Subject: a Rocky 100 mile report From: greg loomis Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 09:08:32 -0800 (PST) On Friday morning I woke early, and hit the road by 6:30 to drive the 3 hours to Baltimore to catch my flight to the Rocky Racoon 100 mile race in Huntsville, TX. Upon learning my flight out was going to be an hour late I switched to an earlier flight in hopes of making my connector in Detroit that would get me to Houston. I made the connector but my bag didn't!!! So arriving in Houston (late) I find I have only my carry on, but luckily have most of what I need to race in that bag. The shoes on my feet are not my favorite, but they will have to do. I do not have my special ice-T super sugared drinks, but I head to a wallmart to buy slimfast, and a flashlight. The gear that I planned to camp in at the race start in Huntsville state park is not here so I get a motel in town. After eating some pizza at 10pm, and finding a motel I finally bed down after an exhausting day at 11pm with the alarm set for 4:00. I awake feeling pretty refreshed and ready to run, but discover in the 30 degree morning air that I have no hat.....it too was in my lost bag. The race begins in the dark and I stride off at a comfortable clip trying to be conservative. I end up running the first 20 mile loop with Kevin Bligan and Blake Wood joins us about 1/2 way in. The course seems confusing on the first go around with 3 out and backs to aid stations and a few tricky turns that the 50 mile race takes that we do not. But, it is very well marked with ribbon and yellow pie plates and I never feel lost. The trails are pretty smooth; a mix of sandy pine needle covered paths with some rooty sections. It is almost completely flat with a few rolling gentle grades and I run the entire loop with out a walk break. Kevin, Blake and I hit the start/finish in 2:46. This is about where I hoped to be... not 8:00 miles, but quicker than the 9:00 pace I hope to hold for a 15 hour finish. But is that really possible?? I drink a slimfast, grab a piece of banana, strip off my Patagonia vest, and stride off on loop two feeling pretty good. Scott Eppleman is ahead and Blake and I move off in pursuit. I take the gatorade at each of the 4 aide stations per loop, but know it is only 50cals per 8oz and is not nearly enough to sustain my run. I've been nibbling on pretzels, M&M's, and crackers, but none of this is enough and around 30 miles in to the race I am starving and although only 4 minutes back of the leader and in 2nd I have to back off the pace. The next ten miles I question the reason for even trying to race my guts out and wonder what happened to the me that did these long races just to see if I could finish. When did I stop racing me and start racing for the win??? In ultras you don't "win" anything when you win the race anyway.... I decide to jog and enjoy it and end up coming through loop two in just over 3 hours(40miles in 5:50) and now down several places. I'm astonished to see that my bag that the airlines lost is here!!!! The baggage claim guy said they'd try to drive it out to me but I didn't expect it. Huntsville is 65 miles away from the airport. When he asked for an address to deliver it to I said..."um the Huntsville state park". Well miracles happen and here is my bag. I immediately switch out of my shoes and into some comfortable ones with better insoles, drink a slimfast, and dig out my super sugared Ice-T mix and head out for loop 3. Feeling good but still behind energy-wise I start to walk all the tiny hills and try to eat more at the aid stations. I begin to enjoy the design of the course as I get to see most of the field many times on the out and backs. everyone gives encouragement and I feel part of a special crowd. Many of my friends from the VHTRC club and Montrail are running well. I am amazed at what is going on up front as Scott and Blake continue to hammer at sub 15 hour pace, but so does Ann Heaslet. She is a very fine runner, but sub 15 hour 100 pace??? Come on! Just behind me A women from Colorado, my hero Sue Johnston from vermont, and my running addicted friend Michele Bur keep nipping at my heals and I wonder how they are all seemingly running with ease while I am struggling. I begin to have the GI trouble that plagued me at Vermont last summer in the heat. It is simply a blood flow issue....when running at a fast enough pace that most all of the blood is diverted to the working muscles (or flows to the skin to radiate heat..ie. Vermont), not enough blood perfuses the GI tract and I get the runs. I am a bit nauseous too, so I try to hold off on the food for a while and just drink. Morning has turned into mid day and now it is time to start thinking about night. As I finish loop three around 9+ hours into the race I dig out another shirt and find a flashlight as it will be dark and cold when I finish loop 4. My feet feel good, my legs are tired but nothing is structurally wrong. I drink another slimfast, dig out the super sugar drink, eat some baked potato and head out with 60 miles under my belt. The miles 60-80 are always the strangest in a 100 for me (this is my 9th attempt at 100miles--7th finish) and I go through huge swings form invincibility to utter dispair. I'm warm but my legs are stiffening and I find myself wishing for mountains more and more. The endless flat/gentle grade running is murder on the hamstrings. I love to climb. It always offers a different muscle recruitment pattern, not to mention the mental lift of ascending a mountain to beautiful vistas. Rocky Racoon offers views of a lake and that is a bout it. It has been a beautiful clear and sunny day, but now the clouds roll in and fortunately hold in some of the days heat. Finishing the 4th loop at the 12:40 mark finds me moving up in the field again as I pass Mark Henderson who after 70 strong miles has suffered corneal edema and is stumbling along with blurred vision, his pacer helping him find the way. Man that's gotta suck. I run in to the 80 mile mark with Chris Clark of Colorado and after putting on my vest, gloves, and eating a cup of chicken noodle soup, drinking a slimfast, and grabbing a bottle of super Ice T, and my good green 7-LED flashlight I'm ready to rock. The 7 minutes I spend in the aide station leaves me unbelievable stiff and the walk out is torture. I begin to run and try to figure the math for a sub 17 hour finish. I can do it.......but I hurt. Hopefully the 3 advil I took at the aide station will kick in soon. After about 5 miles running with Chris and chatting about Hardrock and traveling I begin to press. This is it, this is why I do these races. the Me V. Myself struggle of pressing when I feel so sore, so tired, and have legs that barely function. I play games and walk short breaks then run as strong and hard as I can for as long as I can make it, then walk again. Where is theat turnaround anyway???? Ugh.. there is Ann Heaslet, still crushing....Scott and Blake have already gone by...wow! I look at the watch 14:31 at the tip of the turnaround....hmmm If I run 2:08 in the last 11 miles I can break 16:40. the magical (in my mind) 10:00minute mile pace. Gotta press. With my bottle in my left hand and flashlight in my right I try to "float" the downhills as my quads can no longer do any breaking, I just roll and try not to fall. The uphills I walk as strong as I can manage and the flats I run as long as I can bear before a break. Another cup of broth at the aid station, fill the bottle with coke, and move on...gotta press, gotta press. I climb up the tiny hill by the damn and can see the warm glow of the finishline lights across the lake. Ohh soon, soon it will be done. Gotta press, you have one hour to break 16:30. Go, go go! The glow sticks light the way and I call out to each as I go by. I have not seen another runner now for an hour.. strange on this course and I long for company. Where is the last aid station... where is it? I know I'll have 3 miles to go from there... 30 minutes I can bear it. Finally I see it, I drink a cup of coke, don't bother to even fill the bottle, and run on out... it is 15:58... I can do it. With a huge effort to run strong I manage to get within earshot of the finish and then begin to have my quads cramp. OH GOD please!!!! let me finish this thing before I fall apart...I beg out loud. 16:21 reads the time, where is the finish.. turn and turn and cross the road and there it is! the parking lot, I turn and stride toward the line. 16:28!! YES! I win! okay I'm 4th in a stellar field actually more than a minute per mile behind Scott and Blake. but the strong last loop (3:41) makes my race. RUNNING 100 miles is tough. give me a mountain race any day...I can walk there! ===== "We are told that talent creates its own opportunity. Yet it seems an intense desire creates not only its own opportunity, but its own talent aswell" -Bruce Lee