I finished Ghost Train 100 miles in
29 hours, 6 minutes….I will warn you that, although it shouldn’t take you that
long to read my recap, this is a long one!
Two years
ago, I ran my first 50 miler at StoneCat.
After that race, I remember wondering, “what’s next?” but having no dreams of attempting anything longer. It never even entered my mind. Until it entered my mind! I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but as
I registered for Ghost Train 15 mile race in 2013, my little secret was that I
was actually preparing to scope out the course to determine if I could handle
6.666 legs of it…for 100 miles.
I remember
the race director making his pre-race announcements to us 15 mile racers last
year… something to the effect of, “You’ll see runners out there who have been
running through the night trying to complete 100 miles, so please be
kind/encouraging”. I remember tearing up
each time I approached one of the 100 mile racers. I was in complete awe of them. They looked so worn out, so tired, and yet,
still so determined. I was going to be
one of them.
Training
I quickly
found a training schedule that I believed would work for me. I’ve never been a huge weekly mile girl and
wasn’t looking for some lofty sub-24 hour finish. Nope, just wanted a schedule that would
complement my life and not over take it.
I knew my life would be disrupted by the intensity, duration, and the
ultimate race itself, but I strived to keep some semblance of balance.
In the end,
I completed nine 26.2 mile or greater training runs, with seven of them 30 miles
or greater and always followed by a second long run the next day. All in the name of “time on feet”. I was able to incorporate three solid trail
races; 18 miles at GAC Mother’s Day race, 50K at Pineland Farms, and 50K at
TARC Summer Classic. This trail race training
provided immense confidence in footing, navigation, and fueling.
Fueling and
night running were also practiced. I’ll
admit, I got lax with the fueling practice and Scott was there to remind me
that I needed to train with real food, not just GU. So, he found a great recipe for chicken
ginger over rice and that became my main staple for Ghost Train. In fact, I never took even one GU during my
entire 100 miles! I didn’t get a lot of
night running in, but also knew it would be difficult to try to emulate 13
hours of night running. Knowing I had
secured pacers to help me through the night miles, I didn’t get too worked up
about it.
I spent the
day before the race packing, cooking, and mentally preparing. I also grabbed hair elastics that I wore on
my wrist, removing one each time I returned after a full leg. That seemed like a great way to symbolically count
off the legs.
The race – first 30 miles
All of my
training included a run:walk ratio, though during the race I wasn’t
as timed/rigid as it had been during my training. I was lucky to have Carrie with me for the
first 30 miles, since she actually registered for the race. We took pictures, chatted, and ran a nice
easy/steady pace. Other than having to
accommodate to my slower pace, Carrie truly got the best of Lisa!
Staying
hydrated with diluted grape Gatorade and eating something every 30 minutes, I
felt fantastic! Interestingly, I fell
only once – heading back from the first leg at mile 15. Because the weather was actually a bit warm
on Saturday (did I mention this race was flanked by 2 nor’easters??), I took a
couple salt tabs during the day. By the
end of 30 miles when I left Carrie, I felt my legs starting to work a bit. Nothing seriously painful, but just knew they
were getting ready to work a bit harder.
The race – evening miles
Sue T took
the 6:30 pm shift and, although not a big trail runner, was ready to head into
the darkness with me! I was still
feeling decent and had long since decided to embrace the darkness. The temperature still felt unseasonably warm,
but I changed out of my shorts and short sleeve shirt and into capris and long
sleeve shirt anyway. Sue had saved up
many stories for our run together, even writing them down on a post it so she
wouldn’t forget! By now, I was
experiencing some steady Achilles discomfort.
When Sue asked if she could help by massaging, I said yes! and a mid-trail massage
ensued. After letting Sue know my plan
to eat every 30 minutes, she began providing helpful time checks. What we didn’t know yet was how funny they
would become.
Sue: It’s 10:45…..pm…..at night.
Lisa: [ laughing ]
Sue: It’s now 11:13….pm…..same night.
And so it
went….
The race – midnight miles
As I
approached camp to pick up Meaghan, I thought, “Here come the hallucinations I’ve
heard about!” But no, it was real –
Meaghan had wrapped herself in battery operated Christmas lights! She had alluded to having something up her
sleeve…I just never thought it would be Christmas lights! Not
only did the lights give me a shot in the arm, but all of the runners coming
towards us as well. The comments,
chuckling, and thumbs up (yes, I could see because my light source was pimped out)
that came from Meaghan’s “costume” was such a boost for all of us. I was definitely more tired and had actually
started yawning during Sue’s leg. That
continued and followed me into Sue D’s leg.
The race – graveyard miles
I was not a
happy camper during Sue D’s pacing leg.
I was tired and very quiet. But
Sue had tricks up her sleeve too. She
made a great booklet of affirmations/encouragement that she started reading to
me each mile. This was no small feat
because she was doing this via headlamp.
And she managed to stay on her feet and not fall. Sadly, she dropped it at some point and we
never found it. She, like the others,
kept me moving, gently suggesting we “run a little bit” to keep the forward
momentum going. It’s also during these
miles that I began to see things that weren’t there. That was a little weird, but having a friend
with me helped me not over react to my newfound hallucinations.
At mile 75,
I hit bottom. My head was clear enough
to know that my legs and feet hurt, but were working fine. But the sleep deprivation had gotten to
me. I couldn’t see straight, I was
emotional, and I couldn’t imagine taking another step. I became overwhelmed with what was still left
ahead of me (and no one uttered a word about having a full marathon ahead of me
– thank you). I reached the turnaround and
sat down. Scott and friends could see I was
in a bad space and worked hard at finding the right mix of consoling and tough
love. What got me out of that chair at
mile 75 was all due to them. They
reminded me that the sky was already brighter, that full daylight was only
minutes away, that I would feel recharged from the daylight, and on and on. They were so right!
I left the
chair and never looked back. Sue and I
spent the next 7.5 miles talking and listening to songs she queued up on her
phone. One of my favorites came on “Just
Give Me A Reason” (Pink/Nate) and she dared me to reach the high note. Always up for a challenge, even at mile 75+,
I nailed the note. I’ll never listen to
that song in the same way again! In
addition to the daylight and Sue’s music and encouragement, I was hailed as a
rock star by the 15 mile racers starting their race. Their encouragement simultaneously reduced me to tears and charged me up. At mile 78, I was
greeted at the aid station by bacon and pancakes. Oh.My.God.
I filled a cup with a combination of the two and marched on. What a lift!
The race – daylight again!
In my
underestimation of the latter miles, I did not have pacers lined up for the
final 17.5 miles. Meaghan took care of
that! Her boyfriend Chris, who I had met
once just the week prior, took on the challenge of pacing me for 7.5
miles. He kept me running, eating, and
drinking and was a godsend to me. He
grabbed me food at the aid station as I closed my eyes in the porto-potty. I realized this type of catnap was far too
dangerous. My head bobbed and the
thought of falling through scared me enough to exit quickly!
At mile 90
(gulp, still feels surreal to say that), Meaghan took on a second pacing challenge
to get me through those final 10 miles. It was a slow go, but she would count down
from 10 (felt like 100!) on each running segment and then we’d walk. Rinse/repeat.
I was never so happy to reach the 5 mile turnaround…
THE FINISH!
Sue D and
Wynn (Sue T’s hubby) met Meaghan and me a mile-ish from the finish (could’ve
been a couple of yards for all I know).
I was so happy that I was able to actually be running at mile 97, 98, 99….
I finished in running form and with a huge smile on my face! I was surrounded by my friends and there was
Scott, smiling, cheering me on, taking video…and grabbing me as I finished to
hug me and congratulate me on my successful 100 mile completion.
Doesn’t get
any better than that.
Check out my VIDEO that Scott created from a collection of photos and videos taken over
the 29 hours, 6 minutes I was out there.
There’s great music that accompanies it too, if you want the full experience.
 |
| My fantastic crew! |
Thank you
to all who encouraged and
supported me! Thank you to my friends
who gave up their weekend and their sleep, paced me, cooked for me, changed batteries for me, massaged Achilles for
me, tolerated my whining, cheered me up, and helped me realize this remarkable
goal I had set for myself a year ago. I love my tribe.
And
the most special thank you goes to Scott.
My goal became his goal and my pain became his pain. He is my rock always, but he continues to
amaze me with this strength and support he so freely gives. Without him, this goal wouldn’t have been
possible.
And now, I rest and
reflect (and watch my video over and over!!) J
