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/2019%20Race%20Reports/2019%20Race%20Number%209%20Be%20My%20Valentine%205K?sort=2

BEFORE MY START

My 9^th race of 2019 was Be My Valentine 5K held on Feb 10^th at Comanche Park in San Antonio Texas.  There was also a half marathon.  Feb 10 was also my 65^th birthday, so I jokingly told Race Director Cecilia thanks for having this party for me on my birthday.  I wore my Valentines Day tutu for this one.  My wife accompanied me and she walked the 5K.   There were about 500 participants, most of us doing the 5K.  Weather was still cold, but at least a bit warmer than when I did my Saturday 5k.  For this one, temp was in the low 40s and, unlike Saturday, no wind and we did not even get a drop of rain.  Start time of 9:30 a.m. for both the half and the 5K.  I got there about an hour early, got my bib and packet and then wandered around getting some photos.

Welcome to the event

With my lovely, and very patient, wife.   Our anniversary is coming up on Feb 14 (34 years) and her birthday on the 15th.

My friend Bernadette with her 'sister'

Our music man

Our lovely Race Director, Cecilia

iaap crew getting everything ready

With friend Tony

With friend Fernando

Various

Cupid is at the race

My friend, Don

My friend, Tanya...recently had knee surgery and is still way fast

My friend, Carolyn; injured but out here volunteering

ON THE COURSE

I’ve done races in this park several times before so pretty much knew the usual 5K routes here.  Out—and-back course on the park’s paved off-road trails. There were a couple of small inclines but for the most part it was pretty flat. Once I got started – and I did the 5K in my tutu – after about the first half mile I felt like I had overdressed – that tutu is quite warm to wear and I had a base layer underneath it – but what the heck, it is what it is, so just kept truckin’ on.  I ended up with a 34: 11 chip time, and dead last in my age group – which for this race was quite large, as it was 60 – 99 age group – and thought it was funny, when I saw the results that I had finished behind my friend Don – who is 70 – by 3 seconds; 34:11 for me and 34:08 for Don. My wife power-walked the event and she was not all that far behind me: 45:04, walking an average of 14:35 per mile.    I did not place, but everyone did get finisher medals.  I gave mine away to a little one in a stroller, so both she and her mom would have medals. The other big personal thing for me for this event:  since I knew this race this year would be on my 65th birthday, I looked back at my  running logs when I first started running and how much mileage I had accumulated - which was way more than I thought, lol; I was a running fool in my  pre-arthritis running days - and then worked up a plan last year to personally celebrate my running life.  Thus, when today I crossed the finish line of this race, I completed my 40,000th lifetime mile.

Getting ready to start

My great camera skills, lol.  Her daughter was running with her, but I didn't get the daughter in the photo.

Bernadette heading to the finish

This was a very 'bouncy'' bridge with all those people going over it.  Made me kinda dizzy, lol.    After this photo, I ran nonstop back to the finish.

AFTER MY FINISH

After I changed into a dry base-layer shirt – the temp was still hovering around 42 degrees – yeah, lots of we South Texans are cold weather wimps, lol; I don’t even put on a short-sleeved running shirt until it’s in the 50’s – I went to enjoy the after-party and got a few photos.

Was putting on my dry shirt when my wife was going into the finish, so got a distance photo of her

Way to go, honey!

Friend Sally, race volunteer

Showing the finisher medals, They are also wearing the long-sleeved race shirts participants got

Enjoying those post-race Churros

With my speedy friend Woody; he got 3rd in our age group

Race day volunteers

Three speedy people.. Don, Bernadette, and Woody

After running in this outfit, I got new respect for women runners...I don't know how they do it...

My two friends - 70+, brothers - still going strong

Thanks to Spain's Street Cuisine for serving up the Churros and hot chocolate

The prettiest lawyer I know

Happy team of finishers

With friend Carolyn

Woody, 3rd in his age group

Bernadette, 2nd in her age group

EPILOGUE

This is a nicely done event put on every year by local race management company iaapweb, a family owned company that has some of the nicest owners and employees you could ever hope to meet.  Nice quality race shirts with a choice – since it’s a Valentine’s race – of shirts that say “I’m Taken”  or “I’m Available” or “It’s Complicated.”    I jokingly told some of the shirt volunteers that I should have one that says “I’m Taken” and my wife should have one that says “I’m The One That Took the idiot.”  Lol.  It’s not always easy living with me and my wife, God bless her, has the patience of a saint putting up with me for 33 years of marriage.  Lover her always!  Goodies included various energy drinks, bottled water, hot chocolate and these things called ‘Churros”.  I had no idea what they were so a friend of mine gave me a small piece of hers, and it was like eating pure sugar, gaaack.  I passed on those.  I guess it is an acquired taste, lol.  This is a quality event that usually gets a really nice turn-out.  Have done this one several times over past year, will do it again in the future, and would recommend it to others.

Mucho thanks to all the people who made this event happen for we participants:  all the volunteers out there for us and the local park police that were onsite; all the sponsors and vendors; our music man Paul, and our MC Terry; and of course iaap and especially Race Director Ceci, who worked hard to get this one all set up for us.  Thank you, also, to anyone else involved that I may not have mentioned here.