Even with what we’d call a successful showing at Raid the Rock (aka Laura didn’t cry and we finished), there were a few very Pack the Land–style lessons learned. As we prep for spring race season and the Shenandoah Epic, we’re reflecting on three takeaways from our most chaotic, type-2-fun adventure of 2024.

1. Get clear on the gear

You’d think after writing an entire blog post about how to prep your gear for an 8-hour race, we’d actually follow our own advice. Right?

Turns out, we had only one compass, one knife, and a first aid kit that was not quite up to snuff. According to the rules (and probably common sense), each teammate needed their own essentials. Even the seemingly odd ones — like a second compass — are required for safety.

So, naturally, we spent Friday night scrambling to find a store in central Arkansas that had race-legal knives and compasses. Nothing screams “race ready” like a Dick’s Sporting Goods run 12 hours before the start. But we managed to get everything we needed and made it back with minutes to spare before the mandatory pre-race meeting.

Mind the trekking grind

Let’s talk about our route planning for the trekking leg: it was not great. We got just three checkpoints in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I blame myself for not setting us up with optimal route planning.

The biggest mistake? Chasing a single checkpoint halfway up Chinquapin Mountain. We’re talking 1,100+ feet of elevation for one point. The rest of the trek sat comfortably in the 600–850-foot range. If there were a badge for “Max Effort, Minimal Return,” we would’ve earned it.

Lesson learned: route choice isn’t just about connecting the dots. It’s about terrain, contour lines, and not pretending you’re elite ultrarunners on leg two of a long race.

TRAIN FOR THE TERRAIN

Spoiler: biking forest roads in the Ouachitas is not the same as the roads of suburbia, Texas. Shocking, we know. We got humbled quickly and resorted to more hike-a-bike than we’d care to admit.

Looking back, our training was heavy on flat routes and light on leg-burning climbs. That works if you’re training for a brewery tour, not a mountain race. Mixing in interval and hill repeat training on the local hills could’ve helped us prepare. Since then, we’ve adjusted. We’re talking hill repeats and resistance intervals on the indoor trainer.

And from what we’ve read about the Shenandoah Epic, we’re going to need all the hill training we can get to prepare for that race.