Subject: Rocky Raccoon '03 Race Report From: Ted Schuster Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 07:38:31 -0700 Rocky Raccoon 100 Unsure of where to begin with this race report, I'll just dive right in. I was definitely nervous for this one. The race coming during a time of year, that is usually my training down time, and even before the usual first race of the year a half marathon that is held during one of the last weekends in February. That race is ran on snow and ice, as much of my sporadic training is on during the winter months. With that said, I was both excited and nervous for things to fall into place to have a business trip lie on an adjacent weekend to the RR100, it meant I had no excuse not to try it! My last long run, (which was one of two runs in the 25 mile range since the previous September), was the first week of January, ample time to get it in and then fully recover for TX. I wanted to give myself more recovery time since I was definitely coming from a lower mileage base than in the heart of the summer months. Packing for the trip was when the nervous questions and ifs really hit me. I felt a bit of pressure actually having to pack for it. All the other 100's I'd done I'd been able to drive to and thus, bring everything but the kitchen sink. So as I packed my shirts and ties for the week in my suitcase, I packed my shorts and muddy shoes in my backpack, not even to be opened till the weekend. I packed my tent and sleeping bag and was planning on camping out Friday night as close to the start as possible in Huntsville SP. I arrived at the headquarters just in time to get the final words of the pre race meeting. By 7:30 I had nothing else to do but lay in my tent reading a book, trying to fall asleep. I woke up at about 4:50 and put in my contacts and then started taping my feet. I have a couple spots that I've started taping for these long ones, and I'm really getting quite good at using benzion to secure all the tape. As I taped I couldn't help but think of the nervous thoughts of whether or not I was ready for such an endeavor. Promptly at 6:00 all those thoughts became irrelevant as we were off and running. My plan was to go out middle of the pack and remain middle of the pack till I felt good or bad. Throughout the early morning darkness it was easy to be nice and lazy with where I was. I would've had a terrible time if I would've been trying to move up positions in those crowded early stages, so I just went out slow with everyone I was around. This was nice to get a feel for the course and listen to what others had to say about it. It seemed that I went out so slow that when things opened up a bit I really cranked up my pace. This first loop was great, seeing everything for the first time, having surprises around every corner. By the time I reached the start/finish I felt like I was running too fast, after looking at my watch I saw that I was exactly on my desired goal, 3:30. I told myself I needed to slow down, just a little on the next loop. This second loop was relatively uneventful. This was my first loop course like this, and I was looking forward to it since it was something different. It was neat seeing the loop for the second time, seeing things I'd missed the first time. It was also nice to have the out and backs and be able to see some of the other runners. Just like everyone had mentioned in previous years' reports the 2/3 out and back definitely is a brain-burner. I really enjoyed the section after Aid 3, it was my favorite part.... that is until the lights when out and the roots came to life! After arriving back at the start/finish area I looked at my watch again, and sure enough, another 3:30 lap! I'd forced myself to slow down as a whole, but with the really slow start on the first loop, I managed to crank out the exact same time. Loop three began with me feeling like I'd just run 40 miles, things felt good but I was beginning the stages of needing to make sure everything remained feeling good. My goal was to get 60 miles under my belt before dark. Something I didn't think I'd have a problem with, but with this being such a weird time of year for a race like this for me, everything was a relatively new experience. By the midway point of the race, which is the turn around for the 2/3 out and back, I was really starting to think they were moving it farther out each time. The section that I'd looked forward to the previous loop was turning into a big gut check for me on this one, as muscles were starting to show some effects of my (lack of) winter running. The thought of staying with my 60+ mile daylight goal kept me going into the start/finish area. I arrived well before dark with a loop time of about 4:15 or so. I grabbed my headlamp, jacket, and disk man and took off into the sunset. I knew that my race had been a race to 60 miles, that if I'd achieved that, I could simply dig deep if necessary for the remaining 40. I was happy that everything was falling into place for the fourth loop. I got a handful of miles under my belt before taking out the headlamp, and that's right about where things started to fall apart. I'd met my goals up to this point, but I hadn't factored in just how hard the running would be at night on the course. I'd thought to myself, how hard can it be!? It'll be the flattest course I've ever ran! Well, I should've re-read some of the reports that had focused on the roots and the rocks throughout Huntsville SP. Many of the trees in the area actually have roots that grow on top of the ground, this made the trail extremely treacherous during the night. My mind said "run", my muscles said, "try to run", but those roots said "walk". The fourth loop took seemingly forever. I ran when I could, but so much of the course is single track trail that I ended up walking quite a bit of it. By the end of the loop my thoughts of a sub 24 hour finish were be calculated about every 15 minutes in my head. I knew I had time, but I also knew I couldn't slow down anymore than I had already. This fourth loop I had bonked pretty hard, met the darkness, kicked a few thousand roots, and managed to slow my pace to a snails crawl, finishing in about 5:45 or so. My spirits were instantly lifted by the thought of heading out on my last loop! Unfortunately those spirits have no control on the darkness nor the number of obstacles on the trail. I was just hoping to pick up the pace a bit on this final loop and break 24. After starting out I was caught up to by a couple other guys who were in the exact same boat. The two runners, Buddy Pohl and Jean-Jacque d'Aquin, had clung to each other the last loop using both lights helping them through the tough roots. After talking for a while, we thought that three runners would be one notch better than two, so I grabbed a spot making us a determined pack of three. We plodded down the trail each taking turns pacing and pointing out where the roots and rocks were. By the first aid station we'd run much more than we'd walked and we were all doing quite well, knowing it was the last loop! I had been spending almost no time in the aid stations all day, and wouldn't ya know it, right when I meet a couple runners who I start running with, I needed to have a bathroom stop! They stopped briefly and then kept going on, although slowly in hopes that I'd regroup with them. I think they were both surprised when I caught them after about a mile. We continued to finish bit and pieces of the loop. It's funny how the first loop is one loop, then second loop is basically one loop, but by the fifth loop you have even the individual loops broken down into almost mile chunks that become your mini-goals. We kept doing the math in our heads making sure the calculations were correct and that we'd cross the line with a sub-24. Somewhere in the calculations we realized if we picked it up a notch the during the final section we'd possibly break 23 hours! All in all, we all had little left in the tank and decided the only way to finish was together, so we all gave our half-hearted sprint together at the end, crossing the line in 22:54. I was tired and relieved to be done. This was a PB by about five hours and the first hundred I'd ever finished in the darkness of night. I could finally say that I'd ran 100 miles in a day. I sat down for the first time in twenty-three hours and soaked it all in. I couldn't have broken 24 hours without the company of Buddy and Jean-Jacque, I thanked them for dragging me along for the ride. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to be down in TX for this one again, but I hope so, that next goal is for a sub 20!! One thing for certain is that I learned a lot about myself during the race. I started thinking about was how different this race was for me, due to it's timing, how it differed from the other races I'm used to running. All these races take a 100% effort. I think the races I've run in the past prepared me for this race more than I'll ever know. The 100% can be made up of many different things, but mostly is a combination of mental and physical toughness. I'm equally tired at the end of a 50k, because I've put a 100% physical effort into it. I didn't have that physical foundation for RR100, so I'd say that this race was probably 30% physical and 70% mental for me. My physical foundation didn't allow me to go all out, so I had to rely on my head getting me through to the finish. I'm finally starting to feel the effects of having a few of these things under my belt. I'm already looking forward to the next one. The course markings were the best I've ever seen and the volunteers were equally helpful in everyway. The only negative thing that could be said would be I wish they had better tasting water, but I guess I'm just used to the mountain streams of Montana. I hope to return and run this one many more times.