Scottydog Reports

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/3nWPzpJBsB63s2YL8   

Before the Start:   My 3^rd race of 2025 was the Bigfoot Classic 5K, held on Sunday, January 4^th   at McAllister Park in San Antonio. There was also a 10K and a 15K and a 1-miler that several kids there did, as well as some adults.  Start time was 9 a.m., so after doing a previous 5K the day before this one at Lady Bird Johnson Park, I got to sleep in a bit as I live very close to McAlllister Park.  I’d also done the New Year’s La Cruda 5K on New Year’s Day.  I knew parking was going to be a bit crazy, as there were a lot of registered participants, so I arrived at the park with just under an hour to go to the 9 a.m. start time. Thankfully, I had taken the advice of the Bigfoot folks and picked my packet up the day before.  This allowed me to wander around, chatting with friends, other participants, supporters, race crew members, etc., and get some pre-start photos.  This is also a dog-friendly event, so I also handed out some treats, with the permission of the dog’s human.  I was very popular with the dogs, lol.

On the course:  Idon’t know exactly how many total participants there were for these three events, but it was a lot – I’d guess over 500 and maybe even higher than that. Our start/finish area was at Pavilion 5, which is the area right across the street from the upper baseball fields at the park.  The National Anthem was played and then we got going right on time.  The event was done on the paved Greenway Trails at the park.  I did my usual run/walk thing and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks.  The first part was flat, for about ¼ of a mile and then we began descending down a fairly long hill. We then had a bit of flat on the course, and that took us underneath an overpass on the Wurzbach Parkway. After exiting that overpass tunnel, we then made a left turn, following the greenway trails that took us in the direction of Lady Bird Johnson Park. We had some flat here for about ¼ of a mile and then we REALLY began climbing hills; these were pretty steep, first going up one hill, then around a short curve and there was a second part of the hill. After we crested the second hill, it was flat again for a bit, and we had some nice views of the surrounding area from up this high.  After this flat part, we then made a right turn and started downhill – a pretty steep hill too – to get to the turn-round point. The participants who had already made the turn-round were coming up the hill toward us as they made their way to the finish. This was a bit of a winding trail, where we 5K folks went around a curve to our left, then one to our right and then went down another fairly long hill that got us to the 5K turn-round, where the was a water station, so thanks to those volunteers out there for us. We then went back to the finish the way we had come out;  so, of course, after the turn-round, this long downhill we did to get there was now a long uphill – the longest of the 5K course.  We then were back on the top, flat part for a while, until we go to those first two hills we’d climbed and went down them.  After that, it was fairly flat until we went back under the overpass because, since we’d gone down on the way out, we know went UP on the way to the finish. I was surprised to see that I’d caught up to my speedy friend, Ralph, who was walking a bit. He usually finishes way ahead of me. I jokingly called to him “Hurry up and finish, Ralph! You have to take a photo of me finishing. I guess he took me at my word, lol; he did start running again and finished way ahead of me. We had one more very short flat part as we headed to the finish, then rounded another curve and there was one hill left.  Once we crested this, we could see the finish line ahead, and the last part of the course, thankfully, was flat.  I ended up running most of the last 1.5 miles, ignoring my watch beeping for walk break, with just a few quick stops to take a photo or two. My chip-time finish was 40:27, and I was first in my males 70-79 age group – so I must have been the only one in it, lol. I’ll take it.

After My Finish:  I got my finisher medal and a Bigfoot Pin for being first in my age group. I then got some water in me and wandered here-and-there, handing out more dog treats; chatting with other participants, supporters, volunteers, etc., and getting some after photos, including a couple with Bigfoot.  I then went and stood near the finish line to get a photo of my friend, Peggy when she finished the 5K. She walks about as fast as I run and I have this joking thing going on with her, lol, that since I’m a runner and she’s a walker, I should be able to finish before her, which does not always happen.  Her brother was there and I told him I was worried because she usually finishes pretty soon after I do. He told me I’d have a long wait, lol, since she was doing the 10K for this one. Well, okay, then; so I wandered around some more, had a few post-race goodies, got more photos, etc. She finally did come in, so I got a finisher photo of her, and we got a group photo of us with mutual friends that were there. I even saw and chatted with a few other participants that had also done the same 5K I did the day before this one. Finally, time to call it a day, so headed on home and got a nice hot shower and then was lazy for a while, eating lunch and watching some football.

Epilogue:  I like the local Bigfoot folks, they’ve always been good with me about letting me wander here-and-there, even near the timing tables, to take some pre-start and post-race photos, and I always tell them to go to my blog – they know where it is – and feel free to save/share any of the photos I take at their events. They let me wander around like I’m part of their crew, lol. There were a variety of post-race snacks; water; Gatorade; and other things.  They don’t have an age-group awards ceremony, you just get your Age Group Award Pin and go on your way; although they do have a really nice backdrop where you can get your photo with Bigfoot. Overall, their events are nicely managed; some may not agree, but I’ve never had an issue with them. There is one of those ‘code things’ where you can get your race results on your phone, but since I am basically a technology idiot, lol, I just go to the RunSignUp website where their results are also posted, including results from other cities where they have events.  The finisher medal is very nice, and the race shirt is nice quality.  II would do this one again – I did it last year too – and would recommend it to others.

Mucho thanks to all who were out there for us, e.g., all the Bigfoot crew members; the many volunteers out there for us; Bigfoot – guy must have been really warm in that oufit – who patiently allowed photos with him to all comers, whether it was the nice backdrop provided or just somewhere in the race area.  Also, thanks to the law enforcement park police officers there for our safety; and to all who sponsored this event; and thanks to non-participating park patrons using the park – cyclists, other runners, walkers – for their patience with us as we pretty much flooded that trail that connects eventually to LBJ Park; and to the first aid folks there, just in case; and anyone else involved not mentioned here. Thank you all!

Whatever your goals are, may you always be successful, and stay happy and healthy while working on reaching them.   Maybe I will see you at a future event sometime!  

Photos are here:    https://photos.app.goo.gl/hpWkGdQFCkaYguVU9

Before the Start:  Following the La Cruda 5K on New Year’s Day, my 2^nd race of 2026 was the Sunrise 5K on Saturday, January 3^rd at Ladybird Johnson (LBJ) Park in San Antonio.  Put on by Best Races, this is an organized, self-timed event that included a 5K and a 10K, with various start times.  The 5K was an out-and-back of 2 laps starting from the park’s trailhead to the paved trails.  The 10K folks did 4 laps, if I remember correctly, and their start time was a bit later than for the 5K participants. My selected start time was 7:30 a.m., but I arrived a tad late so, after getting my bib, I got going on the course at about 7:40 a.m. The weather was actually pretty nice, with blue skies, sunshine, a temp of 61 degrees, and some pretty low humidity.

On the course:  For a while, with my late start, I had the course all to myself and then began catching up with a few of the participants who had started right on time.  Then, on my way back to the start/finish to begin my second lap, the 10K folks started and then I had a LOT of company on the course, lol. I did my usual run/walk thing and got some photos during my walk breaks. The course was mostly flat, with a winding downhill  after we crossed the start line; then one fairly long incline at about the ½ mile point; then a fairly steep-but-short hill we went down before crossing a short bridge, heading in the direction of the Los Patios Shoppes. We did not go that far; the turn-round point was almost immediately after we crossed the bridge, with a volunteer there with water for those who wanted it. After the turn-round, we went back to the trailhead the way we had come out and then repeated the same route for our second lap. The paved greenway trails system at this park also have a lot of wooded areas along the way, so lots of shade on the course. As this is a dog-friendly event, I also stopped a couple of times to hand out a treat for any dog I saw running or walking with its human.  My second lap, I continued to do run/walk and got a few more photos, but after the turn-round, I then pretty much went non-stop back to the finish. The course was dead-on at 3.14 miles. I ended up finishing with a time of 44:57, averaging 14:19 per mile and I did negative splits, with my last mile being 13:20. 

After My Finish:  I got my finisher medal and then went back on the course for a bit, getting photos of a few others still on the course, and handed out a few more treats. Then it was back up to the trailhead and the park’s traffic circle area to chat with other participants, supporters, volunteers, etc., and get a few more after-photos. I met some really nice people, including a very nice gentleman around my age who was training a service dog, so I gave him a dog treat to give to the dog. As we chatted some of his family members doing the event began to gather, including one young lady who is doing on Sunday – the day after this event – the same Bigfoot 5K I am doing; and small world, too; she found out I grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, and she had previously lived in Reston, which is in the same area.  I had a very enjoyable time chatting with this family – although I probably talked too much, as I usually do, lol, but I think we all enjoyed it all. Super-nice family; hope to see them all again sometime. I will see some of them on Sunday January 4, as a couple of them are also doing Bigfoot 5K at McAllister Park.

Epilogue:   I know some of my running friends don’t like these “Best Races” events, as you basically pay for an event for which you time yourself; you get a small finisher medal for participating; and there are no age group awards. Even so, I quite enjoy doing these, and have made several new friends at these events. The course is pretty nice, with very few ‘challenges” so even less experienced runners can do this one without difficulty; and the other thing that makes this enjoyable is the participants themselves; really great people – on even ran in a horse costume, lol – and it’s always nice to make new friends. They also support via their programs some non-profit charities, including one for cancer research; so, as a survivor myself, I definitely appreciate that. each to his/her own.  Also, the local San Antonio area Best Races employees are very nice people; I’ve enjoyed getting to know them a bit.  Anyway, I get it, this is not everyone’s cup of tea; but I enjoy them and will continue do them on occasion.

Mucho thanks to all who were out there for us; the Best Races folks doing registration, etc., our two course marshals on the course; the Park Police law enforcement officers who were checking on us; also, as the park was till open to the public, thanks to other non-event patrons using the park for their patience with all of us; and partner sponsors of Best Races, that include several local businesses. Thank you all. Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it, meet all your personal goals, and stay safe and healthy.     

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/r4i1PT2JjczsP12FA            

Before the Start:   After doing the e-Dragon Productions New Year’s Eve 5K at 6 pm on December 31^st, I followed this up by doing the New Year’s Day La Cruda 5K in Helotes, Texas. Put on by Scallywompus, this is a very popular annual New Year’s Day 5K, held in Old Towne Helotes, with a 10 a.m. start, so you get to sleep in a tad after any New Year’s Eve activities. However, having done this before and knowing how popular it is, I planned to arrive at race site very early, which was good planning as, ultimately, the results listing showed there were 913 finishers for this event.  Thankfully, I had picked up my race packet before race day, so did not have to stand in the long line for race-day packet pickup. I also got lucky in finding pretty good parking in the lot right next to the start/finish area, so I enjoyed getting some pre-start photos as I walked around, chatting with other participants, supporters, vendors, sponsors, etc.; getting some pre-start photos; and, as this is a dog-friendly event, handing out treats to some of the doggies there. There were quite a few of my personal running/walking friends there, and also a whole lot of people that I’d never met before. There was a slight delay in the start time – I don’t remember the reason why, something to do with the timing mat, I think. My friend, Jose of iaap, the company doing the timing, saw me and asked me to walk across the timing mat at the start/finish to help him determine if it was working, which I did for him.  Apparently, things got resolved after that.  The National Anthem was then played, with one participant holding Old Glory high-and-proud for us, and then we got started; but not right away, lol; with this number of people,  and with me making sure not to line up near the front, with my slow pace, it took a bit of time for me to just get across the start mat; not excessively long, but not really quick either, which is about what I expected with this big crowd, so no worries.    

On the course:   After exiting the start area, we made a right turn, went past the traffic circle in Olde Towne, made a right turn, and headed down this street to a turn-round, and then came back up it. Once back at the traffic circle, we made a right turn heading toward Bandera Road, but did not go that far. We did a turn-round and then went back the way we’d come down; then went past the traffic circle again. This took us past the start/finish area of the race, and down a hill on Old Bandera Road; had level ground for all of 5 minutes, lol, and then climbed up Old Bandera Road. We then made a right turn on Scenic Loop Road. This was level for about all of 5 minutes, lol, and then we went around a bend, down a fairly steep but not-too-long hill; and then had level ground for all of 2 minutes, lol, before we climbed another hill to our turn-round. We then turned round and went back down the hill, and up the one that had been a downhill on our way to the turn-round. After cresting this hill, we then had some flat terrain for a bit, until we made a right turn back onto Old Bandera Road. This meant we now did the hills in reverse of the way we had come out, so we had a downhill first, and then climbed up to get to the finish line. After cresting that last hill, we finally had a bit of flat as we turned back onto the short dirt-and-gravel part of the course we’d started on, and that took us to the finish line. Whew!  As usual, I did my run/walk thing and took photos during my walk breaks. After the turn-round on Scenic Loop Road, I pretty much ran the last part of the course non-stop. I kept looking at my timer and saw we’d already reached 2.5 miles while still on Scenic Loop Road, so I suspected that this course was a tad long. My friend, Rick, running in front of me to the finish, agreed with that.  As we finally turned into the finish, we heard our MC, Anthony, welcoming us back and confirming that yes, the course was long – 3.4 miles – and things had been adjusted accordingly for the those who placed in their age groups.  Well, I knew I had not placed in my age group at my pace, with this many participants, but I was just happy that Anthony had confirmed I was not crazy, lol, and the course was long.  I ended up with a chip-time finish of 47:54, placing 5^th out of 9 in my 70-79 males age group.     

After My Finish: Got some water and Gatorade and did a cool-down walk and then got a few photos of others coming into the finish.  After that, I wandered around chatting with participants, supporters, sponsors, etc. and getting some more after photos.  Scallywompus motto is “Come for the race. Stay for the Party.”  They are not kidding either.  There were all kinds of beverages – including adult beverages; one group had a booth just a short way before the finish with Tequiladaiquiris, lol.   There was also grilled Kiolbassa sausages – my personal favorite brand – and my friend Gilbert, as usual, had a variety of fresh fruits….and the party went on.  There was a fun dance contest – which I did not participate in, since, lol, I dance like Elaine in “Seinfeld” – and there were judges watching and the top 5 most entertaining dancers, per their judgement, won a primo bottle of vodka. Even my friend with Ainsley’s Angels got into it, dancing with his chaired companion; and a good time was had by all.

Epilogue:  I’ve done this event ever since it first started – and I remember the first one we had was pretty chilly, and it even sleeted on us for a bit – and will continue to do this one as long as I am able. I’m not sure if I’ve done them all – I had a stress fracture in my ankle one year, so don’t remember if I was healed by then to do it that year; my friend, Lisa, of Soler’s Sports that did the online registration, packet pickup management, etc. – doing her usual great job –  may be able to tell me, but no big deal.  This is one fun event I will continue to keep on my race calendar as long as I am able to run or walk.

Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for we participants: Tony Garcia – whose birthday is also Race Day – Lisa Soler and her crew of volunteers for packet pickup, race day activities, etc:  our MC, Anthony Zamora doing his usual great job; all the many sponsors that helped make this one happen for we participants;  all the law enforcement officers out there for our safety; our first aid folks there for us; and, as the course roads were open to traffic, thanks to the patience of the resident drivers. On my way to the turn round, I was actually running by one guy driving slowly in his car and thanked him for his patience; he told me it’s okay, all good, it was pretty interesting seeing all these runners and walkers going by him in all these various costumes; very nice guy; I stopped for a moment, and he stopped too, and I shook his hand and thanked him; and then was on my way again.

I hope everyone who did this event enjoyed it, and stayed safe, and will continue to do it in the future. Yes, the course can be a tad tough in places, but it really is a fun event, with that great after-party.  Hope to see you out there at a future La Cruda, the Lord willing, and we all stay healthy and well enough to continue doing it. Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy yourself, be successful with all your personal goals and stay safe doing it

Photos are here:            https://photos.app.goo.gl/eppqsYqVy33jLD7b9

Before the Start My 83^rd and final race of 2025 was the e-Dragon New Year’s Eve 5K on December 31^st, put on by e-Dragon Productions, with a start time of 6 p.m.  The event was held at Pearsall Park in San Antonio on one of its paved concrete trails.  My wife, Gail, also did this one also, coming in separate vehicles because she had a meeting to attend post-race, and also she knows I hang around quite a while after a race to get photos and chat with friends.  We arrived just after 4:30 p.m., parking in one of the upper parking lots of the park, then had to walk down the sidewalk of a long hill, adjacent to the street, to the start/finish area to get our race packets; then go back up the hill to get back to our vehicles; and then back down the hill to get back to the race site. Is sure made for a nice pre-race warmup, lol.  With all the New Year’s Eve activities going on around town, this one had a pretty nice turn-out, with 262 finishers for the event.  I took a few pre-start photos before the start.

On the course:  We started right on time.  The course was out-and-back. Just about everyone had some kind of headlamp or other type of lighting fixture to be seen, and some of those lightings – various costumes and so forth – were quite imaginative.  The first part of the course, for about  ½ mile was fairly flat, and then we began going up-and-down on hills of varying sizes.  I carried my old-time Canon push-button camera with me and took only a couple of on-course photos, which did not come out too well in the night, even with my flash on, so finally just packed that in and just did the course. I did my usual 8-minutes-running/2-minutes walking thing, cheering people on as I went along A little before the turn-round, I just kept on running and pretty much ran non-stop back to the finish, for the most part. Surprisingly, I ended up first in my 70-99 males age group, probably because there were only 2 in my age group. My chip time was 42:10.       

After My Finish:    I stood a little back from the finish line and got a few photos of others coming in.  I also got a photo of Gail finishing her walk with a chip-time of 50:52. I took a photo of her finishing but it did not come out very well, since she was still wearing her headlamp, so it was flash against flash.  We then got a post-race photo together, which did come out very nicely. After that, she headed back home for a church meeting and I wandered here-and-there taking photos and chatting with other participants, my friends from iaap that did the timing, friend Erik of e-Dragon, and more.  I was one of the last participants to leave, so walked alone back up that long hill to my car.  It was actually pretty nice because by the time I left, there were fireworks lighting up the sky.  Pearsall Park is so high up on Old Pearsall  Park Road that when you stand on the top hill, you can see aircraft parked on JBSA Lackland and you can get a very distant view of some of the taller buildings in San Antonio. I drove home the way I’d come out – back down Military Highway to got to US 90 and go home – and then when I got near the entrance gate of JBSA Lackland, I got stuck for a while at the entrance gate as there was a whole lot of traffic entering the base through that gate; apparently there was some kind of New Year’s Eve function gong on, and when the traffic light changed, some of them were stuck right in the middle of the road while making the turn; so I had to wait a bit before I finally got a space to get through and go on my way. Always an adventure with me, as my wife sometimes says, lol.

Epilogue: This is a really nicely done event with a good course -not too many long hills – only one really steep one that we went up-and-down, with the others being more ‘gently rolling’ – and several flatter parts of the course, and the last ½ mile to the finish was pretty flat.  Lots of people were also wearing some very ‘entertaining’ outfits/costumes.  This is also a dog-friendly event – and the course is adequate for strollers too, which a few people had on the course – so, as usual with me having a pocket-full of dog treats, I handed out some treats to the dogs, and was popular with them, lol.      

Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for us participants: e-Dragon Productions for putting this on; our MC, and my friend, Anthony Zamora, who did his usual great job; he is MC for quite a few events over the year; my friends with iaap who did the timing and results; all the race day volunteers there for us; any sponsors who may have provided support; and anyone else involved; thank you all!

Whatever your personal exercise passion is, may you always be successful and may you always stay healthy enough to keep on doing it.   Maybe you will see me at a future event sometime; if so, give me a shout-out and we can chat and maybe even get a photo tother, if you are so inclined.  I have one more event to do this year, a 5K at Ladybird Johnson Park on December 27^th. Happy and safe holidays to you all.

Photos are here:       https://photos.app.goo.gl/8indHuJ1WaaXHsNe6

Before the Start:    My 82^nd race of 2025 was “A Merry Christmas 5K” put on by thebestraces.com.  Held on December 27^th at Ladybird Johnson (LBJ) Park, this was a fairly laid-back event, with Best Races providing race shirt and race packet shipped directly to your home. Best races also gives you options for the ‘wave’ you want to participate in, with times varying from 7:30 a.m.., the first wave, to 9 a.m., the last wave offered, and you just show up for your wave and participate.  These are self-timed events. You provide your finish time to the Best Races registration folks at the race, and they include your time in the posted results.  The weather for this one was very cloudy, overcast skies, a temp of 64 degrees and pretty humid at 81% humidity. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I handed out some dog treats too.

On the course:   I chose a wave time of 8 a.m. After arriving at the park, I got my race bib from two Best Races race-day registration/packet pickup ladies who knew me from doing some previous Best Races events.  The 7:30 wave participants were already doing their wave, so there was already a lot of coming-and-going as the course was 2 laps. I got a photo of the volunteer ladies and a couple more before my start, and then exactly at 8 a.m. all we participants of that wave got started. We went down steep, but fairly short incline that took us to the main paved Greenway Trails of the park. At the Greenway Trail, we made a left turn, which took us in the direction of the Los Patios Shoppes and a Loop 410 frontage road, but we did not go that far out. Our turn-round point was just after crossing a bridge going across Salado Creek. After making the turn-round, we went back to the start/finish, did a turn-round again and then did the 2^nd lap of the course.  I did my usual thing of running 8 minutes/walking 2 minutes and getting some on-course photos during my walk breaks.  I also took a few really short photo stops – maybe about a minute or so – to get a few extra photos, aside from those taken during my walk breaks.  I saw my talented running friend, Ralph, on the course too, and got a photo of him.  Overall, I was feeling pretty good and pretty much ended up the 2^nd lap almost completely non-stop, with just a couple of photos taken.  I even ran back a couple of times to get a couple of photos, which made the course a tad longer for me, lol, but it was all good. I ended up with 3.19 miles done in a time of 48:01, averaging 15:03 per mile and my last mile was my fastest, and a negative split.

After My Finish:  I got my finisher medal and then stood near the finish line getting some photos of others finishing up.     Sometimes I’d get ready to take a photo, and the participant would turn round and head back on the course, which made me know he/she still had the second lap to do; so I only got finisher photos of those who kept coming right at me, lol, since those folks were finishing up their second lap. After that, I wandered around the race area, chatting with other participants; handed out some more dog treats; and got a few photos of some of the happy finisher and their supporters.  There was water post-race and there was also available a variety of small, individual snack packages.

Epilogue:   I always keep telling myself at times that I am just going to sign up for races that actually have timers doing the timing for us and then posting the results the same day; somehow it never works out that way, lol; I usually end up doing at least one of these Best Races events at least once a month. They are pretty low-key, but the fact of the matter is they are quite fun to do, and I always do enjoy myself on their courses.  They have quite a variety of participants – including some really talented/speedy runners too; and love it that this is a dog-friendly event.  If you can’t find a race you want to do on a specific weekend, check out their race calendar, you just might find a fun race you can do, with no pressure since there are no age group awards, so you’re only testing yourself; and, as noted, they can be quite fun; and they actually do get quite a nice turn-out for these events.

Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for us participants:  All the people who organized this one for us; all the many volunteers out there for us participants; the Park Police Officer on-site for our safety;  the official photographer that was there; and, as the park was still open to the public, the patience of all the park patrons at the park who were not involved in the event, as we flooded the trails for a while; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all!

Whatever your personal exercise passion is, may you always be successful and may you always stay healthy enough to keep on doing it.   Maybe you will see me at a future event sometime; if so, give me a shout-out and we can chat and maybe even get a photo tother, if you are so inclined.  I have one more event to do this year, a 5K at Ladybird Johnson Park on December 27^th. Happy and safe holidays to you all.

Photos are here:      https://photos.app.goo.gl/CcCAkS9vC7iv5g7r5

Before the Start:   My 81^st race of 2025 was the El Santa Run 5K held at Mission County Park #1, with a start time of 7:30 a.m. This was my second race of the weekend, after doing the Jingle Paws Classic 5K on Saturday. This event was put on by Andiamo Race Productions, with timing and results done by race management company iaap.  I left home pretty early and arrived at the race site around 6:30 a.m., one of the first few participants to arrive. The Andiamo crew was still setting up the race area and organizing things for race-day packet pickup. My friends, Johnny, and Keyes and his friend, arrived shortly after me, so we just relaxed a bit and chatted about this-and-that as we waited for race-day packet pickup to get started. The Andiamo crew had everything in order pretty quickly. After getting my packet and getting my race bib on, I wandered around pre-start, chatting with other participants that were now arriving pretty quickly and got some pre-start photos. There were several participants and supporters in some very interesting and imaginative costumes. This is also a dog-friendly event, so I handed out treats to the dog there, with permission of their humans.  After I gave him a treat, one dog, a really beautiful Great Pyrenees that belonged to our MC, kept going for the back pocket of my running shorts, lol, every time I passed by him; he knew exactly where the treats were, lol. There was a stretch session before we got started; The National Anthem was played, and then we were off. There were 246 finishers for this 5K. The weather for this one was at 61 degrees, with no wind, abundant sunshine, and a pretty high humidity of around 86 percent.

On the course:  The course was an out-and-back on the concrete paved trails of the Mission Reach part of the San Antonio Greenway System of trails, and very hilly.  I did my usual run/walk thing and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks.  The start was done in waves, releasing about 15 to 20 participants every  few minutes or so, to allow participants to have some maneuvering room. After crossing the timing matt, we immediately made a left turn that took us down a fairly steep, short hill.  We then had some level running, and then went up a fairly long, but not too steep uphill, with some nice views of the San Antonio River on our right. I was feeling good and went along pretty well. We then had a bit of flat for a short while – a very short while, lol – and then climbed again, topping this hill at the first water station on the course- what, no beer? Lol.  After the water station, we went downhill, then around a bend and uphill again, and then went beneath a bridge, and on a long downhill, with the river still to our right. This downhill got us onto a flat part of the course with a view of a bridge ahead that was the 5K turn-round point, and some nice views of the river on our right. At this point, AI pretty much starting ignoring my garmin notifying me of walk breaks and pretty much ran nonstop from underneath the bridge all the way back to the finish, with just a few short quick stops of maybe a minute or so to get some oncourse photos and then was off-and-running again.  After getting to the bridge, I got a photo of our turn-round course marshal and then proceeded to head back to the finish line. Now, of course, that very steep hill we came down to get to the turn-round was now an uphill for us.  That was the toughest hill on the course, in my opinion. As we passed by the water station again, I jokingly asked the volunteer there for us “What, you didn’t send anyone for the beer?”  By now the speedier participants had most likely already finished, so we middle-and-back of the pack folks had plenty of room for our trip back to the finish.  I  chatted and ran off-and-on with several different participants on the way back and got a couple more quick photos. We finally went onto our last downhill, and could see ahead of us the finish line area – which was now an uphill for us.  I had been running for the last ½ mile or so with a very nice young lady – her name went out of my old-man head, so when I saw the finish I told her “Let’s get it done..” and off we went, making pretty good time. I finished  a bit before her, with a  chip time of 40:35, averaging 13:04 per mile and, per my Garmin had negatives splits for each mile, with my last mile being done in 12:42, nice.  I got a photo of her finishing and then, staying away from the timing matt, went  back out on top of the hill and got a few more photos of others coming into the finish. 

After My Finish:   After getting those finisher photos, I then wandered around the pavilion area again, chatting with participants, volunteers, supporters, vendors, etc.; handing out more treats to the dogs there, and getting some after photos.  Santa Claus was there too by one of the photo backdrops, so lots of folks wanted photos with him. Our MC actually got a whole lot of participants and  supporters do crowd around him, and the official event photographer took some photos of them. This race Santa is actually a friend of mine, so after things got less crowded around him, I got a photo with him.  Our MC announced the awards – the first overall in each age group got an award; I was second in mine; and the overall male and female also got prizes. She is the human of the Pyrenees dog and had the dog beside her, but while she was doing her thing, the dog saw me, and kept trying, lol, to get to my pocket where I had the treats; so I finally went and stood beside the dog, so she could keep doing her thing without having to keep pulling the dog back, lol.  After she finished the awards, I gave her a handful of treats for the dog, so he would not keep wandering after me, lol. He’s a very friendly and beautiful dog.  I also got a photo of some of the family members, my friends, the Iniguez family, who are owners of iaap race management company which, in my opinion, is the top-notch San Antonio-based race management company.  They do events for several things all over the state of Texas.  Finally, it was time to go – as usual, I was one of the last participants to leave – so headed out, making a stop at the very nearby JBSA Fort Sam Houston fitness center where I enjoyed a nice, hot shower that felt great, and got into some dry clothes, so I did not have to drive home all sweaty

Epilogue:  Andiamo Productions has a series of 4 races each year and if you do all four, you get a nice medal for that. I only did this one for this year.  The company always does a great job with their events, and they are very worthwhile to do.  The finisher medal for this one is very nice, and the race shirt is a really nice quality long-sleeved shirt. I do so many races in the year, I often donate my race shirts since I’m running out of drawer space, lol; but this one is a keeper. The course is challenging – lots of climbing up-and-down – but well thought-out with lots of room for all, and very nice views of the river. I will definitely do this one again in the future and would recommend Andiamo events to others.

Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for us participants:  All the people who organized this one for us; all the many volunteers out there for us participants; the law enforcement officers on-site for our safety; our sound and music guy; and my personal friends of iaap who did the timing and results in their usual great manner.  Also, all the race sponsors and patrons; and, as this course was open to others not doing the 5K, e.g., other runners, walkers, cyclists, etc., thanks to them for their patience with us.  From where I was on the course at any given moment, the cyclists were really good about calling out as they came up behind us, so thanks to them for that.  Also, many thanks to those on the course who were running with me at various course spots, as we chatted and encouraged each other on, which is always very helpful; and to our official photographers whose photos will surely be much better than mine, lol, taken with my old-time pushbutton Canon camera; and to anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all!

Whatever your personal exercise passion is, may you always be successful and may you always stay healthy enough to keep on doing it.   Maybe you will see me at a future event sometime; if so, give me a shout-out and we can chat and maybe even get a photo tother, if you are so inclined.  I have one more event to do this year, a 5K at Ladybird Johnson Park on December 27^th. Happy and safe holidays to you all.

Photos are here:      https://photos.app.goo.gl/1bRP13TdJs6xczHP6

Before the Start:   My 80^th race of 2025 was the Jingle Paws Classic 5K held on December 20^th at  O.P. Schnabel Park in San Antonio, Texas.  Put on by the Helotes Humane Society, this event supports its mission of placing unwanted animals in good homes.  There was a total of 197 finisher for this event, both walkers and runners, with 70 males and 117 females.  Start time was 8 a.m.   Our weather for this one was overcast skies; a temperature of 61 degrees at start time, and very humid, around 85%.  I arrived with about 45 minutes to go until start time, got my race packet and then got a few pre-start photos of some of the participants – which included dogs too – volunteers, vendors, etc.

On the course:  We started just a tad past 8 a.m.  The course was done on concrete trails that are part of San Antonio’s Greenway Trails System that connects several San Antonio parks together, so you can go a long way on this trail system, if so inclined. The start/finish area was near the parking area by the main pavilion of the park.  I’ve done events here several times, so I knew what to expect.  We started by going up a long incline – probably a ‘hill’ for those who don’t do hill training regularly – passing a small  picnic table area on our left. Immediately after the picnic area, we then made a right turn and proceeded down a long incline, not too steep, but it went quite a ways.  We then made a left turn near where one of our course marshal volunteers was sitting – thank you for being there – and then went down a steep short hill; mad a left turn and proceeded down a fairly long downhill bridge that took us over a brushy area in the park. After coming off the bridge, we then made a right turn and had a flat course  for maybe just over ¼ of a mile and then it was downhill again; and so it went….a mix of flat, up, and down along the whole route.  I have spinal arthritis so can’t run non-stop anymore for any great distance, so I did my usual thing of run-8-minutes/walk 2-minutes and took on-course photos during my walk breaks.    Overall, I felt pretty good and went along pretty well.   Sometimes when I run in the parks, always see these chairs along the way, and used to wonder what they were out there for…why out there all alone in the middle of nowhere; well after a few runs and races, now I know why…for old guys like me who may get tired on the way and need a couple minutes rest, lol.  Thankfully, I didn’t need one today. I was feeling pretty good the whole way and actually did negative splits for this one; slow negative splits, lol, but I’ll take it.  After getting  to the turn-round point & water stop – and joking with the lady volunteers there –”what, no beer?” – I then pretty much went nonstop on the way back to the finish line, with just a few quick stops of less than a minute to take a few more photos on the way back.  Of course, since we came down that first incline after the start and then down the bridge, this was all now up for us on the way to the finish, until we got to that picnic table pavilion and made the last turn, and that was downhill to the finish line. I ended up with a chip time of 42:11, averaging 13: 35 per mile and I had negative splits for each mile, nice, with my last one being my fastest at 13:43.

After My Finish:  I stood a little back from the finish line and got a few photos of others finishing, cheering them in as I did so. After that, it was back to the park pavilion, wandering around, chatting with friends, other participants, volunteers, etc., handing out more treats to the doggies and getting some more after photos of other participants, volunteers, some folks in costume – including Mr. and Mrs. Claus, who also had a very nice dog with them, sweet.  Awards were given to only the Top 3 overall males and females in each age category: 1 – 17 years old males; 18-99 years old males;  and the same age groups for females.  Some races also give finisher medals, but this one did not, and I have no heartburn with that; rather see the funds go to supporting the good cause of this organization.

Epilogue:  I’ve done this race in previous years and will do it again in upcoming years. It’s a nicely-done, well organized event, with several “snack goodies” pre-start and post-race; plenty of water; and there was also a raffle for some very nice prize baskets donated by some of the various event sponsors and supporters. The race shirt is very nice quality, and the goodie back participants got have a few nice things in them; personally, I got a kick out of a pair of ‘’fun eyeglasses” with the H-E-B logo on them….they cracked me up when saw those; very imaginative.  As noted, I’ve done this one before; I’ll certainly do it again; and I definitely would recommend it to others.

Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for us participants:  All the people who organized this one for us; all the many volunteers out there for we participants; the law enforcement officers on-site for our safety; our sound and music guy; my personal friends of Athlete Guild who laid out the course and provided us with the race timing and results; and also a thank you to the park patrons not involved with the race – other walkers, runners, and cyclists doing their thing in the park  –  for their patience when they encountered we participants on the trails; and anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all! Whatever your passion is, may you always enjoy it and stay healthy while doing it. I tend to do a lot of races, lol, and do my training runs during the week, so give me a shout-out if you see me sometime; a LOUD shout-out, lol, as I am a little hard of hearing in one ear – the ear I turn toward my wife when she wants me to do an errand, lol.;  just kidding, honey.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yv6wwtdUAtrJ6xWHA

Before the Start:  My 79^th race of 2025 was the Santa Hustle 5K held at SeaWorld San Antonio on December 14^th. This was my 2^nd race of the weekend after doing the Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell 5K on Saturday.  In addition to the 5K, there was also a 10K and a Kids Run.   The start time for the 10K was 9 a.m., with the 5K following at 9:30 a.m., so I got to sleep in a bit for this one. The weather also changed for this one from the fairly nice day I had for my Saturday 5K. The temperature dropped into the 50s, with a ‘feels like” temp of 42 because of a pretty stiff wind blowing between 13 to 15 mph. I much prefer temps in the 60s and 70s, so for this event I made sure to wear a warm base layer under my top running shirt and felt quite fine.  I arrived at SeaWorld with just over an hour to go for the 5K start time, gave a couple of plush dolls to one of the volunteers to give to the cause, as proceeds from this event supported Toys For Tots and The Reindeer Brigade. After that, I wandered around chatting with participants, volunteers, supporters, etc., and getting a few pre-start photos.

On the course:  The 10K started first, exactly on time. There was a big timer on the bar of the start/finish line, and we could all see the time on it. All the events started exactly on time, with our Race Direct giving a “count-down” for the last 10 seconds for each event, and then we were off.  The course was a big loop that pretty much gave us a tour of the entire park.  The wind, still blowing pretty good, was  tough in the open areas, but whenever we were going along the inner parts of the park where we passed by several buildings, exhibits, and other structures, those made a pretty nice wind-break.   I think the most difficult part of the course was a very open area where we climbed a fairly long uphill, with part of the roller coaster ride on our left, and the wind blowing right into our faces. That hill was tough, lol, but after that the majority of the course was pretty flat. I did my usual thing of run-8-minutes/walk-2-minutes – can’t run a whole race distance non-stop anymore due to spinal arthritis I have now – and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks. My friend, Peggy, also did this one – and also the same one I did on Saturday. She is a very strong walker, and usually passes me during my walk breaks, and then I catch back up to her after my walk break is over. I jokingly tell her, since I am a runner and she is a walker, my goal is to finish before she does; which is tough because she is one very quick and strong walker.  However, I’ve been ‘practicing’ on my training runs of doing my last 1.5 miles with non-stop running, so for the last couple of same events we’ve done I have managed – just barely, lol – to finish ahead of her. My chip time was 42:10, which put me 2^nd in my males 70-99 age group.

After My Finish:  A volunteer handed me my finisher medal and then I  stood a short way behind the finish line so as not to impede others coming in and got a few photos of other finishing, including my friend Peggy who, like yesterday’s 5K was not all that far behind me. After that, I went back out onto the course a short distance from the finish area to get a photo of some flamingoes in their enclosure that we had passed by just before getting to the finish line. As I was doing that, two other friends came walking along on their way to the finish. I did not know they’d signed up for this one, so I got a photo of them, and then they took a photo of me in front of the Flamingo enclosure. Then it was back to the finish area – making sure not to go over the timing mat again, and to stay out of the way of others finishing – and chatted with other participants, supporters, and volunteers and got a few more photos. Peggy and I also went back to where the packet pickup area had been and watched the awards ceremony.  Awards were only given to the Overall Top 3 male and female finishers for the 10K and 5K. I’ve got no heartburn with this…means more funding can be sent for the supported cause.   too.

Epilogue:  This is a really nicely done event that gives you lots of views of the park. I would definitely do this one again and recommend it to others.  I heard from other participants that the previous course was just around the huge parking lot at the park, so I’m glad they changed it.  We did actually go out of the park gates – where the tickets are sold – very briefly to go down a short part of the course that took us down to another entry gate that took us back into the park for more views of the park along our way. This is a really nice course that gives you a close-up look of just about everything at the park, and there were also a few water stations along the way, as well as course marshal volunteers making sure we were going on the correct route.  I jokingly asked one of the water station volunteers “What, no beer?” and then, ironically lol, went past one of the vendor stores in the park that does sell beer.  Of course, it was not open because the park was closed to the public while this event was going on. 

Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for us participants, e.g., park leadership and staff members that made this one happen for we participants; Brooksee, the event organizer, if I remember correctly – I think our MC was with this company, and Laurel Timing, also if I remember correctly, who did the timing and results.  Also, mucho-thanks to all the many volunteers out there on the course for us, making sure we were on track.  We participants were at least moving; these folks had to stand in that wind until the very last participant passed by. Additional thanks to all the other volunteers there for us who were doing race-day registration, packet pickup, handing out finisher medals, and more. Events like this could not happen for we participants without you.  May all of you reach whatever personal goals you have and stay safe and healthy while doing it. Maybe I will see you – or you will see me, lol – at a future event; if so, give me a shout-out and we’ll get a photo together.

Photos are here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/DW1zmAqioG56ok2n7         

Before the Start:    My 78^th race of 2025 was the Jingle Bell Run held on December 13^th at Martin Luther King Park in San Antonio. This event is a festive event supporting The Arthritis Foundation. I have spinal arthritis and DDD (degenerative disk disease) and some issues with my facet joint which is why I can’t do distance running anymore, so pretty much stick to 5Ks and use a run/walk method now when I do a race or run; I make this event a regular one on my race calendar to support the cause.  There were several other events on this same date in our local area so, all things considered, we had a nice turn-out for the 5K with 119 timed 5K finishers. There were several other untimed people who walked or ran with their friends/family members in support of them. I arrived pretty early before the start, got some good parking pretty close to the start/finish area; got my race packet; and then got some pre-start photos while enjoying chatting with  other participants, supporters, race day volunteers, etc.  We had some pretty good weather for this one too;  a bit overcast, with a temp of 64 degrees, making it a bit humid, but not too bad, and some occasional spitting rain, but nothing really serious.

On the course:  The 5K started at 8:45 a.m. after the playing of The National Anthem.  The course was done on the off-road paved concrete trails that are part of San Antonio’s Greenway System, which connects a lot of the San Antonio Parks to each other;  if so inclined, you can run, walk, hike, or bike a long way on these trails.  Our course was an out-and-back starting just up from the MLK Park pavilion. taking us on a small loop past the park pavilion and then past the Martin Luther King  Jr. Academy, a Charter school that serves grade levels K-8. After passing by the school, we then proceeded onto a trail that took us to the turn-round point, crossing over a ‘shaky’ bridge along the way; shaky because of multiple people crossing it;  For the most part, the course was pretty flat until we got closer to the turn-round. We had about a half-mile of downhill to get to the turn-round and then, of course, had to go back up the hill on the way to the finish. I did my usual thing of 8-minutes-run/2-minutes-walk and took some on-course photos during my walk breaks. My friend, Peggy, who sometimes walks faster than I run, lol, was behind me most of the way, but got ahead of me when we crossed the bridge and I stopped to take a few photos from the bridge. I always joke with her that one of my goals is to at least stay a bit ahead of her, and I often get that challenge as we do a lot of the same events over the year.  After the bridge, I did catch back up to her, and then passed her, but she was never very far behind me for the whole rest of the course. During my training runs, I’ve been practicing running my last mile or a tad longer non-stop, so I “mostly’ did that for this event too. I got to the turn-round, joked with the water station volunteers there about ‘no beer’, went around the turn-round cone – and here came Peggy again, not all that far behind me – and began now going up the hill we’d come down to get to the turn-round, heading for the finish. After I got back to the bridge, I took a couple more on-course photos, and saw behind me, here comes Peggy again; she is one strong walker. Off I went again, passing the Mile 2 marker and headed for the finish.  I did slow down briefly when I saw participants with their dogs on the course, to pull out a dog-treat and as I passed by hand it to the dog’s human to give to the dog. Once I got back to the MLK Academy, I knew it was only about a half-mile now, maybe a tad under, so pushed myself along nonstop to the finish. I ended up with a chip time of 42:30, averaging a 13:41 pace and my last mile was a negative split; Mile 1: 14:16; Mile 2: 13:53, and Mile 3: 13:26; nice. 

After My Finish:  A volunteer handed me my finisher medal and then I  stood a short way behind the finish line so as not to impede others coming in and got a few photos of other finishing, including my friend Peggy who was still not all that far behind me, lol. She did great. After that, I went to get some post-race goodies. Several of the vendors/sponsors had tables set up with various treats, drinks, food items, etc.  I enjoyed a post-race Gatorade and a Cliff Bar as I once more became a ‘wandering dog”,  going around the area chatting with other participants, supporters, vendors/sponsors and getting some post-race photos, including those of my personal friends of iaap who had laid out the course and did the timing and results.  There was an awards ceremony, with the top 3 in each age group getting an award.  They started with the younger age groups first, so at my age I knew I would have quite a wait for them to get to me, lol. I took some photos  of some of the other awardees, including my friends Peggy and Deborah who had also placed, and continued wandering around, chatting with others and handing out the dog treats I still had left.  They finally got to we old guys, lol, and MC Roy announced to everyone this was my 78^th race of the year, so got some cheers for that; thanks to all of you who were there and did that, much appreciated.  I was second in my age group as there were only two in my age group; my goal is to outlive my competition, lol, since my I only have two running paces: slow and slower. I was 11 minutes behind the guy who was first in my age group; very nice guy, enjoyed chatting with him.

Epilogue:    This is a really nicely done event put on by the local chapter of The Arthritis Foundation. The course was laid out very nicely by the iaap folks – in my opinion, the #1 San Antono-based race management company; they are well known not only here but in several places in Texas and get a lot of work, so are always very busy.  The finisher medals are nicely done, and the race shirt is very nice quality. Lots of vendors at this one, too, and several had various free handouts and edible goodies.  This is also a pet-friendly event too; one lady even had her cat in a pouch on her back, keeping her company.  That is the most patient cat I have ever seen, lol.  I will definitely continue to do this event and most certainly would recommend it to others. Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for us participants, e.g., The local chapter of The Arthritis Foundation; all the sponsors; our MC, Roy, who did a great job for us; the local law enforcement officers that were out there for our safety; the many volunteers it took to make this one happen for another year for we participants; iaap race management company for doing the course set-up, timing, and results – with a special shout-out to the owners – this is a family-owned business – Jose and Mini Iniguez and their family members all involved in the business Back in the day – before some of you were even born, lol – Jose was a top-notch marathon runner, who won several marathon, including the old-time San Antonio Marathon.  Also, thanks to all who were involved that I may not have mentioned here. Thank you all! Whatever your personal goals are, hope you always obtain them and stay safe, healthy, and injury-free doing it.  Hope to see you around sometime at a future event; if you see me first, give me a should-out.  Relaxing time for me now;  I’ve got another 5K scheduled for the day after this one.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mqFZLHoGY4QXVbFm7

Before the Start:   My 77^th race of 2025 was the Holiday Hunger 5K held in Bulverde, Texas on December 6 at Bulverde Community Park, with a start time of 9 a.m. This event supported Provisions Outreach, the Bulverde food pantry. Due to some ongoing local road construction, I left fairly early to get to the race site, arriving at 7:30 a.m, so had plenty of time before the start to chat with others there, including my friends from Athlete Guild who laid out the course and did the timing and results for this event, and get a few pre-start photos. This is also a dog-friendly event; there were several dogs in attendance, all very friendly, and even more friendly to me, lol, after I gave them dog treats.  For a fairly smaller event – and being done on the same weekend as the inaugural San Antonio Marathon Half-Marathon, which the majority of the members of the local area running community had signed up for – it was a fairly good turn-out with 112 finishers, walkers and runners.

On the course:  After the playing of The National Anthem, we got started right n time. The course was a simple out-and-back, starting at the park, going down Bulverde Lane, making a right turn on Obst Road, going to our turn-round point and then coming back exactly the way we had gone out. The course was mostly flat, with a few inclines; nothing you could really call a hill until we got closer to the turn-round, where we did go down a fairly long but not-too-steep hill to get to the turn-round, and then we had to climb back up on the way back.  I did my usual run/walk thing which is normally 8-minutes-run/2-minutes-walk; however since my absent-minded-self forgot to bring my garmin watch, I used my music player for my intervals, running for 4 songs – estimating that each song would be about 2+ minutes – and walking for 1 song and this worked pretty well.  After making the turn-round, I then got ambitious, lol, and ran non-stop to the finish.  I felt pretty good for the whole route, ending up with a chip-time finish of 41:55, which was good enough for first in my 70-99 males age group, and I was the 59^th finisher overall of the 112 participants.

After My Finish:  I got a few photos of some others coming in and then wandered here-and-there in the finish area, getting some after-photos of the happy finishers and their supporters; handed out more dog treats; and enjoyed some post-race treats. The awards ceremony was held at the park’s pavilion, where several of the sponsor organizations had various post-race treats and drinks, and hand-out souvenirs (keychains, small towels, and so forth).  The age group awards was nicely done by our MC, Mark Purnell, and he started with we “senior folks” first, which I appreciated cuz, you know, after a run or workout, we senior citizens need to get home after that to take our nap. 😉   

Epilogue:  This is a very nicely done event that I would certainly recommend to others. It’s for a good cause; has a very nice route; the age-group placer medal is really nicely done, and very nice quality race shirt.  Some of the participants and supporters had on some very decorative holiday wear – including our MC – which was fun to see. The venue is very nice too; I don’t come to Bulverde very much and it always surprises me how large this park is, with athletic fields, indoor restrooms, a very nice pavilion, etc. The local traffic seemed to me to be pretty light, and the drivers we encountered were pretty patient about it all. 

Mucho thanks to all who made this one happen for us participants, e.g., all the sponsor; the local law enforcement officers that were out there for our safety; Athlete Guild for doing the course set-up, timing, and results – with a special shout-out to my old friend Coach John Purnell – and I mean that literally, he and I are getting to the point where we are both becoming older than dirt, lol – who was one of our Course Marshals making sure we were going in the correct direction; and thank to all other volunteers there for us, doing packet pickup, race day registration, helping with the awards, and so forth. Also, thanks to all the local residents and drivers, who were very patient with us invading their space for a few hours; and to anyone else involved I may not have mentioned here.  Thank you all! Whatever your personal goals are, hope you always obtain them and stay safe doing it.