Sounds like the same method I used with flashrec. Have you tried looking at this thread on XDA
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=584029
Follow each instruction and you should be able to root your Hero with no problems. Took me about 2 min. Also if your able to get your phone rooted make sure you do a factory reset from RA before you flash your new rom. I didn't do it the first time and it kept freezing after the boot screen. Hope this helps