I have long been terrified of a runnable 100 mile course.  I am better at steep climbs and descents than flat, fast running.  A runnable course is relentless and monotonous, and I also find it much harder to keep nutrition on the rails when running a faster pace.  The only runnable 100s I’ve tried ended in DNFs many years ago.

It is good to challenge yourself though, and I figured something different was called for after Tor des Geants.  Rocky Raccoon is a 5-loop course in Texas with about 7,000 feet of climbing.  The race has been around for over 30 years with many historically fast times.  For four months, I’ve focused more on speed and running economy.  Marine Corps Marathon (2:58) and Devil Dog 100K (9:23, CR) both went really well, so I was excited to see what would happen at Rocky.

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