Barking Mad To Run
INTRO
I am Scott aka Scottydog aka Scotty Dogg, runner since 1983, cancer survivor – caught very early, so I actually had a fairly easy time of it - , retired Air Force, employee of University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), friend of dogs, fun-runner, and all-around punster and 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. My only goals for a race these days are finish everything I start, have fun along the way, and finish standing up with no ambulance waiting for me. 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 – unless it’s a mean dog; then the biscuit goes in one direction and I go in another. Hence my nickname “Scottydog.”
And a big thanks to runningahead.com for allowing me a “home” for my many many MANY race reports and photos. Great site, free training log; calendars; running routes; maps; conversation forums for runners; and much more
Here is yet another of my photo reports. Full report below.
Link to photos only: http://s166.photobucket.com/user/scottydog69/slideshow/2017%20Race%20Reports/2017%20Race%20No%2030%20Seniors%205K
BEFORE THE START
My 30th race of 2017 was the Seniors 5K held on May 6. Put on by WellMed, this was a FREE 5K for everyone over 60 years old, very nice. There was also a 5K walk and a 2.5K walk too. WellMed does a lot in our local community and this was one of the many events they put on each year. Race venue was Mission County Park, which is part of the area of the Missions Reach part of the San Antonio Riverwalk. I live right by the San Antonio airport, so on an early Saturday morning, does not take me long to get to the park. Got there with about 45 minutes to go until the 8 am. start time. Since I'd already picked up my race packet I had plenty of time to wander around and get some before-the-start photos.
Me with friend Albert - a very speedy 70-something who place first in his age group
Me with my neighbor, and friend, Craig, who came out to this race this morning as a volunteer
Iaap folks did the course setup, timing, results, etc
Lady on the left is my friend, Race Director, Brittany. Before her current position with WellMed, she worked in the same department I did at U. of Texas San Antonio.
My speedy friend, Ed, and his wife, Terry. Yeah, Ed is in my age group, so when I saw him there, I knew I was not placing, lol.
Others
Getting ready to start
ON THE COURSE
Weather for this time of year in Texas was beautiful. Low humidity, low dew-point, sunny, blue skies, about 62 degrees. Out-and-back course, starting at the park and then going on paved road in front of the park. Very nice route, wide road to accommodate a lot of people and near the turn-around point get a nice view of the San Antonio River. Some courses are done on the Riverwalk trail behind the park, with very scenic views, but with a large race like this one - the RD had previously told me there were about 700 registered walkers and runners - the trails are way too narrow to get everyone onto and would probably create a safety hazard for some, so paved road it was. I did my usual run-walk thing and took photos during my walk breaks. Ended up with a time of 32:49, 4th out of 12 in my age group. There are some speedy old guys, lol, in my 60-64 age group.
This lady in the blue shirt and the guy in the black shirt in the next photo, I was pretty much near for most of the course.
This is a dog-friendly event. There were even water spots for the doggies before, during, and after the race.
The leader heading back to the finish
A cyclist going across this bridge on one of the mission park trails. I've done some past races where the route takes us over that bridge...and it SHAKES when a lot of runners are on it.
My friend, Bert, speedwalking the course. He goes pretty darn quick too. The walkers started 5 minutes after the runners.
A bit after I finished, I got photo of my friend Albert finishing
AFTER MY FINISH
Where's the beer? No beer at this one, darn the luck. But some nice goodies, various kinds of muffins, bananas, oranges, water, and some of the local vendors/sponsors at this event were also giving away free stuff. So I just wandered around munching on a buncha stuff and taking photos.
Found two pretty ladies to stand next to...I look great!
Nothing like a little Senior Citizen "boogie" after a walk or run
My friend Albert apparently needed a post-race quick nap...these next photos are 3 speedy old guys who all placed, and one slow old guy - me, lol
The lady I was near to on the course for most of the way also helped with the award ceremony
Ed and Terry placed in their age groups
EPILOGUE
This is a very popular event - especially as it's free for many - and lots of senior citizens of all abilities come out to run or walk this one. Quite inspiring, actually, on the course to see some people walking with their canes - one lady even had a walker and did the event - or whatever else they may have needed to help them keep moving. These are definitely never-give-up kinda people, all right. I enjoyed interacting with a lot of them, lots of people with really good senses of humor, had some great conversations and lots of laughs. A very enjoyable event, nice quality race shirts, and a good venue. This one is usually done at a local area called Wheatley Heights, which is a nice park area, but if it rains the trails flood; and Mission County Park is also much "friendlier" for a race that has a lot of people - wider space to move around on - so I hope WellMed decides to keep this event at this park in the future. Would definitely recommend this one to my fellow runners and walkers, definitely worth doing, and for a good cause too, as WellMed is a big supporter of senior health - shoot, everyone's health! And, of course, next year, I am sure they will have post-race beer...at least one for me, anyway. I enjoy my one beer after a race.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt