Ghost Train 100 Mile (Race Recap)

Brookline, NH

Saturday, October 19

100 Mile attempt #23

Weather - Warm during the day, very chilly overnight

This race was planned for over a year. Lisa, a good friend through running (paced/crewed for me at Tahoe and Cowboy) wanted to run this race for her 50th birthday. A bunch of us decided we would travel to New England to join her, and we all signed up in January.

Race Morning:

I had my alarm set with plans for getting to the race start maybe between 7:30 and 8 for the 9 am start. I was awoken well before that because the people that had the room next to me sounded like they were having a bachelorette party. So much noise from there. (If you are reading this race report and you stayed at the DoubleTree in Nashua on the 6th floor - THE ROOMS ARE NOT SOUNDPROOF).

(Note, I always say things like, "thankfully I woke up before my alarm because it took longer than expected," this morning was no exception.)

My room had a coffee maker and I managed to make a complete mess and spilled my entire first cup, so that took some time. I was rushing to get out the door and had to make sure I had my breakfast burrito and everything else. I left just after 7 and it was supposedly around 25 minutes to get there. I only made one wrong turn (yes, even using navigation), but got there just after 7:30. IT WAS A ZOO. There was "tent alley" - where everyone had sent up tents and canopies, camping chairs and tables, etc. - I had to drive THROUGH all that (dodging people) to get to my parking space - which initially seemed like it was going to be pretty far away. I had seen Tyler when I drove in, and decided I would finish eating my burrito and then go look for people and pick up my bib. 

After getting everything ready there was nothing else to do but wait for the race start. We got a few pictures of all of us in our pre-race layers.

Runners Edge folks - Lisa, Janet, Alison, Kristin, me

And most of us ready to go - Kristin, Doug (not running, Janet, Lisa, Tyler, me, Terri, Alex & Alison)

Lisa had indicated that she wanted to run with me at the start. I did warn her that I would be doing my own thing (slow) and doing 3/1 intervals. The start was fairly chaotic, and we all lined up middle/back of the pack.

We started out with what I can describe as a "very easy" and sustainable pace. We ran through what I called tent alley and then headed onto a very wide dirt road/trail that was covered in leaves. It was good to start out in such a wide spot since there were so many of us.

For at least the first mile we could tell that there would be no issues with two way traffic. Weather was perfect and I enjoyed talking with Lisa as I don't get to run with her very often. 

We stuck together for maybe the first 2-3 miles. I started my intervals and Lisa was doing intervals that were different than mine so we separated. Initially there appeared to be a few areas where it might get tight with two way traffic, but in general, it was really a nice, shaded trail. 

The FB was really active with people sharing pictures and I was told I could grab this one since I was in it :) 

The first aid station was 4.5ish miles in, which was a nice distance between aid. I think I had finally caught up to Kristin, Tyler and Terri at this point, although I think we leapfrogged a bit since I was doing intervals. We did get this picture together shortly after the aid station though.

I hit really the only "hill" which was somewhere maybe around 5.5 miles in. It was not very long and it was decorated with all sorts of paper plates that had funny and inspirational writing on them. Not sure why this was the only one I took a picture of.

The course leveled out a bit and then a nice, semi-technical downhill.

Fun skeletons like this decorated a lot of the course!

We had a (few?) road crossings before getting to the turn around. I had to use the bathroom at this one, but it was the only time I used the one at this aid station because it was more off course than I wanted to go. Outside of the one "hill" the trail was relatively wide, flat, and not at all technical. I especially liked when it was open double track.

And apparently, I only took one selfie on the course.

This gathering of skeletons around a campfire would let me know that I was getting very close to the start/finish area.

Terrible picture of me taken by the volunteer photographer David Metsky

We had to run past the timing mat to a tunnel at the end of the parking lot and then run around this cute carved pumpkin telling us... to do a u-turn.

Tried to take more pictures on the second loop since it wasn't nearly as crowded. I had done the 3/1 intervals the whole first loop and switched to 2/1 intervals for the second loop.

This section had the best carved pumpkins, although I really only took pictures of these:

And figured I should get pictures of water along the trail near the middle aid station.

So funny story about these skeletons - the bottle of fireball went down DRASTICALLY during the race, and no, I didn't have any. Other people clearly did though!

No recollection of the turn around at the end. On the way back I noticed that this section of trail had these planetary signs. 

And the hill from the other side:

Shortly after leaving the middle aid station I nearly stepped on a snake! Scared the crap out of me.

I was doing a run/walk that had me in line with Faith (in green) and a friend of hers. This is coming into the start/finish (I think) after the first two loops, so 30ish miles in. (Could be 45, I'm not sure).

Headed out for my third loop. I still was carrying my Airshed and R1, and had picked up my headlamp at tent city, but wasn't ready for night layers yet. The bridge below was NOT something we crossed on course, but I like bridges, so I took a picture of it anyway.

Right at the base of the hill I saw friend and teammate Monica and we got a quick selfie. She was running the 30 mile night run - her first ultra!

I tried to get a picture of these milk jugs along the trail (that later would have candles in them, which was fun) right before the turnaround.

After leaving the aid station:

I was able to get through the first tunnel before deciding that it was dark enough that I was going to need my headlamp. I had spent the entire day thinking the sun didn't set until 7, but it turns out it was 6 or something. Saw and passed Alex at some point and figured I would need to put on pants when I went through again. I put on my REI pants (at least I think I did at this loop?) and headed back out.

The moon looked really neat, but of course it never comes out great in pictures.

And the Ghost Train pumpkins looked really cool lit up!

This lap was a blur and at least I remembered to take a picture of the lights in this tunnel.

I think this is another picture from the volunteer photographer of me finishing 60 miles?

So once it got dark, it got cold. After doing 60 miles I had to stop again to add tights because the pants alone didn't seem warm enough. I also added the R1 over my airshed layer. I think I got to 67.5 before I added my puffy coat. There was a decent amount of hot foot items at the aid stations. I had pretty much crapped specific intervals for nighttime, although I was still running. I was listening to music to pass the time. After 75 miles I struggled a bit. I definitely got pretty tired at one point, can't remember the mileage, and had to take a short nap leaning up against a tree. Maybe that was around mile 80 or 85, but it was right before (or right as) the sun was coming up. I tried to remember to get pictures of some of the other decorations before I wasn't on trail anymore. 

I stopped at the tent to grab shorts to change into since it had warmed up on the last 4-5 miles. I had to  change in the tent by the bathrooms since it was daylight, which took a decent amount of time. After going through mile 90, for whatever reason, I had it in my head that I was getting pretty close to cutoffs. My pack felt SO much lighter since I had gotten rid of everything that wasn't a necessity. I did a little bit of running here and there, and then when I saw the turnaround (which meant I only had 5 miles left), I got a second/third/fourth/whatever wind.

I set up 30 second running/1 minute walking intervals and boy oh boy did I cruise!! Some of my faster miles all race were these miles. I passed at least 12-15 people on the return to the start/finish. I felt REALLY good.

And of course, I was not in any danger of missing the 100 miles in the 30 hour allotment, but I sure was happy to get there a lot faster.

I was on the phone with Ben when I got to tent city because he wanted to cross the finish line with me, but I accidentally hung up with him because duh, I forgot that taking my headphones out and putting them in the case would do that. Janet and Kristin got some great pictures of me coming into the finish.

Official Time - 28:04:43

Garmin Time - 28:04:49

Garmin Distance - 99.89 (and no, I didn't feel the need to do the extra .11)

Garmin Pace - 16:52

Elevation Gain - 2,632'

Run Time - 12:39:31

Walk Time - 13:26:58

Idle Time - 1:38:27 (and I bet at least 15 minutes of that was changing clothes)

Miles 1-10 - 13:23, 13:21, 12:56, 12:37, 12:49, 13:21, 13:04, 13:45, 13:50, 13:13

Miles 11-20 - 14:46, 12:44, 12:50, 12:57, 14:59, 13:43, 13:38, 13:49, 13:13, 15:07

Miles 21-30 - 14:22, 14:03, 15:41, 15:41, 14:06, 16:04, 13:21, 13:37, 14:00, 17:19

Miles 31-40 - 14:44, 14:06, 14:23, 14:12, 16:33, 15:43, 14:16, 20:41, 16:18, 14:48

Miles 41-50 - 17:16, 14:01, 14:38, 14:43, 24:58, 15:53, 15:48, 15:32, 15:00, 19:36 (12:21:29 for 50 miles)

Miles 51-60 - 17:10, 16:10, 19:44, 18:42, 16:32, 20:25, 15:43, 17:09, 17:12, 34:53

Miles 61-70 - 19:30, 18:41, 19:19, 17:45, 21:11, 18:11, 16:44, 19:33, 19:36, 17:02

Miles 71-80 - 19:01, 16:06, 17:26, 18:40, 33:19, 18:13, 19:01, 19:46, 17:12, 22:56

Miles 81-90 - 25:52, 16:30, 21:46, 19:56, 17:50, 20:04, 16:43, 17:04, 18:53, 31:40

Miles 99-100 - 18:21, 17:02, 16:33, 16:27, 16:11, 16:10, 14:15, 14:27, 13:34, 12:30

Thoughts:

• This is not a race that I would have picked at all, but it ended up being so much fun. It is not expensive (I believe I paid around $100 for the race, which sold out in a few hours - for the first time). The buckle is adorable and I paid $50 for it after finishing - it was an optional expense.
• No frills event in terms of swag. They had a small offering of beanies and sweatshirts, which I opted to not purchase because I have way too much gear anyway.
• There were a total of three aid stations - start/finish, middle of the course and turnaround. There were port-o-potties at all of them, and lots of food options. Plus drop bags could be at the start/finish and turn around. 
• Course is absolutely gorgeous and the volunteers did an incredible job of decorating the course to give it a festive and fun vibe.
• I wouldn't do this again, just because travel was quite pricey. I can see why people keep coming back though - it was a way better experience than I expected.

Gear:

• Salomon pack and 2 soft flasks
• Garmin 7s
• Petzl headlamp that I had to use for a horrific 13+ hours. I went through I think 3 sets of batteries, I think because it was cold.
• Goodr sunglasses, although I hardly wore them at all since it was tough to see tree roots with all the cover in the woods
• CVG 5" shorts. Later wore INKnBURN tights and my trusty Rainwall rain pants, Rabbit EZ tee team shirt, Patagonia Airshed, Patagonia R-1, Patagonia Nano Puff, Zensah High Neck Sports Bra, Gloves and Smartwool mitten liners later in the race, Tahoe 200 hat during the day and Bula fleece hat at night, Stance and Smartwool socks, Topo Ultraventure 2's with gaiters (my second to last pair of version 2...)
• I think I only carried my medical kit and electronics (chargers, cables) for about half the total miles thanks to the course set up.
• I applied sunscreen prior to starting but didn't really need it with the cover in the woods, although there are exposed areas.
• Chapstick, Chamois Buttr/Salty Britches.
• Random of note - I have had a lot more issues with chafing my last few races. I think part of it is my weight gain and subsequent chub-rub. This was the first race I used the single use packets and those are absolutely amazing. I find the regular tube to be very thick and somewhat difficult to use. The single use packets seem softer and I was able to put directly on chafing for instant relief.

Week in Review (October 15 - October 21)

Tuesday (11,305 steps) - Walk with Olive before going to work. Went to the gym at lunch - which was oddly crowded (although I did go closer to a "normal" lunch hour) and did my strength training and a short Peloton ride. After work I took Olive for a walk before driving for about an hour. Pizza for dinner and "Only Murders." We finished early, so we started "Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter" - which is funny because I swear there is a later movie in the series called the same thing.

Wednesday (18,009 steps) - Worked from home in the morning because I had to be home for our sprinkler blow out. I went for my shake out run, opting to make it a bit shorter instead of the hour I had on schedule. For the first time I wore a long sleeve race pace tee from rabbit (currently the short sleeve are among my favorites) and it was a bit tight. Ugh, I gotta get my weight under control.

The sprinkler guy was on time (early, even) and it didn't take him too long to finish. I took Olive for a walk before going to work in the office.

We finally went to a "new to us" restaurant for dinner - the Aspen Lodge. It was a bit... eclectic. I had a gyro sandwich that was pretty tasty.

Finished up watching the Friday the 13th movie.

Thursday (16,180 steps) - Up VERY early. I took Olive for a walk before showering and getting ready. Ben drove me to the airport at horrible hour of 5 am. There was virtually no wait at security and I was near the gate in no time. I walked around a bit, but before I knew it, time to board the plane. I initially thought I was going to watch a movie, but nothing really sparked my interest, so I mostly just read my book. Layover was in Baltimore, and I had a decent amount of time between flights. I picked up a salad and a giant cookie before boarding my flight to Manchester. No recollection of this flight, other than it was too turbulent for them to do any food/beverage service. Landed on time (I think?) and thanks to it being a small airport, I was on my way pretty fast to get my rental. 

I was upgraded to an SUV again, and had already mapped to a place to go for a walk before going to my hotel room. Falls Loop was outside Merrimack, and I thought it said it was a 1.4 mile loop. It was beautiful, and there were not that many people there.

After a while I was starting to wonder if I had gotten off track somewhere, so I pulled up Strava (thankfully I had enough coverage to use it) and realized that I had somehow gotten off the main loop. Found my way back without too much trouble once I had the map.

It was quite chilly when I got done with the walk and I was relieved I had found my way back before dark. I found the hotel without any issues, but was a bit annoyed with the sketchy parking garage. The AC didn't feel particularly cold in the room. I had plans to go to the gym and get my workout in when I realized... I booked a hotel without a gym?? That's a thing?? Ugh. So by this time I figure I'll just skip the workout. It's about dinner time and I realized I was pretty close to a highly rated brewery - The Lost Cowboy.

The food was delicious, but the portions were way too big for just one person. I had to toss about half of it. I stopped at Target after leaving there to get a few essentials. Watched TV in the hotel but was seriously annoyed with there not being a TV guide and the remote was very slow. (I know, first world problems).

Friday (14,090 steps) - Really glad that I gave myself an extra day. I stayed in bed ridiculously late. About the time I woke up I had a text from Tyler asking if I wanted to do anything for the day. I had looked the night before and had found a 4ish mile loop that I wanted to walk. I realized that the hotel I was staying ALSO didn't have free breakfast. I took a quick shower and ended up going down the street to get a smoothie because there was ALSO NO (FREE) COFFEE IN THE LOBBY, WTF. I met up with Tyler and Terri and we went on a quite lovely walk in the woods - the Horse Hill loop. We saw only two people riding horses and a few bikes. Otherwise, in over an hour, no other people. It was nice.

By now we were hungry, so we stopped at the Thirsty Moose for food and beer. 

It was a good time to sit around and chat for a bit. Tyler ended up having to go back to his hotel for a work call, but I was tired anyway, with a headache, so I was fine going to my hotel as well. I ended up taking a nap and woke up not feeling any better. By then it was already 5 and I had missed the start of the pasta dinner the race was hosting. I was not especially hungry, but figured I needed to pick up something for dinner. I went down the street to Aldi's and got a calzone and a burrito for morning. More TV and a beer before going to bed relatively early.

Saturday (128,157 steps) - Ghost Train 30 hour - recap to follow.

Sunday (96,065 steps) - Ghost Train ending. Initially I had planned to go back to my hotel (I had switched to the Hampton a half mile away), but when we were mapping places to go, it seemed that Lost Cowboy would be on the way, so I just met everyone there for a celebratory beer and snack.

Kristin and her brother and his wife had to head out to Boston, so festivities were cut short. I was exhausted, so didn't care. Checked into my hotel and took a shower. I called Ben but was so exhausted, I had to take a nap. I set my alarm for an hour and passed out. I woke up, knowing I would need to get food for dinner. Ben had Uber Eats deliver food for me (buffalo dip and fried pickles). Fun surprise! He was NOT able to get beer delivered though. I decided to walk across the street to Applebees, since it was the closest. I had two marginal beers, then decided I needed to be relaxing.

I went to sleep almost immediately after getting back to the room.

Monday (11,997 steps) - Didn't set an alarm and still woke up around 8. I decided I was hungry and figured I should go to the breakfast buffet. There wasn't anything too exciting, but it was free, so I was happy. 

I went back to my room and was suddenly very tired and decided to take a nap even though I hadn't packed yet. By the time I showered and got all my things packed it was time to check out. I had found another new place to go for a walk before my flight. When I parked at Mine Falls Park I was not optimistic at all as it appeared I was in the middle of the city. BUT - it ended up being a really beautiful trail - and I could have added a decent amount of distance and variation if I had wanted to.

Headed back into Merrimack and went to the Thirsty Moose for lunch and a beer before going to the airport. Both were delicious.

Stopped to get gas and returned the car without any issues. There were maybe a half dozen people in front of me at security, so I was there LONG before I actually needed to be. I decided I would watch "Modern Family" on these flights since I had never seen it - these are pretty good! I had a two hour layover, so even though I wasn't "starving," I got dinner. It was delicious!

I continued watching Modern Family, but turns out they only had six episodes and I went through them all. Nothing sparked my interest in movies, but I put on "A Cinderella Story" to pass the time. We ended up landing about 15 minutes early. Unfortunately we were at the farthest gate in C, so I had to walk to the train, which was packed. By the time Ben picked me up with was after 10. Got home just before 11 but then I still had to eat something before bed. LONG DAY.

Stats:

• 295,803 steps
• 103.03 miles run
• 17.52 miles walked
• 15 minutes of cardio
• 30 minutes of strength