Train Like a Champion: A Q&A with Spartan World Champ Lindsay Webster
We all want to know: What makes the best-of-the-best Spartan athletes out there tick? How do they keep their edge? In our Train Like A Champ series, we dig into the details of the training, nutrition, mindset, and more that keeps our most epic athletes on top.
Spartan champion Lindsay Webster (@lindsaydawnwebster) recently took off for some R&R with a trip to Italy, but she’s back at it and most likely putting in the work at her training spot in the Adirondacks.
Her race in Utah this July is top of mind, but the World Championships on September 28th and 29th will be here in no time.
Webster recently sat down with Spartan.com to share some of the staples of her training, how she stays injury-free, and ahead of the competition.
Check out what a FULL week of Spartan Lindsay Webster's Workouts Looks Like
A Q&A With Spartan Lindsay Webster
SPARTAN RACE: When did you get hooked on racing?
SPARTAN LINDSAY WEBSTER: I think it was 2013 or 2014 in Killington, Vermont. My husband Ryan talked me into signing up, and I had done Spartan races with my work crew but thought it was just fun weekend warrior stuff. So, I went into the race with pretty low expectations of how hard it was going to be. But the girls were flying, I mean, all the champs.
I was out there for like five hours or something. I was cramping and so trashed. I remember thinking to myself while I was racing: "I'm never going to do one of these again." For a week, I could barely move because I was so stiff and sore. But then, I don't know, time passed and I kept thinking about how I've never pushed myself that hard in a race before. From there it escalated.
SR: How would you say you’re different than other athletes?
LW: I grew up doing competitive sports, like a lot of us, but I was lucky to have really amazing coaches along the way. My sister was an Olympic athlete in the sport of cross country skiing, so I had her growing up to show me how hard you have to work as a full-time athlete to do what it takes. And then, I had Ryan, my husband, who grew up doing the same thing in the world of cycling so I’ve got this great combined knowledge base.
Related: Spartan's 5 Toughest Obstacles—And How To Train For Them
On Training
SR: What do you consider when you're designing your programming?
LW: Oh gosh, so much. There needs to be intensity throughout the week. It’s mostly running, but if I'm feeling an injury coming on or something, then maybe I'll do it on the bike. Within those intensity sessions, I'll try and vary it up. I have some longer threshold components and then some really short VO2 Max-based intervals. And, depending on what race is coming up, I'll either be either working on hill repeats or flat stuff. For example, Utah's first half of the course is really hilly and steep and then the second half of the course is quite flat. So I'll be trying to incorporate in like both types of into this training.
SR: Any specific priorities?
LW: I wouldn't be able to put one thing over another. I think I have more of a runner’s build, so if I don't do the strength portions, then I literally can't do the obstacles. I like to spend a lot of time doing the stuff that I hate the most. I really hate doing strength workouts and hate doing sandbag carries, but I practice all that stuff because I know that's where my weaknesses are.
Related: 5 Jaw-Dropping Spartan Transformations
SR: How do you know when it’s time to pull back instead of push harder?
LW: I've gotten pretty good at listening to my body. A lot of other athletes will push through tiredness and end up getting injured or over-trained, but I’m really adamant about working on physiotherapy things that will keep me from getting injured. I build out my training plan two weeks at a time and will know how my body will react so I can move things around if I need to.
SR: What does your recovery protocol look like?
LW: I try and sleep at least eight hours every night. If I have a really hard day with a lot of intensity, then I’ll try and take a nap. I'm a really bad napper, but I know a lot of athletes do it. I also foam roll three nights a week while watching Netflix. After each round, I’ll do a little stretching. Some days it’s as short as five minutes and other it’s much longer. On Wednesday’s, I go to a local yoga meet. Every time I go I learn something new.
On Diet & Nutrition
SR: How would you describe your approach to nutrition?
LW: We home cook most of our meals and I'm always making sure I’m getting in enough calories to train hard. The right calories, too: sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables. I think everything in moderation, even dessert. We work pretty hard, so if I want to eat a cookie at night before bed, that's fine, but I'm not gonna eat the whole package of cookies.
SR: In all of your years as an athlete, what is the biggest thing that you've learned about your body?
LW: I was lazy teenager, but now that I'm older I've learned that I actually really like to work hard. I love the feeling when you finished a training session and your legs are totally smashed. You get your food and coffee and then you literally can't move off the couch for two hours. To me, that's my favorite day.
On the Mental Game
SR: What do you do to mentally prepare for a race or intense training session?
LW: I use that Headspace app, but that’s more for daily stuff. During a race, I always try and keep a positive mindset. I think I've learned that if you let negative thoughts creep in about how hard something is or how tired you are or how you know your competitor is ahead of you, then you end up in a negative mindset and it can be hard to pull yourself out and it can be miserable. I always try and stay present and positive.
SR: Do you have a mantra?
LW: My sister taught me: “Race your own race”. A lot of racers will let their competitors dictate the pace they're running at but I try not to let anybody else dictate my pace or get to me. I think as long as you race your own race and just to the best that you can do then, no matter what, you'll always be happy with your outcome. Even if you don't win but you've pushed your hardest, then you'll be happy.
On Being a Spartan Woman
SR: What inspires you?
LW: If I could pick any job in the whole world, I would pick the one that I have now, which very few people in the world can say. Even on the days that I don't want to go run out in the snowstorm, I'm like, "Oh well, if this work is going to benefit me so that I can continue doing well in races, and live this lifestyle then, yeah. I'll do whatever I have to."
And, I just want to be healthy. My ultimate goal is to still be running when I'm 80 years old. So I’ll do whatever I have to do to do that.
SR: What has Spartan racing done for you in other areas of life?
LW: I feel like it's just made me a more resilient person. I don't think that any athlete in the world could be a Spartan racer. There’s always some point during every single race where you're like, "This is really hard," and I think that just makes you a tougher. There will be so many adventures where it’s less than ideal conditions, your feet are cold and soaking wet, but you start to realize that it's temporary and once it's all over you're going to have had this amazing experience and amazing memory.
Related: Train Like a Champ: A Q&A with Spartan World Champ Robert Killian
