2015 Rocky Raccoon 100 - Running Happy

The great thing about running long is that no matter what you plan for, or how well you think you know your body, the course, the weather, or your gear, something unexpected always turns up to make you think.  At this year's Rocky Raccoon 100, I got to enjoy a lot of my plans going right, and a few going ever so awry.  The key word there is "enjoy," and in spite of my newly super-sized big toes, I really did enjoy pretty much every minute of my race.

To say that this year's event has been a key goal ever since last year's disappointing DNF would be an understatement.  Most of my gear reviewing has been based around fixing weaknesses identified last year.  The races I have run have had little to do with this year's attempt, but the many races I chose not to run were almost all about making sure I had the legs to go the distance.  What can I say?  That DNF hurt a lot, and I wasn't in the mood to let it happen again.


So, what went right?  The pre-race build up was the first thing I got right.  The goal was to arrive in Huntsville in a positive frame of mind.  The next improvement on last year was to have my own food for the entire race, so the aid stations were top-up and back-up, rather than the mainstay of my nutrition.  I geared my choices early on to things that I would want to eat even when not feeling hungry, because I've found that I feel hungry about 5 minutes before I bonk.  The final plan that worked out better than 2014 was to use a very light bottle belt instead of a race vest - I'd tested the Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Endure Belt repeatedly and knew it would do the job and give me the chance to dissipate heat more efficiently than a vest would.  With those pieces in place, together with a better training block in the Fall, I started and ran the whole race with no concern about whether I'd finish, and with a lot of confidence that a PB was completely achievable.

However, something always goes wrong in an ultra - you're out there too long for it not to.  I had some particularly exciting lighting problems, and did a bit of a number on my big toes with a few of the roots along the way.  But, because I felt positive throughout, I never really got down about the problems - I just set about finding solutions or carried on regardless.  I think a lot of that positivity was helped by calorie-loading early on and maintaining a manageable pace - so I didn't have a major energy dip until quite close to the end.

Overall, I ran happy - and running happy makes everything else that much easier to put into perspective.  For the details & pics, keep reading!

Pre-race

The plan was to relax and catch up with family while we took an extra couple of days to acclimate to the local weather.  Since Nic is doing the 50 (one week after the 100), and had the joy of a winter cold in mid-January, the plan also included a few good runs on local trails in Austin & Round Rock to make sure we were building up to the race well.

Great weather for the build-up runs - Lady Bird Lake looking beautiful in the warm sun.

Taking my EVRC club vest out for a spin in 20C temps - High Summer in January!!

It's always important to include recovery and enjoyment into any training schedule, and the fine weather in the week before race day certainly encouraged some relaxing time outdoors.

Sunshine and warmth begets the occasional afternoon libation.

If you've never been here, you've missed out on some of the most amazing donuts in the land.  Eat more than one, though, and you may have to take up ultras to keep the weight off.

All told, the week leading up to the race was perfect.  We arrived on Friday in Huntsville with me excited and ready to run, and Nic delighted to take a few hours recce-ing the 50 route alone (ie without me yapping incessantly).

Raven Lake looking good in the sun on Nic's run

Nic capturing the evening light on the boardwalk.

While Nic enjoyed some well-earned peace, I meandered over to packet pickup, enjoyed the race briefing, and caught up with some fellow runners.  I managed to catch up with Stephen Rodgers, who was kilted up for the event, and we reminisced over the 2014 humidity trial (he passed the test, finishing in the freezing rain after the sweltering Saturday).  I also had the joy of meeting Tony Nguyen, who takes running happy to a whole new level of big smiles and super enthusiasm.  I dropped my DamNation drop-bag, started panicking over where I'd packed my rain jackets (eventually found in time for the final sort-out), and then picked up Nic for an early dinner.

Like so many of the runners, we were up at stupid-o'clock (3:45am) to allow plenty of time to get through the queues into Huntsville State Park.  While I got set up at Dogwood, Nic headed off to the Nature Center station, which would be her base with Dad for the day.  Pre-race, I caught up with Brits Chris Mills and James Elson.  James would be shooting for a high placing, while Chris and I were both aiming for sub-24.  Time flew quickly, and before I had time to get properly nervous, we were off and running.

Wrapped up in the chilly wee hours.

I set myself towards the back half of the 367-strong field, knowing that a gentle walk-jog for the first 5km would be a good way to ease through the early (dark) miles without blowing a lot of energy and hopefully without catching too many roots. I was looking for a 3:50-4:00 first lap, with plenty of food and drink along the way.  Nic was supplying me with rather tasty BLT wraps for the first few hours, and I looked forward to each of my snack-break uphills.  With yummy snacks, easy running, and friendly faces around, I thoroughly enjoyed my 20mi warm-up.  That first lap went pretty much perfectly (3:52).  By starting in the back, I was constantly passing people rather than running with them.  While not the most sociable way to spend the morning, it meant that I could exchange pleasantries but avoided accidentally tapping into someone else's pace - a mistake I made repeatedly in 2014.  It also gave me the opportunity to play a little chatty leapfrog with Brandon Holloway (25:50) and Roy Pirrung (26:44) as our run/walk strategies overlapped.

Feeling fresh after the first lap

Much like the first lap, the second was full of gentle running, eating (now with a couple of hummus wraps thrown into the mix), walking up hills, and a bit of chit-chat with runners as we passed and re-passed with our various run/walk strategies.  Nic and Dad continued to look after me like pros at the 3 accessible aid stations.  Nic and I had already agreed that her job was to be bossy, and my job was to do what I was told - never easy, but it worked beautifully on the day.  The roots started to get a bit bigger and easier to trip over, and the hills seemed slightly longer and steeper than on lap one, but I was still in a happy place, bimbling along through the peaceful woods.  By now, the out-and-back segments were a bit trickier, since runners were running in both directions on the narrow trail.  It was a chance to exchange encouraging words (leading to me thinking of them as the "Good job!" sections) and also see how others were getting on.  By the time I'd reached 30 miles, I started to feel a hot spot on my right heel, so stopped and patched it before it became a problem.  Messing about with the sock, I noticed a stinging feeling on my big toe, so had a look, and sure enough found some blisters starting up.  I hadn't felt anything at all, so counted myself lucky, applied a couple of blister plasters, and got moving again.  The few minutes lost tipped me a little outside schedule for the lap (4:01), but it was time very well spent.  The heat started to get a bit much, so I reverted to my youth and bared my pasty torso on the run for the first time in decades, and felt much better for all the extra air.

Picture? I was topless, and the glare was just too much for the camera.

The goal for lap 3 was to avoid over-heating and over-working, so that I'd still have something in the tank for the final 40.  Really, it's best not to think too hard in the middle section about things like "next time I'm here, it's only 40 miles left to go!".  So, I kept concentrating on the time it would take to the next aid station, whether I was eating enough, drinking enough, or getting my feet high enough.  Food and drink were fine.  My feet, however, were not always getting over the roots, and I started to kick the whatsit out of my big toes.  Plenty of times I just glanced off the little hazards, but every so often I would catch one flush on the big toe and feel a sharp pain shoot through my whole foot.  I guess the upside was that I was still moving fast enough to hit the roots hard.  Somehow (probably due to reasonable training and plenty of early calories), I maintained a cheery mood and shrugged off the blows as "well, who needs toenails anyway?".  In about a week, I expect I'll be looking at my nail-less toes and wishing I had done a better job of getting my feet up.  I finished the lap in good time for Nic and Dad to get me set up for the night before they headed off for some well-earned rest (4:39).  The heat was slowing me down, but not taking a long-term toll like it had the year before.

Still topless - apparently people were turned to stone by the sight.

Lap 4 took the race into proper problem-solving mode.  It was dark by the time I left Dogwood for the penultimate time, and I forgot to pick up my spare batteries.  I knew the dark laps would be slower than the light ones, if only because I'd be tired and having to take a bit more care on the roots.  Early in the loop, I had a brief chance to chat with Scott Dunlap (new PR of 17:06, age-group win) - a big boost for me since he was a big inspiration for me to set up on my own.  At DamNation, before heading out for 10km of dark single-track, a volunteer asked if I had my spare batteries.  I thought briefly and realized that they were still at Dogwood.  Hoping that my new LED Lenser SEO7R would still have plenty of charge on it from the morning, I set off into the darkness.  A mile later, the light switched to low power.  Compound errors:  I hadn't really learned to use the SEO functionality or the battery-saving function, and had been running fairly high-powered to make sure I didn't catch too many roots.  So, I walked up the hill in very dim light, hoping that a passing runner might have spare AAA batteries I could use.  After a few AA carriers, Ace Gallegos offered me his spare light - which was back at DamNation.  Ace was shooting for a 22hr finish and was motoring through a painful ITB, so I stuck to him like glue.  I kept my light on the lowest power and widest angle to give some ambient light, and Ace had his spot on quite bright, picking out the major trip hazards.  Every now and then, I missed one with the eyes and found it with the toes, and I hit the ground at least twice on that section (I was more focused on sticking to Ace than anything else, so I really don't know how many times I tripped, fell, or turned an ankle).  We got back to the aid station still in good time for a 22hr, and Ace very kindly sorted me out with a light before taking some time to work on his leg.  I finished the lap with an opportunity to grab a 22hr, and ample time to get the sub-24.  After sorting out my light with fresh batteries, returning Ace's with some fresh batteries, and grabbing my backup H7R for some secondary lighting, I grabbed my lap-5 gels and set out aiming for a 4am finish.

Lap 5 was a tale of two halves.  With the SEO7R on my head providing a mid-power wide angle, and my H7R on high-power spot focus any time I was running, I was able to keep moving at a pretty good pace.  Nature Center came and went, with my pace near enough to 14min/mi.  DamNation arrived in similar fashion.   I was starting to properly tire by the time I got to the half way point, but was still looking at a 4:00-4:15 finish time, if I could maintain my effort level.  I knew the second half of the loop was potentially faster, but I also had 90 miles in my legs and was definitely feeling it.  The final visit to DamNation came at around 1:50, and I'd been working hard on that loop to keep the potential for that 4am finish.  Once I got off the Dam Road and back onto the single track, though, the effort of staying on plan A+ bit back, and I knew it was time for a longish walk.  I also realised I needed to put in some new batteries to keep the bright light (maybe next time I'll get some new ones instead of picking up a few 2-year old ones.  Thus far, I'd managed to avoid walking on the flats for anything other than comfort break, aid station, or some of the really rooty sections where a 10s walk is better than a face-plant.  Now, I knew I was bonking a bit, so I put on a fastish walk, popped my last 2 gels, aiming for 30-40 minutes of walking.  I figured the difference between 2 20-minute miles and 2 15-minute miles was pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.  The 22hr finish was gone, so the next goal was a PB (previous 23:17, on a much easier course).  After 20 minutes, I was on some good running track and got back to running - I couldn't bring myself to miss out on flat fire road.  It wasn't fast, and it wasn't pretty, but it was kind of like running.  My lights started dimming a bit (or possibly it was my brain), so I got a bit paranoid that I was going to end up in the dark again and started to push harder on the easy footing and eased off on the trippy bits.  I dropped nearly 40 minutes over that last 8 miles, but ended with a strong run on the nice, flat final straight to cheers from Nic and Dad, who'd crawled out of bed at way-too-early to see me finish.

Hurrah - finished with time for a nap before breakfast!

We enjoyed the euphoria of the finish (22:41), and headed to the car, and just about then the happy fell away as my battered toes started to say hello.  Sunday was a bit rough, but it was all made better by a little anesthetic in the evening.

Ice treatment made everything better!

Gear:

Salomon Fellraisers  (Run Stuff)
Injinji Performance 2.0 Trail Socks (ULTRAmarathonRunningStore)
Dirty Girl Gaiters (UMRS)
Ancient Brooks shorts
Cotswold Running Singlet (Run Stuff)
2x Cotswold Running Short-sleeved T-Shirts (Run Stuff)
dhb Arm Warmers
Cotswold Running Buff
Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Endure Belt (UMRS)
LED Lenser H7R and SEO7R head torches (UMRS)

Food (as best as I remember):

4.5 BLT wraps (2 rashers of bacon, a bit of mayo, lettuce, tomato in a small tortilla)
2 hummus wraps
9 Oreo cookies
3 TORQ pineapple & ginger energy bars
1 large Clif Chocolate Mint Builders Bars
~5 small Clif Chocolate Mint Builders Bars
~15 Hammer salt tablets
4 TORQ Energy gels
4 TORQ Energy caffeinated gels
4 Gu isotonic tablets

Rocky Raccoon 100

My first DNF.  It hurts.  I've never before had that joyless feeling of not having reached the finish line.  Plenty of times, I've had that horrible feeling of having stupidly pushed to the line, lost months or years of training, and wished I'd had the sense to stop.  Now, a few days later, I vacillate between patting myself on the back for not ruining 2014 with stubbornness and wondering just how bad it would have been if I'd carried on.  It's likely that I physically could have finished.  It's unlikely that I would have enjoyed the aftermath. We'll never know about the ifs, buts, and maybes of not dropping out, but I'm learning quickly about whether my perceived problems were actual.

Rocky Raccoon 100 was due to be my escape from the midwinter blues.  Texas in February, with  weather shifts that can cover the total annual temperature range of the UK, held out the promise of some great days for being outdoors.  Whether race day would be one of those days was uncertain, but I felt sure that I would get some sunshine at some point in the trip.  So, fresh from my fortuitous run at Endure 24, I signed up for a chance to race in one of the biggest 100-milers in the US and hoped for some nice cool winter sunshine.  Not long after paying for the flights, I promptly turned my ankle one too many times to turn my training plan from "let's nail this 100" into "get fit to start and hope for a good day".

With my long runs consisting of a 27mi hilly road run and a 32mi trail beasting in November and December, and not much back-to-back running at all, I left for Huntsville certain in the knowledge that I could survive the full race, and if I were both smart and lucky, I could run reasonably well.  I also knew that, if the weekend's forecast of 22C and 97% humidity was accurate, I would probably end up the consistency of a Camembert left out in the sun. I threw a couple of small handheld bottles in the suitcase at the last minute, and we were off to find out what a day in the care of Tejas Trails would bring.

Soft, pine-needle covering makes for comfy running.

The pre-race festivities included spending a bit of time on the trail on Thursday, and a chance to meet some of the elite runners on Friday.  Both confirmed my suspicions about the route - keep an eye on the ground and you shouldn't spend too much time lying on it, lose concentration, and the roots will have your toes.  Course record holder, Ian Sharman, advised that the course is completely runnable (for him, anyway), and not too treacherous unless you're used to running on the roads.

A little rooty, but not treacherous

Meet & Eat w/ the Elite on Friday - Does finishing with the same result mean I'm elite? (Um, no). Gary Gellin (DNF), Pam Smith DNF), Ian Sharman (2nd), Mark (not racing), Connie Gardner (DNF), Ryan Ghelfi (DNF), David James (DNF), Robert Goyen (DNF), Me (DNF)

After a slightly disturbed sleep (I somehow accidentally set the hotel alarm clock to go off at midnight...), I dragged myself out of bed at 3:45 to try to get some food in to help the early laps go smoothly.  We got to the park just after 5:00, and the 20 minute queue to pay for entry gave me time to shed my warm clothes in preparation for the race.  It was already 16C, so I was pretty comfortable in my vest, with a light jacket for the final wait for the start.

Pre-race happy runner. I can't remember the last time I was this warm in the dark!

Before I had time to get particularly nervous, we were off.  I started about half way down the pack, to make sure I eased into the run.  With nearly 500 starters, the first mile was pretty congested, taking 14 minutes on some very gentle trails as we jogged and walked our way along the narrow trail.  I duly caught a root and practiced my forward rolling technique on the soft pine needles - the joy of moving slowly in the dark without much visibility of the ground in front of you.  No damage done, I took a bit more care to find some open trail when opportunities arose during the second mile. Conscious that I'd told Nic to give me a hard time if I arrived at the Nature Center aid station (~5K) under 35 minutes, I kept the pace easy and enjoyed chatting away with other runners and duly arrived at ~39 minutes.

Having managed not to blow it in the first 5K, and with the trails opening at last and dawn allowing me to ditch the head torch, I enjoyed the chance to run a bit with easy visibility and the coolest weather I would have available until after sunset.  I found myself running with a young woman named Tina, and we chatted our way out to Dam Nation (~10K) and most of the way through the loop back to Dam Nation before I decided that I was already getting too hot to keep running at the ~11min/mi pace we had been holding.  So, I dropped back, started walking a bit more, and accepted that the day would be mostly about managing my temperature in the hot and muggy conditions.  Lap 1 finished at ~3:40, with me already tired of the peanut butter sandwiches and pretzels I'd been eating up to that point.  I was a bit surprised, since PB&J has been a constant staple in my diet for nearly 40 years, and I almost never turn down a pretzel.

At Dogwood, I picked up my hat to shield my pate from the sun, which looked like it might break through, and also to hold cool water on my head.  Only 20mi in, and I was already pouring water down my back and on my head to keep cool.  As I started lap 2, I was pulled on by thoughts of trading my Salomon race vest for some handhelds and enjoying the cold chocolate milk and turkey & mustard wraps waiting for me at Nature Center.  When I got there, Mom & Dad had arrived to help Nic crew for the day.

Mom had made a sign to help cheer me on.

Happy to have the chance for a bit more air on my body.

Taking off my now-drenched pack gave me the opportunity to greet Mom with a disgustingly sweaty hug, and I took a few minutes to visit while I drank the delightfully cold milk.  I planned to eat the wrap on the move, filled my pockets with food, and took my last-minute handhelds towards Dam Nation and the end of marathon 1.  The first bite into the wrap told me that the deli turkey I'd picked up was nothing like the delicious, light, meaty turkey I normally buy in the UK.  I'd been duped into selecting turkey that tasted more like licking salt off an old pork scratching.  I'm not sure how someone can make a simple slice of turkey taste so bad, especially to someone who should be relishing anything salty based on the sweat loss during the first lap, but I spat the first bite into the bushes and washed my mouth out to get rid of the taste.  On my next walking break, I forced down the rest of the wrap, knowing that the fuel value far outweighed the unpleasant taste, and continued on to complete my first marathon of the day in just under 5 hours.

The pace was steady, and not dissimilar from what I'd done at Endure in June.  This second Dam Nation loop was a bit more sedate than the first, but I was already getting very hot.  I poured more water on to try to keep cool, but it wasn't evaporating, so it really didn't do me any good.  The water gave out with about a mile to go back to the aid station, but at least there was a bit of a breeze along the dam.  I was in pretty good spirits, chatting with various runners as we leapfrogged our way along the trail.  By this time, I was grabbing salt tablets at each station, and had dropped back to my TORQ bars as a comfortable food source.  At Park Road (~36mi), Dad was waiting for me - unexpected and welcome.  I gave him my hat, which was superfluous as the clouds rolled in, and let him know I was suffering a bit with the heat and asked him to have my TORQ Energy ready at Nature Center.  He did one better, and when I got to Dogwood, finishing the lap at 8 hours, Nic was there with my lap 3 bag a station early.  We had a brief chat, I took the Stick to my left hamstring, and I started out running comfortably for what felt like it would be a 5hr third loop.

43mi in, slightly melting, but still having fun.

The gentle jog-walk to Nature Center took the 50 minutes I'd expected, and I was still moving well, if not quickly.   I was, however, having to remind myself to stand upright - the core was falling to pieces far much earlier than normal.  I confirmed with my awesome crew that they would give me my head torch at Park Road, where it would be getting dark, gave Mom another sweaty hug, and carried on.

At some point after Dam Nation, the wheels fell off.  By half way, lifting my legs was a laughable exercise in futility.  I was baked.  I could feel the lack of training coming into play.  I just didn't have the strength to move my legs as well as I needed to. I was popping gels, eating TORQ bars, and felt in pretty good spirits.  My legs, however, had very little range of motion.  I finished the 3rd Dam Nation loop at 11 hours, my second marathon of the day taking 6 hours.  The lack of training was telling, as I dropped steadily into a 3mph pace.  At this stage, I was nearly certain I would not be coming back on a 4th lap.

On the way to Park Road, I got talking to Melissa from New York, who was hobbling along as fast as her ravaged ITB would let her.  We discussed the merits, or lack, of the dreaded DNF, and her view was very simple - I shouldn't quit.  I popped off the trail for a short break and then spent the next 3 miles trying to catch her.  Walking quickly wasn't working, and jogging/shuffling wasn't much faster.  So, I tried running.  I could, for very short bursts, move at something approaching a running motion.  I did not, however, manage to catch up until she stopped at Park Road (she finished in 26hrs).

Having considered the DNF for the best part of 2 hours, my mind was made up when I reached Park Road at 12hr, with a likely 13.5hr lap 3 finish time ahead of me.  I realized, shortly after the half way marker, that I felt immobile, not injured.  The prospect of spending the best part of the next 40+ miles walking didn't really excite my sense of adventure.  I had to decide whether to walk and risk the return to fitness I'd achieved to finish, or to stop at the next opportunity and chalk the race up as a huge leap forward in my training.  I opted for the conservative approach and called it a day.

My post-race massage, which I'd hoped would focus on my dodgy ankle, turned up a "small" knot in my back that needed attention more - it started around halfway up my back and finished at the top of my spine.  My shoulders and arms were pretty much locked up tight.  It was obvious that my core had had to sort out the untrained upper body and the swinging handheld weights, which took away from its normal duty of keeping me upright and running.  The risk of keeping cool by using handhelds didn't really pay off, since I was knackering myself by using muscles that are usually just passengers.

So, was a DNF the right call?  From the "but I could have finished" viewpoint, I was easily on target for a finish at around 27hrs.  A walk/shuffle with some long food stops to try to get it back together enough for more running in the final lap was a viable option, so I chucked away the chance to get another 100mi finish. From a long-term point of view, the DNF was absolutely the right way to go.  The ankle that blighted much of the second half of 2013 actually feels a bit better than it did before the race.  The hamstring problem I've had for over a year never came into play, and also seems to have benefited from the long, slow, relatively flat running.  In effect, by not pushing too far into the "it's a race, so leave everything on the trail" mentality, I managed to get the 12hr training run I needed in December but had been too unfit to manage.  A few stats back up the decision: I was ~20min slower than my Endure 24 pace for each of the 1st 2 laps, and on target for an optimistic 1hr20 slower for the 3rd lap.  The running had stopped 20mi too early.  In the end, though, it all came down to the sudden realization that, even though I was completely baked, I didn't feel like I was running on an injured ankle for the first time since last May, and I decided to build on that rather than risk it for a buckle.  The buckle will be there in 2015, and now I feel like I've got a shot at actually getting fit enough to run a hundred the way I want to.  Joe & Joyce put on a great event, and, having enjoyed being looked after by a great group of volunteers, I'm pretty sure we'll be back to try again next year.