Ghost Train 2017

The Stats….

Race: TARC Ghost Train Trail Races

Location: Camp Tevya, Brookline, NH 

Lap distance:15 miles 

Elevation: ehh, not totally sure but since its 95% rail trail and only one tiny deviating hill, you can be assured its not much.

Laps completed: 6, plus the final ten mile out and back

Total distance covered: 100 miles

Time: 26 hours and 19 minutes

Foods: California rolls, Bacon, Watermelon, Grilled Cheese, Frank's      Pulled Pork, Chicken Noodle Soup

Guys who look like the bad guy from Billy Madison: 1 

Popular artist on the iPod: Grateful Dead, The War on Drugs, Steely Dan

Finsh: 40 out of 65 in the hundred mile distance category



 

Where to start... I first ran Ghost Train in 2009, when it was a brand new race and only a 15 miler. At the time, it was the longest race I had ever entered and probably the longest run in general that I had ever done. I wasn't sure what to expect. I was just going to treat it like a regular training run and take it easy. But as soon as we started, I found myself up front wondering what the hell I was doing with the lead guys. This was either stupid or the way awesome things began. Turns out it was the later, as I finished in 3rd place. This put the thought in my head that maybe distance and endurance was my thing and not so much about the shorter, faster stuff, that I had blindly grown up on. 

With the exception of 2010, I have attended every Ghost Train race, mostly as a competitor, but also as a crew member and pacer. I came back each year to hit new distance milestones. It was my first 50k, my first 60 miler (also first 100k), and first 75 miler. It was the 75 miler that bothered me most. I had every intention of that 75 being a 100 miler, but alas, I didn't have the skill set or knowledge to get me through those dark, early morning hours. After a day or two of being pissed about it, I decided to look at it as a learning experience. What really happened at 5am and what would have gotten me through it?

2017 was the year of testing out strategies to hit that 100 mile goal. Pretty much everything I came up with that would have been helpful at 5am turned out to really work wonders. One of those things, pushing more calories via foods I actually want to eat because the aid station stuff just looked unappealing, worked great! And, as a testament to that, I am currently eating the left overs from yesterday's race for breakfast this morning as I type this....ummmm, California Rolls.

Per accordance with the ultra athlete handbook, I checked in with the long range forecast no fewer than 8 times a day for the 15 days leading up to the race. And due to the fact that I checked it so often, we were treated to sunny, mid 70s temps during the day and a clear, cool night in the 40s. A far cry from last year's warm humidity>rain>cold rain>cold rain and wind>windy wind>snow and wind. 

The race is run on an old, 7.5 mile stretch of rail bed with the exception of one hill, which on any other course wouldn't be worth noting but its literally the only real change in elevation. Participants run out and back for 15 miles and can run any multiple of 15 as its own race. There is a marker on the course for those that are running 100 miles, which they will run out to and turn back on their final lap.


As one would expect, the race started off rather relaxed and I bumped into Jennifer "Witch Costume" Sorrell, who I met at last year's race. We ran a lap and a half together and enjoyed some good banter. Its in these early miles that I tend to find myself just wanting them to pass and to get into the meat of the race, so talking with someone is always a great distraction for me.

The turn around spot is in Milford at the DPW. I was greeted there each time by my lovely girlfriend Jenn, and some of the Scores Running Club crew. Jenn was a huge help to me the entire race. She was eager to help me get what I needed, helped change my clothes, and didn't let me hang around long (ok, I get it, I smell). I had my own stash of food and premixed tailwind there. That was one of my take aways from last year. Bring your own food when you can. Don't rely on what might or might not be there.

Miles 22.5 to 45 where rather boring. I was by myself and never really seemed to pair off well with anyone else out there pace wise. The only slight amusement I had was pointing out a fellow racer to anyone nearby who looked just like the bad guy from Billy Madison. 

By mile 45 the course was headlamp worthy. Frank, who just finished his first 100 miler two weeks ago, was there to crew and cook. So before heading out I enjoyed some of his tasty pulled pork and grabbed a pair of headphone. Tunes were now needed.

Heading off on that 4th lap, I began to piece together a run/walk strategy. The course breaks well into segments and I came up with a plan that allowed for large chunks of running and good recovery walks. With the exception of the last ten mile out and back, my plan stayed in place for the rest of the race. It also became a lot easier to move along with music.

Coming back into the start/finish area at mile 60, I picked up my pacer, Chris Barry who would stay with me through mile 90. If I could rate Chris as a pacer on Yelp, he'd get 5 stars. He knew all the right things to do and questions to ask. He made sure I was staying fueled and was sticking to the predescribed run/walk plan I mentioned. We came back into the start/finish at mile 75 feeling good. Real good. This was my breaking point last year, where I had no point of reference on what to do or what I needed. It was where I quit. This year I sat down. I enjoyed some soup, some sushi, and a good bit of iced coffee. It was time to avenge the demons of last year.

Back out for miles 75 to 90, we kept on trucking. We were running large chunks of the course at a real solid pace late in the game. I was feeling good. By mile 84, headlamps could go away. Daylight is a game changer. 

We came back into the start/finish at mile 90, well ahead of our expected arrival. Frank cooked me up a chocolate chip banana pancake, Jenn helped me change my shorts, socks and shoes, I thanked Chris for his outstanding pacing, and headed out with Jenn to finish up the final ten miles. For some reason, the clothing change didn't help for the better. The shoes messed with my feet to the point of getting a blister on my right foot and the shorts only further aggravated the chafing I had. We walked a good deal of those final ten miles. That was fine. The goal was finishing and I had plenty of time to do so. The final two miles of the course, or the first two depending on which direction you're going, are my least favorite. They're just boring and don't break up well into segments. It only seemed fitting to have to tough my way through those two miles to what was the end game. 100 miles. 

Finally being able to see the gate and pavement that was the start of Camp Tevya was incredible. This was what I had imagined for the past few years. What it would be like to actually run into camp and finish. To run down past the tennis courts, past all the other runner's camps and the main aid station, to pass through the little covered foot bridge, round the pumpkin and bring it on back to the finish. It was actually happening, and strangely, as I had somehow imagined it. I crossed the line in 26:19, breaking a finishing tape that the Scores guys had made for me. My parents had shown up too, which was fitting, considering that they had watched me trip over myself time and time again play baseball as a kid and saying to each other, there's one thing that kid will never do, and that's run.

BURCS Summer Fatass

The Stats….

Race: BURCS Summer Fatass 24 hour

Lap distance: 1.9 miles, or as everyone’s Garmin or Strava would suggest, 2 miles.

Elevation: Roughly 200ft per lap… according to someone I asked, I really have no idea.

Laps completed: 33

Total distance covered: 62.7 miles, or with aid of suggested data, 66 miles.

Time: 15 hours and 35 minutes

California rolls consumed: 5

Bacon: Half package

Watermelon: not enough

Fake moon sightings: 1

Popular artist on the iPod: Grateful Dead, The War on Drugs, Future Islands, Steely Dan

Finsh: 7 out of 21

To give this race report some background, I need to go back to October 23^rd of last year. It was 5am on a cold, windy morning and I, 20 hours deep at the Ghost Train Trail Race, couldn't quite pull myself out of the dark hole that I couldn’t even recognize I was in. I was out there to complete 100 miles, yet here I was standing in a daze, completely sure that if I blinked too long I would just fall asleep. I tried talking some sense into myself. It was less than a marathon, I told myself. Less than two full laps, I said. This is what I showed up for, I thought. But in the end, I cashed in my chips at 75 miles and went home defeated.

In the following days I came to a few conclusions. First, I achieved a new distance PR. Second, how much training did I have with being that exhausted at 5am? Third, how much fuel had I really taken in, as the options at the aid station tables were just completely unappealing to me? And fourth, if someone had given me a cold brew coffee and some music and pointed me back out on the trail and told me to just start walking till the sun comes up, I probably wouldn’t be writing this right now. Taking that all in, I was able to consider that race a victory in the learning department. Now to put those lessons into action.

This brings me to yesterday’s BURCS Summer Fatass, a 24/12/6 hour event out in the scenic Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. I had the goals this year of adding night running into my training and finding foods I wanted to eat. This race provided an opportunity to practice both. With a start time of 7pm on Saturday and a stock pile of bacon, California rolls, watermelon, ice coffee and Tailwind, I was ready to get down to business.

I had already been awake for 11 hours and done a bunch of regular Saturday things, when we started the first lap. We began with a nice climb up one of the many trails of the Notchview Nordic Ski Center to then wind our way down through double track cross country ski trails, open fields with beautiful views, and tall pine forests. The first few laps went by rather quickly. I had struck up conversation with fellow racer, Patrick, for those laps and we talked about lots of random running stuff till he decided to take a fueling break and walk a lap, or most likely, was sick of my babbling.

By lap 7 headlamps were a must. I was pushing the limit of where I had it turned on, as I knew I would soon be sick of the sight of following a light through the woods. And the beautiful sun set made for having the headlamp off in the open sections worthwhile. I ran into the night in silence, with only a melodic guitar solo stuck in my head to assist me through each loop. By midnight I had completed the marathon distance and the race was well underway.

Something new to me for this race was that with each lap being only 1.9 miles in distance, I didn’t need to run with anything. No hydration pack, no hand held. That certainly helps the body in being taxed less. With each lap, I was sure to swing by the basecamp aid station and have some tailwind and eat what seemed appealing. I’d also take a sushi roll for a walk up the trail. Personally appealing foods are a must!

As I got into the thick of the night, things became rather routine. Walk the first hill, wind down through the muddy section with the Klu Klux Fern (iridescent dew illuminated what appeared to be the hood of a Klansman and was accompanied by a white tiger jumping out at the trail. Seeing things that aren’t really there is fun!) Enjoy the moon in the tall pines section (moon was full and beaming down all night!), hit the rolling up hills to the firefly shed, then cruise out into the fields to finish it up. Occasionally I would walk a lap with my lady friend or a new to me friend. Most of the time, I would get it done on my own accompanied by my iPod which I brought out some time around 1am.

As the wee hours of the morning progressed I could feel the length of my day settling in. I was getting the yawns pretty hard while walking the uphill and I knew this was where the lessons I had learned would pay off. Just keep moving. By 4am, the first hints of daylight were appearing against the opposing warmth of the moon. Each lap provided a little more light until the headlamp was useless. Lesson one accomplished, I had made it to the daylight… game changer! The trail became all new again as the first rays of sun cut through the forest. Running without staring at an illuminated spot on the ground was amazing.

By 6am or so, I had hit the 50 mile mark and I was feeling the fact that I had been up for 22 hours. I was dragging. Let’s implement some more of those lessons I learned. I sat for a bit, changed my shorts, changed my socks (pink injinji socks courtesy of my lady friend, that paired with my green Hoka’s, made my feet look like watermelons), changed my shoes, ate another California roll and pounded a bunch of French roast ice coffee. By 8am I was back to kicking ass and taking names! I felt like it was a regular morning run where I had just woken up from plenty of sleep. Strange. I love you, coffee!!!  Oh, and that donut. That delicious, made in Portland donut. I love you, too.

Coming into this event, I wanted to have a goal. As much as I wanted to test out my new strategies to see how they helped in the long run, I felt going the full 24 hours wasn’t a necessary thing for me. I’ve had two 50k training runs so far this season, so a 100k finish would be a perfectly acceptable goal. I ran the last few laps with renewed vigor. For my final lap, I decided a walk was going to be the thing to do. Take in the sights one last time… bring some beers for the walk, and finish it up in style!

Half way through that final course lap, Patrick came up behind me. We walked for a while, talking about how the race had gone and such. He said he was done after that lap; his 32^nd so I gave him the last of my beer. I mentioned that one more lap would get him to that 100k mark, 62.7 miles to be exact. For someone who has a 50k distance PR, how badass would it be to double that? And it’s just one lap away!

I decided to run it in from the firefly shed and yelled out “TEN!!!” …or the newly branded, “SEXY PANTS!”, as I had each and every time for the fine race folks to record my lap number. And with that I was completely happy to be done and walk away from this a success.

Patrick comes in a few minutes after me and decides after a beer that not only is he going one more lap; he’s going 5 more… 70.3 miles. Well done, my friend. Well done!

                               Finishers award for both the lady friend and myself