Friday, 11/11/2016 to Sunday, 11/13/2016 - Dirt Cheap Stage Race

I ran for my eighth Dirt Cheap Stage Race hoodie. I don't know where all my hoodies are but I know I earned all of them.

Friday, 11/11/2016: DCSR #1

Dirt Cheap Stage Race #1 was a 3 mile trail race out on Pond Rd in Mendon Ponds Park. It was held in time trial fashion with runner going out in 5 second intervals starting at 6;30 PM. So ... yes, this was held at night and headlamps were required. The bibs were given out in "first come, first given" fashion at Fleet Feet Armory. I picked up my bib on Thursday night so I had number 144. I had signed up for the series so I had the same bib all weekend.

I filled my running bag with the gear I would need plus a bit more just in case. I dressed after work and drove straight out. I wore my CW-X tights, an orange long sleeve tech, a short sleeve tech (2015 Rochester Marathon), Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I pinned my race bib through both tech shirts since I knew I would be wearing for three days. I got down to the parking lot at the intersection of Douglas Rd and Pond Rd around 5:30 PM. I put on my yellow Brooks 1/4 zip pullover and Brooks jacket on to keep warm until the race and brought a small race bag to keep everything in during the race. I wore this race gear the whole weekend since the race temps would be between 40F and 55F.

I walked up the 1/4 mile to the race venue and waited. I met up with Prem Kumar (#39) and Andy Ciaio (#211). Prem wasn't feeling well. He said he was "running for the hoodie" ... one foot in front of the other. The weather was a bit chilly: 41F, 45% RH, 10 mph NW wind, wind chill 35F, partly cloudy.

A picture of the race venue ... photo courtesy of Ellen Brenner of Fleet Feet Sports

I got in line with the other and saw that there was still a 10 minute wait so I went out for a short 0.47 mile at 8:36 pace at to warm up, link here.


I just had about 3 or 4 minutes to psych myself up .... and I was off! I have run this course numerous times during other DCSRs but this was the second time in the dark on a Friday night. I caught up to lot of runners and offered them encouragement as much as I could. I was also trying to avoid any roots and roots that my headlamp picked up but also just hoping to just avoid them by just sheer luck. This course seemed a lot longer when you run it in the dark. And ... I was done! The clock said around 40 minutes. I was confused for a bit and then I realized that I had started when it was 11:10.

A picture of the finish ... photo courtesy of Ellen Brenner of Fleet Feet Sports

After DCSR #1

I had a quick couple of hot dogs along with a few cookies before I put the clothes in my running bag on over my wet tech shirts. I ran with Andy Ciaio back to our cars since it was a bit too chilly to walk. Andy told me that he had been stuck behind long groups of slower runners for a bit during the race ... he still ran a 30:13 ... beast!

Officially, I ran well. I ran the 3.11 miles in 30:55, 58th out of 221, link here. My splits were: 9:37, 10:59, 9:40 and 6:49 over the last 0.11 mile. It didn't feel that fast over the last 0.11 though.

Saturday, 11/12/2016: DCSR #2

Dirt Cheap Stage Race #2 was a 5 mile trail race held out at Devil's Bathtub at Mendon Ponds Park. I have run this course numerous times (8 DCSRs and at least 8 DCTRs) and knew it well.

I arrived around 9:10 AM and was rewarded with a pretty good parking spot about 1/2 way up the hill. I backed the Cruze in a bit too far and scraped the bottom of the grille into the ground. Some people did remark about it. I was early for the 10 AM start and met up with Prem Kumar, Andy Ciaio and Mike Meynadasy before the race. I got out for a 0.9 mile warmup run at 8;28 pace, link here. I got back with 5 minutes to spare so I had to rush a bit to get to the Cruze to shed my top 2 layers, take a swig of water, pick up my 10 ounce water bottle, lock up the Cruze and get back up near the start before the race started. The weather at the start was: 41F, 56% RH, 8 mph W wind, wind chill 36F, mostly sunny.

You can see my glove and yellow long sleeve tech to the left ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Sports 

And ... we were off! I liked how Yellow Jacket Racing swept off the leaves from the roots and rocks near the start. It's just part of the all encompassing care that YJR takes when they put on a race! I got up a nice and easy but fast trail race pace quickly. I passed Prem early and saw Andy and Mike up ahead. The race progressed.

Early in the race ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Sports

Later in the race ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Sports

I walked the hills I had to keep my heart rate under control and then ran the flats and downs. Non-runners think runners ran all time on trail races. We, for the most part, don't. I power walk up the long and steep hills to catch my breath.

I passed Mike in a long flat stretch before we got back to the infamous stair climb finish. Yes ... we climb the stairs at Devil's Bathtub to the finish. Why? Well ... because Boots believes that hills build character, lol! I could hear the finish line announcer so I knew the finish was near. I held a bit back to have something in the tank for the finish ... up, up ... stairs ... up, up ... more stairs ... 50 feet to go ... more stairs ... done!

The infamous stair climb to the finish ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Sports

My time was just over 43 minutes. I took a swig of water and bumped fists with Andy who had finished in 42:09. I had a bagel half and some donut holes for my post race food. They hit the spot.

After DCSR #2

Officially, I ran the 4.57 miles in 43:17 gun time, 43:12 chip time. I was 54th out of 243, link here. My splits were: 8:17, 9:58, 10:26, 8:11 and 6:28 (wow!) over the last 0.57 mile.

Mike mentioned how I "glided" past him on the flat when I passed him with about 1/2 mile to go. Maybe I do "glide" on the flat but I struggle on the ups and tend to be conservative on the downs and particularly so on the steep downs. I know what happens when I fall ... I tend to break stuff. I have had enough ambulance rides after races and don't want any more ... knock on wood.

My darling wife, Christine, had company in town so we met up with her daughter, Beth, and Beth's mother-in-law, Linda, for dinner at Rohrbach Brewing Company on Buffalo at 5 PM. This was a test for me since I hadn't had an alcoholic drink since my 59th birthday back in September. I ordered a orange creme soda with my dinner and everyone else,  including Christine BTW, had beer. But ... I held to the promise I had made to myself ... 57 days sober and counting.

It was an early bedtime for Christine and I. We made the best of it ... ;-)

Sunday, 11/13/2016: DCSR #3

Dirt Cheap Stage Race #3 is the "running for the hoodie" race if and only if you have run and finished the previous 2 races. I had #1 and #2 under my belt so ... I was "running for the hoodie"!

I was up at 6:16 AM and quietly got ready. This time I filled up my Hammer Gel flask with Hammer Gel and filled my 20 ounce water bottle. I kissed my darling wife, Christine, good-bye like I had the previous two mornings. She told me "Have a good race" like she always does before she either drifts back to sleep or wakes up and checks out my eCrumb that I leave before I start a race. She uses the eCrumb to virtually stalk me.

I decided to take a different route down to Mendon Ponds Park on this morning. I went east on the LOSP to get to I-590S instead of west to I-390S, I-490E and I-590S. This brought me to the intersection of the LOSP and Lake Ave. There was a lot of sun glare but I was able to make out the red light. The pickup truck beside me didn't and was almost hit by two cars. The driver of the pickup truck stopped for about 20 seconds before proceeded onward ... probably counting their lucky starts (among other things I'll bet).

Anyway, the race start was at Stewart Lodge. I got there around 8:15 AM and just hung out at the lodge. I congratulated Ellen Brenner, the race director, on how she was able to get good weather for every DCSR. She said "Shh" and knocked on wood, lol! I was a bit hungry so I had some donut holes. Barry Cherney was across the table from me and cracked open a can of Genny Cream Ale beer. He said that he doesn't have leg cramps if he has a beer before a race and that the one time he didn't he had a leg cramp.

I didn't warm-up before this race. I just stretched a bit. I met up with Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio. Andy kidded me about not going out too fast ... since I always do. Ellen went through her usual pre-race announcements: "Don't litter, follow the pink flags, don't follow the runner in front of you and if you get lost it's your own fault". She reminded us that the early start runners had started at 7:45 AM and to be courteous if we came upon them. Oh, I have followed the runner in front of me during a race ... so I have gotten lost more than once.

Before the start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Sport

A pic of Andy, Mike and I just after the start ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Sports

The line of runners on the beach .. photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Sports

Climbing a hill about 1 mile in ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Sports

And ... we were off! I got up to my usual nice and easy but fast trail race pace quickly and held it until the climb up to the water tower about 1.5 miles in. I started my hydration at mile 2 and took a swig every 1 or 2 miles. I stopped to take some Hammer Gel at mile 5 and around 7. I have run this race enough to kind of know it well. I knew about the road crossing at mile 5 where there was a water table. I forced myself to stop, dig out my Hammer Gel flask and suck about an ounce of it. I did lose about 100 yards to the couple of runners that I was with. But I had to remember to take care of myself and run my own race.

Just running in the woods ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Sports

I was almost out of water at mile 7 so I stopped to refill my 20 ounce water bottle. The race was getting long and I was slowing down a bit. I was walking the hills I had to walk and running the flats and downs. It was tough to not walk the flats and downs too but I managed. Boots and Sean gave encouragement on  one steep hill around mile 8. Then it was down the infamous stairs at Devil's Bathtub ... mile 9 ... down to the Hundred Acre Pond ... skirting it on the path between it and Deep Pond ... turn left toward Steward Lodge ... past the boat launch ... mile 10 ... a momentary course mix up ... back into the woods near Stewart Lodge ... one more hill ... dig, dig ... done!

The standard grimace was evident as I climbed the last hill before the finish  ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Sport

My time was just over 1:44. I had looked at my previous times for the last 7 years and I was pretty sure that this was a course PR. I bumped fist with Andy Ciaio who had finished a minute ahead of me and then went into Stewart Lodge. Ellen presented me with another DCSR hoodie to add to my collection. Cobalt blue is the newest color!

The hoodie!

I was pretty sweaty and tired. So I had a banana and some pretzels as I cooled down. Then I took off my wet and sweaty top layers and put on the hoodie. It felt good on my skin ... aaahhh!

Enjoying the hoodie as someone finishes before me.

Yes, I did have a couple mugs of coffee while I reclined on the couch. Officially, I ran a 1:44:07, link here. I was 43rd out of 214. I was 6th out of 22 in my series M 50-59 age group, link here.

I checked my running spreadsheet. Yes, I did run a DCSR #3 PR. My previous DCSR #3 (2009 - 2:05:41, 2010 - 1:52:54, 2011 - 1:45;51, 2012 - 2:10:54, 2013 - 1:47:18, 2014 - 1:50:28 and 2015: 1:48:16) So .. I ran 1:44 faster than 5 years ago in 2011. I must have ran fast early but I don't think I ran fast later in the race! I also ran the night version of DSCR #1 1:39 faster than in 2015 when it switched from Saturday morning to Friday night. These 59 year old legs can still surprise me!

The DCSR bling

So .. 5 runs in 3 days. Friday was 0.47 and 3.11 miles; Saturday was 0.9 and 4.57 miles and Sunday was 10.32 miles for a grand total of 19.37 miles. Not a whole lot of miles when it's spread over three days. But earning the 2016 Dirt Cheap Stage Race hoodie ... priceless!