that was there flying Old Glory. There were quite a few flags posted around the area too, flying at half-staff, in remembrance of the late Queen Elizabeth. Events included a 1-mile walk, the 5K, and a 5K ‘ruck’ , in which participants carried a pack as they went along the course.  Split Second Productions, affiliated with the great local running store iRun Texas, did the course setup and the timing and results for this one. I had pre-registered and already picked up my race packet a few days before race day, so when I arrived on site I got a few “before the start” photos.

On The Course: Challenging, but well thought-out and well laid out.  I suspect my friend Mitch from iRun had a hand in this, lol, giving us not one hill to climb, but two. We started in one of the campus parking lots and then proceeded to make almost a full loop around the CBC building.  This brought us onto one of the CBC ‘access roads’ for entry and exit from the CBC campus. As we passed an intersection road on the campus, the Mile 1 participants went left to do a 2^nd loop around the building.  5K folks went straight, coming to our first hill, a road that led up to East Sonterra Blvd.  After reaching the top of the hill, we turned right onto East Sonterra and went to Ridgewood Parkway, which was a loooooong downhill on the way to the turn-round. This took us to Dry Creek Way, where we made a right and then proceeded to the turn-round – which was 1.7 miles, not 1.6.  I thought maybe my Garmin was off, but 2 other folks there who also had garmins told me no, they had 1.7 also.  Darn Mitch, giving us “extra course”.  He really does like to challenge us, lol. All good though.  After the turn-round, we went back to the finish the way we had come out, for the most part. Of course, this meant that long downhill on Ridgewood Parkway was a long uphill on the way back.  East Sonterra was flat going back to the campus, and then we went downhill on the campus access road. To finish up, we made a a right turn onto an access road that goes in front of the CBC Building, and then made a right turn to head to the finish line, with 3.4 miles done.  Per my garmin, I ended up with a finish time of 44:14 chip time, 16 in my age group. I actually had positive splits, with Mile 1 being my fastest and Mile 3 my slowest. I am no speedster, lol, and I met my two primary race goals:  Finish Standing Up and No Ambulance waiting specifically for me at the finish.  Good goals, lol, especially as I am being treated right now for prostate cancer, and am doing very well too, thank the Lord – and thanks to my lovely wife too, my #1 support crew person who helps me keep focused.

 After My Finish: First thing: water and a banana!  Sat at one of the picnic tables in the recreation area of the campus, drank my water, ate my banana, and just rested a bit.  After that, I enjoyed walking around the finish are chatting with friends of mine who were there, and also other participants, volunteers, etc, and got a few post-race photos. I think I was one of the very last people to finally leave, but it’s all good, I enjoy the post-race activities.

Epilogue:   This is the first time I’ve done this event but certainly will not be the last.  This is really a well-thought-out event with a very good route – challenging, as noted before, but with lots of room for everyone to maneuver around.  The course marshals and course volunteers were all awesome, cheering everyone on, providing water/Gatorade – what, no beer? 😉  just kidding – at 2 water stops on the course, ringing bells, showing funny signs and so forth. Mitch and the iRun crew did their usual awesome job with course setup, timing, results, etc. The two MCs – I talked to them for a bit – were lots of fun.  Pretty nice quality race shirt and nice medals for the age-group placers – not me, at my pace, lol.    All kinds of vendors and sponsors with a whole lot of different services and some free give-away stuff. Kid friendly event too.  Some of those kids run really fast too, a lot of them left me in their dust, lol.  This is most definitely an event I will do again and would recommend to others.  Thanks to CBC for putting on this event; Split Second Productions/iRun Texas for their usual great job; all those many many many volunteers that had to be out there WAY early, I am sure, to get everything ready; the San Antono Police Honor Guard for the presentation of the colors, and the lady who so beautifully sang The National Anthem; our two MCs; the medical staff people that were there for us; the police officers along the course for our safety – I chatted briefly with one of them on the course; as you can tell from that, I am really concerned about what my finish time will be; not! lol – and of course all the sponsors that made this one happen for we participants.  Apologies if I missed anyone.  Thank you all! See you next year, God willing.

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ortEe3VocxccVVGw8

Before The Start:   My 43^rd race of 2022 was the Boerne Sunrise Rotary 5K for Labor Day held on August 3 at Boerne City Park with an 8 a.m. start time. The Boerne Rotary chapter raises funds for a variety of causes in the local area. I’ve been to Boerne several times but never to this park.  There is some ongoing construction on some of the Boerne roads so my directionally-challenged-self missed a turn or two and it took me a while to find this park.  Finally did arrive with plenty of time to spare – good think I got an early start from home – got my packet and then got a few pre-start photos.

On The Course:  There was a kid’s run that was done before the main event, a ½ mile distance if I remember correctly.  Then we lined up for the 5K.  One of the race directors noted to us that the timing for this one was ‘old school’:  no chip timing, just a simple time clock in the start/finish area. As a participant came to the finish/he she noted the clock time and gave the finish time to one of the volunteers who wrote it down. Made me think of my early running days when I was just starting. Yes, I am older than dirt, lol.  The course was out-and-back.  We started near the park’s tennis courts, then went out onto a concrete Trail called “Old No. 9 Trail” which is about 1.5 miles out and 1.5 miles back – but not quite, so that is why we initially started back from the time clock a bit, by the tennis courts, to make sure we got in 3.1 miles. The course is a mostly flat concrete one, with just a couple of small inclines and a few bridges to cross with some metal on it that sure makes a racket when you cross those. The trail runs adjacent to some of the Cibolo Natural Trails that were on our right going out, on our left coming back.  There were a few people out there hiking on the trail and also some walking their dogs, so I diverted once in a while down to the trail to give a dog a treat – yes I carry dog biscuits with me when I run – and then get back on the course at the same spot I got off it.  Killed my finish time, of course, lol, but what the heck, I had fun.  Our turn-around point was a dead-end small circle area where there was a course marshal ut there for us.  I don’t wear my glasses when I run so with my near-sighted eyes I can see in front of me far enough not to fall over something but I can’t see distance. When I approached the turn-round and I was still a bit away from it, I could just barely see what I thought was a white shirt on a post, so thought that must be our turn-around marker.  Then when I got there, I saw it was an actual guy wearing a white shirt.  Lol. Ok, turn around now, and back the way I had come, with a couple more dog-treat stops.  My Garmin time was 43:11, averaging 14-something minute miles, my clock time was a minute or so longer than that.

After My Finish: Walked around a bit sipping some water, ate a banana, and then got some post-race photos.  The event gave out overall and 1^st, 2^nd, and third age groups in 5-year increments, nice, so for this one I was not in a 55-99 age group, lol, like some of the bigger events have.   Overall male and female and master’s male and female got medals too.  I was 2^nd in my 65-69 males age group. Epilogue:  This was my first time doing this event.  There were maybe about 50 to 60 participants, plus the Kid Run participants. Small event but very well done at really nice venue with indoor restrooms, water fountains, picnic tables, tennis courts and soccer fields.  Since this park is adjacent to the Cibolo nature area, between the park trail and the nature area trails, you could probably get in a really nice long run if you are so inclined. When I was leaving I noticed there was also some kind of carnival area across the street – rides, booths, etc – so I guess you could make a day of it after the event with your family, friends, etc. Post-race goodies were water, bananas, and a few other things, very simply done.  As noted, ‘old school’ running race, but very enjoyable.  I’d do this one again and I would recommend it to others. 

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hWBJKDBALXeW7sAW8

Before The Start:  My 42^nd race of 2022 was the Uvalde Strong 5K held on Sep 28 in San Antonio at South Side Lions Park East in San Antonio.  This event was a fundraiser for the victims and families of the tragic elementary school shooting In Uvalde, Texas.  There were no awards of medals, as all proceeds went for the cause, but the Overall male and female finisher did get a free race entry to a future race, if I remember correctly. There was also a 1 mile walk or run, held right before the start of the 5K.  Start time of 8 a.m.  This event ended up getting over 300 registrations. The original course was to be 3 loops around the 1.1 mile trail by the lake, but with all those registrations, iaap, the company managing the race, thankfully changed it to an out-and-back course on the park trails, thinking of the safety of the participants. As it turned out, the 5k ended up with 195 finishers, which is still quite a few people that would have had to go around the narrow lake trail.  I arrived onsite with about an hour to go to start time, found some fairly good parking close to the start-finish, and then wandered around chatting with friends and other participants and getting a few photos.  This is also a dog friendly event, so the doggies were very happy to take treats from me – with the permission of their humans, of course.  Before we started, we had a moment of silence for the victims and then a young person sang the National Anthem just beautifully.  The 1-mile event then took place and then the 5K started after that, with a bit of a short delay, as we waited for all the 1-milers to get done.  No big deal.

On The Course: We did a short route on part of the trail that goes around the park lake – about just under a half-mile – and then crossed over one of the park roads to get to a trail on the other side. This trail, if you stay on it long enough, eventually connects with Comanche Park, but we did not go that far, thank goodness. It was pretty warm – 81 degrees at start time – and humid, but this particular trail did have a lot of shade along the way. We crossed over a pedestrian bridge, then proceed up a winding incline – not too steep, but still a climb – and then the trail became flat for a while. We eventually came to a downhill, went under an overpass, then down another hill; after going around a bend, we had another short climb to the turn-round point that had a hydration stop with water and Gatorade.  After doing the turn-round, we proceeded back the way we had come out, to get to the finish line. Although there were no age group awards, iaap kindly listed the results by age groups. I was really slow today – taking it easy after having done a 3.2 mile run/walk the day before this event and my outing including climbing Gorilla Hill, a fairly steep hill near the San Antonio Zoo So I goofed around on this one, stopping to take a few more photos; run with some friends, give some dogs a treat, and so forth. For this event I was 11^th out of 13 people in my 60-69 age group, finishing with a chip time of 44:04, averaging 14:23 per mile. All good, and I met my two primary race goals: finish standing up and have no ambulance waiting specifically for me at the finish.

After My Finish: I got a bit dizzy right after I finished, but I think that was because I stupidly did not hydrate enough before the start – you’d think I’d know better by now,, lol, being a runner for 39 years – so first thing I did was go back to my car and sat in that with the a/c running as I sipped some Gatorade Zero I had brought with me. Felt better after that.  Next it was off to get some post-run photos.  My friend Ed came along with a handful of bananas and let me have one and that hit the spot too, very helpful.  I also made sure to sip my bottle of water regularly as I went along; it really was humid out there.  All kinds of things going on post-race; there was a group photo of finishers; volunteers were also cooking up sausage wraps; selling event shirts, and more, with all the proceeds going toward the cause. There were also some free post-race nutrition bars, and a few other goodies, and plenty of cold bottled water.  I think they also had coffee too. Did not see any beer, but they might have had that too somewhere.

Epilogue:  Very nice turnout for this event and, if I remember correctly over $5K was raised for the cause.  Very sad that this tragic event even happened. My heart goes out to all the families of the victims. Our running/walking community really came together for this one.  I don’t know if they will make this an annual memorial event but if so, I would do this one again and would recommend it.  I think you can also do It virtually and/or simply just donate to the cause on the race website.   Pretty nice quality race shirt with a very simple design that gets the message across, and chip timing bibs for the event too, so you can get your posted results.  Nice park to run in, but if this event grows in the future, might have to be moved to a bigger park – like Comanche park, which has a whole lot more parking space, bigger pavilions, etc.  I’m sure the organizers will figure it out.  Good event for a good cause, well worth doing.