INTRO

I am Scott aka Scottydog aka Scotty Dogg, runner since 1983, cancer survivor, retired Air Force, employee of University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), friend of dogs, fun-runner, and all-around 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.  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, hence my nickname “Scottydog.” Here is yet another of my Race Reports With Photos, and my thanks to all the people I interacted with for their graciousness and good humor in letting me take photos of them.

This was my 57th race of 2015.  Held on Veteran's Day 2015, this race was part of the National Veteran's Day 5K races held in many locations across the country. Race start time was 3:11 PM.  Course location was Lady Bird Johnson Park, moved from the original location of McAllister Park due to some ongoing construction in that park.  There were maybe about 200 or so participants. For November it was unseasonably warm, even for San Antonio, with the temp shooting up to about 85 - 86 degrees and the humidity and dew-point were just awful. Consequently, several people - including me - walked a bit more than planned.   Go figure; last year when this was held it was colder than a bare butt stuck on an ice block  (don't ask me how I know how cold that is..  )  and this year warm as all geg-out; in San Antonio, you just never know at times what kind of weather you're going to get for our "Fall" and "Winter" seasons.  It also turned out the course was a bit short - which probably was a blessing with this flippin' humidity, etc.   One of my running friends with a garmin told me it was 2.7 miles, another one told me it was 2.9, so I will split the difference and say it was 2.8.    I finished in 33:34, averaging about a very slow 12 minutes per mile, gaack.

BEFORE THE START

Arrived at the site a little after 2 p.m. for packet pickup.  Got my bib number, etc. and then got a few prestart photos of participants, volunteers, supporters, etc.

Go Team RWB (Red White & Blue) San Antonio!

Love this photo, lol.  Doggie was so cooperative!

Another happy cooperative doggie..and very patriotic too.

ON THE COURSE

The course was paved trails at Lady Bird Johnson Park.  This is a nice park to run in, with a lot of shade along the way, thank goodness, because it was sure needed for this event.  We started at the park's main trail head and did an out-and-back course.

AFTER THE FINISH

The very first thing I did after finishing was go to one of the park water fountains and douse my head, and that cold water felt great.  Then I downed about 2 bottles of water and felt much refreshed.  After that is it was post-finish photo time for some of the participants, volunteers, etc.   Everyone got a souvenir Veteran's Day 5K medal as they crossed the finish line, so that is the medal you see a lot of folks wearing in some of the photos.

I didn't realize until after I took this photo, my friend Bob was off in the background there,'photobombing'  these nice people, lol - unintentional, I'm sure.

EPILOGUE

Even with the warmth, still a very nice event, in honor of all our veterans, past and present, those lost and those still with us.  Mucho thank to all the volunteers, sponsors, etc., who made this one happen for we participants.  After this event, I then went to downtown San Antonio at VFW Post 76, the oldest VFW post in Texas, where there was a very nice Veteran's Day ceremony to remember those lost and honoring some of our older veterans present - including one older Vet who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, wow.. - followed by food from Rudy's BBQ, cold beers, music, and great interaction - with lots of we "old retired farts" telling our war stories, lol - with friends, family, and fellow veterans, and from what I could see a good time was had by all.   I got home a bit late...and slept in on Thursday morning, sweet.   Followed my Veteran's Day activities with a nice run/walk in the a.m. at Randolph Air Force Base - and the weather was SWEEET, with a temp of about 62 degrees, low dewpoint and humidity and a nice breeze blowing; Mother Nature sure is fickle with Texas weather, lol; I ended up with 4.2 miles done and felt pretty good the whole way, go figure.  Running..you just never know, do you, what you're going to get for a run until you actually start the run.  Sure does keep it interesting.  

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Veteran's Day.  Happy running and stay safe out there.

Sounds like a great way to spend Veterans Day, both the 5k and the VFW celebration.  Nice RR.