PRE-ROCKY The Rocky Racoon 100 Miler is the closest 100 mile event to my house, 210 miles. That coupled with my familiarity with the Sunmart course (done three 50 milers and one 50K) made it an easy choice for my attempt at finishing my first 100. On the way to Huntsville, I stopped in Houston at the REI and picked up a pair of OR Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters and a Petzl Zoom Headlamp. I've never run with gaiters before but my last visit to the Sunmart course in December I ended up with a lot of sand in my shoes. I did have a Princeton headlamp (2-AA battery type) but it just didn't do the job for night time running. I hate carrying flashlights so I decided to shell out some bucks and go with the Zoom. The Zoom gave me the option of using a 4.5v battery or 3-AA batteries. Good thing because REI was out of the 4.5v. I was pretty well organized before I arrived in Huntsville. I had a drop bag for Aid Station 1, a drop bag with double the items for Aid Stations 2/3 (same station), and a drop bag with only a few things for Aid Station 174 (4). With the purchase of the headlamp and gaiters I was all set. Here was the plan going in: I set my countdown return timer on my watch for 10 minutes. Every 10 minutes I would drink two mouthfuls of Mr. King's Clip. Every 30 minutes I would take in one serving of HammerGel. Every hour I would take one of Mr. King's electrolyte capsules (unless the temperature dictated something different). At Aid Station #3 and at the end of each lap I would drink one can of Ensure Plus. Walk all up hills and run all flats and down hills. I arrived early at the park on Friday and as I drove in I was surprised at the amount of tornado damage I could see just from the road. A lot of clean up activity had already taken place and you could here wood chippers and chain saws buzzing. I found the check in area, met Mickey Rollins (RD), and weighed in. I tipped the scales at 138. I eventually met several listers, Scott Eppleman (volunteering), Chaennon Lyons, Chip Marz, Charlie Weiland, Mack Sorrells (volunteering), David Littlehales, and Marge and Michael Hickman. Scott, Helen Klein, and I ended up cutting veggies and made the salad for the evening pre-race meal. Stand around too long within sight of Mickey and you'll end up working ! A pre-race meeting and dinner and we were off to the hotel. Back at the Motel 6 several of us got together and had a beer and told some stories. On to the adventure ! LAP 1: 3:47 A 6AM start meant we would be running in the dark for at least 45 minutes or so. I didn't want to use my new Zoom so I opted to carry a flashlight instead. I knew I'd be dropping it at the first aid station less than 4 miles away so I gutted out carrying it. As the race started we headed down the park road. This would be the only time we would run on this paved section. A right turn at the Interpretive Center shot us into the woods. Even in the dark with lights glaring I recognized the course until a few hundred yards later. Erosion from water had removed a 10-15 foot section of the trail. All you could see was a hole about 2-3 feet deep with roots all over the place. The RR100 crew had put up yellow tape to steer us clear. Darkness, a few wet spots, and a host of runners made the going slow through this section. The woods spit us out onto a dirt (quite sandy) service road and a left turn towards the first aid station. The road had been graded and did not have the deep cut outs it had during Sunmart. It was actually the best I've ever seen the road. The road was soft and felt good under the feet. I liked this change from trail to dirt road at this time because it was dark. I felt safer, away from the tree roots that reach up and grab you by the foot. The only points I was concerned about split time was the first aid station and the end of the first lap. Concerned because I did not want to be out too fast. I figured a 12 minute pace on the first lap should be fine. That meant 43 minutes for the first aid station and 4:02 for the lap. Because of the slow going I was sure we'd be in the first aid station around 55 minutes. To my surprise we pulled in at exactly 43 minutes. Even though that was what I wanted, I also realized that had the going been normal I would have been there way too fast. So I was somewhat concerned I would have difficulties keeping my pace slow. At Aid Station 1, I grabbed one of my water bottles with Clip from my bag and had the aid station personnel top it with water. I left the flashlight and off we went back down the service road, one of three out-and-backs. A few yards past the same point we first came onto the service road we took a right back into a different section of the woods. More tree roots but at least it was light enough to see the trail. The trail in my opinion was well marked. Yellow ribbons and yellow pie plates were more than adequately placed on the trail. But then again I was also very familiar with most of the trail. It wasn't long before we were back onto another service road. Here the Sunmart trail turned right but we took a left towards aid stations 2/3. As I was pulling into Aid Station 2/3 (now 2) I had followed my plan and I was still excited about the event. But for some reason I just didn't feel like I had it. The only thing that crossed my mind was it was going to be a struggle to finish, beyond what was normal for 100 miles. What would become routine for 24 times, I grabbed another water bottle with Clip from my bag and had the folks top it with water. Out of the aid station and down a section of trail I had never been on before. This 5.3 mile section contains the most ups and downs on the entire course. I remember Charlie Weiland saying that by lap four on this section it will seem to take forever to get to the turn around. We made it there with no problem, a quick turn around the cones, and back to Aid Station 2/3 (now 3). I drank 1 can of Ensure Plus and got another bottle of Clip. On to Aid Station 174. We were not long on the service road when we arrived at the dam. Before we would climb up to the dam we had to go a short ways through the woods and around the spillway. I don't know why but this section around the spillway has always been my favorite part of the course. I remember some runners stating this was the section they hated the most. Once around the spillway we had to climb up to the dam. This is the steepest climb on the course but it is only about 6 feet. You don't go far enough for your legs to rebel, even for a flatlander. On the dam you can see Raven Lake off to your right. Maybe 100 yards give-or-take you're back into the woods. In this section we meet lots of bridges and lots of tree roots. While the bridges are neat to go over, it's this part of the woods that is my least favorite. But once into aid station 174 (4) I top my bottle off with water, say Hi to Scott Eppleman and I'm off to finish the first lap. After weighing in at 143 for the first lap, I headed for my car to remove my jacket, add some Clip to my water bottle, and down a can of Ensure Plus. I ended up spending 5 minutes at this station. Not sure how it took so long but since I was in 15 minutes too fast for this lap I thought what the heck. I didn't feel the greatest but I felt good about my hydration level. I had to pee 12 times on that lap. I only counted to make sure I was going regularly. LAP 2: 4:09 On the way to Aid Station 1 I started having an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I knew lots of runners encounter stomach problems in ultras and at first I thought this was part of the territory. Once on the service road I started to think about this stomach thing a little deeper as it became worse. Coming into Aid Station 1 I was greeted by Mack Sorrells and others. You thought I was going into an emergency room the way they quickly came to me and wanted to help me with what ever I needed. Heck, I've been in emergency rooms that didn't give this good of service. I grabbed another bottle of Clip topped with water and headed back down the service road. It wasn't long before the stomach reminded me it wasn't happy. A burp left a taste of Ensure in my mouth. Then things started to make sense. How could I have stomach problems this early? I haven't even cover an ultra distance yet. My stomach problems had to be self induced. The burp was they key. I was eating too much. At this point I stopped eating HammerGel and only consumed the Clip with the electrolyte capsules. At Aid Station 2/3 I decided to only get water for the out-and-back. So I drank only water for the next 5.3 miles and I reduced the amount from two mouthfuls to one, but I still stayed on the 10 minute interval. One of the neat things about RR100 is the out-and-backs. Here you get to see runners ahead and behind you. I don't believe I saw one runner who didn't say something to me during the event. Everyone was so supportive, so encouraging it was incredible. Leader and eventual winner Ben Hian was one of the most encouraging runners on the course. Back at Aid Station 2/3 I went back to the Clip but did not drink any Ensure Plus. I decided to skip the Ensure Plus and the HammerGel until my stomach felt better. Something great happened on the way to Aid Station 174. My stomach started feeling fine. Somewhere about 2-3 miles from aid station 174 it felt great. On the last trail section leading into Aid Station 174 I came upon Suzi T and three other runners. I was content to stay back and listen to Suzi tell stories all the way to 174. A quick topping of my bottle with water and I was on to the finish of the second loop. After weighing in at 140 I went back to my car again. This time to pick up some Mole Skin. Somewhere before aid station 174 I realized I was getting hot spots, particularly on my right foot. I forgot where I put my scissors so I had to borrow the one from the medics. I was very happy to see no sand in my shoes when I pulled them off. I knew the gaiters would help but I was sure surprised they did this good of a job. I wrapped several toes in Mole Skin, re-shoed and was off down the trail. A quick look at my watch revealed a loss of 11 minutes. LAP 3: 4:16 I started to get upset about the down time due to hot spots but I quickly reminded myself that saving 11 minutes by ignoring them would mean even more time later or quite possibly a DNF. Now that I felt pretty good, a DNF was not even in my mind. I hadn't gone but a mile or so when I realized I forgot a toe, rather the toe reminded me I forgot. When I came into Aid Station 1 they were eagerly awaiting my arrival. When I mentioned I needed some scissors to take care of a hot spot they converged on me with a lawn chair and cutting tools. While I took off my shoe they cut my Mole Skin and added water to my Clip. I was up and out of there in about 6 minutes. Wow ... are these people great or what !!! I was still taking in Clip but no food stuffs. I realized however that I wasn't peeing as much as the first lap. Matter of fact I couldn't remember stopping too many times on the second lap. So I decided to up the mouthfuls from one back up to two. It was a little warmer now so I increased the electrolyte capsule intake to every 30 minutes over the next two hours until it started to cool back off. Then I went back to once an hour. I was running pretty much alone at this time. I was looking forward to the out-and-back simply to see other runners, who I hadn't seen for a while. A brief stop at Aid Station 2/3 for some Clip and on to the turn around. The one thing about the volunteers of Aid Station 2/3, they never let you leave without making sure you had enough to eat. I hadn't resumed eating yet and their constant checking reminded me I better start taking something in. As expected I started seeing runners in front of me, most of whom I didn't know but now recognized. Coming back was where I saw friends Chip Marz, Charlie Weiland, and Chaennon Lyons. I didn't realize it at the time but it would be the last time I saw them until Sunday. When we passed this way again it would be very dark. This was also the last time I would pass Susan Gardner. We constantly changed places through the first two laps and most of the third. Susan had the same running/walking plan I wanted to do, run for 20 minutes and walk for 10. I quickly scrapped that plan when I realized the up hills would dictate when I walked. Susan appeared to be pretty faithful to the plan. When she walked, I passed her. When I walked, she passed me back. Back into Aid Station 2/3 for more Clip and this time I took a slice of peanut butter-n-jelly sandwich and some strawberries. They actually had strawberries dipped in chocolate !!! Of course the aid station folks made sure I had enough and thanks to their reminder I did start eating again. A left hand turn on the service road left me alone again. But this time I was getting excited because I knew at the end of this lap my wife (Arlene) and my pacer (Josh Miller) would be there waiting. They didn't arrive in Huntsville until about 5:30PM, so I was getting happy feet waiting to see them. I guess thinking about seeing them made this section go quick. I was in Aid Station 174 before I knew it. Here I took in my first cup of soup. Wonderful vegetable soup. A little thick for drinking so I had to spoon it down. As I approached the end of the third lap, I saw my wife standing there clapping. What a beautiful sight she is (not just because I finished 60.6 miles either). I weighed in at 140. I thought I might come in a little lighter so I was happy with the 140. As I walked back towards my car Josh asked if everything was OK. A wry glance out of the corner of my eye let him know that I just finished 60.6 miles. "Do you want me to go with you on this lap?" My response was "YES, YES, YES !!!". If nothing else I needed the company. At the car I put on my jacket, wind pants, gloves, and my new Petzl Zoom headlamp. All in anticipation of cold and darkness. I also removed both of my gel flasks from their holsters I was carrying. Since I wasn't taking the gel in then I wanted to lighten up the belt. With the slight pain in the toes I decided to switch from my Adidas Trail Response to my Nike Air Max Triax. The Triax were a little wider in the toe box and they really felt good with the switch. LAP 4: 4:43 As Josh and I headed for Aid Station 1 I laid down some rules. First, help me stay on the trail. Second, encourage me to keep moving forward. Third, don't tell me "You can run this section". I was constantly talking from the time we left the turn around and as a result we were at Aid Station 1 in what seemed liked no time. You couldn't miss this aid station if you tried. It was decorated with Christmas tree lights ! We were greeted by a blast from a horn and several folks who were eager to help out. Debbie Peebles wanted to know if I wanted some soup. When she mentioned her Taco Soup, I had to try. I was in heaven. I had already began to chill and this stuff was great. I asked Debbie for a cot and I told Josh I was staying here. Of course they would have none of that and sent me on my way. I was already anticipating my return for some of that soup. It wasn't long that the hot soup removed the chill I was beginning to experience. I think I was still babbling all the way to Aid Station 2/3. While it seemed to go quick because of my constant talking to Josh, I did notice I was beginning to tire. I wasn't in pain. I wasn't sleepy. I was just tired. When we got to Aid Station 2/3 I had some of their chicken noodle soup. It wasn't hot but it sure tasted good. I grabbed my Clip and a peanut butter jelly sandwich slice and started walking towards the out-and-back from hell. Charlie Weiland was right. This seemed to go on forever. I had difficulties determining what was an incline up and what was flat. I had to ask Josh several times and occasionally when I started to run my legs told me we were going up. So I would stop and walk. Seemed like I did a lot of three or four run steps quickly followed by several walking. Of course some of the hills were no-brainers. At the turn around I yelled out my number and Josh yelled out "Just a lowly pacer". Josh was not a lowly pacer. He really helped keep me company on this lap. It wasn't long before we got back to Aid Station 2/3. I told Josh it seemed like I always went faster going back to the aid station. I didn't know if going back was down hill compared to going out or I was always in a hurry to get back to the aid station. While the aid station folks topped my bottle of Clip I had some more soup. This time it was hot. I grabbed some more strawberries and another PBJ and left with a "You got enough to eat?". "Yeah I'm fine." "You sure?" "Yip." A little trip down the service road took us back to the spillway and dam. It was on this section that I was constantly reminded how tired I was. Once off the service road and into the woods I started tripping on roots at an alarming rate. I was becoming frustrated. When I walked I tripped. When I tried to run I tripped. I really think I tripped more often when I was walking. Maybe that was because I was walking more often. I was beginning to say things I don't like saying. Since Josh wasn't tripping and I hadn't until this lap I knew it was from fatigue. This section seemed to take forever. We finally made it to Aid Station 174. I grabbed some vegetable soup while they topped my bottle. The short 2.4 miles back to the turn around was a near disaster. Josh stepped wrong and re-injured his knee. While in his words it was slight we both thought it best he not go the last lap. We both came into the turn around probably looking like hell. Again I weighed in at 140. I changed batteries in the Zoom even though they were still working. I didn't want to deal with changing them on the last lap if they went out. Josh headed for the car and I headed down the trail. LAP 5: 4:19 I was really surprised I broke 5 hours on the fourth lap. I really expected to slow way down, probably in the 5:30 to 6 hour range. As a result I started doing some quick calculations. I could just about walk in from here and break 24 hours. That was a tempting thought but I decided to continue with the plan. Walk ups and run flats and downs. This was the first time running alone in the dark. No one was around. I was running for short sections, stopping to look around for ribbons, pie plates, and glow sticks to make sure I was on the trail. One problem I noticed with the headlamp was fog. When I exhaled my breath would travel up through the light. It looked like fog and temporarily blinded my sight. When I was exhaling a large amount of air I would put my upper lip over my lower one and blow down. It worked. No fog. I was happy to get back on the service road to Aid Station 1 for the sole reason I could see the path I was traveling. It wasn't long before I could see the Christmas tree lights. As I was coming in I waited for the horn to blow and out stretched arms for my arrival ... silence. I strolled in and the volunteers all faced the opposite direction drinking Margaritas ! The scramble began when someone realized I was there. Apologies for not seeing me come in, what can we do for you, how about some soup. Ahhh yesss, the Taco soup. I had another cup and reloaded with Clip and I was headed down the trail. One person said "You can walk in from here and break 24 hours". Another temptation to walk but I resisted. After I deposited the cup in the trash I started running. A quick glance at the watch revealed I ran this section faster than the fourth lap. For some reason I started to fall into the stop watch watching routine. I started thinking I actually had a chance to break 23 hours. As a result I started having this sense of urgency to pick up the pace. A short burst through the woods and I was back on the service road to Aid Station 2/3. I ran almost this entire section. When I came into the aid station I grabbed another Clip bottle and topped it with water. No soup here, just a piece of PNJ sandwich and I was off to more of "Did you get enough to eat?". "Yeah I'm OK." The out-and-back from hell. This time alone, in the dark. But not for long. I saw lots of runners coming back and passed quite a few going to the turn around. Most were walking ups, downs, and flats. This was what I expected to happen to me but here I was running like I had some place special to go. I did. The damn finish line. This out was the only time I fell and I did it twice. The first time I felt it come and I was able to tuck and roll on the right shoulder. I popped right back up as if nothing happened. The next time it happened so fast I didn't know I fell until I was getting back up. That one I would pay for later. I also stubbed my right big toe and the one next to it so bad they both went numb. I walked for a little while just to get my composure back and wait for the feeling to come back. I was obviously trying too hard and I was making painful mistakes. I made it to the cones, a quick turn around, and a hearty "720" and I finished the toughest part of the out-and-back, for me. I was wearing a heart rate monitor. I had the upper alarm set at 145. I don't think it went off but twice the previous four laps. I had just about forgot I even had it on. Now it started to sing to me. "For crying out loud Hammons, slow down." I said this several times going into Aid Station 2/3. When the alarm went off I slowed down and actually walked a few flat areas just to get the heart rate down and calm myself down. I still had a ways to go yet. Back at the aid station I had the volunteers top my bottle with water. I didn't even bother to get more Clip or food. I had 7.3 miles to go and I didn't want to stop for anything. As I was leaving the aid station I heard "There goes Number 720 with a quick pit stop, and he's gone." It didn't hit me until I turned off this part of the service road that I forgot to thank the volunteers. I was so consumed at finishing I just plain forgot. The jaunt around the spillway is my favorite so I used that time to remind myself how much I liked this part. In no time I was at the dam. A small climb and I told myself I was on my way home. My heart rate monitor started to sing again but his time I said aloud "Who cares?" As I came into Aid Station 174 I bent over and grabbed my knees. I was flying for all I could tell. After I gave the lady my number and Scott Eppleman topped my bottle with water, she said "Man you were here only four hours ago." "Yeah, I know I'm flyin'." I looked at my watch, 20:35. I looked at Scott and said "Oh my God. I can break 22 hours!" I couldn't believe it. So I took right back off down the trail. The last 2.4 miles to the finish isn't the easiest part of the course. Leaving 174 you are immediately faced with a pretty tough climb, for this course. I walked all the ups going into the finish. I was never so happy to see that Interpretive Center, for the last time. A few more uphill walks and there was the finish. I actually picked the pace up and bolted for the banner. 21 hours 16 minutes. All I could think was ... Hammons where in the world did that come from. POST-ROCKY My wife and Josh were not at the finish. I made my way back to our car and there was my wife, asleep in the front. I tapped on the window and she bolted from the car. "What are you doing here?" "I'm finished". "Finished ... Josh and I set our alarms for 4AM, what happened?" "I hauled butt on the last lap." Josh was in a sleeping bag asleep at the finish. Arlene ran to wake him up. I remember the first time I ran a marathon. At mile 22 all the way in I was telling myself this was the stupidest thing I had ever done and I'd never do it again. Two weeks later I was planning for the next one. The first time I ran a 50 miler it wasn't much different. I thought I was in good enough shape but found out I wasn't. I wasn't sure I could get in good enough shape to do another one either. But when I crossed the finish line at Rocky, I immediately told myself this was fun. I couldn't wait to do another one !!! Now as I write this (two weeks later) my legs are fine, after going through two days of delayed onset muscle soreness. My toes are back to normal. My knees are fine. I'm walking 5 miles or so a day now (no running until next week; at least an attempt to). But the lingering pain is in the left hand. It remains swollen and I can hardly grip anything without pain. I guess I strained it on that last fall.