Beginners and Beyond

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2018 Race #21: Light The Way 5K (Read 4 times)

scottydawg


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

     

    A couple of the photos may not have come out so well; sorry about that.    All in all though, I think they came out fairly well.  I am certainly no professional photographer with skills; but at least all the photos are free. 

     

    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%2021%20Light%20The%20Way%205K?sort=2

     

    BEFORE MY START

    Light The Way 5K was my 21st race of 2018, held on March 29 at 7 pm.  There was also a 1-mile run/walk that started at 6:30 pm.  Heldt at Canyon Springs Golf Course in the Stone Oak area of San Antonio, this event supported scholarships for the local Buckner Fanning Missions School.   This was a pretty small event - the 1-mile event actually had more entrants than the 5K - in a pretty nice locale.  Golf course and golf club kindly opened up for we participants, letting us use the golf cart pathways, restrooms, etc.   Stone Oak is kind of 'traffic crazy' during rush hour, so since I work at a nearby university I just stayed at work for a while, changed into my gear there and headed over to the golf course. To show you how crazy rush-hour is in this area:  the course is only 17 miles from the university...and it took me nearly an hour to get there.  Got my bib number and packet when I arrived and then got a few pre-start photos.

     

    We had a VERY sunny evening for this one - in the 70s and quite bright - so sometimes the shadows were definitely getting into the photos.   Here I am - masked  - with one of the guys from local race management compay iRun and our lovely Race Director.

     

    iRun guy with two kids who were participating

     

    The other iRun Guy...I think he did most of the work..  

     

    Thank you, iRun Texas guys

     

    Race Day packet pickup/registration volunteers.  Thank you ladies.

     

    Right before the 1-Mile start, we all said the Pledge of Allegiance, and then this young lady beautifully sang The National Anthem

     

    Various participants, etc...

     

    Dang, I cut this guy's head off...it wasn't my camera skills, the sun was in my eyes..that's my story...

     

    1-mile getting ready to start.  There were some speedy kids in this bunch

     

     

    Wait a minute..the Golf Club has Longhorns at the facility....and there is a bar-b-cue plate thing after the race....hmmmmm....   

     

    Know how to get a Longhorn to go where you want it to?  You STEER him...      I don't think I would mess with this big one though..

     

    Waiting for the race start, all geared up.....gee, just how far are these guys planning to run?

     

     

    The lil guy has his game face on, lol...

     

    I think she's their older sister...  

     

     

    With friend right before the start...I think we were the oldest guys there, lol.

     

     

    ON THE COURSE

    My friends from local race management iRun Texas did the course setup, etc.  I asked them about the course and they said it was "5K-ish"....uh oh, lol...so either short or long, I shall see. Course was on the paved golf-cart trails.  Stone Oak is a very hilly area and the golf course trails were no exception, lol.  Without a doubt this was one of the hilliest short courses I have ever done, a hill, either up or down, just about around every bend on the course.  With my spinal arthritis, I much prefer uphill - those downhills pound my back more. Some really nice views from the hilltops though.  This is a really very nice golf club and course.  The last mile I got to where I usually finish for a 5K and was not done...so knew the course was long. Crossed the finish line and jokingly told one of my iRun friends standing there "3 miles my butt...more like 3.3.."  He laughed and said that was the distance, 3.3.  I ended up finishing in 36: 42.

     

    About a half-mile in - after we climbed the hill we started on..right off the bat, right from the start gate, we had a hill, lol.

     

    Yeah, it was pretty much like this most of the way

     

     

     

     

    one of the few flat parts

     

     

    Downhill..

     

    but not for long, apparently...another uphill coming

     

    yes, that little runner girl ahead of me made me look bad the whole way, lol.  She did great.

     

     

    On the last mile now....and still climbing, lol

     

     

    AFTER MY FINISH

    Plenty of water, fruit, and lots of other stuff for free.  There was also a bar-b-cue going on, pay-per-plate as an after-race fund raiser for the school; grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.  The golf club bar was also open, so a nice cool place to sit after a warm race and enjoy a cold beer.  As said, the golf club management and members were very nice about all this, letting we runners and walkers have access.  Beteween mouthfuls of food and drink, I wandered around taking some after-photos of happy finishers, volunteers, supporters, etc.

     

    I am DONE!  Where's the beer?

     

    I am with them....relax on the grass and enjoy the treats

     

    Old Glory blowing in the breeze at the start/finish line with the sun setting behind

     

    Cook grillin' it up for us

     

     

    Various other 'happy fnishers", volunteers, supporters, etc.

     

     

     

     

    Love the kid's expression..."dude...take the photo and let me get to my food." lol

     

    "Are we done here now? "

     

     

    EPILOGUE

    I think this was the 2nd year this one has been done, but it was the first time for me.  Very well organized, nice course - even with the hills, lol - nice locale, great and friendly people participating, volunteering, etc; think I made lots of new friends and acquaintances.  I would do this one again and would recommend it. A pleasant way to spend a Thursday evening.

     

    Mucho thanks to all the people who made this one happen for us, like iRun for doing the course setup;  Buckner School;Canyon Springs Golf Course management and staff; our Race Director and all the volunteers out there for us; all the sponsors supporting this; and thanks for the patience of all the residents living near the golf course; as we went around the golf cart trails, we really had some of their dogs going crazy, lol, all of them barking at all these runners and walkers zipping past their back yards; and thanks to anyone else I may not have mentioned here.  No race for us participants without all of you, so thank you very much!

     

    Nap time for me now for a couple of days, lol...I've got 2 more races coming up this weekend.

    "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt