Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NPQqGHGWhg3rPU6K9

BEFORE MY START: My 32^nd race of 2021 was the Gruene 5K on Sep 11 by Athlete Guild in Gruene, Texas, the home of Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas and a performance venue of many famous musicians.  There was also a 10K and a Kids Run.  Pretty nice turnout for this one, with 148 finishers for the 10K and 291 finishers for the 5K. Weather was really nice with clear skies, sunshine, a temp of around 68 degrees at the 8 a.m. start time  and low humidity.  Felt very pleasant and comfortable.   I arrived about 45 minutes before start time, got my packet and got a few pre-start photos.  Dog friendly event so, as I wandered around, a couple of the dogs actually recognized me, lol, and headed toward me for treats, to the surprise of some of their humans.      

ON THE COURSE:   The 10K folks started first, with the 5K folks going about 10 or so minutes after them.  We all started out on pretty much the same route.  The 10K folks had just a slight diversion from the 5K course where they made a turn, while the 5K entrants continued on.  The 10K folks then went back toward the finish line area, bypassing that and then doing an out-and-back on the road that took them past the Rockin’ R tubing company.  This meant that for their finish the had to get back to the finish line by coming up that big darn hill that is right past the Rockin’ R. area. The 5K course was pretty much all flat with just one very miniscule incline just past the Mile 1 mark.  Having got my 2^nd injection on Friday morning for my prostate cancer,  was not sure if this would affect my in any way for the event. Luckily, I had just about no side-effects from my treatment and was feeling pretty good. I ended up doing negative splits and finished with a chip time of 37:57, 7^th out of 8 in my 65-69 age group. The first three in my age group all finished under 30 minutes, zowie.

AFTER MY FINISH:  Cooled down a bit, drank some water, ate my protein bar I had brought with me and just relaxed for a while.  After that, wandered around chatting with friends and other participants, making new friends, and getting some post-race photos.  Everyone I chatted with seemed very relaxed and pleased with the event – it really is a well-done event – and seemed to be enjoying themselves. 

Epilogue:   As noted, very well organized event.  Also, some very nice post-race goodies that included beer; 4 kinds of tacos; various nutrition bars and other goodies; and, of course, bottled water. Nice quality race shirt and finisher medals for all finishers.

MUCHO THANKS TO: Athlete Guild for this nice event; all the sponsors of this event and all the race volunteers out there for us; our MC David; the residents and business people of Gruene as we invaded their space for a while; the police officers on the course for our safety; the providers of all the post-race goodies; and anyone else I may not have mentioned.  Thank you all!  

Race photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Px4fPj3fgDAxkADL8

BEFORE MY START:    My 31^st race of 2021 was the Battle of Bankersmith 5K, put on by Scallwompus running company on Sep 4 as part of its 2021 Alamo Beer Series, a series of 4 races for which you could register for all 4 or each one individually.  The main event was a half marathon and there was also a 10-miler, a 10K, and a 5-miler.  Bankersmith, population 0 is a small, privately owned property between Fredericksburg and Comfort, Texas, with a saloon, dance hall, and events center.  The final road on the drive to get there is one crazy, hilly, curves everywhere road, kind of spooky in the dark, and first morning light.  At one point on this road I felt like I was in The Twilight Zone and thought I would see Rod Serling waiting for me around the next bend.  My friend, Woody, when he drove it, told me he kept hearing banjo music in his head, lol.  Finally arrived at my destination, got parked, and then wandered around chatting with friends and fellow participants and getting some pre-start photos.

ON THE COURSE:   All the courses were out-and-back.  We 5K participants were the last to get started, at 8:15 a.m.  I have run the Bankersmith 5K before so thought I knew what to expect – a very hilly course – but what I did not know is the course was changed a bit since the last time I’d done this event.  So after going down a hill from the start, then proceeding up a long hill, instead of then going flat-and-straight to the 5K turn-round point and then back the way we came, we instead turner right onto one of the cross-roads…and had THE HILLIEST part of the course on our way to-and-from the 5K turn-round.  These hills were no joke – not as steep as the ones in hilly Helotes, Texas – but still fairly steep and long. After making the turn-round point the hill going back up as we headed to the finish was a real bear, and I ended up walking a bit more than I had planned.  Finally knew I had finished this hill when I could once again see the Team RWB water-stop tent – thanks guys! – good grief.  Then it was back out onto the road we had started on, downhill for a while, and then just before finishing, going up the downhill we had come out on…and then there was finally a nice flat part of the course just before we turned into the finish.  Mile 2 was my longest-in-time mile – that big hill – and I guess I was ready to be done after that, lol, because Mile 3 was a negative split for me. 39:13 chip time, averaging 12:37 per mile, and was 3^rd out of 4 in my 65 – 69 age group.

AFTER MY FINISH:  Pretty warm for this one, with ‘abundant sunshine” and no cloud cover.  I went to my vehicle for about 10 minutes, sitting in the a/cl and rehydrating…ahhhhhh.  Much better.  Then it was off to get some post-race goodies – Alamo beer, sausage on a stick, a variety of fruits, etc. – and get some post-race photos.

Epilogue:  This is a very hilly and challenging event for all the courses – I think the drive is part of the challenge too, lol – and, of course, the participants doing the longer mileage events had even more hills than we 5K folks did – but very well organized as all Scallywompus events are.  They are not kidding, either, when they post “Come for the race. Stay for the party.”  Music, lots of food and drink, really nice and unique ‘award’ glasses to all the age-group placers and nice awards for the overall winners, and every finisher got a nice finisher medal.  Nice quality race shirt too. I’ve done several Scallywompus events in the past and will do more in the future.

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z7A4y9bVbnuuYzyV8

 BEFORE MY START:   My 30^th race of 2021 and 2^nd of this weekend was the Big Red and Barbacoa 5K held on August 22 at Comanche Park in San Antonio. Nice turn-out, with 242 finishers. Race start time at 8:30 a.m., with a Kid’s Run at 8:15 a.m.  August in Texas so temp at 8:30 a.m. was already in the upper 70s and humidity was thicker than a double peanut butter sandwich. I arrived at race site with about 45 minutes until start time and roamed around chatting with friends and getting some pre-start photos.

ON THE COURSE:  Out-and-back course starting from near the park’s main pavilion.  The route was on the paved trails in the park just about all flat, with the exception of a couple of mild inclines that cannot really be called hills; down inclines on the way out, up inclines on the way back. Course was open to other patrons so had to watch out for cyclists – a couple of whom were pretty rude about it – and other runners and walkers.  Like the 5K my friend Ralph and I did the day before, we were pretty much in the same proximity again for most of this race too, until near the end when Ralph found his ‘finish mojo’ and finished ahead of me by a good 2 minutes or so. I ended up with a chip time of 38:48, 2 minutes faster than the 5K I did the day before this one.  Happy with that and my pacemaker, ‘celebrating’ its 2^nd anniversary – it was implanted on Aug 22, 2019 – behaved itself nicely.  

AFTER MY FINISH: Comanche Park has a really nice and large pavilion with fans placed at various spots, so a nice place to just sit and relax for a few minutes and cool down. After that, enjoyed a post-race Kiolbassa sausage, chatting with friends post-race, and getting some ‘happy finisher’ photos. I call them that because most participants seem to be smiling more after they are done than before and during the race, lol.  

Epilogue: Very nicely done event at a nice venue. I personal like running at Comanche Park – a nice selection of trails, good facilities, including indoor restrooms, large pavilion,  and it even has a kitchen area, and has a couple of other smaller shelters just right for packet pickups, serving post-race goodies, and more.  Unique and nice quality race shirt. Goodies included barbacoa tacos, Big Red, and Kiolbassa sausage.  Finisher medals to all and nicely designed medals for the age group placers.  I would do this one again and would recommend it to others.  

MUCHO THANKS TO:  Race Director Eddie; all the volunteers at packet pickup and on race day out there for us; iRun Texas for hosting the packet pickup; park police officers that had a presence out there for us; our MC an music man who did a great job for us; iaap for the timing and results; I think iaap may also have designed the race shirts; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.   Thank you all!

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wf2rEe1EgrDKKoZz6

BEFORE MY START:  My 29^th race of 2021 was the Churchill Cross Country 5K, held on Aug 21 at McAllister Park.  When I originally saw the race title I thought it was an actual cross-country race so did not sign up since I can’t do actual cross-country events – kills my spinal arthritic back. My friend Albert let me know it was actually on paved roads and trails at McAllister Park and the title was because the race supports the X-country team.  Okay, then.  So I did race-day sign up, since McAllister Park is very close to where I live – about a 10 minute drive.  Arrived on-site around 7:15 a.m., got signed up and got a few pre-start photos.  Nice to see friends at this one, including Albert, Rick, Ian, and Ralph. 

ON THE COURSE:  Start time 8 a.m.  Weather: very humid and already in the 70s.  The start was a bit down from a youth baseball field in the park and the finish was just about right in front of the entrance gate to the youth baseball field. The course was a combination of paved trails in the park and one park road – so no cross-country at all. Living near the park I am familiar with all the trails in the park as I run here quite a bit.  I did my usual 8-minute run/2-minute walk thing and took a few photos during each of my walk breaks. For the majority of the course I was pretty much in proximity of my friend Ralph.  I think I pushed a bit too hard during that first mile and I paid for it the last mile, walking a bit more than I usually do.  With about ½ mile to go, Ralph surged ahead of me to get to the finish. I plodded behind, finishing at 40:46 chip time, averaging 13:07 per mile, and finishing 1^st and 2^nd and 3^rd in my 65-69 age group since I was the only one in my age group, lol

AFTER MY FINISH: I had parked pretty close to the finish line area so went and sat in my car for a bit, with the a/c running, sipping my post-race rehydrate drink and felt much better.  Then it was back out to watch the awards and get a few after-photos of some of the participants and supporters.   Some of the participants are pretty darn speedy. The overall guy finished in 16:47, jeez, and the first lady finished in 21-something. I was not even to Mile 2 by 21 minutes, lol. Felt sorry for my friend Albert who did the course in a pretty good time – but forgot to put his race bib on, so had no official time.  He ran the course pretty well too.

Epilogue:  A smaller event with 72 total finishers, but very nicely done.  The course was well thought out and did give us a lot of shade along the way. It was also a pretty flat course, with just a couple of small inclines along the way, so a nice course to shoot for a PR; however,  all the trails are still open to other park patrons – cyclists, other runners, walkers, etc – so you do have to keep an eye out for other “traffic’ coming toward you or coming up behind you. Pretty nice quality race shirts and nicely done small age-group medals for those who placed. The only thing I would recommend changing – earlier start!  This is Texas summer in August and it gets warm really quick.  7 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. start would be nice, and it is light enough to see by that time.  All-in-all though, very nicely done.  I’d do this one again and would recommend it to others.

MUCHO THANKS TO:  All the Churchill High School staff, students, etc. who got this one going for us, and all the volunteers out there for us, cheering participants on.  Thanks also to all the sponsors who helped make this one happen, and to the Park Police officers that had a presence out there for us for our safety; and to Athlete Guild for timing, results, etc. and to anyone else involved that I may not have mentioned.  Thank you all!  

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nWYrzucYcr8HyiAFA

BEFORE MY START: My 28^th live race of 2021 was the San Antonio Summer Series 5K held on August 1^st at McAllister Park in San Antonio. This was my 2^nd race of the weekend, after doing the American Heroes 5K on July 31.  Start time of 7:30 a.m. for this one.  McAllister Park is only a short drive for me; parts of my neighborhood are actually adjacent to some of the off-road trails in the park. I arrived a little after 7 a.m. at Becken Pavilion, the start/finish area of the 5K, got my packet and then got a few pre-start photos.

ON THE COURSE:    The 5K was a loop course on off-road paved trails and one park road, that took in quite a bit of the park. For those familiar with the park, we passed by the nearby police substation; went on the park road that took us close to the youth baseball field, and then turned onto a paved trail that took us behind the baseball field. After that, we were on a paved trail that headed in the direction of the Turkey Roost pavilion, but we turned onto another trail before getting to that pavilion, and that last trail took us back to the finish on the trail that we had originally started on. Nicely thought-out route. Even though we had an early start, this is Texas in summer, so pretty darn humid, already 79 degrees at 7:30 a.m., with a feels-like of 84.  I felt pretty good for the most part, although still ended up with my usual 12-somethting minute miles, ending up with a 38:21 finish time. Surprisingly, this was good enough for 1^st place in my 60 – 69 age group, so I think all the speedy runners in my age group slept in the morning of this race, lol.

AFTER MY FINISH:   Got some water and a banana; just sat a bit while I relaxed, ate, and and rehydrated, ahhh, felt good. Then wandered around chatting with various friends and other participants and getting some “Happy Finisher” photos.  Ever notice that more participants are smiling after the finish than before and during?

Epilogue: Put on by e-Dragon Productions – Erik Burciaga and Kristine Burciaga, co-owners and co-Race Directors – a company that is a really good local race management company that puts on several events on over the year. Kristina and Erik do a great job with all of them.  This is a well-organized event with a pretty nice course.  McAllister Park is a pretty nice activity venue with both paved and natural off-road trails; soccer fields, baseball fields; dog park; and several indoor restroom locations. Nice quality race shirts and unique age-group award medals.  Post-race goodies included some fruits; iced-down bottles of water; and an iced-down cloth post-race to help you cool down a bit more.  There were also sausage wraps, courtesy of Kiolbassa sausage, nice. The series includes 4 races total and you can register for all 4 at one time, getting a nice discount if you do that, or each one individually. The Summer Series proceeds go to scholarships for local deserving athletes. I participated in this series last year, again this year, and will again in the future.  Most certainly would recommend it to others.

MUCHO THANKS TO: All the people that made this one happen for we participants, including e-Dragon Productions; all the volunteers who were out there for us, many of whom are Team Beef members; ; the Park Police officers that were keeping us safe at the two locations where we accessed public park roads; friends Dan The Man and Gilbert Weaver for the post-race fruits and grilling up the sausages; and anyone else involved that I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you so much. 

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SWjmwbtFDZZcntoJ7

BEFORE MY START:   My 27^th live race of 2021 was the American Hero 5K held on July 31. The main event was the American Hero Relay 25K, which had 5 team members each running 5K distance.  There was also a Kid’s Run before the 5K and 25K got started. Event location was Comanche Park in San Antonio, a very nice park that is part of San Antonio’s Greenways Trail System.  The park has paved trails and connects to other parks in the system; you can get in a really long run, walk, or bike ride in this park if you so desire.  Start time of 7:40 a.m., after the kids run was done.  Weather…well, this is Texas in late July, so humid, warm – already 76 degrees with 82% humidity at the 7:30 a.m. start time – and no breeze at all.  I arrived with about 45 minutes until the start time, chatted with friends, and got a few pre-start photos.

ON THE COURSE:   Start was near the main pavilion in the park. Individual 5K participants and Relay 25K first-leg team members all started together. The course was primarily out-and-back, with a little bit of a ‘loop’ done just before the finish.  Kind of mentally frustrating, lol, because when you did that last little bit on the course, you could see the finish line on your left – and just wanted to turn right then to get there – but had to go past it on the trail to make the turn farther down that would take you back to the finish line to finally get done.  Lots of tree cover on this course, which is nice, but did not really help keep us cooler as, noted before, no breeze at all. Since everyone used this course, the speedier faster relay people were continuously coming-and-going – especially the runners doing the first two legs – continually passing by the slower 5K runners like me. I tried to keep aware of them and just get the heck out of their way, lol, when they came near me.  I ended up 3^rd in my 60 – 69 male age group with a chip time of 38:54, averaging a slow 12:31 per mile. Mile 3 for me was a negative split though, liked that. I felt a bit tired, but pretty good overall, in spite of this stupid prostate cancer I am currently dealing with. It is what it is though, so just have to keep a positive attitude, keep up the good fight, and do the best  I can.

AFTER MY FINISH:  Got some water and a banana and then went to the park pavilion and just sat at one of the picnic tables for a while, relaxing, rehydrating, and enjoying the nice cool breeze of the pavilion fans blowing on me as I monitored my pacemaker bringing my heartrate back down into my normal resting heart rate range. Ahhh, much better. Then off on a post-race walk-about, chatting with friends and getting some photos.

Epilogue: Put on by e-Dragon Productions, a really good local race management company that puts several events on over the year, this was a well-organized event with a pretty nice course. Personally, I like running at Comanche Park.  Also, nice facilities, with a big covered pavilion and indoor restrooms.  Post-race goodies included iced-down bottles of water, chicken fajitas, and more. No beer though; guess the park authorities would not allow that.  Nice little age-group race medals that are also bottle openers; nice quality race shirt; and a music duo entertaining us post-race.  I’d do this one again and would recommend it to others.

MUCHO THANKS TO: All the people that made this one happen for we participants, including e-Dragon Productions; all the volunteers who were there for us for both packet pickup on Friday and the race on Saturday; local running company iaap who did the timing and results; park police officers that were out there for us; the food preparers for providing a really good feed; and anyone else I may not have mentioned here that was involved. Thank you all!

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y6safmt3iXVTcFPW9

BEFORE MY START:    My 26^th race of 2021 was the Winter In July 5K/10k, originally started by my friend Rebecca B.  For career purposes, Rebecca now lives in another state, but she kept this event in San Antonio where it started, and she drove down from where she lives now to San Antonio to attend to this event.   Held on July 24^th.  I did the 5K. Held at Wheatley Heights in San Antonio, this race benefits St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.  This race is also kind of personal to me as, during my Air Force Days long ago, I was a volunteer for a short while at St. Jude’s, where I had the privilege to meet some of the most courageous kids I have ever known.  This has been a true blessing for me as I am now being treated for prostate cancer; so when I get a little frustrated or maybe start feeling sorry for myself for a few minutes, all I have to do is take a moment, close my eyes and think about those kids and it hits me that I really don’t have it so bad.  After all, I got to grow up and have a life, some of these kids did not. Race start time of 7:35 a.m. for the 10K and 7:45 a.m. for the 5K.  There was also a 1K Kids run before the two main events got started.  I arrived about 40 minutes before start time, chatted with friends and got a few pre-start photos.

ON THE COURSE:  Start/Finish line was in the parking lot near Wheatley Heights Stadium. The course for this one was out-and-back. We did a very short distance in the parking lot, turned left onto an access road, and then turned right onto the Wheatley Heights off-road trails, part of the San Antonio Greenway Trails System.  Nicely paved trails, and lots of shade on the course.  A couple of up and down inclines along the way, but nothing you could really call a hill. We also crossed a couple of short bridges that took us across parts of Salado Creek, I think.  Because of my spinal arthritis, I did my usual 8-minutes running/2 minutes walking thing and got some on-course photos during my walk breaks. I felt pretty good and did my usual 12-something minute miles, with my last mile on the way to the finish being a negative split, nice. I ended with a chip time of 37:44, averaging 12:09 per mile, and was 5^th out of 10 in my 60-69 males age group.  Got a few photos of others coming into the finish.

AFTER MY FINISH: Got my finisher medal and there was also a nice ice-watered down cloth given to each finisher, nice, to help with cool-down.  Got some water and just sat for a while, sipping my water, and eating a banana, waiting for my pacemaker to bring my heart-rate down to ‘normal” level, which did not take long at all.  After I got myself rehydrated a bit, I then enjoyed a post-race beer and Kiolbassa sausage wrap, and wandered around getting some after-photos, and chatting with friends, participants, and supporters.

Epilogue: Very nicely done event with local company e-Dragon Productions (race management; shirt-printing, running gear, etc) laying out the course and friend Erik doing duties as Co-Race Director with founder Rebecca.  Local resident Mark Purnell did his usual great job as Race MC, and Athlete Guild did their usual excellent job of timing and results. Unique age group nicely designed “tile” awards for the top 3 finishers in each age group, and nice quality race shirts and finisher medals for each finisher. Lots of vendors/sponsors at this one too and a bouncy Moon Castle for the kiddies.   This is a really good quality event I will definitely do again and again.  I would certainly recommend it to others. Walkers welcome too, and this is also a dog-friendly event.

MUCHO THANKS TO: All the people that made this one happen for we partcipants, including e-Dragon Productions; Team RWB San Antonio; Fleet Feet San Antonio; Kiolbassa Smoked Meats for the post-race sausages; Bloody Buddy (bloody mary with vodka); 20’s Moon Castle; wear blue: run to remember; Camp Gladiator; Como Familia; Delgago Realty Group; Trail Toes (anti-chafing products); Performance Republic Physical Therapy; Team Beef; and any others I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all!

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zkpGp6ZzkPESNFQd8

BEFORE MY START: My 25th race of 2021 was the Texas Tough 5K held on July 18th in Helotes, Texas. Start and finish area was in the historic “Old Towne” part of Helotes. The main event was the Texas Tough 10-miler, starting at 7:30 am. There was also a 10K, starting 5 minutes or so after the 10-miler and then the 5K participants went a few minutes after the 10K start. This was my 2nd race of the weekend, having done the Stars and Stripes 5K the day before. I arrived about 35 minutes or so before the 5K start time and got a few pre-start photos.

ON THE COURSE: The Race Title does not say “Texas Tough” for no reason. This is one of the hilliest events I have ever done. As I was doing the 5K course, I kept thinking ‘If this is what the 5K is like, I can’t imagine what the 10K and 10-miler participants are having to deal with.” Out-and-back course for the 5K. I think the 10K was out-and-back also. Not sure about the 10-miler. We started in Olde Towne in the parking lot of a local store, GG’s House. Out the parking lot and very first thing, down a hill we go and then up another hill. Left turn that took us down another hill and then up a short incline. We turned right into a very nice neighborhood area and had a flat course for about ¼ of a mile or so. Rounded a curve…..and the REAL hills began Down we went, 1st hill, then up the looooong hill; around a curve and then another downhill that took us to our 5K turnround point. Of course, now we did the hills in reverse on the way to the finish. These are what Race Directors euphemistically call ‘rolling hills” and I was thinking, I’d probably get down these faster if I did roll down them, lol. Downhills are always a problem for me with my spinal arthritis – pounds my back more – so had to be careful and just take it real easy on parts of the downhills. Somehow I managed to get through these tough hills, and finally all that was left were the shorter inclines/hills left to do that we’d first come out on, only in reverse this time. I ended up with a chip time of 41:46, averaging 13:27 per mile; 4th out of 8 in my 65 – 69 age group. My hilly 5K on Saturday was 41:02, so at least I am consistent, lol.

AFTER MY FINISH: First thing, get some water and walk around rehydrating, and watching my pacemaker take my heartbeat back down to normal levels. All-in-all I felt pretty good. Then sat for a while, sipping my water, eating a banana and also a breakfast taco, chatting with friends I had been running with off-and-on while on the course. Then enjoyed a post-race cold one, courtesy of Shiner beer, nice, as I wandered around getting some post-race photos. Also gave a few doggies some treats. Very enjoyable.

Epilogue: This is a pretty challenging 5K course – especially for an old dog like me, lol, with a pacemaker and currently dealing with prostate cancer – but also a well laid out one. The course design allows a lot of interaction between participants coming-and-going, so lots of cheering each other on as participants passed by each other. Really nicely designed and good quality race shirt; and finisher medals to all. Nice goodie post-race, including Taco Cabana breakfast tacos, various fruits, Shiner beer, etc. I would do this one again sometime and would recommend it to others, especially those looking for a good hill challenge; you will certainly get that!

MUCHO THANKS TO: eDragon Productions local company that managed the event and I think they also laid out all the courses; iaap for timing, race results, etc. friend Gilbert for his usual excellent array of fruits and post-race goodies; all the race volunteers; and, of course all race sponsors. Also, thanks to local police. I saw one police officer before the 5K started and she told me there would be a police presence, so thanks for helping keep us safe. Also thanks to anyone involved that I may not have mentioned here. Thanks for what all of you do so we participants can do this event.

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/a9To3p6H2A6n5nN4A

BEFORE MY START: My 24th race of 2021 was the Stars and Stripes 5K held on July 17 at the Stars and Stripes Drive-In Theater in New Braunfels, Texas. The main event was a half marathon and there was also a 10K and a competitive 5K walk. Athlete Guild was the race company organizer, timer, etc., of this event. I arrived onsite a little before 6:30 a.m. and got a few pre-start photos. The half-marathoners were already lining up as their event was the first to begin, with a start time of 6:30 a.m. Nice early start for a change, which is a blessing in Texas summer, believe me. Wish more Race Directors would do this early start thing during the Texas summer. Weather was pretty cooperative for the most part though. It did not rain on us and we had a pretty nice breeze blowing also, along with lots of cloud cover.

ON THE COURSE: 10K participants started on 7 a.m,, so when we 5K runners, walkers, and 5K competitive walkers lined up for our 7:15 a.m. start, the other race participants were already gone. I lined up way back as I did not anticipate doing this one very speedily. Just wanted to take my time, have fun with it, and not push it. I was feeling pretty good, in spite of the fact I had found out earlier in the week that my testing came back positive for prostate cancer. No worries, that will be taken care of. We started from the grounds of the Drive-In, next to the concession building, proceeding down the entrance/exit driveway. At the end of the long driveway we made a right turn and proceeded up a long incline. At the top of this, we turned right and proceeded down the longest incline/hill on the course. These were the only 2 climbs on the course. After getting onto level ground again we went a very short ways before making a left turn that took us down a country road – paved, thank goodness – to our turn-round point. From there we went back to the finish the way we had come out; which meant that long downhill incline was not an uphill for us. And, of course, the up incline we had first started on was now downhill on the way to the finish. I am actually not fond of downhill running, lol, as I have some spinal arthritis, and downhills pound my back much harder than uphills do. My timer did buzz me on my way to the finish on that downhill, notifying me of a walk break, so that helped. Mostly I felt pretty good and was comfortable, but also pretty slow. I ended up with a 41 minutes even chip time, averaging 13:02 per mile – my fastest was Mile 2 at 12:25, my slowest Mile 3 at 13:59 – 5th out of 6 in my 65 – 69 age group.

AFTER MY FINISH: By now sun was up and it was getting pretty warm. First thing after finishing, get some water, walk around a bit and monitor my pacemaker as it started lowering my heart rate back to what is normal for me, which did not take long at all. After that, I went to my vehicle and sat in it for about 10 minutes with the a/c turned on as I sipped my water and had a post-race nutrition bar. Ahhhhhh. Then it was back out to chat with friends, cheer for other runners and walkers as they finished, enjoy a post-race beer, and get a few “Happy Finishers” photos.

Epilogue: I’ve done this 5K a few times in the past years, including the inaugural one. The theater is family-owned by a great family of some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I saw the co-owner when I first arrived and he actually did the 5K today, the first time he’s done it, since he so kindly opened his venue for this event. This is really a nice place to have a race. Mucho available parking, indoor restrooms, and post-race if you need to cool down a bit quickly, the air/conditioned lobby is open. The theater staff also prepares goodies for post-race which for this one is a plate of burgers and fries and a drink. You can sit in the lobby booths to enjoy this or go to the outside pavilion in front of the lobby, where there are several picnic tables available, and also a nice ‘safe” playground area for any kids there. I hung around for quite while sitting in the picnic area chatting with friends, enjoying post-race food and drink and cheering in other runners and walkers as they finished. A very nice quality event with lots of amenities, pretty nice race shirt, and finisher medals. One nice thing the half marathoners mentioned they liked really well was there was a water-stop at every mile. Well done! I’ve done this in the past, would do this again in the future, and certainly would recommend it to others.

MUCHO THANKS TO: Race Director Sherri Purnell who really did a great job with this one, and all the Athlete Guild staff that was out there too, making it all happen for us. Thanks also to all the volunteers, both pre-race and race day; and thanks to Team RWB (veteran’s organization) that had a water stop right by Mile 1. I am a member and know a lot of these folks, so it probably did not help my finish time, lol, that I stopped to chat and get a couple photos. I think they also had some more water stations along the rest of the course. Also, thanks to all the other sponsors, Gaudalupe Brewing; For the love of GO!; eDragon Productions; and HutWorx; and of course, our venue sponsor hosts, Stars and Stripes Drive-In Theater. Thank you all!

Photos are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hxG9WVXfXHX4kvXY6

BEFORE MY START:   My 23^rd race of 2021 was the Texas Too Hot 15K and 5K, with me doing the 5K.  Put on by iRun Texas and held on July 11 at Boerne Lake Park, I believe this was the 10^th anniversary of this event, and I have done every one of the Too Hots since it first started so was not about to miss this one, even if I did do a 2-mile race at 6 pm the day before this event.  Got home a bit late from that one, had some dinner and went to bed late, so did not get much sleep, as I had to get up early for the drive to Boerne Lake Park, as the race had a 7:30 a.m. start.  Even so, feeling pretty good when I got there.  Lots of cloud cover and very humid – dewpoint in the 70s – but a bit of a breeze blowing and temps in the low 70s, so not too bad for Texas summer.  The skies looked like rain was threatening, but it never did rain while we were on the course.  However, lots of wet spots and muddy patches, so you could tell it rained pretty good up here the day or night before.  I arrived at the park with about 30 minutes to go and got a few pre-start photos.

ON THE COURSE:  15K and 5K participants started all together.  We got the call to line up and then there was a slight delay as an equipment malfunction was corrected. Then we were off.  After my race the night before, and still recovering a bit from a biopsy I had, I planned just to take this one really easy, not push it, and take a few more photo stops and walk breaks than I usually did for a 5K.  I one one really slow walker, so I figured about a 45-minute finish for me.  I lined up appropriately for this, almost near the back of the pack. And off we went!  This course consists of starting near a picnic area and then right up a short but steep hill almost right off the bat.  One we crested the hill, we had a flat trail to go down. With all the week’s rain the trail was pretty muddy in places, and it is a pretty rocky terrain too, so definitely had to watch your footing. The course was trail until a bit after the 1-mile mark.  The we proceeded onto a paved road.  The 5K participants went up to a set of traffic cones, where we turned around. The 15K folks continued straight ahead on the road, heading for ‘them thar hills” in front of them; and from what people have told me about the 15K course, these are no baby hills either. Both courses are out-and-back, so we went right back the way we had come out, this time doing in reverse the 3 hills we 5K folks had. For once I did behave myself and did not push it, and just enjoyed myself, chatting with other back-of-the pack runners and walkers like me; enjoying the views of the lake and surrounding area; and taking some photos.  I ended up with a 43:43 chip time, 5^th in my age group, so I was not too far off my estimate of 45 minutes. 

AFTER MY FINISH:  Got a few photos of some others finishing.   Then wandered around chatting with friends and getting post-race photos, rehydrating and partaking of some of the fruits, etc., that were available.  There was also lots of post-race activities, with a photo-thiingy where you stepped on a pedal and then stepped back for your selfie photo; also post-race massages, and several vendors with give-aways.  Shiner Beer was also on-site but because of the ‘blue laws’, since it was Sunday, could not serve the beer until 10 a.m.     Even so, lots going on, so time went by pretty quickly.  Also a dog friendly event, so I ran out of doggie treats pretty quick.

Epilogue:  iRun really puts on a good show.  Really nice finisher medals; very nice quality race singlets for all participants; awards for the top 3 in each age group and awards to the top overall finishers – nice prizes for them too; there was even a bib-number raffle where you could win a $50 iRun credit for Brooks gear at the iRun stores . iRun owners Mitch and his wife did a great job with the awards ceremony, keeping everyone entertained, lol. Mark Purnell, as usual, did his superb job of being our MC.  Another nice thing about this event: since it is at the lake and right near the picnic area, lots of the participants and their families just stay at the park for a few hours after, enjoying some food, grilling, and lake activities.  It really is a nice little park. This is definitely one of my favorite events of the year – in spite of the course, lol 😉 – and will continue to do it in the future as long as I am able, and certainly would recommend it to others.  

MUCHO THANKS TO:  all the iRun crew and their volunteers for packet pickup before and on race day, and for all the work they do so we participants can have this event. Thanks to all the sponsors who supported this event and all the vendors who came out on race day; the police officers who were on the paved roads part of the course for our safety; and anyone else I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all.      Oh, and apologies to the Shiner Beer guy.  I took his photo, but like an idiot old man, forgot to wipe my camera lens, so the photo of the guy made it look like he was in Witness Protection, with a big ole blob over his face, so I had to delete that one.  Sorry about that, buddy.