Have been eyeing this route for a while and decided somewhat spontaneously to give it a try just a few days before the attempt. I wanted my effort to be self-supported, so I packed four caches and dropped them along the way, approximately every 12-16 miles. Each cache had a few gels and a little over 1.5L of water, which I hoped would be enough on a strangely hot November day. I stayed in the Portsmouth Motel 6 the night before, and started my effort at approximately 5:56AM, running northbound.
My game plan was to keep a 10-11 minute/mile pace throughout, and I stuck to that pretty closely for the first 10 miles. I reached my first cache in South Berwick and tried to transition as quick as possible, logging a 12 minute mile. I decided that would be the goal throughout: keep my pace relatively constant and minimize time needed for transitions.
I had never been on the southern section of the Eastern Trail, and was slightly taken aback by how much road with little to no shoulder there was. I don't have much experience with longer distance road running, and was also surprised how sore my feet and calves were long before reaching the half way mark. My second cache transition was another ~12 minute mile, and I began to set my eyes on a sub 12 hour effort.
And then it got hot. Upwards of 70 degrees, and I immediately felt myself struggling. Miles 30-44 were a bit of a sufferfest, but I kept my focus on keeping every mile under 11 minutes, even if that meant logging multiple 10:59s. One of the exceptions being a needed stop at a Biddeford gas station for a cold gatorade, which I immediately chugged. I had not packed enough water in my caches to be comfortable.
As the sun started to set and I picked up my final cache at the end of the rail trail in Scarborough, I started to feel a second wind coming on. I realized that sub 12 hours was maybe still in play, but knew I needed to pick up the pace a bit, or at least not let it fall off further. By the time I hit Wainwright, it felt very possible to go sub 12 hours, and I have run the stretch between Wainwright and the Casco Bay bridge over a dozen times, so I wouldn't have to check my phone for the route. I also knew that there were two lights that could last for minutes, so I ran faster than I would have normally, knowing the lights would hold me up.
The final few miles were adrenaline filled, and I could no longer feel my exhausted calves and sore feet. The sun had set but the lingering light kept me from needing my headlamp. I hit mile 65 but had a little further to get to the lighthouse. The last .65 miles after that were at a 7:52 minute/mile pace, and I finished in 11:55:59. My friends met me at the end with a sign, some water, and a Chipotle, just a few miles from my home in Portland.
I'm really happy with the execution on this effort, and I loved the idea of running home throughout. That amount of road certainly isn't my favorite, but it was fun to push in a new way!