It’s taken me a bit longer than usual to put together a race recap as I have been working through what I wanted to say in this post over the past few days. I didn’t necessarily make it a secret that I was going for my first 100 Mile finish. I had signed up for this race on January 1st, 2018 proclaiming that “this was going to be the year” I ran 100 Miles. I had also written about it in previous blog posts, and I had told friends and family about the race. So, to not make it all that way was incredibly disappointing and I’m still trying to process it even as I type this a week later.
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| Start Line! |
For this race, my parents both flew up from North Carolina to help crew me. It was parents weekend at Bentley University, and try as they might to convince me to enjoy a normal parents weekend with them, I could not be swayed. We arrived at Camp Tevya around 8:00am on race morning and quickly unloaded our supplies from the car and found a spot close to the start line. The weather at the race was perfect and stayed in the mid-50s for most of the day. For this ultra, I had more supplies and more changes of clothes than I had for any previous ultra. We ended up setting up right across from Brian Butterfield, whom I had met at the TARC Fall Classic 50 Mile, a few weeks earlier. We talked for a few minutes before both going to our respective camps to finish setting up. Brian would go on to run an incredibly even paced race and take 2nd Overall in the 100 Mile in 16:41.
Before I knew it, there were five minutes until the start and everyone began to line up. I ran a quick double check over my supplies to make sure I had everything. For this race, I would be carrying 200 calories of Tailwind with base salts and about 250 calories of chips and cookies. I would be able to refuel my bottle at each end of the course so I would be getting in about 700 calories for each loop. Finally, after some words from the incredible race directors, we were off and running.
I found myself going out quite a bit faster than previous ultras, even much shorter distances than my planned 100 miles. I felt like it was difficult to properly gauge my efforts at times during the first four miles of the out and back as it was pretty much razor flat. As a side note, the course traverses between Brookline and Milford, New Hampshire, with Milford serving as the turn-around point for each lap. Overall, I still really feel like I haven’t hit my full potential on trails. I haven’t been able to translate my marathon and half marathon speed as well as I would have liked, but I’m hoping it improves in future ultras. Maybe I just need to train harder? I rolled through the first few miles in about an 8:20 pace, making sure to keep my heart rate right around 150 beats per minute. I definitely like to run my own race, and I seldom, if ever, find myself running with anyone else for very long. This isn’t because I don’t like to talk with other runners, it's more because I find my pace a bit more cyclical than others. One minute, I judge that I’m putting too much effort in and slow down, and the next I find myself picking it right back up.
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| Power Line Aid Station: First Lap Photo Credit: Jon McInerney |
One thing that surprised me at this race was that there were quite a few road crossings. None of these, however, were ever a problem with cars, which was a relief. When I was running I always felt like there were two distinct “sections” of the course. The first part ended when we went by a road crossing and went down these big wooden steps on each lap. This section was much more technical and slower than the first part of the course. Towards the end of my race, I really felt like this was the area I was losing the most time at, especially the big hill around Mile 6 and Mile 9, which was rockier than I expected. By far the coolest part of each loop was going under the pipe tunnel a few minutes before hitting the mid-lap aid station. Even during daytime, the middle of the tunnel is still pitch black and cold! I hit the turnaround at the mid-aid station in 1:00:57. I tried to spend about under a minute here each lap, only stopping to refuel my bottle with Tailwind.
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| 15 Miles Done! |
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| Finishing Lap One! Photo Credit: David Metsky |
Finally, I hit the road section of the course, which only covers about the first and last quarter mile of each loop. The good thing about the set-up of the course is that at the end of each lap you have to run past your crew and the start line to a covered bridge just down the road, turn around and then run back through the timing mat to begin the next lap. This allowed me to yell out to my parents what I needed for each lap as I passed them and gave them about two minutes to prepare it for me so I didn’t waste valuable time trying to explain. I only stopped for about a minute and a half the first lap before going through the timing mat in 2:06:21 (8:23 Pace) in 9th Overall.
The next stretch heading back to Milford was probably the best I felt all race; I even saw a 7:58 Mile in there at some point, which was probably just a touch fast. Another good thing about the out and back course was that I could generally gauge how far ahead I was from people running close by me, which was helpful in determining if I was gaining or losing ground. By now, everyone was fairly spread out and I didn’t have to really dodge any people like how I felt coming back from the first turnaround at 7.5. Probably my favorite people to see on the course each lap were the family with the two young kids who were also running! I was just so inspired by them being out there together and having the opportunity to participate in this awesome sport at such a young age, one of them was as young as 8. In fact, they were still going for at least 2-3 hours after I had finished and completed the 30 Mile event. Also, worth mentioning is that Ghost Train is special in the sense that there are no “DNF’s”, Did Not Finish, as the race allows you to complete as many 15 Mile laps as you can in a 30-hour time limit. As a result, there were people running 30 Miles, 45, 60, 75, 90, or 100+ Miles, meaning you never really knew what race people were running or if it would be the last time you would see them on the course. Speaking of the course, I hit the turnaround for the second time, Mile 22.5, in 3:07:45 for an 8:20 Pace.
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| Power Line Aid Station: Second Lap Photo Credit: Jon McInerney |
Heading back to Tevya for the second time was not kind to me. Maybe I went out to fast, or maybe I let the enormity of the task ahead of me get to me, but I found myself really struggling as early as 25 Miles. It’s difficult to shut off your brain when it tells you that you have already run a marathon today, yet you still have 73.8 Mile to go. My pace slipped considerably even though I did not feel all that tired. I did not feel great mentally when I hit Tevya for the second time. I probably spend about 3-4 minutes at my base camp this time, where I made sure I took in a slice of pizza and some water. I felt really stiff leaving camp, especially on my right leg, which was an early sign of future problems in the race. I hit 30 Miles in 7th Overall in 4:23:53 for an 8:47 Pace. I was off for my third loop.
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| End of Second Lap! |
I desperately needed to “reset” my body and head so I began to implement a nine-minute run and one-minute walk system. This helped tremendously as I was hitting splits that were faster than my last eight miles where I wasn’t walking at all. This system had me hitting just under ten-minute miles as I remember seeing a lot of miles in the 9:40-9:55 range. I was feeling much stronger than the last lap and rolled into Milford for the 3rd time feeling pretty confident. I had moved into 4th place and was in a pretty solid position overall. The only thing I felt like was really draining me was the hilly section of the course and I was ecstatic each time when I would climb up the big wooden stairs and enter the flatter part of the course. Coming into Tevya for the third time my parents remarked that I looked so much better than when I had come in for the second lap. I knew that I only had one more lap before I picked up my parents to help pace me from Miles 60-90. I hit 45 Miles in 4th Overall in 6:57:00 for a 9:16 Pace. On a side, note I wanted to congratulate Patrick Caron for his course record in the 45 Mile race in which he ran a blistering 6:40 pace.
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| Power Line Aid Station: Third Lap Photo Credit: Jon McInerney |
I set off for my fourth lap with my headlamp, however, I choose to remain in a singlet and not put on any gloves, which was a huge mistake. It had been pretty warm during the day, but I had underestimated how quickly it would get cold. Probably not even two miles into this fourth lap and I suddenly just felt toast. My right leg had been giving me a lot of issues, especially in my hamstring area, over the last 15 Miles and it was only getting worse. I had been having an issue with my right leg in various areas during my training so it was definitely my fault that I didn’t take care of that by stretching, icing, or seeing a sports doctor. My pace, like the last lap, had continued to slip. I was still implementing the nine-minute run and one-minute walk, but already I was splitting about a minute a mile slower. I had also lost my appetite for the chips and cookies I had been eating the last eight hours and was only consuming my tailwind. When I came into Milford for the 4th time I spent a few minutes extra at the aid station. I thought it was really odd that the table where I filled up my water bottle was suddenly moving, but then I realized it was just my head that was spinning.
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| End of Third Lap! 45 Miles in! |
I left the aid station at Milford knowing deep down that I probably was not going to be back. The sun was also now setting and I was getting cold. I had also spilled water all over the bottle handle and my hand was now freezing, which was definitely poor planning on my part. These last few miles saw me splitting mostly in the 12-13 minute miles despite the fact that I was solely running, having abandoned implementing my walking since my right leg was in so much pain. It was on this stretch back to Tevya that I was lapped by Alex Jinks who ran a ridiculous 8:05 Pace for 100 Miles to set a new course record in 13:29:19. I turned on my headlamp for the last hour of this race, wondering when Brian, whom I had a 20-minute lead on at one point, would also catch me. The answer to that question was right as we hit the road with about half a mile to go for the lap. He asked me how I was and I said not very well and that my right leg was in significant pain. He was nice enough to allow me to use his roller and to take one of his No-Doz if I wanted. He looked super strong when he went by me right before Mile 60 so I knew he was going to have a great rest of his race. When I passed my parents at the end of the fourth lap, I told them I was going to go through the lap timing mat and then come back to them. I knew what this probably meant for my race.
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| Breakdown of Lap Splits |
In the end, I crossed the timing mat for the final time in 9:55:57, a 9:55 pace for 60 Miles. I had managed to win the 60 Mile race, but this didn’t really feel like much of a consolation prize at the time. I had wanted 100 Miles. The farthest I have ever run before was a 100k, or 62 Miles, so it was a strange emotion to feel so disappointed at “only” running 60 Miles. A lot (or all) of the issues that had plagued me during this race were my fault, from failing to make sure I was properly taking care of my body in training, to running without proper clothing for the fourth lap, to having my only “real” long training run be my 50 Miles at the TARC Fall Classic. The great thing about ultra-running though is that it is a live and learn sport. I know I will be back to Ghost Train and Camp Tevya, and I’ll be looking to go farther than this time. In the meantime, I have a doctor’s appointment scheduled for November 5th to check out my leg, and I am taking a week or two off from running (goodbye 150-day running streak). If all goes well, I hope to see my fellow Trail Animals at the TARCkey Trot 6 Hour and the TARC Winter Fells 40 Miles in a few weeks!
Finally, I want to shoutout Chris Wristen, the man behind MassUltra, for the mention in the Ghost Train recap article! I really feel as I have joined a special community in the Trail Animals Running Club and I always look forward to all of their races. The race directors really know how to put on a great event, and the runners and volunteers always make it worth it to be out there on the trails.
Finally, I want to shoutout Chris Wristen, the man behind MassUltra, for the mention in the Ghost Train recap article! I really feel as I have joined a special community in the Trail Animals Running Club and I always look forward to all of their races. The race directors really know how to put on a great event, and the runners and volunteers always make it worth it to be out there on the trails.
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| MassUltra Article Credit: Chris Wristen |
One last thought I want to leave with actually comes from one of about thirty paper plates that were nailed to the trees along the hilly part of the course. These quotes were all funny or inspirational, but only one really stuck with me: “Success is not final, and failure is not fatal.”
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