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%2039%20American%20Heroes%205K%20and%2025K?sort=2

Before The Start

My 39th race of 2018 was the American Hero 25K and 5K held on Sunday, May 27th at Texas A&M University - San Antonio.  Held every Memorial Day weekend, this is a veterans-oriented event to honor and remember them. The 25K Relay was the main event with teams of 5 members, each doing a 5K loop.  The 5K, which I did, was done individually by participants who chose that race. Some of the participants also did the whole 25K individually.  Start time was 7:40 a.m.  Before the start of the main event there was a kid's run. This was my 2nd race of the weekend after doing the Police and Firefighter Memorial 5K on Saturday morning, May 26.  This event is quite a popular event and has lots and lots and lots of participants.  The relay gets the most participants but the 5K had a pretty nice turnout too, with probably over 500 participants.  I got to the race location with about an hour to start time and did my usual pre-start photo thing.

Me with friend, Bob...we are kind of like Mutt and Jeff, lol.  People in my age group know who they are.

Our MC and race announcer Lana

Getting the finisher medals ready

Various participants, supporters, volunteers, etc

Start Crowd

These 5 ladies were on the sides, waiting for their turn to do their relay legs

On The Course

Race start time of 7:40.  For we 5K folks and the people doing the first leg of the relay we got lucky, as we had lots of cloud cover for our 77-degree temp.  As the morning wore on it did get warmer and the people doing the later legs for the relay had to deal with that and the sun that finally came out from behind the clouds, beating down on them mercilessly.  Texas A&M-San Antonio is a fairly new campus to the San Antonio area and still growing, so not a whole lot of choices about where to put a race course. The times I have done events here in the past, I have absolutely hated this course - all concrete and no shade on the course at all and one really long-and-boring out and back part that seemed to take forever mentally.   However as soon as we got going I immediately saw that this year the course had been changed, cutting out that long boring out-and-back part, and we got the major hills on the course done right away, getting that out of the way first, nice. There were some more 'up parts along the way, near the finish, but those were pretty much just some mild inclines. This course is SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE PAST COURSE USED. Thank goodness!  I absolutely did not hate this course, lol.  Still no shade and a lot of concrete still...but so much better laid out.  .  I felt so much better both mentally and physically on this course and ended up with a 33:14 finish time, my fastest time at the Texas A&M-San Antonio location. Yay!  Lots more  photo opportunities on this course too, and the course to  me seemed to be designed so participants pass quite a few of the spectators and relay team members waiting their turn to do their legs, so for this course MUCH more cheering, camaraderie, support, etc. Kudos to whomever laid this course out and for 5Ks in the future, I hope they keep using this one.

First part of the course - getting these hills out of the way. Kind of dark, thankfully, due to the cloud cover we had

Participants went right past these two, who were there entertaining everyone

Friend Louis was a volunteer cheering people on

In the finish line chute...done and happy with my results.

After The Finish

Finisher medals to everyone, nicely designed medals too. Lots of post-race goodies that including paletas (really tasty ice cream on a stick in various flavors) that really hit the spot on a warm day; grilled sausages, gatorade, tea I found at one place and, of course, lots of water.

Taking a well-deserved rest after a humid event

With friend Carolyn

Carolyn and my speedy friend Jim, who finished long before I did

For this event, Carolyn ran in honor of her son who, sadly, died last year

Me and friend Ralph sharing our paletas with friend Daisy

Friend Deborah did the 5K.  Stupid sweating me forgot to wipe my lens for this photo

Overall 5K winner in 17-something

The paletas were popular post-race, as these lovely ladies show

This local race company also puts on some really good events, as well as doing up printing for race shirts, etc.

Finally found my friend, Bernadette.  She was on a team and did the first leg of the relay

Bernadette and Bob

A few of the iaap folks who did the course setup, timing, results, etc

My friend Erik (yellow shirt) is owner of Dragon Productions. He was on a relay team for this event. VERY speedy.  Last year he was the overall winner of the San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon.

Erik, speedy elite runner and proud husband and father

Epilogue

Besides the regular goodies provided by the sponsors, lots of teams had brought their own goodies and a lot of sharing was going on; even if you were not a member of a certain team, everyone was supporting everyone else with cheers, water, post-race goodies, etc.   Really nice, this event is a classic example of true  runner/walker spirit, everyone sharing and helping and watching out for each other. Out of the Hero events I have done in the past, this one was the best one ever.  Nice quality race tee too - which I am wearing now as I do this report - very nice finisher medals....very nicely done event!  Kudos to the organizers.

Much thanks to everyone who made this one happen for we participants:  Texas A&M -San Antonio, sponsors, vendors, law enforcement out there for us, iaapweb for timing, results, etc., and anyone else I may not have mentioned here.  MUCHO GRACIAS!