Mike Stabler

I entered the Rocky Racoon 100 Mile Trail Run to try and improve my time from last year, and to challenge myself in general. As I say, ultramarathons are an interesting experiment in pain and accomplishment.

Starting at 6 Sat morn Feb 7th, I started off with/ my friend "Beaver Dam Bill" (73 years old, 7% body fat) and some of his Midwest cronies. The day was clear, but it had been raining quite a bit the week before. So within the hour, I'd lost a shoe in the mud (swiftly found, not-so-swiftly restored...who tied the knot this shoe, anyway???!!!).

I loped around the first 20-mile lap, chatting with plenty of folks, eating and drinking like a pig. Result at the turnaround: 3:53, about 5 minutes slower than last year (it was that dang shoe!).

I started the next lap with my MP3 player, tuning in a rock radio station. I knew this year would be better than last, when a different radio could only get lousy country (is that redundant?!?). This time, the radio was playing "Joe's Garage." ZAPPA!!! YES!!! A few miles later, I caught up with Bill and stashed the MP3. We pretty much stayed together the rest of the time. The route has two long out-and-backs, so you see a lot of folks. It seems like most everyone knows Bill, greeting him with a "Hey Bill!" in passing. The ultra is a very friendly event; lots of people exchange encouragement when we pass. I'd mutter under my breath, "Better get your eyes checked!" in response to those who said "Looking good!" We finished in 4:13, about 10 minutes faster than last year.

The scenery on the third lap looked pretty much like the last two (!). My quads were talking to me, but otherwise all went well as darkness fell. At the turnaround, I was getting food at the aid station when a runner came in behind me, breathing hard and not looking so good. I thought, "This guy is going to have trouble going out again." Then I realized that he was the 50-mile winner! The 50 mile race started an hour after ours. So with an hour head start, I did 40 miles and this guy did 50. Yeah, I'm a Penguin! As with the prior two laps, Marla was at the turnaround to help me get what I needed and to get me moving again. This time I did an almost total wardrobe change, getting ready for a chilly night: long-sleeved poly shirt, tights, different shoes and socks, jacket, sweatband, gloves, headlamp. I count all of this in my third lap's time of 4:48, 25 minutes faster than last year.

Running in the dark can be trippy, figuratively and literally. Actually, I only fell twice, and that was on the daylight laps (no harm, no foul). It seems that darkness makes you a bit more cautious. In fact, Bill's daytime running style is sort of low-to-the-ground, and he tends to scuff over a lot of roots. But at night, I don't remember him finding a single one (and there were PLENTY to choose from!). It got pretty cold that night; I'd guess in the 30s. I was barely "not cold" but slim Bill needed more clothes. He put on a stylish garbage bag at one of the aid stations, and kept moving. My only temperature problem was when we left aid stations; I'd feel an incredible chill. Bill was quite helpful, giving me a brisk backrub to break the "cold spell" after each stop. One thing's for sure: I have to further refine my nighttime illumination scheme. Even though my LED headlamp is pretty good, it's like running in moonlight (of which there was plenty; full moon!). Other runners had lights that were so bright that it seemed like a freight train was coming toward you. Many folks used a combo LED headlamp and a bright handheld. One thing I'll probably not try is Bill's approach: a four D-cell flashlight! He really likes it, and he could use it to signal a rescue plane. When we would run side-by-side on jeep roads, I'd turn off my headlamp and run using his light (and the moon's). We finished this lap in 5:37, almost TWO HOURS faster than last year.

This time gap is where the success of this year's adventure lies. I don't know that I was in much better shape this year, but I was hurting a LOT less. After mile 60 last year, I told Bill and cohorts to not count on my staying with them. I was pretty toasted, so I took a good break and set off walking slowly, painfully, with a huge branch that I found for a walking stick, for the last 40 miles. This year went much better!

We pretty much speed-walked the last lap. We'd pass a few people, a few people would pass us. I'd grabbed my trekking poles at the turnaround, which were helpful with pacing, root and mud navigation, etc. I developed a blister on the ball of my left foot during this lap, so we stopped for awhile at an aid station and while I patched it. It was still pretty sore the rest of the way, and REALLY spoke to me whenever I stepped on a root, poking in the pain. My quads continued to hurt, and I was tired, and kind of bored trying to get around the same route for the fifth time. Grumble, grumble, grumble. Bill cheerfully pushed on, leading the way with his fast walking pace. At the last aid station before the finish, I calculated that we had about 50 minutes to break 25 hours. So we pushed as much as possible, even jogging once in awhile. We broke the tape at 24:57:20 -- plenty of time to spare! This was 4 1/2 hours faster than last year, an improvement that I'm proud of. We were 59th/60th out of 113 finishers (148 starters).

At the finish line, Bill reconnected with his buddies, who had finished about two hours earlier. I staggered to where my gear was stashed and started to change clothes. A very nice woman came by and offered to change my shoes and socks for me...an angel!!! Another example of the fantastic support I've received at ultras. I called Marla at the motel. She couldn't believe I was already done; she had planned to come to the park in about an hour, walk over to the last aid station, and jog into the finish with me. Maybe next year, honey!

I sat in a tent, drank coffee, and started to feel a bit more alive. In between cheering on finishers, I chatted with volunteers until Marla arrived. Back to the motel for a quick lie-down, back to the park for breakfast and awards (Bill got a "500 Mile" pile jacket, having finished the course five (!) times), then off to Houston for some recovery. I was incredibly sore at first (especially quads, and for the first time, my ankles/Achilles were very swollen and sore). Three days, two massages and some hot baths later, I'm feeling pretty good.

I have Leadville on the radar screen, but nothing else special until then. Just a lot of miles, hopefully with friends, in beautiful scenery. Hope to see you on the trails!