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%202%20River%20Road%205K
BEFORE MY START
This was my 2nd race of 2017. Held on Saturday, Jan 7. The River Road Run included a half-marathon, a 10K, and a 5K. The 5K was the last to start, with a 9 a.m. start, so I got to sleep in a bit. This event is part of the Scallywompus series of events done over the year - <cite>www.scallywompus.com </cite> River Road is in New Braunfels and about a 30 minute drive from where I live in San Antonio. Crazy Texas weather came into play for this one. On Thursday we were in the upper 60s. By Friday an ‘arctic blast’ had moved in and our temp dropped all the way to the 20s with a high of only 38. By Saturday the half marathoners had to deal with a 19-degree temp for their start, the 10K folks, who started a half hour before we 5K folks, had a 26 degree start, and we 5K folks had a 29 degree start. Of course, with the wind chill, the temps felt even chillier. I really HATE cold weather – and bitched about it too on FB, lol – and was seriously thinking about bagging this one and staying in bed. However, I managed to get myself up and got to the race site with about 40 minutes until the 5K start. It was cold, but at least the wind had died down a bit, and we had ‘abundant’ sunshine and blue skies, which was a plus – it may not have been warmer, but at least the sunshine made you feel mentally warmer anyway.
Before the start I wandered around the inside and outside of the ‘Ice House”, the place where the race was held, a bar/music hall, and got some photos.
Clowning around with my friend, Karen, who walks about as fast as I run. She did the competitive walk. I'm 'dressed to the nines", lol...I had 3 thermal running shirts underneath that top shirt, lol, as well as long underwear underneath my running pants. Did I tell you that I HATE cold weather?
Participants, volunteers, supporters, etc.
Our MC on left, with friend Tony
Yay, Air Force! Thanks for being race volunteers!
They dragged some retired old Air Force fart into this photo with them..
iaapweb.com timing and results folks
Me and "Mr. Scallywompus", Bart
My friend, George, has a nice cushy shoulder to take a pre-race nap on
Getting ready to start
ON THE COURSE
I’ve done this race in the past when it was a 4-miler, so knew what to expect…downhill from the start – a very winding and hilly downhill – then some flat along the river to a turn-around point, then back to that downhill, which was now an uphill that we had to climb to get to the finish line. The course parts that go along the river are very scenic; the hill to get back to the start is a bit challenging – and the half folks had even more hills than we did; not sure about the 10K route – but I managed to get up the whole thing nonstop, yay! My regular weekly hill training session does come in handy sometimes! I ended up first in my age group even though I had a pretty slow time of 37- something, doing averaging 11:58 per mile, with all my photo stops and the hill. Of course, I was the ONLY one in my age group, lol, for the 60-69 5K group. All my other old guy folks must’ve slept in. Don’t care, I’ll take it for running in the cold. It also helped that I remembered to put 2 dry thermal shirts into my car and I put those on under my outside race shirt right after I finished, so that helped too, kept me toasty warm, as I wandered around after the finish.
The downhill from the start that was an uphill right before the finish
Ahhh, flat for a while, and along the river
At this point, I started seeing some of the 10K folks a I think a few of the half folks coming toward us, heading for the finish.
I've made the 5K turn around now and am looking ahead and back...
That orange cone was the 5K turnaround point
Crossing a river bridge
Just before we began to climb to the finish...
Let the never-ending hill to the finish begin...
AFTER MY FINISH
After getting into some dry shirts, I went back out on the course a little ways to get a couple photos of that last hill we participants had to come up to get to the finish, ones did not take when I was on the course, because I was busy running up this darn thing, lol, to get to the finish.. When I ran up this hill it reminded me of the Energizer Bunny…just keeps going and gong..you round a curve thinking it is going to be over..and there is one more part, sheesh.
First, we went up this hill
Rounded the curve, and found this...
Race Director Nick is a sadist!
Of course, it finally did end, thankfully, and then we all got our rewards. This is a Scallywompus event, so nice after-party! Beer, wine, sausage wraps, and all kinds of stuff.
And all the happy people....
5K ladies age group winners...some weird lighting on this stage...all the first place winners each got a bottle of wine
Got my 1st place AG wine bottle....which I gave to Gail when I got home..I actually don't like wine that much.
EPILOGUE
Did I already tell you? I really HATE cold weather. I much prefer to run in temps that are 55 degrees and up. 90 degrees? No worries. Give me that any day over below 50. Well, it all worked out, and I did manage to have fun, so I’m glad I did end up going to the 5K. Nice seeing lots of friends, taking photos, chatting, and all those lovely goodies, including a very nice finisher medal that all participants got and the age group awards were these unique polishes stones with the River Run logo on them. I may be wrong but I like to believe they were stones taken from the river we ran by and then polished and fixed up for the age group winners. If that is not the case, well then, Race Director Nick…lie to me and let me have my little dream.
Mucho thanks to everyone who made this event happen for us, especially the volunteers and sponsors who had to be there WAY early on this very cold morning, and then stand around in the cold for us, at water stops, medal and chip tables, goodies tables, etc. You all rock! Thanks to Ice House for the use of the building and venue, to law enforcement, EMT folks, to the River Road residents for their patience in all these runners and walkers invading their road, and everyone else involved. Kudos, Nick Seidel and Bart Childers…very well done event. Would I do this one again? Probably…but please make some kind of deal with Mother Nature next time for a bit warmer weather, okay?
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt
Looks like a pretty and challenging course. What was with the blue face paint?