Last Friday, I flew up to Sacramento and met my good friend Pat Knoff. We rented a car and headed up to the small town of Foresthill for the 3-day WS100 training weekend. As we headed up the mountain, it became obvious that our plan of sleeping outside the car was not going to work. Dark clouds were approaching from all angles. Pat stated the obvious, "We should have brought a tent."
For the next hour, we drove around Auburn trying to find a Big 5 or something similar. We were so happy, and relieved, when we finally walked inside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store and laid our hands on a sales rack of tents, "FOR ONLY $24.99." The decision to buy a $25 tent would become regrettable.
That night, the cold rain poured out of the sky. Pat and I tried to find comfort in our plastic tent, which we set up on the soccer field of Foresthill Middle School. It was a 3 man tent, so there should have been plenty of room, right? Well, it wasn't the size of the tent. The warrant was evidently very limited and after using the zipper one time, it broke. The door flap laid open and throughout the night, cold rain found its way into our plastic home. Everything was soaked by morning and we had to use what clothes we had in the car. We never thawed out...the rain continued and we moped on the bus to get ready for the 30 mile training run.
The bus ride was about an hour long. They dropped us off near mile 38 of the WS100 course. The wind was bitter cold and the rain never stopped. We tried to convince ourselves it was worth it, but honestly, we were just miserable. Fortunately, we had about 300 other runners to be miserable with. Then we all set off down the access road to start from 'Dusty Corners' aid station. The sloppy mud and rain kept up for the next 7 hours. We were frozen to the bone and completly soaked. One runner broke an ankle, then developed hypothermia because he couldn't get back to the aid station for help.
Now that it's over, I'm glad we did it. But, at the time, it was quite uncomfortable. Needless to say, Pat and I scrapped the tent idea and drove straight to a Super 8 Motel. We rented a room for the next two nights. Then we proceeded to our rooms and took turns taking 40 minute showers. Only then were we able to relax and put warm clothes on. What an experience...I love ultra. That night, Tim Twietmeyer and company hosted a discussion on the course and proper preparation. They covered various topics...most of which revolved around getting enough sleep and not surging in the race. (Both of which I somehow fail to do during every race.)
The next day, we ran from Foresthill...approximately mile 62 on the course (where pacers join runners in the race). The weather cleared and the sun came out. It was a beautiful day and one of the best training runs of my life. From mile 62-82 on the Ws100 course, it is nothing but magical. The single track is in perfect condition....dark green trees line the course and there are several water crossings. Rivers line this section as well...it was worth the misery of the day before. The course had a slight decline, which provided the perfect situation to just let loose and fly down the trail. We ran entirely too hard, completely in violation of my plans to 'continue tapering' for the San Diego 100 mile on June 7/8.
On Day 3, I decided to face the fact that the San Diego 100 was within two weeks....and my taper required me to stop running. Pat ran the last 20 miles of the course and sharply pulled out just before entering the famous Placerville H.S. stadium. Pat was lucky enough to get selected in the lottery for this year's race, so he will get to finish accordingly soon enough. I, of course, didn't get in through the lottery......perhaps next year under the new rules.
I would highly recommend the Ws100 training weekend to any runners considering Ws100. My suggestion is to rent a motel room for the three nights and just have a car to navigate between starting points. The Super 8 in Auburn was close by and had adequate facilities for about $90/night. They also had a pool and jacuzzi for post-run relaxation. You can pay for each day's training run on that day and take advantage of the aid stations. It was a true vacation from reality...especially for ultrarunners that want to be around like-minded people. Tent camping might sound like fun from the comfort of your living room, but realize the weather could be awful and you could end up like Pat and I....cold, wet, and sad.
Happy Trails.
Jerry
For the next hour, we drove around Auburn trying to find a Big 5 or something similar. We were so happy, and relieved, when we finally walked inside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store and laid our hands on a sales rack of tents, "FOR ONLY $24.99." The decision to buy a $25 tent would become regrettable.
That night, the cold rain poured out of the sky. Pat and I tried to find comfort in our plastic tent, which we set up on the soccer field of Foresthill Middle School. It was a 3 man tent, so there should have been plenty of room, right? Well, it wasn't the size of the tent. The warrant was evidently very limited and after using the zipper one time, it broke. The door flap laid open and throughout the night, cold rain found its way into our plastic home. Everything was soaked by morning and we had to use what clothes we had in the car. We never thawed out...the rain continued and we moped on the bus to get ready for the 30 mile training run.
The bus ride was about an hour long. They dropped us off near mile 38 of the WS100 course. The wind was bitter cold and the rain never stopped. We tried to convince ourselves it was worth it, but honestly, we were just miserable. Fortunately, we had about 300 other runners to be miserable with. Then we all set off down the access road to start from 'Dusty Corners' aid station. The sloppy mud and rain kept up for the next 7 hours. We were frozen to the bone and completly soaked. One runner broke an ankle, then developed hypothermia because he couldn't get back to the aid station for help.
Now that it's over, I'm glad we did it. But, at the time, it was quite uncomfortable. Needless to say, Pat and I scrapped the tent idea and drove straight to a Super 8 Motel. We rented a room for the next two nights. Then we proceeded to our rooms and took turns taking 40 minute showers. Only then were we able to relax and put warm clothes on. What an experience...I love ultra. That night, Tim Twietmeyer and company hosted a discussion on the course and proper preparation. They covered various topics...most of which revolved around getting enough sleep and not surging in the race. (Both of which I somehow fail to do during every race.)
The next day, we ran from Foresthill...approximately mile 62 on the course (where pacers join runners in the race). The weather cleared and the sun came out. It was a beautiful day and one of the best training runs of my life. From mile 62-82 on the Ws100 course, it is nothing but magical. The single track is in perfect condition....dark green trees line the course and there are several water crossings. Rivers line this section as well...it was worth the misery of the day before. The course had a slight decline, which provided the perfect situation to just let loose and fly down the trail. We ran entirely too hard, completely in violation of my plans to 'continue tapering' for the San Diego 100 mile on June 7/8.
On Day 3, I decided to face the fact that the San Diego 100 was within two weeks....and my taper required me to stop running. Pat ran the last 20 miles of the course and sharply pulled out just before entering the famous Placerville H.S. stadium. Pat was lucky enough to get selected in the lottery for this year's race, so he will get to finish accordingly soon enough. I, of course, didn't get in through the lottery......perhaps next year under the new rules.
I would highly recommend the Ws100 training weekend to any runners considering Ws100. My suggestion is to rent a motel room for the three nights and just have a car to navigate between starting points. The Super 8 in Auburn was close by and had adequate facilities for about $90/night. They also had a pool and jacuzzi for post-run relaxation. You can pay for each day's training run on that day and take advantage of the aid stations. It was a true vacation from reality...especially for ultrarunners that want to be around like-minded people. Tent camping might sound like fun from the comfort of your living room, but realize the weather could be awful and you could end up like Pat and I....cold, wet, and sad.
Happy Trails.
Jerry
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