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.”

Here is yet another of my photo reports.

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!

ABOUT THIS EVENT

My 40th race of 2016 was the Navy Pollywog Nautical 3 Mile Run/Walk held on Aug 27th at Lions Park in San Antonio, a pretty park with a man-made lake in it. This race benefits junior Sailors attending the 2016 Navy Birthday Ball, the Navy's annual service celebration.  Being retired Air Force, I had no idea what a 'nautical mile" was, so I had to ask someone in the Navy, who gave me both the 'technical version" - most of which I did not understand; I would have been a terrible sailor, lol, so probably good thing I was in the Air Force - and the simple version, which I did understand...about 3.5 miles.  Well, it was actually a LONG 3.5 miles because I guess one of the course volunteers sent us the wrong way and so several of us ending doing 2 laps around the park - like me - ending up with 4.8 miles instead of 3.5 - and others, like one of my friends, ended up doing 3 laps, ending up with 6.2 miles, sheesh.  So the poor folks at Athlete Guild, who were doing the timing and results, and the race organizers ended up having a heckuva mess on their  hands at the end trying to figure out who placed, etc.  Well, they did their best and medals were given out - I ended up with 2nd in my age group - sort of...because I was one of the folks who did two loops, while a guy in my age group did 3 loops..so really he should have been first in our age group.  As said, because of the 'misdirection' on the course, results were kinda skewed.

BEFORE THE START

I live within a pretty short driving distance of this park, so arrived with about 45 minutes to go to the 8 a.m. start time.  For August in San Antonio, weather was pretty nice...76 degrees, about 94% humidity, but a lower dewpoint than we've been having lately, so made the air feel a bit cooler.  Still warm, though, we did sweat sweat sweat.  I wandered around getting some photos of volunteers, participants, etc.

Me and my friend, Karen, who walked the course.  Little did she know before we started that she was in for a longer walk today.

Two of my running friends I like to call 'The Twins."  They're actually not twins, they are brothers a couple years apart, but they look so darn much alike.  A tad blurry...sorry guys, guess I was not quite awake yet.

My friend Scott, owner of AthleteGuild, and his son, doing the course set-up, timing, results, etc.  They had to have a lot of patience today for the results!

This lady on the left was one of the organizers...I felt so sorry for her after the finish when she and Athlete Guild were trying to figure out all these skewed times and results.

Navy Trainees 'on deck' for the event

Others....

Getting ready to start our "3.5 miles"...little did we know, lol

ON THE COURSE

From what I understand...here is where we all got screwed up..we did a little out-and-back over this bridge.  But from what I was told after we finished the course, instead of doing out-and-back across the bridge, we should have kept going after we crossed this bridge to a turn-around point farther down, and then from there back to the finish.

Well, the course may have been long, but at least it was a pretty nice looking course

On the 'long haul' part of the course down to the turn-round point and back...this part of the course is where I figured out..uh oh..this is gonna be way longer than 3.5 miles. Well, at least we had lots of shade trees along the way.

AFTER THE FINISH

I'm happy to be done...

So happy.....

So very happy.... 

Other "happy finishers", et al....

This guy on the right has had his identity protected...

OK, there he is....

This guy on the right was in my age group and he ended up doing the 3 laps for an hour something.  So, really, he actually was ahead of me in the event, even though they had me 2nd in the results.  I told him I'd give him the medal but he knows I give all my medals to the cancer kids at Children's Hospital, so he told me just to go ahead and take it to the kids.  Nice guy who I see at a lot of the same events we do over the year.   His grandson with him also did the extra loop, if I remember correctly.

One pooped little doggie after doing the course.  I gave him a treat and he was so funny, just stuck his tongue out, took it into his mouth and chewed without even lifting his head once.

I'd given doggie my last treat so not another one to give him so, hmmmph!, he wouldn't face the camera. 

My friend Bernadette - who ended up with 6.2 miles - me, and Karen

S'okay, I made her feel better enough to laugh....  ...the poor guy behind us in the white hat is one of the organizers, trying to help figure out the results mess.

Well, I got a medal....soon to be taken to the children's cancer ward at San Antonio Children's Hospital.

10 years old and under  - speedy little person!

Karen was 2nd in the Walking Division

Karen and the first place walker lady...who walks about as fast as I run, lol.

In spite of the course confusion, it's all good...we managed to enjoy ourselves.

The medal handed out - front and back..

EPILOGUE

This is the first time I've done this event - but not the first time I've run in this park so I kinda knew where I was going - and, in spite of the course confusion, Id do this one again.  Hey, people are 'human', mistakes are sometimes made, and I'm sure the poor person who sent us the wrong way probably feels terrible about it.  Most of the folks I talked to post-race - and especially since a lot of us were active duty or retired military or military associated in some way - were not REALLY all that upset about it, they were more like "Hey, sh*t happens sometimes, things go wrong, you just deal with it."   If there was anyone who got absolutely angry about it, I didn't see them.  Most peoplle I  chatted with just stayed positive and shrugged it off with a joke or a "Well, at least I got a longer run in today", and so forth. Yeah, definitely military, lol, we certainly can have a 'unique' outlook at times.   Very nice park to run in, unique medal, some nice post race goodies with nature bars, fruits, etc - no beer though, bummer - nice tech tee race shirts.  Mucho thanks to all the volunteers, race organizers, sponsors, law enforcement who were out there for us, etc. - all the folks who made this one happen for us.

Well, I WILL get my race beer for my next 5K - cuz I'm doing the Alamo Beer 5K on Aug 28th.

I had no idea what a nautical mile was.