[683] Eastern States 100, a trail running experience

My motivation for running this was the name Eastern States.  As I have done Western States 100 last year, it seems fitting to try my hand on the east coast version (note, they are not related but the name). I met some runners at the bib pickup who tried to do both races in the same year. It is something I would go for too.

Short version: I ran, It was hard, and I did not finish.  I learned from my experience to enjoy on the trail.

I am familiar with the race organization and know they put up “fun” trail races.  Fun means hard.  I ran their Rock n the Knob marathon couple years ago, and it is considered the hardest marathon in the area.  One that took me 8-9 hours to finish and it ran like a 50k.  Note, in recent years the race has relabeled itself as a 50k. I have expected Eastern to be the same level of hard.

It seems just a few weeks ago I finished Vermont 100.  The last couple weeks since have bern a blur.  I guess I mostly rested.  I did two weekends (8 hours total) of trail work to fulfill my volunteer hour requirements for another 100 mile race I will be doing soon in the fall. 

Life has been busy and running was pretty much nonexistent since  Vermont 100.  In fact, I don’t think I have trained much except for couple weekend runs this whole year.  Going into Eastern States, I knew it would be a struggle.  I always thought I had time to train over the summer once Old Dominion was done.  But after three successive 100 mile races, Old Dominion, Vermont and Eastern States, I wondered where my time has gone. Advice to my future self: train for hills.

The race has a 36 hour cutoff and thus requires about maintaining a minimal 20-21 min pace.  To me this doable. It’s a walkable pace.

My plan was to run a 17 min pace first third, then a 19 min pace second third and slow to a 22-24 min pace the final third.  It should allow me to finish on time.  With the last two 100 mile races, I thought I have a good chance.

I usually have a fast walking pace and I was hoping this might get me through the whole race.  It was a big bet I know.

The first mile started on the road outside PA state park of Little Pine Creek.  We ran a few miles to spread the crowd and everyone had a quick 12 min or faster pace. I was at the very back but still did a fast pace.

When we reached the MST trail, there were a crowd of runners at the bottom of the trailhead waiting to climb the stairs up.   We milled around a few minutes (10-15 mins) waiting. Some went for bathroom.  Families and friends were also around cheering us because it was inside a campground. I have expected this to be the first hard climb. I read in other reports that most people could summit it before the sunrise.

The first stair climb was not the hard climb I had expected.  We had a mile of rocky and knarly trail (MST – Mid State Trail) but it was not too bad with fresh legs.  I took it slowly and I was the last few runners left. I was not worried and knew methodically I would catch up to people ahead over time. My goal that morning was not to fall too far behind from the bulk of runners.

I knew I was in trouble when I got to the really first climb, I was out of breath after a few steps and it did not seem to be any steeper than trails I used to do.  Everyone around me seemed to be full of energy and tackling it with ease.  The trail was steep, but it was not straight up sttep.  My heart rate was through the roof though.  I chose to stop for a break. My glasses were fogging up. Then second and third break before making it all the way up.  It was still early in the race, so I could burn some time. The few slower runners behind me passed me by.  There might be only one or two runners farther back.  I did not want to be the last one. It was kind of embarrassing.

It was two hours later since the start of the race by the time I was up on the ridge.  I felt better after the many breaks up on the first climb and I now could move a bit faster.  Luckily on subsequent climbs, I did not have the same trouble.  The trail gradually evened out and I caught back up to the five or six people who were ahead of me.  Some were people I know such as Samantha from our running club and Anuj (gentleman I met and finished together at VT100). They lifted my spirit as I aimed to get to the first aid station soon around mile 7. I had high hope to run with them for a long way throughout the day, but soon they were falling behind me after a brief conversation.

The first AS was a water only station.  My pack was still good with water or so I thought but having heard the next one is a long way to go, I stopped to fill up.  They filled it to the top.  It was good because I found out I drank almost all with only tiny bit left on the way up.

I hit the second AS on my expected pace mid morning, though not at 17 min pace but 19 and I could live with that.  I told myself this race is hard, but as long as I maintain a 19-20 min pace, I would finish. I was aiming to gain about a min or half a min per mile and I aimed to lower my stoppage time at the aid stations. By now, I fell into a group of people about my pace, one of them was a mother and her daughter.  We would be together until we dropped from the race the next morning.

The trail was still knarly and to me it was not really runable yet.  People I talked to told me that the later sections would be easier on the footing.  Climbs will still be there but less technical.

Indeed, the trail became less rocky and more runnable.  I picked back up the pace a bit and arrived to the first crewed station, pretty much on target of a 19-20 min pace but not the 17 min pace I had wanted. I knew to finish this race, I would have to be quick and efficient.  I went through the AS less than 3 mins and was out again.  I was happy to see me crew and friends. I entered the race in the Solo Division (meaning no crew or pacer, but won’t mind to switch to crew if needed as the race permitted us to switch midway). 

Because I was quick at the AS, I caught up with a lot of other runners who had stayed 10 minutes or more longer.  One was Fredinald.  Fredinald had done the race 10 years ago and today was hoping only to reached 50 miles.  We hiked the next hill together and chatted. I knew a lot of people around me were struggling with the pace.  I felt I need to get ahead of them because people like Fredinald had no intention to finish, which did not bode well. 

My goal was either to run past them or if they could stay my pace, and use them as a companion.  We were all in the same boat of being slow.  I put my faith in my hiking ability and hoped that I would not suffer the same fate to quit the race too early.  I hoped to go more than 50 miles.

I gradually picked off others and passed runners including our local running friends, Daisy and Jeremy (who did finish).  I know I was not out of the woods yet with a 20 min pace, but at least I was gaining 1 min every mile.  But passing people let me know I was doing the right pace.  I hope by nightfall, I would gain an hour from the cutoff.

By afternoon, on a long section to Hyner Runs we had several long runnable sections and people around were picking up the pace and passing me.  There were people by the look of it were trying too hard (hard breathing and out of shape) and I was wondering if they would finish.  I was still maintaining my walking pace because that was the best I could do but I was able to still pass people. I was surprised to reach Hyner well ahead of my plan 20 min pace.  Actually the original plan was to get there by 6:10 pm but with me just mostly walking, I set my goal of getting there by 7:30, and I got there at 6:50, 40 mins ahead.  That was still a huge win.  I took a few minutes at the AS and headed out before 7 pm, ahead of many runners who came in ahead of me.  My crew and friend said she would meet me at the next crew location at Tomb Flats. 

It was reassuring to know she would be there in the middle of the night.  I figured, I am likely to get there between 1 am to 2 am.  I wouldn’t believe that I later arrived near 3 am (2:45-2:50), behind my intended pace.

Usually I do better at night or so I believed.  I reached the halfway point, mile 51 at 10 pm.  I was still good on pace.  I could finish the race in 34 hours if I maintained it. I have been passing people just by walking and not rushing. 

However, by midnight, things got hard.  I now couldn’t recall the specifics that slowed me down. The trail was harder to find. I was getting sleepy.  People whom I passed earlier throughout the day now passing me back.  I did not mind, but I knew I was not pulling it through. 

In the middle of the night around 2 am, I met a friend we ran together before in another race (I think at  MMT), he also battling sleepiness from fatique. We both decided to take a 5 min nap on the side of the trail before continue on.

I knew we did not have much time. It was more a gamble.  If I could freshen up, I might have a chance.  It was about two miles to the next aid station, so I urged my new friend if we could run for it because the cutoff was soon.  So we ran.  I think it was more than 2 miles, felt like 4 but eventually we reached the big river at Tomb Flats. (I called it the Rocky Chucky; it was probably the crossing of Pine Creek). My crew was there cheering me on as I crossed.  It was not an easy crossing because the stones underfoot were slick. There was a rope but it was not taunt and no other people were there to anchor it like in Western States. The rope was there as a guide but not so much as for weight bearing. The runner in front of me was falling and moving the rope around and it caused me to lose my footing too. Eventually, I got across.

It was the station with my first drop bag.  I had my dry shirt and socks there, but I felt if I stop to change, I might not be able to start back up. Note, generally consensus was volunteers at earlier stations were snappier in offering runners their drop bags and more attentive.  Not putting any shade since now it is middle of the night and we were near closing time.  I didn’t want my crew to help yet since I was intended to run solo.

  I was 15 minutes from the cutoff.  So I went out after getting some water and food.  An aid station volunteer gave me a small can of coffee, a cold brew.  Looking back, it might have helped run better if I did change out the wet clothes and rest a bit like some of my friends in the race did.  But with only 10-15 minutes before the cutoff, it was just too scary to sleep with your crew looking on.

If I thought, the time on the trail between 2-3 am was bad, wait till it was 3-5 am.  Now I was actually sleep walking.  I had no idea how I got through this.  The race seemed slipping by me.  My former friend who ran with me down to Tomb Flats was no longer with me.  I took another 5 min sleep break on the side of the trail and then forced myself up again.  It was a long way up and mostly just climbing.  The sleep did me good for maybe an hour before I was sleepy again.  Amazingly, I caught up to the earlier sleepy friend I met on the trail, and he was just as sleepy as I was, so we both stopped one more to sleep.  He slept on a rock to the left and I slept on the rock to the right.  And now a lot of runners were passing us by.  Some exclaimed, some just silently avoided us.  I knew too much sleep, we wouldn’t make the next cutoff.  Once again, after 5 mins, I got up.  This time I abandoned my new friend and ran like if the devil was after me.  As I have done a lot of races, you kind of knew when you are in trouble with pacing and being the last one back. My spider sense was hurrying me to run for it.

God was with me and I sang as I ran through the woods.  By now whether I could make the next cuttoff or not, it does not matter.  I just want to have a good morning run.  The trail was empty of runners by now.   I knew soon it we would have daylight. I was pretty sure I was the last runner.  The rest wouldn’t make it.

5 am came, I have survived the race for 24 hours.  6 am was sunrise.  I passed two gentlemen stumbling slowly forward.  I knew they likely wouldn’t make the cutoff.  They cheered me when they saw my pace.  I was a bit glad, I finally was making progress.  The next cutoff was at 6:30. Somehow by God’s grace I made it through at 6:27.  I had no time to fill up water (well I could have but chose not to).  I had some water left in my pack and the volunteer filled my handheld bottle and off I went.  I knew I would be out of water in the next stretch. 

With the morning sunrise, I had new energy.  There were now a lot of people I was passing, dozen or so runner in a group usually 2-3.  I passed one after another as I made my way up.  People who recognized me cheered me on and exclaimed I made it through the last cutoff.  I was definitely proud of that.  They had assumed I would not make it through the night because they were ones who found me sleeping on the trail.

From Tomb Flats to Cedar Runs was 10 long miles.  And Cedar Runs to Blackwell was 8 miles.  This was another long stretch! There’s nothing else but to hang onto my pace.  Like it has been the last 24 hours, as long as I could maintain a 20 mins pace, I could finish. Note, of all the people I passed, only myself and another lady would make it to the next cutoff.

My feet started to have blisters since I did not change shoes or socks Tomb Flats (mile 62). I had my second drop bag at Blackwells, mile 80, with dry socks and shoes and was hoping I could change them out.  Somewhere a mile out from Blackwells, my GPS goofed up.  There were some weird flagging seemed to indicate a turn but I found no where for turning so I lost some 5-10 minutes going back and forth in determining the right way to go.  My frustration level was high and there were some runners about to caught up from behind.  I knew, I needed to get to the AS by 9:15 and I was seeing my clock winding down.  My best guess was it might be still two miles away. 

Two female runners passed me, so I asked them for the distance, they said they were expecting 4.5 miles left.  Uff-dah and they were booking it.  I knew I would have to run hard to make it to the station.  So after them I chased.  I caught up to them on a downhill and I could hear the people cheering from the aid station we had maybe 10-15 mins left on the clock.  This was a huge gain from 3 mins at a prior station.  I encouraged the two runners saying it only takes 5 minutes to get to the AS.  So I ran again and arrived at the station with 8 minutes to spare. 

My pacer was ready to pace me out.  I competed as a Solo runner (no pacer) but here, I knew I needed all the helps I could get. It was time to be crewed and paced and gave up on my solo status. It would have been good if I asked for my drop bag. My mind at the time was to get out quickly.

My water has been out for a long time.  So, I had my pack filled.  Not sure if I ate something.  I must have. As for changing shoes or socks, it was too late.  No one was asking if I wanted to change, I would have said no either way.  I reached mile 80, and there would be 24 miles left and have until 5 pm to reach it. 

Here at Blackwells AS going out seemed like a giant maze.  As usual, I asked which way is out.  Volunteers pointed in a general direction and I was sure they gave verbal directions too.  I had my pacer so I was not worry about finding the trail. 

This is on me.  I should have slow down or stop to fix my gps but I was pumping with adrenaline of having made the cutoff again.  So I was rushing out. 

Other runners later too attested that volunteers at the particular station said to go up the road, and some of us really went up the road instead of turning onto the trail on the left.

So up the road we went.  I started mumbling that I hadn’t seen any flagging at all.  My companion/safety runner said she saw them just ahead.   

All the warning bells were going off by now, because I haven’t seen any flags but was assured by my friend that she had.  I decided to turn around disregarding the two other runners who were running with us.

Going back downhill was easier than going up hill.  But the time lost was pretty much not recoverable.  I checked the watch and it was 9:40, we were way off course, for me, that is too late.  We did find the trail at the bottom of the hill.

The sweepers caught up to us.  The only way was to go forward (I was considering turning around back to the aid station at the time, so that I could sleep).  The next aid station was 4.5 miles away.  It was an awesome climb.  I finally get to slow down and enjoyed the view.  From 10 to 1 pm.  We trekked on.  At time, I felt sorry that I was the last runner.  But God was humorous and merciful.  Right before we reached the aid station Sky Rock, not so much rocks but it was up up and up in the sky, we stumbled on a runner laying on the trail.  The sweepers went and worked on the troubled runner who said he has not eaten for the last 7 hours.  The sweepers told us to continue heading to the aid station.  People at the aid station sent a medic team down.  Everything ended well.  The poor runner was rescued. I was relieved that I was not the one laying on the trail.

My 100 mile (103 actually) ended at mile 85.  There would be 17-18 miles left.  The volunteers were kind enough to feed us with mellons and fruits and we eventually had our ride back to the finish. 

The rest of the day was spent  sleeping, eating, and cheering as runners came in at the finish including a few of my friends, Ike, Scott, and Jeremy. Scott ran it 10 times or something. I also made a new friend at the finish with another runner who also ran it 10 times.

Is there a lesson learned? Probably.  I could have trained better of not getting behind on the pacing early on.  My friend teased me of trying to wing a 100 miler without much training especially a hard one.

It is always hard to catch back into the game once falling behind.

As for staying strong or up during the night, that is always hard. I could have carried some caffeine pills.  That was on me of not having a counter measure for sleep deprivation ahead of time.

Third, probably most important, is stay alert and be reactive to turn around quickly the moment the path was doubtful. I did talk too much and thus missed the turn.

Fourth related to it, fix the gps immediately, that was one reliable tool to stay on course.

Fifth, course study!  I studied the course turn by turn the first 50 miles and but not for the second half. So it was on me.  I should have familiar at least of all the aid station’s entrants and exits.

Bless the Lord, there were many instances where I could have tripped over and got hurt badly but always at the last minute, I regained my footing and did some acrobatic stunts. I finished relatively healthy, minus some blisters and sunburn. I had a great time both hiking and then the early Sunday hour run, with renewed strength. That was my best moment of the race to catch up from behind. 

I was thankful to have a friend and pacer ready to jump in at any moment when I was in distress.  As to whether I could finish in my condition, it was hard to say.  I was barely hanging on. Time was slipping.  There were 8 hours left and two more aid stations to go. Even couple of friends who were stronger runners than me finished with only 10-15 minutes to spare. It would have been a very hard push to the finish.

The two female runners, who got lost along with me, they finished.  I salute them for having the true courage and strength of not giving up and overcame a big setback.  I do wonder…what needed to push that hard.  I knew I did not have it in me that day to do the heroic thing.  It was my weakness for possibly giving up too soon. My pacer did tell me to run like them.

Yes, DNF hurts, then again we have to be thankful of what we already achieved. We all entered a race always hoping we would finish.  There were a lot I can take away.  I had a nice day on the trail and I had good trip going there and coming back. I run to meet people and I did.  I run for the experience.  It was a good experience. Thankful I got a chance to do it and ran with some very good friends.