Western States training camp - Lessons
Fizz levels building
Memorial Day Weekend is Western States Training Camp weekend. We’ve just gotten off the back of 3 days of running, broken into sections covering Robinson Flat (50 km) to the finish of the Western States course.
The training camp is set up for anyone who wants to register and attend. All transport is provided and aid stations are fully stocked to keep us fuelled. For athletes preparing to race Western States, it’s a great opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the course. And for those who haven’t been fortunate enough to get into the race, it’s a great opportunity to experience the trails and the atmosphere that this special event holds.
Each week I send an update on my “Lessons from the Long Run”. It’d be great to have you join our almost 800-strong community :)
Day 1 (Robinson Flat to Forest Hill - 50 km)
This was the biggest day of camp and covered the canyons. Notoriously considered the hottest and toughest section of the course. When I reflect on last year's race, it is Devils Thumb, Eldorado Canyon and Volcano Canyon that haunt my dreams. Okay… It’s not quite that bad, but I vividly remember power-walking the suffocating climbs leading out of the depths of the Canyons. Because of these memories, I was actually looking forward to familiarising myself with this segment. Recognising where it’s possible to push and where to keep the heart rate under control.
Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how I look at it, I wasn't feeling great on this day. Being subpar I decided to button it back and allow a lot of my (real) race day competition to gap me. This meant I could focus on my surroundings and go at my own effort. This wasn’t flash, I felt fairly average, but it had been a big week since I raced Bryce Canyon, and it was necessary to slow things down.
This is an important reminder when training with others. It’s good to push on occasion, but you need to be wary of overdoing it. Cooking yourself by trying to keep up with others is so easy to do, especially when you are training with the same group you will be racing.
This day it was better for me to back off and just get a solid amount of vert with time on feet. I guarantee there will be those who suffer on the 24th of June, having already shot their shot in training. Train smart.
Day 2 (Forest Hill to Driver Flat - 28.5 km)
On race day this is the section where you can pick up your pace and get a bit of mental reprieve from living in your own thoughts.
Of course, there was no need for pacers on Sunday. We all left Forest Hill together proceeding into the steep downhill that leads to the American River. I felt much better this day, and the pace was pretty controlled. It was a nice day to catch up with people and meet some other athletes. There were many athletes that had finally secured a spot in the race and some that were still trying. It really made me feel appreciative of having secured a spot from my top 10 finish the previous year. This really takes the pressure off. The second day finished just up from the famous Ruck-a-Chucky river crossing, where this year, it sounds like we will be crossing on our own accord, with a rope as a guard rail.
Photo Cred: @shitinthewoods
Day 3 (Green Gate to the Finish - 33 km)
Again, another day I really enjoyed. We ran from the start down to the river. A nice reminder that the grind backup is fairly significant. This will be something I try to remember when regrouping at the river crossing. In saying that, I’m sure my pacer will remind me as it’s near impossible to recall all sections of the course, especially when racing in a half delusional state. This day I cruised along with Hayden and my adidas TERREX teammate Emily Hawgood. Sharing these kilometres made them fly by, a stark contrast to the gruelling km by km I know I will experience on race day. We ran together up to Robbie Point and, like race day, the community had come out. They cheered us though to the end, sharing in the experience and knowing that their support and community help make this a truly epic event.
Craig and the team did an amazing job organising this camp; and all the volunteers were awesome. A massive thanks to those that made this weekend special. I look forward to leaving it all out there on these trails next time round.
Starting to fizz!
