Beginners and Beyond

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2018 Race 17 - Harp and Shamrock 5K (Read 5 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%2017%20Harp%20and%20Shamrock?sort=2

     

    BEFORE MY START

    My 17th race of 2018 was the Harp and Shamrock 5K on March 10, an early celebration of St. Patrick's Day.  This event is usually held the weekend before St. Patrick's Day so it gets less competition from all the events that are held on the weekend closest to St. Patrick's Day.  This event is the ORIGINAL St. Patrick's Day race in San Antonio and goes back quite a few years.  Nice turnout for this one, between 300 and 400 walkers and runners.  Held at Southeast Lions's Park in San Antonio, a nice little park that is bordered on a man-made lake, with trails that loop around the lake. Weather was overcast and cloudy.  8:30 a.m. start time with a temp of 68 degrees, and pretty humid.  Mother Nature has been going nutso in Texas...one day we are chilly - like yesterday, it was in the 40s - and the next day, like today, humid and warm.  Our temp for the afternoon today shot up to 88 degrees.  And, go figure, for my race tomorrow morning, another 5K, the start temp will be in the upper 40s, lower 50s.  As said, Mother Nature is on some kind of a tear down here in the San Antonio area, good grief.   I arrived at the park with about an hour to go and did my usual pre-start photo thing.

     

    I have arrived..and found some friends right off

     

    Start and finish was at the park pavilion which was adjacent to the park's man-made lake

     

     

     

    Local race management and coaching company iaapweb did the timing, results, etc

     

    The infamous Terry, our Race Director for many many many many MANY years for this event.   Yep, he is almost as old the first Irish shilleleagh (sp?), lol

     

     

    Our MC.   good job, sir.

     

     

    Various participants, volunteers, etc.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Boy Scout Color Guard for the National Anthem

     

     

    ON THE COURSE

    This is a pretty flat course with a couple of inclines that you can't really call a hill. A mix concrete and asphalt on various parts of the park trails.  The course is nice, looping us at the start around the first part of the lake, then doing an out-and-back part on a trail that, if we had stayed on it, would have taken us to an nearby adjacent park (Comanche Park, a very nice park).  After we got back to the trail we had started on, we looped around the 2nd part of the lake to finish up back at the park pavilion. Some pretty nice running and walking out here.  This is a dog friendly event too, so there were some doggies out there, and all the ones I saw were pretty well behaved. I ended up with a time of 32:51 but did not even come close to placing as the age groups are kid of "oddball' for this event...my age group was 55 - 64, lol...and that's the way this race roll.  All good though, enjoyed myself, and it's not like I ever expect to win anything anyway.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    AFTER MY FINISH

    Nice little after-party with this one.  Guinness on tap - both light and dark, nice -  and Kiolbassa sausages - my favorite sausage, and ihe company HQ and plant is right here in San Antonio too, since the Kiolbassa family is from here and founded the operations.  Lots of cold water too, put down into little wading pools of cold water to keep them cold - and to let the doggies get a drink too post-race. Vendors were also giving away some stuff too, so that was nice.  Got my water first, drank that, then got my sausge and beer....then more water...and then wandered around clicking away at folks during the after-party.  The award medals - none of which I got - were pretty nice and there was even an award for the most "Irish dog" - several of whom were in costumes of various sorts, lol.  Also an award for the humans too for best costume.

     

    Oh yeah, Guinness and Kiolbassa

     

     

     

     

     

    Various.....

     

     

     

     

     

    I dunno why dogs behave for me for photos, but they do, always looking at the camera for me....maybe I smell like a dog, lol.

     

     

     

     

     

    With a friend and her dad, who won the costume contest.  Both Air Force like me..

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Two of the Kiolbassa Sausage company guys....thanks!

     

     

     

    My friend here placed in his age group in these oddball age groups, lol

     

     

    Had a nice chat with these very lovely people who were some of the vendors there.

     

    ...showing some of their products

     

    EPILOGUE

    This is a fun event, well organized and attended by lots of good and friendly people.  Many many MANY smiles, lots of laughter, good food and drink, nice race venue, etc.  All the volunteers were great, especially the on-course volunteers who were at water stop and doing course marshal duties, enthusiastically cheering everyone one.  Course was well laid out and a bit 'scenic' as we ran on tree-lined trails, under and overpass and - gotta love Texas - even by a field of cattle.  Have done this one several times in the past, will definitely do it again in the future, and certainly would recommend it to a runner or walker looking for an event.

     

    Mucho thanks to all our great volunteers, sponsors, the Park Police officers who were out there for us - parking gets kind of crazy at this small park, especially for an ongoing event,  so they definitely helped keep everything under control - all the vendors there too who were giving us freebies, and everyone else I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all!

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

    GinnyinPA


      Guinness at a race - nice. Around here it's usually some nasty light beer if they have anything at all.