INTRO:  I am Scott aka Scottydog, runner since 1983, cancer survivor, retired Air Force, friend of dogs, fun-runner, and all-around goofball.  In 2003 I had spinal arthritis flare up and ever since then I’ve done the run/walk method since it hurts my back too much now to run continuously with no walk breaks.  I’m on what I call my “2F Plan” which stands for Fun and Finish.  At events that I now do for fun I carry my camera, chase “Great Legs” to help motivate my slow old man self to keep moving forward, and take pictures before, during, and after the race. Sometimes I even get a nice post-race sweaty hug from one of the Great Legs ladies.   I then do a pictorial race report of my events.  I also carry dog biscuits with me to treat any dogs I may meet at a run, hence my nickname “Scottydog.” Here is yet another of my Race Reports With Photos, and my thanks to all the people I interacted with for their graciousness and good humor in letting me take photos of them.

SHORT VERSION REPORT

My 26th race of 2013.  Held in Fredericksburg, Texas.  8:30 a.m. start time.  Weather was pretty nice, in the upper 60s, a bit of cloud cover.  We started off, went down the course a ways, made a right turn onto a street.  I thought "That's not right, I've done this race over 10 times and I know the course goes to the left."  So I went left.  Some volunteer told me to go the other way.  I did not think this was right but I did go back, thinking maybe  the course route had been changed.   Nope.  I got a little ways down, people were coming back the way I had just come.  So I turned around again and went back.  Luckily, since I was at the back of the pack I had not gone that far out of the way, with the misdirection, so I ended up with 3.29 total, and a finish time of 33:48.    Darn, if I'd just kept going the way I wanted to in the first place...I might've won!       I felt sorry for the front of the pack folks, the speedy ones who usually place, because they had gone farther before being turned around.  My speedy friend, Bernadette, for example, ended up with 3.85 total distance.  There was also a 10K event and those poor folks, by the time they got turned around and then took the turn off the 5K course onto the 10K course, a couple peopple told me they did close to 7 miles instead of 6.2.  Because of the confusion, and to be fair, I guess the Race Directors declared this one a 'fun run', with apologies, and no medals were given out for placing, since the turn around had all the timing thrown off to heck-and-gone.

LONG VERSION WITH PHOTOS

Before the Start

The 5K/10K started and finished at the Town Square/Plaza, a pretty little place with a flower garden, pavilions, park benches, Pioneer building, and a "history tower" with figures on it symbolizing Fredericksburg heritage.

Some of our great volunteers

Supporters and Participants

This is Robin, from Running Ahead forum, and her brother

Me and Robin

On the Course

Here we are...going the wrong way....

OK, turn around everyone!

Back on course..where the yellow marker is at the front of the photo is where the 10K folks turn left to do their course

Lady on right in green jogbra.   My speedy friend Bernadette.  I NEVER see Bernadette on course for the same races we do, she is usally well ahead of me. Because of the wrong-way stuff, I was for once ahead of her in a race for a while.  She passed me at this point and the world was normal again...I didn't see her again until after I finished.

Race Volunteer near the end of the race..giving us the right directions. 

I trucked on in to the finish after that.  I thought, with the course mix-up, I would finish in 35 or 36 minutes, but as I got to the last turn before the finish, there was  my good buddy George cheering me in and telling me to get my fat doggie butt in gear, lol, I could break 34 minutes.  Really?  And so I did get in gear...passed two people and called out  encouragement to one young lady I was nearing "Old man catching you!", which made her hurry up too, lol.  She did finish ahead of me and we both did finish under 34 minutes.  Guess I do my running segments faster than I think I am doing them, lol.

After The Race

Well, even with the mix-up, it was a fun event.  The folks I talked to after the race did not seem upset about it.  Mistakes happen.  You deal with it, you move on, no sense in wasting energy getting mad about it.  I wandered around post-race getting "Happy Finisher" photos, along with some of the people there cheering and supporting the runners and walkers.  Sorry about the first couple of photos, I forgot to wipe my sweaty lens....a really bad habit of mine post-race!

And last, but not least,  I jokingly told this guy he was going to be my 'eye candy' photo for the ladies of my running forum.  Gotta love runners, they have a great sense of humor, and he did laugh at that.

And finally, VERY Last...my  SINCERE apologies to the guy and his family with the two kids who had medals from the Kids Fun Run.  I took their photo very last, but did not realize my camera battery was dying, so the photo did not get onto my camera card.  Hate it when that happens!   So I owe this guy a photo at an event and hope I see him and family at a future event we both do, to pay my debt and to apologize in person.

EPILOG

All in all, a very nice event.  This one has always been a 'regular' on my race calendar and will continue to be so.

26th raced of 2013! Scotty you are a machine!!

And thanks for the eye candy guy!

Great job.

A great RR as usual. Photos are fantastic! That really really stinks about the misdirection! I would have been so upset, especially if I was on track for a PR or one of the super speedy people looking to win/place!!

Great report, Scotty.  I'll post mine when I get back to vt tomorrow.  I did have a PR of 28:38 and I finished 3rd in my AG.  Even with the mix up, I shaved 5 minutes off my last 5k in Dec.  I give credit to my brother who pushed me hard and wouldn't let me stop to walk.

Congratulations on race 26!   Fredricksburg looks like a neat town.  Love the town plaza, how pretty.  Omgosh @ the course mixup.  I always wonder what would happen in  a case like that.  it's surprising it doesn't happen more often.   Well glad everyone made the best of it, and enjoyed the race anyway.  Hehehe@ adding a bit of eye candy for us ladies!  He's looking good!

Great pics as always! Sorry about the misdirect.