Pine Creek Challenge 100
September 8, 2024
26:15
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
73rd hundred, new state!
You know when they dub over videos of dogs and they say I’m a happy happy happy dog and the pup is walking happily along or wagging their tail or just smiling…well, I’m a happy happy happy runner who is smiling and I got a bounce in my step. In other words, I had a good race.
The Pine Creek Challenge 100 is a race in Wellsboro, PA in the middle of the state about four hours from Philadelphia. So we had quite a drive from the airport but Pennsylvania is beautiful and the leaves were just starting to change colors. The race is on the Pine Creek Trail which is a rails to trail course, so flat, but this trail was so smooth and soft. The race website said no puddles and I didn’t believe him but really the course was smooth, no puddles and the dirt and gravel was in great shape. My feet are happy.
We got to the town the night before and walked from our motel to dinner. On Friday night apparently the town sets up games and activities along the sidewalk in the main downtown area and families come out to enjoy the festivities. Most games were also collecting donations for good causes. It’s a cute little town with some good restaurants. My tummy was happy.
The course was a double out and back on two different sections of the trail so we got to see a lot of people go back and forth. Almost everyone was very supportive and said good job or nice work with a smile. This always helps people, especially me continue the happy vibe. When you are smiling at each other how can you not be happy. The aid stations were great, supportive people with good food. We ran in the canyon which they call the Grand Canyon of the East. It is a canyon, a wee one, Jess called it “cute.” Unlike the real grand canyon it is filled with trees on either side of the walls and so it was really beautiful with the river running through it. A couple of minor waterfalls and not too much other traffic on the trail made for a great day.
At night I saw a porcupine, who was rather shy and kind of snubbed me. He put up his spines and then when I looked at him with my head lamp he looked the other way like he was saying nothing to see here, so on I went. There was one aid station where every time I visited it they would hoot and holler really loud when they first saw you a couple of hundred yards away. Such a happy greeting that I looked forward to it each time I visited. This aid station had the best food. Egg and cheese quesadillas, pirogies, and hash browns were some of the eats I enjoyed.
It rained for the first five hours so we got completely drenched even with a poncho on and it was a bit windy, but it was 60 degrees out at the start, really too warm for a coat. So after the rain stopped I had a change of clothes in my drop bag and wanted to change. I knew if I didn’t change now the chaffing would have been way worse later. I refused to change in a porta pottie, besides it was in use. No place else… so what to do? I just got behind a vehicle and quickly changed shorts. Hope I didn’t offend anyone with my naked bum, but a runners gotta do what a runners gotta do. With dry socks and shoes and dry clothes on I felt so much better.
Later in the night it got a bit cold, like low 40s. I had brought a thin puffy coat and was so glad I had it. The fog rolled into the canyon but only on the top part of it so it was a little creepy in the wee hours. I was still moving well and knew I wanted to finish as soon as possible to get off my feet. I followed another runner and her pacer. I wanted to catch up and maybe run with her to the finish. I remembered her from the many passings we had. She was young, likely her first hundred. I could tell as I got closer that she would pick up her speed and so I would keep doing this for about ten miles, get close and then she would get farther ahead. I could tell she didn’t want me to pass her. Good on her. At the finish I told her if I had caught up to her and her dad who was pacing her I would have likely ran with her to the finish and pushed her across the line before me. It was her first finish, congrats. Her dad kindly helped get a picture of me with my buckle at the finish. Happy runners supporting happy runners.
The race director had a philosophy, which I ascribe to, anyone completing the challenge receives the same award. 100 miler people get a mug and buckle and 50 milers get the mug, marathoners get the medal. So no awards for first, second, etc. I kind of like this philosophy because ultra running is really a challenge and everyone completing the challenge should be recognized.
So I also met the challenge of surviving my excitable runner friend Jess. I love to run and I’m a happy runner and Jess loves to run even more and she gets so excited to run and the happiness she has is contagious. Even though she was going take it easy and see how the day unfolds, she did fantastic. She runs with us mere mortals for the first 10-15 miles and then off she goes. Faster and faster as the day passes by. I got to one of the aid stations in the wee hours, like around midnight. I was still heading out while she was coming back and the aid station people said that she just flew past, didn’t even stop. They were in awe. I said that’s my friend, she does that. I smiled and giggled and was glad she was having such a great run. Happy running gal.
On the long drive back to Philly, we listened to a podcast about decision making. Often we analyze our poor decisions and maybe even beat ourselves up over those decisions. The person on the podcast suggested that we also should analyze our successes just as much. So here we go. Why do I think I had a good run? I spent some good training time at the gym building strength especially in my hamstrings and glutes. I also did some interval days, not too much just a few 4x4 min workouts to get my legs to move faster. I did some more hiking and hill work and because of a minor knee injury I came in rested with no running for four of the six days before the event. I also ate a ton of food during the race which is not easy. (I may be paying for that now with a lot of burping, sorry Jess.). The course was definitely in my wheel house, I run well on the flat stuff. I listened to a great murder mystery and some fun music. And of course one of the cool things is that my mental game is solid. I have a positive attitude and fed off the other positive people on the course. This just makes the miles fly by. I guess we learn just as much from when things go well as when they don’t. Take time to analyze the good things and why they are happening. (For educator type people this reminds me of the Success Analysis Protocol.)
And if you get a chance to visit the cute little town of Wellsboro, PA, don’t forget to check out the canyon and the Pine Creek Trail. You might find some happy happy happy runners.
Data for me:
Marathon, 5:20, 50K, 6:24, 50M, 10:58, 100K, 14:10, 100M, 25:56, course was long, 101.2, 26:15
22nd state with a hundred
41st state with a marathon or greater, some day I’ll get all fifty states, no hurry though