Rocky Raccoon 100
Miler (USATF 100 Mile Trail Championship)
Huntsville, Texas
February 1-2, 2014
Post Race Report
As always, I began with the caveat that I write these for 3
reasons: 1) to consolidate and organize my memory on paper before they begin to
fade from my mind so that I can read them later in life, 2) to leave some
insights for my children that will perhaps encourage them at different critical
moments in their lives, and 3) some people have expressed their interest in reading
these reports.
PRE-RACE
Why did I want to run 100 miles? I remember when the idea first germinated in
my mind. I was in Louisville for the
2012 Ironman and met a guy wearing a Western States 100 T-shirt. I was familiar with Leadville & Western
States. I asked him, “What is harder: an
Ironman or 100 Miler?” He said, “Without
a doubt a 100 Miler. Ask anyone who has
done both.” I know how I am and once an
idea enters my mind it is almost like I have no control but to pursue it. I began slowly educating myself on what it
would take to complete a 100 Miler. I
began running more trail miles and trail events. The running was completely different but also
recalled how I first fell in love with running in high school running
cross-country on trails.
I knew I could run a marathon at anytime based on my Ironman
training, so I ran two 50Ks and did better than I expected. While officially a 50K is recognized, as an
“ultra” event most ultra runners argue that “ultra” does not begin until 50
miles. I then ran JFK 50 Miler in
November 2013 and again did better than I expected on limited training. I coined the phrase that I was a LeMUR Ultra
Runner. LeMUR - Low Mileage Ultra
Running.
Most ultra runners routinely put in months of 75-100 miles a
week and ramp up weeks of high mileage over 100 miles. I was not prepared to put in that amount of running,
as I feared overuse injuries. I know my
body and felt if I could keep it in a steady state of fatigue through middle
distance runs, low impact cycling and weight training I might succeed. I generally ran 40 miles a week with one run
somewhere around 15 miles. I eventually
worked up to 50-60 for several weeks and I think I may have actually exceeded
70 miles 1 or 2 weeks. I never ran
longer than 20 miles. My lack of long
runs was my biggest concern and unknown going into RR-100.
RACE WEEK
Wednesday night around 11:00pm, I was hit with the stomach
flu. It was violent for about 6 hours.
Afterwards my system was empty, I was dehydrated, depleted, weak and
felt awful. I lost 6 pounds and had no appetite
and the diarrhea continued to be problematic.
Thursday I spent the day trying to rehydrate. By Thursday evening, I was able to keep down half
of a plain baked potato, soup and drank liquid yogurt trying to replace lost
live cultures and probiotics. Friday
morning I woke at 3:00am to drive to RDU to catch my flight to Texas. Luckily by then I was feeling much better and
again tried to focus on replenishing my body.
Was I concerned? Yes, but I see people at every race who overcome true
difficulties and stomach flu is laughably minor.
In preparing for the race, I was reminded of my dad always
telling me “A fool learns from his mistakes but a wise man learns from
others.” I spoke to several friends who
had completed 100 milers and each of them gave me advice on what to expect and
things that did or did not work for them.
Their advice was invaluable and I am eternally grateful. I tried to prepare for every contingency, as
I wanted to have control of as many variables as possible. The biggest advice everyone gave me was the
need for a crew/pacers. I am attracted
to endurance training because of its solitary pursuit and I really struggled
with the idea and need for a crew/pacers.
I reached out to several friends and Wendy Lamb & Del Pietro agreed
to assist me. I was very open and honest
with them. I told them I was not sure if
I was even going to want them to pace me and typically as I suffer I withdraw
into myself. I run in silence as talking
wastes my already finite energy but they were both willing to do whatever I
needed to succeed! What great friends!
COURSE
The course consisted of 5 by 20-mile loops basically around
an irregularly shaped lake. The trail
was hardened earth with some sandy areas and covered with large hard roots
especially with any elevation changes.
The course was basically as flat and there were several sections that
were jeep track or wider which were very runnable areas. Aid stations were at mile 3, 6&12(same
station), 15 and the start/finish.
GOAL
The cutoff to complete the 100 miles was 30 hours and just
by completing the race I would qualify for the lottery at Western States, which
is another goal. I really wanted to be
sub 24 hours. My strategy going into the
race was to be under 4 hours for the 1st loop, around 4 hours for
the 2nd, 4:30 for the 3rd and then see what happened, as
I had never run further than 50 miles.
BREAKFAST
I have found as I age my body reacts much better to higher
protein than to carbs. I ate my typical
100% protein breakfast. I prefer eggs
and smoked salmon but was unable to find smoked salmon the night before so ate
3 servings of eggs and 2 servings of sausage and then drank as much low calorie
Gatorade as I could handle.
START
The race started at 6:00am in Huntsville, TX at Huntsville
State Park across from Sam Houston University.
It was about an hour drive from my hotel in College Station, TX. I arrived at the entrance of the park around
5:35am and we were immediately stuck in traffic. I eventually had to just get out of the car
and start walking toward the start with Del. As we cleared the traffic jam walking I
started thumbing and a pickup truck stopped and let us jump in and drove us the
mile to the start. My hat flew off but
once we stopped, Del sprinted back to retrieve it and came running up to me with
it just seconds before the start.
The weather was in the 50s and super muggy. I had been hoping for weather in the 30s but
it was okay. I wore a running cap to hold
in heat, black sleeveless shirt, 2XU compression shorts, compression socks and
my K-Swiss Blade 2s. Most runners were
wearing some variation of trail shoes, especially popular were the Hokas. I opted for my K-Swiss as they are nimble and
I have never had a hot spot/blister.
Obviously I was in the back of the pack at the start given
my late arrival. It was still night and
very dark with all the runners wearing headlamps and carrying flashlights. When I do a race I visually think of my
energy as a bucket of water. That I want
to slowly and evenly pour out that water so that as I cross the finish line the
last drop drips out. I say this, as I am
always surprised at experienced athletes who waste so much valuable nervous energy. People were yelling and screaming, chatting,
singing, some were yelling ‘Marco!’ ‘Polo!’
I just kept quiet.
LOOP #1 (3:56:56)
A lady in front of me tripped and fell in the first couple
steps over the timing mat. She was
embarrassed but uninjured. The path was
dark and narrow and it was basically just speed walking for the first 3 miles
until the crowd thinned out and I was able to begin running. I just kept my head down focusing on sure
footing in the dark waiting for the dawn to break. I have always been fortunate that my stomach
can handle about anything at the aid stations and can rely on them without
having to carry much. I knew the
importance of staying hydrated and eating.
Golden Rule - YOU CANNOT WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE THIRSTY OR HUNGRY. At the first aid station I grabbed a half
banana, a quarter of a pbj and drank a couple cups of Gatorade. This was basically my routine at each aid
station with variations of the foods I ate. I also began my pattern of taking an S-cap at
every aid station. I think I had to pee a couple times in the first 10
miles. The more I pee the better! The first loop was really uneventful for
me. Basic strategy. Ran 80% of the time walking up the hills just
staying comfortable and keeping my heart down.
I was surprised at the number of people I saw fall and fall hard. I saw
a young girl face plant into some mud.
Saw an older lady fall on one of the numerous wooden bridges without
railings over swampy areas. Those would
come back to worry me too!
I did notice a troubling pattern that when I hit a root I
kept hitting it with my right big toe so I knew early on a good man had
rendered his service for the day. The
humidity was bad and as a heavy sweater, I was soaked. At the 15-mile aid station, I was surprised to
see Wendy & Del as I thought they were just going to hang out at the
start/finish. I was glad to be able to
hand them my headlamp & cap. Two
less worries. I finished my first loop
and had to hit the port-a-john as my stomach was still feeling the effects of
the stomach flu.
I had packed and labeled everything and put them in numbered
Ziploc bags to make it easier for Wendy & Del to hand me things for each
loop. Plus I do not like carrying belts,
vests or packs so I can then just stuff the small plastic bags snuggly into my
shorts.
I had noticed on the first loop that my Garmin showed the
distance as 19.25 as it lost track with some of the tree cover and switchbacks. I calculated I could maintain a specific pace
and knew I would be even faster. I had
lost 15 minutes in the first 3 miles from all the forced walking because of the
pack. That really irritated me but I had
to let it go quickly and just stay positive and control what I could control
going forward.
LOOP #2 (4:07:55)
One loop down! Felt
great! My mindset was I have 20 hours to
run 80 miles but I need to be smart. I
reset my watch and settled in for the 2nd 20-mile loop. I continued to smash my right toe from time to
time and each time it hurt worse. I kept
doing an inventory of my body and I felt fine.
All systems go. I kept passing
people but had no idea where I was in relation to position and did not care. I knew the battle would not be external but
rather internal. I was not going to run
faster or slower but just steady. People
kept falling. I carried a bottle of
Gatorade with me so during some of the longer gaps in the later aid stations I
would have something to drink. I hate
carrying anything but the bottle made a sloshing sound in rhythm to my stride
and it almost became a metronome for my breathing and foot strick. I almost felt like it was hypnotizing me into
a trance and I just kept steadily clicking off miles. I was curious to see what would happen around
mile 38, as that was where I started struggling during the JFK 50 Miler. I just stuck to my routine at the aid
stations. Drink as much as I could, eat
something, take an S-cap and keep moving.
I did realize toward the end of this loop that I was not going to be
able to run 100 miles in my K-Swiss as the hard roots & stumps were being
felt too roughly through their road condition soles. I do not consider that a mistake on my part
as I wanted them for their lightweight and they did awesome! I saw Wendy & Del at mile 35 again and
threw them my soaking wet shirt. I prefer
to run wearing a shirt but the humidity had just turned it into a heavy
sponge. I told them I wanted to get dry
so to have the wet towel, dry towel, Tri-Slide, new shirt, socks and Hokas
ready along with bag #3.
I finished the 2nd loop as planned and on
schedule feeling great. The wet towel
allowed me to wipe off all the salty sweat, trail grime and felt amazing. I reapplied Tri-Slide to the usual suspect
areas, changed socks & shoes. I was
not sure what time I would finish the next loop. I opted for a long sleeve shirt and tied it
around my waste in case I struggled and it got dark, cold or started to
rain. The weather report had called for
rain but so far it had just stayed overcast.
LOOP #3 (5:06:00)
Two loops down. 40
miles completed. I now had 16 hours to run
60 miles to accomplish my sub 24-hour goal.
I did all kinds of math calculations in my mind. That is what I thought about as I ran. That is what occupied my time. During the race I might occasionally run near
another runner but if they wanted to start talking I would make a comment then
try to leave them. Talking during a
long run saps my energy, breaks my focus or whatever you want to call it. I just do not like talking while I am running. People ask me what I think about while I am
running for hours. I really do not
know. My mind thinks of everything and
nothing. I just mainly stare at the
ground and go into a trance. I was
wondering what was going to happen at mile 50.
That was the furthest I had ever run and was only going to be the
halfway mark.
I had taken my iPhone in a
plastic bag and stuck it in my shorts, as I wanted to capture the halfway point. During this loop, I still felt great but I
realized my feet were starting to fall apart and blister. It was a mistake on my part and I should have
learned my lesson from what I put my feet through at IMKY. I had left some foam orthotics in my
Hokas. I wear my Hokas as recovery shoes
and the orthotics provide even additional support and cushioning. The problem is they are 3/4 lengths so there
is a slight little lip around the ball of my foot. Its something I cannot even feel when I wear
them but when you are running 100 miles it becomes like the pea and the
princess. Well I had survived a IMKY
with half the bottom of both my feel blistering and blisters were not going to
stop me here either. I would just deal
with them after I finished. I got to
mile 51 and was still feeling great. I
recorded a short video and posted it so people would know I was still alive. I kept up my hydration and nutrition but I
was losing my appetite and nothing appealed to me at the aid stations. The aid stations did a great job of putting
different items out over the race so you were not stuck with the same
choices. Usually during a long race I
crave protein. Specifically in the past
I had craved fried eggs, smoked salmon & hamburgers. I had packed fried eggs and Wendy & Del
had gotten smoked salmon for me.
Interestingly though the aid stations started putting out pickles and
mashed potatoes that were runny enough to drink. Those really were the bomb during this loop
and were my staple for the remainder of the race. Yum
I saw Wendy & Del again at mile 55. It was getting close to sunset so they gave
me a headlamp. My pace had slowed a
little from mile 50-60 and I could have picked it up but I did not want to live
and die by an artificial pace and just tried to maintain comfort.
I finished the loop.
I ran it just over 5 hours but it had felt very easy and I truly felt I
could maintain that pace for the next 40 miles with no problem so I was
pleased.
The race allowed us to have pacers for Loop 4&5. I decided I did want Wendy & Del to pace
me for the last 2 loops for different reasons.
I wanted them to experience the course and race so I could have someone
to share it with plus the extra lighting on the trail would be helpful. I also knew my pride would be pushed along
knowing someone was watching me. The
question in my mind then became in what order.
I figured I would run more during the 4th loop so maybe Del
should go, as he was the stronger runner.
But whom was I kidding, my pace was slowing and that was not going to be
an issue with either. I finally decided
that if I truly started have major problems, Del was physically stronger and
faster and could render aid or obtain first aid quicker on the last loop.
LOOP #4 (5:50:36)
3 loops down. 60
miles down (almost 100k). 40 miles to
cover in 11 hours to break 24 hours. No
problem! I am going to be
unstoppable! Wendy & I headed
out. I explained to her that I preferred
if she ran behind me and that she needed to run several strides back as she
needed to stare at the ground so she could see the roots. I told her my basic strategy was to walk jog
the first 5-6 mile around the single track rooty trails around a 16 min pace and
that around mile 5 there were more runnable sections of the course and I felt I
could make up time. I also said I
probably would not be talking much and that if she fell I would not stop. She laughed and said she would not expect me
too. At the aid stations, I concentrated
on eating and swigging down fluids as she filled up my bottle. I got to around mile 5 of the loop where the
course opens back up and was able to pretty much follow the pre loop plan and
picked up the pace. At this point I
started noticing my left quad felt like it had pulled but not significantly
enough where I could not maintain the plan and it was not getting worse. I did notice that whenever I did stop to walk
it was taking greater effort to start running again. Its funny when you get that tired. I do not start running by increasing my leg
speed. I just lean forward until I start
to fall and then use the momentum to start.
It may sound weird but if you have been there you probably know what I
am trying to express. On the course,
there were a couple metal benches for the park.
Wendy casually mentioned that those benches had to be tempting for some
of the runners. About that exact moment
we passed a bench and a runner was curled up on the bench. I asked him if he was okay and he mumbled,
“yeah.” We were at about mile 71 and a
runner (remember all we can see is a headlamp) comes up behind me, which
surprised me as I was still passing people rather than being passed. As the runner came up we said good job. The headlamp said in a female voice, “Oh no,
I am just a pacer. My runner just
quit.” She ran with us for a bit and
explained that they were using boats to take runners who had to quit across the
lake. I also started noticing more runners
seeking medical attention at the aid stations.
Many were wrapped in blankets or having different parts of their bodies
examined. We got to the 73 mile aid
station. It was the largest aid station
with multiple tents, vehicles and a bag drop area with lots of people
around. I grabbed stuff to eat and drink
while Wendy filled my Gatorade bottle. I
started back up the trail. Wendy waited
at the aid station thinking I was still eating at one of the tents. It was no big deal as it was 3 miles to the
next aid station and that was where she was going to drop me to meet me at the
start/finish with Del. By the time she
realized I was not in another area, she took off running after me but hit a root
and fell. I was oblivious and just kept
going. I say kept going because this is
where my sub 24 hour race effectively ended.
I was putting out the same perceived effort but as I looked at my watch
I could not go faster than 18 minutes a mile.
I kept trying but my body would not respond. It was like everything just hit me once. I stayed positive and said to myself, “Okay
this is just a bad point. You have been
here before and you will get through it.
Just keep walking, get to the next aid station and wait to bounce
back.” I went through my mental
checklist. Dehydration? No, still
peeing. Fuel? No, have been eating. Cramps? No. My quads were just fatigued. I knew my left was slightly pulled but both
were done to the point I was having balance issues and was curiously leaning to
my left. I had to make an effort to stay
straight. I made it to mile 75 where
thank God Del was waiting. He explained
Wendy had called and told him to go on with me and she would meet us at the start/finish. I walked over to the aid station to get
fluids and food. I stumbled and almost
fell. The medical people walked over and
asked if I was okay. It dawned on me I
was in pretty bad shape so had to suck it up so they would not pull me or make
me sit down to examine me. I really
concentrated and shook them off and started walking. Del asked what I wanted and I said just fill
up my Gatorade bottle. He came running
right back. I said, “Look I am in bad
shape. Your job is to just get me to the finish.” He asked if he should push me and I said, “No
we just have a really long slow walk in front of us.” I could tell I was staggering. I told Del I was going to try and distract
myself by finally using my iPhone and put in my earphones. In the process of putting them on, a simple
little loop had formed around my race belt.
I kept trying and trying to unloop it but could not figure it out. I know it sounds stupid and funny but I could
not problem solve or get my brain and body coordinated. I had to stop and face Del like a 3 year old child
as he took 2 seconds to fix the loop. He
said, “Dude we are going to get you through this.” I just walked. I almost fell a couple times and occasionally
had to put my hand on him for balance. I
told him I did not know what I had left so when we got to the start finish I
was going to step over the timing mat, turn around and start right back
out. I was really afraid if I stopped I
might not start or a race official might try to stop me. Ironically my fully charged Garmin also went dead!
LOOP #5 (6:55:12)
4 loops done. 20 miles to go. I remember looking at the
official race time. I was starting Loop
#5 at 19:01 but I remember I kept saying 18:01.
Now my brain said if you can really push yourself and run a 4:59 loop
you can still break 24 hours! So I
decided to push with everything I had and if I could get to the 3-mile aid
station in 45 minutes or less I would keep pushing until the next. I know Del thought I was crazy as I would
lean forward maybe fast shuffle 30-40 steps kind of recover, then repeat. I am not sure I ever went any faster but
maybe my arms pumped more. When I got to
the 3-mile aid station even my eternal optimism knew it was over. If I had turned around right there and run
back to the finish, I am not sure if I could have broken 24 hours. I told Del sub 24 hours was over and that
given the shape I was in, I was not even going to try and run. At this point, I was afraid 1) I might not be
able to physically finish or 2) I might injure myself. I asked him to stay close to me in case I
fell to try and catch me. We walked and
it just all kept getting worse. It was
so painful to walk down even just the slightest grade. I had to step sideways at times. There were roots I could not lift my foot
over and kind of had to zigzag down and in between. There was never a point I felt I would quit
but I also never reached a point where I thought I was going to finish. It was just so painfully slow. Leigh Adams had warned me of the
‘halo-effect’ of wearing a headlamp for such an extended period of time. Not sure if this is what she meant but I was
so out of my mind I was hallucinating or misinterpreting shadows and
things. I am not jumpy but I thought I
saw something scurry out on the path and I screamed like a little girl. Del said he about had a heart attack I scared
him with my shriek. He asked what I saw
and I said I had no idea. It also caused me problems on all the many
bridges. They were different widths but
some were fairly narrow and none had handrails.
They seemed to rattle and vibrate as I walked across them and I had to
spread my legs wide and walk across them afraid I would lose my balance and fall
off. I asked Del to stay really close. I felt I was going insane. Around mile 87, the weather just suddenly
dropped out of the 50s into the 30s. It
actually helped me. Almost like throwing
a bucket of water on someone asleep. I
did not feel cold. Del said he was cold
but I could feel the heat coming off my muscles probably from all the tiny
tears. It was also about this time my
hands really started to swell. I knew
this was a common ailment and the easy way to prevent and even alleviate the
symptoms is to simply raise them overhead and repeatedly open and clench. I tried to do this but it would cause me to
lose my balance. Del caught me once as I
almost fell and I kept my hands below my head from that point forward. Another strange effect was with the sudden
cold weather when you exhaled I guess some of my breath condensation was
heavier than other parts and it fell down and you would walk into it. Almost like snow. I had never seen or heard of it before. Even Del commented on it happening to him
too. The wind really started whipping
and we both knew it was just a matter of time before it started raining.
I remember we were around mile 90 and it was going to take
me almost 3+ hours to finish. It seemed
like as the miles decreased, my pace got slower and the time to finish remained
stagnate. It was a very frustrating time
warp. Like walking on a treadmill and
going nowhere. We crossed the earthen
dam and at the end off the dam was a red clay hill fairly step but only about
10-15 feet high. I knew my quads would
fail on the grade and I would just fall.
I could sit and scoot down but was not sure I would get back up. I had to have Del walk in front of me and I
put my hands against his should and leaned forward against him as we slowly
walked down. At about this point is when
it started raining. Off and on at
first. It was cold but initially
refreshing. At about mile 93, I finally
started getting really cold and knew hyperthermia was coming into play. I was able to get my jacket and gloves from
the aid station at mile 95. My hands
were so swollen it was an effort putting them on. With the jacket on, I quickly felt
warmer. The plan had been for Del to
quit at mile 95 and for he and Wendy to meet me at the finish. I told them I was afraid I might fall or
something happen that might prevent me from finishing. I needed help so Del stayed with me. It was agonizing and humbling being that
dependent. We just keep silently walking
slowly through the dark, windy, cold, rainy woods. The sun rose and it was nice to be able to finally
see further than a few feet. I got to
about 1 mile from the finish. I told Del
I thought I could make it. I wanted him
to take my iPhone (his was dead) and for him and Wendy to space themselves out
and video and take pictures of the finish.
As he left, I stopped and peed on the trail. I did not want to finish then have to walk
the extra couple hundred feet over to the port-a-potties. I remember watching the steam rise even in
the rain from my pee. As soon as I
stopped peeing, I was overcome with a bone rattling cold. I started shivering and I could not stop my
teeth from chattering. It felt as if I
had peed all the heat out of me and now I was just a hollow icebox. I got a little concerned that there was still
not guarantee I was going to finish. I
was slipping into hyperthermia again and I was still a mile from the
finish. I know that does not sound like
far but a mile was over a 20 minute walk for me. I knew I had to try and generate body heat
somehow. I tried pumping my arms,
breathing slowly through my nose and to quicken my pace as much as
possible. Things I take for granted were
such a struggle.
FINISH
The finish line is a 90-degree turn down a row of telephone
pole power lines. You cross a road then
its about 500 feet to the finish. I knew
Wendy and Del were down there somewhere and were videotaping me and I really
wanted to run. With the cold and rain
there was nobody in sight. It was just
me and my eyes had a hard time focusing on anything. I heard a guy start yelling down off to the
right. He was very excited and encouraging.
I looked behind me but he was yelling for me. He was a race official. He yelled, “Come on! Run it in you can still
break 26 hours!” I remember looking at
the big digital clock and it said 25:55.
I remember thinking of course I can break 26 hours I am only 300-400
feet away. But then I started thinking
maybe I am going a lot slower than I think! Or what if I fall. Holy crap! I was only a coin toss from the
finish and I still did not have this thing in the bag. I was trying to run but I think I was just
pumping my arms a little. I knew my body
was contorted but I did the best I could.
I finished alone. No cheers. No throngs. Just me alone but it seemed oddly
appropriate.
BANDS
When I decided to run the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler, I knew it
would easily be the most physically difficult thing I had ever attempted. In anticipation of the race, I had about 20
silicon wristbands custom made. I
carried all the bands with me on my race belt throughout the race - every
second of 25:56 hours and each step of the 100 miles. The other runners often asked me what they
were for and I said they were my family and friends. Each band represented someone who helped me
get to the starting line to achieve this goal of mine and allowed me to feel as
if they were running with me throughout the race. It provided me with tremendous motivation to
push past mental and physical barriers I had never before attempted. I sent one to each person as a symbolic way
for me to thank you. Maybe someday they
will run across it in a drawer or some other hidden recess and be reminded
during difficulties in their own lives the words of Aulus Persius Flaccus “he
conquers who endures.”
I endured 100 miles.
STATISTICS
Finish time: 25:56:35
679 starters, 478 finishers, 201 DNFs
133rd out of 279 overall / 106 of 280 male / 40
of ?? age group
USATF 100-Mile Trail Championship
49th out of 81 male
6th out of 10 Age Group
Off to my next adventure…
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