Written by Steve Speirs - http://www.runbulldogrun.com

Where do I begin?

Guess I should rewind 28 weeks to July 2012 when I took the plunge and signed up for what would be my debut 100 Miler. I’d managed to run 106.25 miles at the 2011 24-HR ATR , but decided the time was right to attempt my first 100. Rocky Raccoon, advertised as flat and fast, appeared to be the logical choice.

At first glance the event web site looks pretty basic, but after clicking around for a while I found it contained tons of information about the event, in addition to a great history section detailing results, reports, records, comments and pictures. I couldn’t help notice that the age group record for 46 year olds stood at 16:47:47 – a crazy fast time for 100 miles, but at the risk of sounding a bit cocky, a potentially runnable 10:04/mile average pace. I quickly fired off an email to my new coach which went something like this:

“Will be signing up for the RR100 pretty soon. Just looking on their web site and noticed the course record for my age group [I’ll be 46 in 2013] is currently 16:47:47

http://www.tejastrails.com/docs/Rocky__Age_100.html

Think that could be something to aim for?”

Coach’s reply —

“Go for it! I am sure that we can get to 16:30 with good training, nutrition etc.”

Fast forward 7 months, and after numerous setbacks including a bout of summer poison ivy, pretty significant hip/glute issues in September/October, a case of shingles in December and my first marathon DNF at Houston in January, it was time to race. Despite the setbacks, I was well rested, in good mental & physical shape and nervously excited about my first 100.

We (my wife Ally who would be crewing for me, and I) flew in to Houston the day prior to the race, picked up the rental car for the 1 hour drive to Huntsville before checking in to the hotel and making our way to Huntsville State Park for packet pickup and the trail brief from Race Director Joe Prusaitis.

Much of the information I’d already reviewed in the detailed race document, but it was invaluable to experience the atmosphere of the park and the other runners, crew and volunteers. It was also cool to meet Ally’s coach, Jeff Kline, for the first time in person and several of his athletes who were either running the 100 or the 50. Excitement was building, and to be honest I just wanted to get going and start the race.

Before leaving the park I handed off my drop bag for the DamNation aid station, and took one last look at the start/finish area where I’d be lining up the following morning.

Dinner was my usual burger, fries and a beer. Sleep came surprisingly easily and on waking at 3:45am, I felt rested, nervous, but raring to go. My pacer, Andy O, had flown in from DC and arrived fairly late at the hotel, so we left him sleeping to make sure he would be well rested and ready to pace from the 60 mile mark.

We arrived at the park nice and early which enabled us to snag a prime parking slot. With nothing to do for at least an hour, I set my alarm for 5:35am, closed my eyes and relaxed. I dozed on and off for a while, then finally it was time for one last port-o-john visit and to head to the start line. I tried to put the thought of having 100 miles ahead of me to the back of my mind, and chatted briefly to Virginia Beach runner John Price as the clock slowly ticked away. Facebook friend Joshua Finger (a crazy-talented and experienced Ultra guy) introduced himself a couple of minutes before the start. We wished each other well and then we were off and running. “Wow, I’m running 100 miles!” I thought to myself….

The first hour or so is run in darkness. I’d been warned about the roots on the course so made sure I took things easy in the early miles. I didn’t really have any issues, as my Petzl Nao Headlamp (great Christmas gift from Ally) lit the way nicely – so much so in fact, that Mexican runner, Luis Guerrero, ran up alongside me to ask all about it. He was well impressed! I tucked in behind a small group of 4 runners, and with pacing right around 9:00 minute miles, it felt great to be clipping along in the dark. 3 of the guys in front all took a tumble which made me concentrate even more and look out for the roots everyone had warned me about. It also made me wonder what the rest of the course was like, and how bad it would get when tiredness kicked in later on in the day.

We breezed past the first aid station just 3.1 miles from the start, crossed the main park road before heading back onto the trail and onto the DamNation aid station.

Somewhere on this stretch the 3 lead guys must have taken a wrong turn, as headlamps running towards appeared in the distance. They quickly realized their mistake, turned, and blazed off ahead, quickly followed by 2 of the guys in the pack of 4 that I’d been tracking.

That just left me and a couple of others, who turned out to be great guys from the UK – James Elson and Paul Navesey. I enjoyed tracking James and Paul for much of the first loop – the pace was good and the conversation enjoyable. I also remember James saying “It’s a bit scary we’re in 6th, 7th and 8th place” which immediately made me think “Steve, what are you doing? You should probably slow down.”

A mile past DamNation (Mile 13), Ally and her coach were waiting patiently. It was great to see them, even if she claimed she didn’t know the rugby score when asked. Wales were losing against Ireland, and she figured it wasn’t the news I wanted to hear with 87 miles left to run – probably a good call, Ally.

Anyway, we made it back to the Start/Finish in just over 2 hours 44 minutes – about 15 minutes faster than planned. Oops! Ally was right there at the turnaround point with my gear bag, understandably shaking her head in disbelief. Before the race I told her “If I’m quicker than 3 hours per loop, then I’ve gone too fast.” Ah well, too late to do anything about it now I guess… So after a quick exchange of my empty handheld bottle and a top up of gels, I set off for Loop #2.

In the early miles of this loop I started to experience hot spots on the balls of both feet. For some reason the Inov8 Roclite 285s were not working out, so I decided to stop at DamNation (Mile 26) and change into some cushy Saucony Kinvaras instead. The Kinvaras were a last minute addition to my drop bag, and I’m glad I had them. The hot spots disappeared and my feet felt good for the remaining 74 miles. James and Paul sped by while I was changing, but I managed to catch up somewhere on the 2nd half of the loop, and then move past into what I guessed was 6th place overall.

Somewhere on this loop I also started to sense a few glute issues. I popped a couple of Tylenol and tried to ignore the discomfort. I guess they did the job as I don’t remember having any pain for the remainder of the loop or the race. At 2 hours 49 minutes, Loop #2 was 5 minutes slower than the first – still too quick, but everything was feeling great. I’d managed to consume all the planned calories, taken salt sticks on time and had gone through enough fluids that I was peeing clear and often. So far so good.

Loop #3 I changed things up with regards to fuel and headed out with water and a flask of EFS Liquid Shot. I fancied a change from Perpetuem, and figured the electrolytes in the Liquid Shot would help with the rapidly increasing temperature and humidity. Looking back, I wish I’d stuck with Perpetuem as I really struggled to take in enough calories on this loop. I couldn’t stomach the Liquid Shot and my trusty 100 calorie gels were not appealing either. At least I was still drinking, my feet felt fine and generally I was clipping along at a nice pace. I made a mental note of my 50 mile split which was 7 hours 27 minutes, then again at 8 hours I was at something like 53 and a bit miles. I thought of the folks running the ICY-8 in Northern Virginia and nodded to myself at the distance I’d managed in the 8 hours to date. Not a bad effort…

I closed out this loop in just over 3 hours 4 minutes. I vaguely remember seeing 8 hours 30-something on the clock and thinking “Wow, that’s a bit quick for 60 miles.” I also remember feeling desperate to get some calories inside my body as I arrived back at the Start/Finish area. Ally took care of refilling my handheld bottle. I told her I could only stomach icy water, so with the help of an aid station volunteer, that’s what I ended up with. Meanwhile I scanned the aid station for food, but the only thing I fancied was a couple of handfuls of raisins. I realize I really need to work on this nutrition thing if I’m going to do more 100 Milers. Anyway, with my pacer in tow, I set off for Loop #4 in good spirits, and still feeling pretty good.

I arrived at the 63 Mile aid station still a bit hungry and knowing I needed some quick calories. Once again I scanned the food table, didn’t see much that I wanted, so picked up 2 banana halves. I swallowed one half, washed it down with some water and headed out of the aid station. I made it about 10 steps before the banana came back up with most of the water I’d consumed. I’m not proud to admit, but with 37 miles still to run, my first thought was to walk back the couple of miles to the Start/Finish area and call it a day. All of a sudden I felt weak, hot and tired, but no way was I about to quit. I think I said to Andy “Let’s walk for a while and see how it goes”, but I’m really not sure. Maybe he has a better recollection of the moment? Anyway, it was only 3 miles to DamNation, so we set off walking and somewhere along the way we started to run again.

Much of the remainder of the race is quite a blur. I do remember having some tough times running, but also many periods where things felt good again. I guess that’s the nature of a 100 Miler. Aid station stops took longer as I became more focused on taking in enough calories to carry me to the next aid station. The 6 mile “DamNation Loop” was probably the toughest stretch of the race, but once back at the aid station, it was such a nice feeling knowing there were only 7.8 miles back to the Start/Finish area.

Loop #4 took a lot longer than the first three (3 hours 42 minutes), but in the back of my mind I knew I was still capable of breaking the age group record. Looking back, I think that’s what kept me going – having a goal that I’d publicly declared kept me moving forward, and at a pace where deep down I knew I was safe. Again, Andy may have a different opinion on this, and I probably drove him crazy asking him to calculate “how much time I have left?” or “how many minutes per mile must I run?”

At this point in the game, I should mention that having a pacer is critical to a successful race. Andy talked when I needed to hear something, listened when I needed to say something, walked when I needed to walk, and ran when I wanted to run again. He led when I needed to follow, and followed when I needed to set the pace. All of this took place without a single complaint. Thanks, Andy – couldn’t have done it without you.

I think at Mile 80 (the end of Loop 4), someone informed me I was in 2nd place. I didn’t remember passing anyone, but then again runners may have dropped from the race. I couldn’t believe it – 2nd place at the Rocky Raccoon 100? Impossible. With that thought in my mind, Andy and I set off for the final 20. I strapped on the Petzl Nao, almost picked up an extra layer of clothing to guard against the cooler evening temperature, but decided there was plenty in my 86 mile drop bag if I needed it.

Once again, most of this loop is a blur. I do remember getting passed by the 3rd place guy with about 8 miles to go, and just before the final DamNation stop. He flew by Andy and I as if we were standing still. Maybe we were? Maybe I was sleep walking at that stage? Who knows? At the time it didn’t really register who he was and what it meant. I mean I wasn’t 100% sure what position I was in, and in my mind all I was thinking of was the 16:47:47 age group record.

After some more Ramen Noodles and Mountain Dew (thanks Jeremy Day for the tip!), and thanking the DamNation volunteers for their wonderful help throughout the day, we set off on the final run for home. I sensed Andy was getting tired (he stubbed his toe and tripped a couple of times), so put it out there that he could take the short cut back along Park Road once we hit the final aid station. I would have 4.4 miles left to run, and was confident I had enough energy and strength to make it to the finish in good shape. Andy agreed, so after another cup of noodles and a quick check of the watch, we parted company. I secretly hoped he’d have a beer waiting for me at the finish, but that’s another story.

At this stage in a 100 mile race, you’d think it was all about coasting to the finish. Not so. From somewhere deep within I found something that kept me flying along the trails. Runners were heading out on their 3rd and 4th loops, and the constant “Good job!”, “Looking strong!”, “You’re crushing it!” as we crossed paths kept the adrenaline flowing.

I crossed the numerous now-familiar wooden bridges and knew I was close. Then the sound of cheering got louder and the finish area lights brighter. I was almost home. I crossed the last little road and sprinted down the chute to the finish line – 16 hour 16 minutes on the clock and everything a blur. I’d finished my first 100 in 16:16:55 and 3rd place overall.

To close, I’ll repeat what I posted on Facebook just a short time after the race. There are many people to acknowledge, but a special shout out must go to Ally for supporting me 100% in my crazy endeavors and crewing like a pro. Cheers to Andy O’Brien for giving up his weekend to selfishly pace me for almost 40 miles. I owe you, Andy. Last but not least, thanks to Dai Roberts for taking me and my ambitious race schedule under his wing, and expertly coaching and getting me to the start line in tip top shape.

Massive thanks also to Joe & Joyce Prusaitis and the whole Rocky Raccoon support team for putting on an outstanding event. Can’t wait for Rocky II!

Splits:
Lap 1 02:44:40
Lap 2 02:49:58
Lap 3 03:04:14
Lap 4 03:42:21
Lap 5 03:55:42
Total Race Time 16:16:55