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The Steep Stuff Podcast
Rachel Tomajczyk - Pre Sunapee Scramble Interview
Rachel Tomajczyk pulls back the curtain on elite mountain running preparation in this compelling pre-Sunapee Scramble conversation. With multiple World Championship appearances under her belt, Rachel's approach to race preparation reveals the scientific precision that separates good mountain runners from the truly elite.
The fascinating physiological discussion around altitude adaptation offers breakthrough insights for athletes at all levels. Rachel articulates how different limiting factors—aerobic capacity versus leg strength—should dictate training approaches. Her nuanced understanding explains why simply training high and racing low isn't always the optimal strategy. Those struggling with power generation might actually benefit from specific lower-elevation training blocks to develop explosive strength, while athletes limited by breathing efficiency gain more from altitude adaptations.
Technical trail mastery emerges as another critical element, with Rachel detailing her methodical approach to conquering unfamiliar terrain. The stark contrast between Western technical trails (sharp rocks, cacti) and East Coast challenges (roots, moss, steep grassy slopes) requires specific preparation strategies. Her practice of arriving days early to mentally map technical sections demonstrates the psychological preparation that complements physical training. This level of detail in course preparation reveals why Rachel has consistently performed at the highest levels across varying terrain types throughout her career.
The conversation provides a rare glimpse into the mindset of an athlete performing at the sport's pinnacle. When discussing what another Team USA qualification would mean, Rachel's respect for the depth of American mountain running talent reminds us just how competitive this sport has become. Subscribe to hear more pre-Sunapee conversations with elite athletes as they prepare for one of mountain running's most significant qualification events of the season.
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What's up, fam? Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, james Lauriello, bringing you a short and sweet pre-Sunnipy Scramble episode with none other than Rachel Tomajek, one of the most consistent athletes in our sport. I think she's made like every world's team that we've had. Yeah, rachel's, I'm such a big fan of Rachel and it was a super fun conversation. If you guys want to hear more about Rachel, double back to episode 101, where Rachel and I did a long form interview a few weeks back. This is just a pre-Senape scramble episode, talking about some specifics of the race and her preparation to be able to do that double between Senape and then Broken Arrow a few weeks later, as well as just the stoke and excitement to go try and chase another bid to go represent Team USA on the Mountain Classic team. So, without further ado, none other than Rachel Tumajek. Rachel, welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How are you doing?
Speaker 2:Thanks, yeah, I'm doing well. How are you?
Speaker 1:I'm doing good. We just wrapped up our interview that's going to come out in a couple weeks, but this is a pre-SUNAPE scramble interview, kind of pre-SUNAPE, kind of pre-Brigonero. So very specific questions for soon to P Um and yeah, we'll go from there. So thanks for coming back on. This is a great conversation and uh, yeah, so I don't want to bury the lead too much. We're getting into the scene of peace scramble coming up on June 1st. What's your excitement level for this race? Mountain classic.
Speaker 2:And yeah, I'm stoked, I'm really excited. I haven't done a mountain classic race and a bit just. I've been doing a lot of the golden trail series stuff and they're a little bit longer races. But I did a half marathon in the in February and I think that really helped because that's kind of like around the same time that you're running for some of these classic races. So, um, yeah, focused on that in the winter and I'm excited. I've run this course before. So yeah, I think it's a good course and it'll be really fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you've had success at Soonapy before. You've had success in the Northeast in general. Like that's not necessarily an easy thing to do. I feel like it's actually a training specific question that I have for you, like with your coaching hat.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Training altitude. I feel like we come down to altitude right or come from altitude. We're obviously super fit. It's's a lot. You feel like a superhuman, right, when you're racing. Yeah, the only question I always have is, like power generation right, because like it's a lot easier to generate like more power training at a sea level versus high up. Does that play into anything? Or like does that even matter like for us? Like how does that work?
Speaker 2:I think it does a little bit. Um, I try to add in strength training into training. So I do a lot of like squats and deadlifts that I think help build power, and then speed workouts where I'm running steep for short periods of time up things that maybe I wouldn't be running that speed for a sustained effort, but it's speed work so I can kind of like build that power. So, um, sometimes I'll do training trips down to sea level and that's helpful too. But, um, I think also it depends on if you're kind of um, your weak spot is your aerobic capacity and the breathing, or if it's your leg strength going up hills, because I think those are two different things and I think that if your um weakness is more your aerobic capacity, then maybe it helps to be up at altitude, but if it's legs, then maybe it helps you to be down at sea level a little bit more.
Speaker 1:Ooh, I'd never thought about that. Breathing and aerobic capacity, that makes sense.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, good to know. Good to know. Um, obviously, like you said, you've had success at a race like this before or at soon to be before. This course is a. I think it's a little bit different. It's two loops this year, correct?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was last time as well. Um, we last time it was the VK and the classic, um qualifier for worlds, and we did the VK one day day and then I think the next day that the classic. But the classic was still two loops. So I think it's the same course, is it?
Speaker 1:gonna be the same. Okay, techie stuff. Obviously you're gonna be getting ready for a race like that. There is it's it's funny because it's at a ski resort, right. So there is some components of ski hill, ski road, but obviously it looks like the downhill is like nasty. I mean, obviously you've run on it, it's nasty and like just doesn't look like fun footing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You like even throw in a couple sessions in your block to get ready for something like that, like that's got nasty footing. Or like you just hope for the best. Like how, like, how does that work?
Speaker 2:It is hard. I think there are some pretty techie places that you can run out in Arizona, so that's nice, but they're different than East Coast. Like East Coast, I feel like, is a lot of roots and like moss and things like that, especially on the ski slopes you're like on grass the whole time and out West we have a lot of rocks and just like sharp things. So I think it's riskier to go down something really techie on the West Coast sometimes with all the pointy things that we have but and cactuses and things. But I will like try to get on some techier trails and stuff. East Coast trails are just wild, they're like always techie. But I think at Sunapee there's really flowy sections, like the uphill is not super techie at all and then the downhill has like one really techie section, but then it's also on ski hills.
Speaker 2:So then they're just like really steep and I think last time there was a lot of snow on it because we did it in April, um, and the snow hadn't melted because worlds was a lot sooner. Worlds was in June last time, and now that it's later, they're doing the qualifiers later too, so I don't think there will be snow out there this time, but that definitely added some um like difficulty level to it last time was like sloppy, because I remember something yeah, yeah nasty conditions I got.
Speaker 1:I gotta ask you this. So obviously someone of your level is a very complete athlete, right, like you're good, you got to be good everywhere to go to. You know to go to worlds and do things like that, would you say you're. I'm just so curious because, like I've never stood in a start line with you and I haven't really analyzed too much of your racing, or would you say you're more complete, a better climber or a better descender, like what would you say is more your strength.
Speaker 2:It's tough. I think I've gotten better at descents. I'm always like scared of them for some reason, and sometimes I can get in like a really good flow and, like I don't know, just like be really in tune with the downhill, and sometimes I just feel like so awkward and off. But I'm going to go a few days early just to like reacquaint myself with the downhill, um, so that I know what I'm doing and where I want to step, and things like that. But, um, yeah, I think my uphills have gotten better too as I've done more. I think my uphills, um, at the beginning were good for like short amounts of time, but now I think I can handle a race where you go uphill and then you go down and then you're doing it all again. I think I wasn't as good at like doing an uphill and like then doing another one later on in the race, and I've gotten better endurance wise with that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's almost like a tricky thing. It's actually. It's funny. Like I'm very lucky to be, I live in Manitou Springs, like right out, like right by the Manitou incline, so like I feel very lucky to be able to I a lot of my workouts like I do like one hill out workout a week and the one I do is on the incline where I will get you know, cause it's as steep as it could possibly get Right.
Speaker 1:You go to a bailout and then immediately throw yourself off of it and try to get something where you're you know. Up and down, up and down, up and down. Cause I feel like so many race courses now more stimulate the more up and down, up and down, up and down, versus just like one big up and one big down. This is kind of like folding into like a more of a training theory question. I've seen a lot of high level athletes do more up down, up down, up down, with like shorter climbs for like, but like high intensity for hills rather than like big climbs. Is there something to that Like? I don't know. I see more people do that now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's kind of um, just building in that speed. It's kind of like doing interval work on a track, I think, but just for hills. So I think it helps you build some of that power, like we were talking about earlier, if you're doing shorter stuff and it makes it easier for you to sustain a little bit slower of a pace for a really long time. But I think there is a space definitely for doing those really long climbs, especially if you're training for races, Like if you're training for Pikes Peak or something, you need to be able to run up for a really long time. And maybe if you're training for something like Sunapee, you need to be good at being able to like do a really hard uphill and then do it again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that makes sense. I like it. It's all depending on the course, I guess.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally yeah.
Speaker 1:So for you, what would this mean? For you, to uh, to make another world seem like it's got to mean a ton Like this is. This is such an honor, such a cool thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it would mean a whole lot. Um, yeah, making any team for the U? S and um. Being able to qualify for that, I think, is such a big honor and it's such an honor to represent your country and so, yeah, it would mean a lot. And I think that trail running in the US is getting better and better and I think there's a lot of women that could make this team. And I think Worlds is hard, because I think that you could probably be in the top 20 people in the world and still not make the us team. Um, like, it's just hard to to make that team, so it would mean a lot to to be on it without giving anything away.
Speaker 1:This is, this is maybe this is more in the training theory or more of the specific stuff that we kind of got into. But is there anything you learned from? Last time around at sunop and a broken arrow and you, you, I and I think the interesting thing with you is that you come from a sense of background of racing at such a high level, consistently right. There's a lot of things you can apply to another high-level race like this that maybe some of your competitors might not be used to swimming with proverbial sharks if you will a lot often, yeah, that experience like goes a long way. Is there anything you think you've learned from a lot of this that you can just apply to you to this race, to where, like, it's just going to help you sorry, oh no, you're good.
Speaker 2:Hi, buddy um, yeah, I think sorry. So you're saying like basically what I've learned in the past?
Speaker 1:you can apply to like. Maybe even if it's core specific cause you've had great races at Tuna, p or stuff you can apply it from the past to, you know, for success on race day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, just like um, the more often you race and the really these high level, high stake races, the more confident and like calm you can be going into it, because you kind of know what to expect. So I think just having the can be going into it because you kind of know what to expect, so I think just having the right mindset going into it has helped. And then, um, yeah, also just knowing the course well has helped also. Um, I don't live out there, so it's nice to be able to kind of know the course going into it, because I'm not able to train on it.
Speaker 1:Super cool. Well, Rachel, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for coming on. This was a great conversation. Like I said this is just a short and sweet little excerpt free. I'm going to do a bunch of these pre-SUNAPE with a bunch of all the ladies and men competing. So thank you so much and, yeah, appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for having me.
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