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

Emerald Necklace 3 Day Stage Race

I first came upon this race last year after scrolling through Ultra Signup for events coming up in my area. The distances were reasonable and it was only an hour away. While I already had my races squared away last year, I kept this one in the pocket. So, when it came time to plan out this season, the Emerald Necklace 3 Day Stage Race made the calendar.

This race was run on the Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway (SRKG), a 75 mile trail that circumnavigates Lake Sunapee with close to 13,000 ft. of elevation gain. And just to add a bit more distance, because honestly, who couldn't use a few more miles, we started at a nicely restored train station in Andover, NH and ran the few miles from the station out to where the SRKG crosses to begin the race. We also ran back on the rail bed, too. It was the only duplicated section of the course.

The event started off Thursday night where a group of 39 gathered to be briefed on what could only be referred to as a terrible idea by anyone with more than 5 fully functioning brain cells left, at the New London town hall. Here, we checked in all our mandatory gear and went over the course for the following day, which would include summits of both Ragged Mountain and Mount Kearsage. After collectively thinking this was going to be a fantastic time, we were set free for the evening. A lot of us went over to the Sunapee Middle School, where our race/camp headquarters would be for the weekend. There, everyone was setting up tents or choosing to sleep in the gym, which was about 110 degrees. Either way there wasn’t much time for hanging out because the race was starting at 7am and sleep was of top priority.

Friday: Stage One - 25 miles

After avoiding rain for most of the night, my alarm went off at the most pleasant hour of 4:45am. Emerging from my tent, it was a slow, coffeeless stager around camp getting myself and my gear ready for the day (short sleeve or sleeveless? Oh, the decisions!). By 6am, a few of us loaded into my car and drove the 30 minutes to Potter Place, where the race would start. As we gathered, Tom, one of the fantastic race directors, went over some last minute details and sent us off on our journey as the day’s impending rain began to settle in.

The first few miles were on old rail bed, and possibly some of my fastest miles all weekend. Two miles in, we come across the SRKG trail mark and take a right off the rail bed to begin our climb up Ragged Mountain. The first bit of the climb was on dirt road, which turned off onto old jeep roads. From there it became wet and technical single track as the rain gave a slick coating to everything. Many of the sections of this ascent were steep and required power hiking. It was one hell of a way to start off the race. After summiting Ragged by the ski patrol lodge, the decent was more of the same slick, technical trail. On this section I spent a good amount of time trying to get my shoes to fit right, as I continually stopped to mess with them before finally emerging at the bottom behind (school).
From here, we ran across some fields and a seriously sketchy suspension bridge, to begin climbing a series of dirt roads and old jeep roads until finally coming into the course’s main aid station at mile 14. I refilled my pack and hand held, drank some Coke, and shoveled some chocolate covered espresso beans into my mouth before grabbing a handful of watermelon cubes and heading out.

The next section of the course climbed a steep, paved road (sure, I’ll keep walking) until arriving at the parking lot for the Mount Kearsarge trail head where we continued our up hill ascent for another mile and a half or so. This climb was again fairly technical and slick. Finally emerging at the summit, we were treated to some cool breezes and nice views before decending for nearly 5 miles. There was very steep, rocky terrain to contend with to start, but soon became very runnable. In this section my feet began hurting from all the relacing I had been doing earlier on in the race. Even after trying to loosen up the laces, it didn’t seem to make too much of a difference in the pain department. I muscled my way through the final few miles of the course before finishing 12^th place in 6:08 at Sutton Field. Taking my shoes off never felt better!

After finishing and changing out of my nasty running clothes, small groups of us were shuttled back to the Middle School, where we cleaned up and hung out for the remainder of the day. My girlfriend, Jenn, who had to back out of the race due to injury, came up to hangout and support me the rest of the weekend. (You’re the best, baby!)

Before turning in for the night, we again met to go over the course for the following day, noting all the turns and trails and such.

Saturday: Stage Two – 24 miles

After being fed breakfast, the day started off with a 30 minute bus ride back to Sutton Field where we finished the day before. Again, a few last minute words from the RD and we were off. The first mile was nice and cool as we headed past a lake before starting to climb for almost 2 miles up dirt roads and old jeep trails. I was feeling pretty good this morning. I was feeling none of the wear and tear from the day before and I had swapped out the shoes I was running in yesterday for my oldest, most comfortable pair to help with the foot pain I had. I kept a decent pace and ran everything I could as I knew there would be plenty of sections later that wouldn’t be so runnable.

 

About 6 miles in I came to a spot in the trail where the trail marker pointed up to the left but I couldn’t figure out for the life of me where this trail was. I stood around dumb founded for a minute until a few other guys showed up and pointed out where I was supposed to me headed. Turns out there are a few sections of the SRKG that seemingly only exist to make this trail a loop and barely, if ever, get used. This happened to be one of those sections. Weaving over heavily leaf and debris laden trail, we made our way out of this section before decending a number of roads out to Rt 103, where the main aid station of this section was located. I loaded back up on all my favorites and headed back out to start up Mount Sunapee. This section was power hiking at its best. As tiring as it was, I kept moving, noting the change in vegetation as I climbed further and further up before eventually emerging onto some open slope of the ski area and cresting over the top where the lady friend had hiked up to. We chatted for a minute as she walked with me towards the trail back down on the other side before I took off only to stop a second later to ask her which way I was supposed to go at a seemingly unmarked trail junction.

Unlike yesterday, I brought my ipod with me and was fully enjoying this summer’s tour gems as I made my way down to the parking lot. From the parking area, I ran down a number of paved roads which just hammered my quads. This was probably the longest paved section of the race, which ran by a number of farms and scenic views before turning off on a dirt road. I make it to the last “water only” aid station and fill up my hand held thinking the finish isn’t that far off from what I could remember of the talk the night before. Turns out there was something like 8 miles left. I ran into the woods on trails I had first run years ago during one of the races of the Western New Hampshire Trail Race Series. These trails again eventually gave way to lesser and lesser used trails. I felt like this section was never going to end and was convinced that just around every turn had to be a road I would come out on or something signifying the race was almost done….. ugh. Finally I emerge at a disc golf park and run out to the main road and take a left. From here, the SRKG goes through neighborhood streets, scenic river front trails, and across the patio deck of a local restaurant where people were eating baskets of fried clams and enjoying ice cream.

Under the heat from the early afternoon sun, I ran the pavement back to the Sunapee Middle School, where the finish was located today. I crossed the finish after 24 miles 9^th  in 5:19. Over all, it was a solid day of running.

 

After pounding some chocolate milk and water, I sat in an ice bath for a bit to soak the leg muscles. It was the first time in a long time I wasn’t a huge nancy about getting into cold water!

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent cheering on runners as they finished, eating, drinking, and playing Trivial Pursuit.

Sunday: Stage Three – 31 miles

Oh Lord! My legs! My Quads!! They hurt!!! Moving around camp that morning was not fun. The past two days had caught up to me. If this were any other day, running would have been filed under HELL NO!!! But that option didn't exist today. I geared up and waited in the early morning fog to begin the final stage. I went out with the group of guys I had been running with for the first half of the previous day. There was no way I could hang. I couldn’t even hang with those further back from that group….. I was hurting and mentally drained wondering how the hell I’m going to push through another day of this in my current condition.

The first several miles were ssssslllllllooooooooowwwwwwwww. My legs eventually began to loosen up a little. I was running more than walking and beginning to think I might be able to put the wheels back on this train. I get to the first aid station at mile 11 to Jenn asking what I needed. Since new legs weren’t available, I instead filled my hand held, drank some Coke, and put a few more gels in my pack before venturing on.

Somewhere in the next 8 miles my legs began to feel better but I was still physically exhausted from the past two days. Running down the creek between miles 17-19 was nice and my pace opened up a bit before coming into the major aid station of the race at mile 19 to Jenn holding up a box of Munchkins to my delight. I’m not sure there is any other sport where you can eat donuts and drink soda in the middle of a grueling athletic endeavor. Seriously, you can yell, “Look at me, I’m an athlete!” with donut glaze all over your face and no one is going to question your abilities!

The trail out of the aid station was steep for the next mile before giving way to runnable, rolling terrain. After several miles I came to Bog Mountain, the only sizeable climb of the day. Passing over the top, I knew there wasn’t that much further to go. I started making check lists in my head. Thorn bush laden clear-cut trail…. Check. Water only stop… Check. Back on the original rail trail… Check!!! From here it was just a matter of grinding it out to the finish. In a short time I was able to see the red of the old caboose out in front of the station, which just never seemed to get closer. Finally, 100 yards or so from the finish, you could hear people cheering as I brought it in strong, crossing the line 15^th in 7:53 to conclude this epic journey!

It didn’t take long (roughly 15 seconds) to get a beer in my hands and take in what an incredible event this was. Everything from the course, the camp, the runners, and the outstanding job Mike and Tom did putting this event on was top shelf! As tired as I am a day later, I can’t wait to come back and do this again! Good times!

Aaaannnnnnd let's recap the last 9 months of blog avoidance

After the Pisgah 50k in September, I didn't have anything else on my immediate race calendar. Earlier in the year I had wanted to find something other than Ghost Train to run later in the fall. I figured something would come up that would pique my interest.... yep, nothing I could find. The thing was, I was actually feeling like I was in good enough shape to run my first 100. Now I was pissed that I hadn't sign up for Ghost Train, as is had sold out months before and the waiting list was already stacked.

Cedric, however, was signed up to run his first 100 at Ghost Train, and I figured that pacing him for a while would be a great way to bag a whole bunch of miles. I started out with him around 5pm at mile 45. We had a good time hitting up that 4th lap. Ced showed no signs of of the previous miles and we kept it locked in at a comfortable pace. Around 9pm things changed... for me.

About 14 miles into my pacing duties, we start heading up the one lone hill (if you can even call it that) on the entire course. We come upon a girl who just looked like hell and was clearly struggling. I ask if she was ok. She says no. I ask if she needs any fluids, GU or S-caps... No. She then proceeds to tell me she had emergency surgery on her tonsils the day before but was damned if anything was going to keep her from running her first 100 miler. She said she could feel the blood running down the back of her throat and was getting cold and really light headed as if she might pass out at any moment. I decided that sounded way too bad to have her walk on her own and let my buddy go on. I proceed to walk with her for the next half mile waiting for a passing runner to ask if there was a volunteer at the next road crossing. There was not. She was getting really cold and shaky. She hadn't taken in any fluids or food in a long time due to her throat. I give her my jacket and tell her to wait at the next road crossing. I take off sprinting for the turn around point on the course a mile further down the trail. I drive with a staff member back to the road crossing. The woman gets picked up and I head back out with Ced for the rest of my time pacing him. I dont think much more about it, but I was hoping I get my jacket back, which I eventually found at the start/finish area once I was done pacing around 2am.

When I get home I find this message on the race's FB page...

Dear guy in green who gave me a wonderful coat and ran for help, I love you...and I hope you got your coat back.
-Jellybean

After my divorce earlier in the year, I had been saying that if I kept doing the things I love, I would eventually meet someone else who shares those loves. So the short story... Within a month, this chance encounter in the woods led us to a relationship.

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The new year starts off rehabing nagging injuries, but by April, its time to start building the miles as I'm making 2015 the year of my first 100 miler. I don't particularly feel like I need to be registered for races, as I can run long on my own and for much cheaper.

The end of April saw the first, and hopefully annual, For Pete's Sake 50k. The concept of this was to get my friend Pete his first ultra distance and thus naming the run after him. It also helped to name it after him because the likely hood of him bailing on it was well over 50%.... you nancy!

The point to point course consisted of all familiar territory, and save for a few climbs, was all downhill. We started in Marlborough, NH and ended by tagging the gas pump of the gas station in Westminster, VT.

One of the many wonderful things about a lady friend who runs ultras, is that this seems like a great way to spend a Sunday. Even though Jenn was still dealing with an ankle issue, she ran the first 6 miles with us before crewing for us the rest of the way!

The start had all the bells and whistles.... A spray painted start line, lengthy RD speech, and group photos.....

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Come June, it was time to up the long run mileage again, and this time I wanted to complete a run I've had on my bucket list for a few years.

This run, which I entitled the Wheels of Steel 40 Miler, starts just over the border in Massachusetts. After running a tiring 100 feet back into New Hampshire, you pick up the old Boston & Maine RR Cheshire Branch rail bed. This trail takes you for 20 miles back into Keene, which Jenn ran with me, and from there, 20 miles out to Westminster, VT, ending at the gas station, which has become a tradition. 40 miles and 3 states LET'S HAVE AT IT!

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So next up? A couch to coast run.... A 3 day stage race..... things I haven't even thought of yet.... 100 MILES!