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

I don’t have great camera skills and take photos with a camera that is like me  - old fashioned, lol - so sorry if a photo appears a bit blurry, etc.  However, they are free to save, share, etc.

Here is yet another of my photo reports.  Full report below.     

Link to photos only:

http://s166.photobucket.com/user/scottydog69/slideshow/2018%20race%20reports/2018%20Race%20Number%2075%20Rowdy%20Rec%205K?sort=2

BEFORE MY START

My 75^th race of 2018 was the Rowdy Rec 5K held on October 27 at University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) which is where I work.  This is annual fundraiser for the university’s rec center (gym, pool, racquetball courts, weights, etc) and this year they Rec Center is celebrating its 20^th anniversary.  I started working at UTSA in 1996, so remember the rec center being built. Very nice facility with plenty of amenities.   This event was a ‘fun-run’ no-frills 5K without age group awards, but local race management company iaap did do chip timing, so you did get official results.  If I remember correctly, the overall male and female winners in the event did get some kind of prize.  Being a member of the rec center, I was able to check in early and store my gear in my locker at the gym which was very convenient.  After that I wandered around and got a few photos.  Because Halloween was the following week, several people were in costume.  Some of them were pretty funny and imaginative too.  As for participants, there were maybe about 100 or so – maybe a bit more than that.   Lots of race competition on this day, there were several other local area races going on too.

Packet pickup the day before the race, with two volunteers

Race Day onsite at race location. 

I have arrived.  This was my 'dry' shirt, since it was a bit cool. Underneath that I had the singlet on that I would run the event in.

Still a bit dark when I got there. Some of the volunteers and participants and supporters of the participants

Batman there is one of our university professors.  He gave extra credit to his students who showed up for the event and got a photo with him.  I love working in the academic field, lol.  Here with his Wonder Woman friend.

One of the iaap race management folks getting things prepared for the run.

Dog friendly event...especially for a hot dog, lol.  It is hard to get doggies to look at the camera...

In the start crowd.  Dinosaur guy cracked me up.

Ahead of me in the start crowd.  Sun still coming up, we are between two buildings so still in the shadows

Behind me

ON THE COURSE

For those who live in or are familiar with San Antonio, the course was pretty much the same as the very popular Diploma Dash 5K that UTSA Alumni Association puts on as one of their fundraisers.  A loop course on the paved campus roads of the university, with one small short out-and-back stretch, which is where I screwed up a bit, lol, as I missed the original turn-round point and went on to these orange cones on the road.  When I turned around to go back, I kept wondering why the heck the people I’d just been in front of were now ahead of me…and then saw the marking for the actual turn-round point…..duhhh.   Oh well. There were a couple of hills on the course, but nothing really major; they were steep but short.  I felt pretty good the whole way, did my usual run/walk thing with taking photos along the route and ended up finishing in 34:17.  We had great weather for this one too;   8 a.m. start time with some sunshine, temp in the low 60s and a very low dew-point and humidity, so really nice running/walking weather.

And we are off!

That tall building with the gray roof, behind the nearer white building, is the building where I work

After the hill photo, it was nonstop running for me back to the finish.

AFTER MY FINISH

Got a few photos of some of people coming in that I’d been near and interacted with on the course.  Then got a banana and some water, did  a little cool-down walk, and then went around taking some after-photos of the happy finishers, volunteers, supporters, etc.  Also found where volunteers were serving up 4 kinds of breakfast tacos, nice, and I indulged in one of those too.

Happy finisher me!  Did better than I thought I would.  My heart A-Fib was behaving today, lol. 

Bowling, anyone?

Thank you iaap folks!

Dinosaur rider relaxing after the run

EPILOGUE

I have done this one in past years and it is and has always been a very nicely done and friendly quality event with a good course in a pleasant atmosphere.   Lots of participants, sponsors, vendors, rec center employees, etc, all very friendly, making this event feel more like a big community get-together of ‘friends and family’, so a very pleasant experience.   I would do this one again and would recommend it to others.  Very reasonably priced event too; and free to the student rec members, if I remember correctly.  Nice quality race tee to all participants and the goody bag was, well, “goody”, with some pretty nice items in it.  Post race goodies includes some tea and water from Canes,  various flavors of tacos from a local eatery – Marie’s something, the name went right out of my head, but the tacos were great – and so forth.   It was all good.

Much thanks to Rec Center staff members who were out there for us, and all the volunteers, sponsors, vendors, law enforcement folks at the road intersections for us, and anyone else I may not have mentioned here.   Thank you so much for doing what you did so we participants could have this event.