Legends were made at Pound the Peak 2016. Our youngest competitor finished in the top 20%, new champions were crowned and we were all introduced to "Ma and Pa." Donned in pleated pants and patterned dress, nursing back injuries and never out of character, Jeff and Keena Wood brought the costume game to a whole new level. They were great sports and we were so impressed by their spirit we asked if they'd answer a couple questions for us. After asking us to repeat with louder voices, Keena said she'd represent the team and hooked us up with some good reflection.

Can you give us a quick bio on you and Jeff?
I'm a Valley Girl, born and raised in Linville, went to Broadway HS and off to the University of Colorado where I was a sprinter/hurdler.  Jeff went to JMU and played a little baseball.  We fell in love, got married, had two kids.  As anyone with kids may tell you, you can lose yourself in the routine of work, home, diapers, soccer practices, etc.  We did, until we found a shared love of running.  We've been doing races (not always the same distance....I'm still a sprinter and he's in to the long runs), for the last 4-5 years.  Some even with our kids! It's awesome to know that your biggest support, your teammate in life, is waiting for you at the finish line!

How did you hear about Pound the Peak?
We participated in the Brothers Brewing Three Miler and just loved the vibe. We followed VA Momentum on FB and Insta and checked out the event line up for the 2016 season. Plus, we really just wanted to say "Pound the Peak"...I'm totally into alliteration!

How did you come up with the idea to dress up as Ma and Pa?
A few years ago, some friends of ours had an 80's party (you know, big hair, neon colors, etc).  We thought it would be much funnier to dress like we were 80. So we did. It was hilarious! Seeing how none of the Pound the Peak participants were at said friend's party, we thought we could get away with recycling and "old" joke!

What's your best memory from the event an why?
For me, it was seeing in-action, how well we know each other; praising our strengths and supporting each others weaknesses.  When we hit challenge #1, Jeff just handed me the paper and said "this is all you, babe!" Challenge #2 was a numbers thing and thinking outside of the box, so clearly I handed it to over to the wiz of the family!  For Jeff though, I think he really enjoyed the community aspect of it.  On a number of occasions, runners commented on our costumes and then introduced themselves to us.  What other sport does that? Really? Jeff was in awe of the supportive factor. It's a competition....cloaked in fun and soaked in beer! :)

Did anyone say anything to you or avoid you in a way that made you think they actually thought you were an elderly couple?
We got a lot of funny looks as we staggered our way into the check in area.  Once we got in line for shirts, I think it was Alan [Co-Founder of VA Momentum working check-in] that told us he thought we were a lost old couple looking for the Farmer's Market! It wasn't until we got to the start where Kevin [Co-Founder of VA Momentum emceeing] really slathered on the fun with fun bantering about our age, and that just let Jeff REALLY get into it!!!!

Great work Jeff and Keena! Let's just say you've set a new bar for Pound the Peak costumes and team uniforms! And Pa, thanks for the Werther's Original.

One of the coolest things about The Growler Team Relay is the social aspect - both with your team and with other teams. In that vein, we've heard from a few teams that you've got X number of people ready to sign up...you're just looking for X number more people.

So we're giving this the 'ole college try by offering up the comments section of this blog post as a "forum" for you to post how many people you already have and how many people you're looking to recruit. If you're solo and looking for a team to join, that's fair game too.


Here are some guidelines:

1. Make it explicit if you are forming or looking to join a team of 5 or 10.
2. Make it explicit how many people you already have ready to sign up.
3. Make it explicit if you have specific requirements of the team you're forming or joining. For example: team of all women, team of a similar running pace, team that already has a car, etc.

At some point in the process, you'll need to share an email address or other contact info to further the conversation. We'll leave those logistics up to you and we don't plan to hyper-manage the forum. Our hope is that it's helpful for you in whatever way it evolves. As always, feel free to holler at us at events@vamomentum.com if you have questions. 

Now go get some teammates! Teams are filling up.

Paige's Words:
​In winter 2015, VA Momentum posted about a new race they were adding to their line-up, Pound the Peak at Massanutten.  It was an up-the-mountain scramble with Amazing Race-type challenges along the way.  I thought to myself, ‘Huh, that sounds do-able and even fun; after all, it’s MY mountain. I’m totally going to do that!’  I sent my friend Stephanie Wilson a text and asked her to partner with me, and she was crazy enough to say yes.  I put a registration reminder in my phone, and like the serious concert go-er  I am, when it went “live” I registered us both.        

At the time I was thinking, this will help me be motivated to get in shape.  Well, it did get me out for a few walks and mini-workouts, but NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!  That race was no joke!  While it is “my mountain” after having lived and worked there for years, that was obviously too long ago.  Our goal was to finish--not run, not win, but finish, and we were confident about having last place locked down. 

About half the way up Geronimo (one of the slopes at Massanutten), I was feeling it.  By the time we made it over to Southern Comfort (another slope), I was struggling to put it mildy.  We made it to the base of ski lift 6, a feasible bail-out point.  I told Steph I didn’t know if I could make it, and she was totally supportive of whatever I decided.  As I sat there and we “completed” the challenges for that point, I was cheered on by friends and strangers alike, and not just the obligatory clap, but true encouragement.  I remembered my kids at home and how proud of me they were when I left, and I wanted to see that same pride in their Momma on their little faces when I returned. I had also sent a text pre-race to my good friend and Ski Patroller, Nancy Bradburn, and told her I would see her at the top (where she was stationed.)  People were counting on me, and I don’t let other people down. I looked at Stephanie and said, “I can do it; let’s keep going.” 

At this point, the worst of the course was yet to come, a nasty ascent with uneven terrain, sweat and bugs. But as we continued to climb, I realized it also had support and faith pouring out to me from people I have never met.  They were cheering us to the finish, doubling back down the course to keep us company, and filling us with the positive energy and belief we could make it to the top.  The final stretch of the climb, I knew we were almost there. I could hear the rest of the racers, many of whom are friends, cheering us on.  It didn’t matter that they had been waiting an hour or more; our finish was no less awesome than any one racer before us, and for me it was EPIC!  I did it.  I didn’t die.  I was proud!

The following Monday, I proudly wore my finisher shirt to school.  I told my students about my race and how hard it was for me.  I took that opportunity to show my high school students that we CAN do hard things if we set our mind to it.   It was hard and eye-opening.  I was horribly out of shape, and that’s not who I want to be.  Before I had kids, I led the mountain life, skiing, biking, or paddling the river. I finally realized that when I became a wife, mother, and teacher, I was so busy taking care of others, I didn’t take care of myself. 

The next few weeks flew by as I wrote Individualized Educational Program goals and finished up all the end-of-school-year tasks, but I still hadn’t done anything more to take care of me.  When summer finally arrived, I decided that I need to make my health a priority.  I started by making intentional eating choices and doing the T-25 workouts while my kids napped in the afternoons.  It was hard, but rewarding.  It also gave me more energy to do more with my kids and pride in setting a good example for them.  As the summer progressed, I started seeing the extra weight drop off and hit a low I hadn’t seen since I was sick for 8 months when I was pregnant with my now-3 year old.  When school started, my clothes were loose, and I was motivated to keep going! 

I kept up my healthier eating and small portions, but the chaos of back to school blew my workout routine.  Once the first few weeks were through, I was missing my workouts.  I decided that I had to make time for them (and me!) to keep up the trend I had started.  Now, I workout right after school--before I get the kids if I can, but if not, I still “hit play” for 25 minutes every day after they’ve gone to bed.  My weight has continued to drop as a result, and my clothes which were comfortable are now too big. 

I was feeling really good and ecstatic about my progress, but I hadn’t put it to a true test.  A few months ago, I volunteered with my high school band for an all-day competition, walking back and forth from school to the field up the large hill, running around, and cleaning up until after midnight.  The next day I was volunteering with registration for the Harrisonburg Education Foundation 5K.  I did not intend to run/walk the race, knowing I would be tired from the day before. 

That morning my son asked to come to the race and I told him he could, but I wasn’t running, so he couldn’t either.  He was mad and very disappointed.  I told him, “Buddy, you aren’t ready; we didn’t train; it’s going to be too hard today.”  He continued to be very upset, which made me think about his physical shape (he’s not overweight at all, just a product of too much sitting). I thought to myself, “What if this is his Pound the Peak? What if this is what HE needs to get moving.”  I decided that I couldn’t deny him that opportunity, so I told him we’d run/walk it together. 

After registration, we stood at the starting line with the rest of the field and took off with the crowd at the sound of the gun.  I was nervous, too, since I did not participate in the training group as I had hoped.  As we got going I was amazed with myself. It wasn’t hard.  I wasn’t struggling.  I was having …. Fun!  I had to double back and cheer on my little runner throughout the race, sending him on the occasional short cut, but we kept going. During the last mile, my son wanted to quit. As we kept walking, I told him about my race, my struggle, and my knowledge that we both CAN DO HARD THINGS!  When he wasn’t looking, my eyes welled up with tears.  I had felt what he was feeling.  I knew what he needed to hear.  I finished the entire race cheering for my son while running, knowing that I could help him get over that finish line and take pride in having done it! 
​
My race to a healthier me isn’t over, but I am committed.  Weight will always be a struggle, but I am finally starting to believe that nothing tastes as good as thin feels.  I will continue to work out because it has helped me find the person inside me that I love.  Thank you, VA Momentum staff and volunteers, for cheering on a perfect stranger, as you were the pebble in the pond that caused an amazing ripple!  I look forward to this year’s Pound the Peak. I may still be last, but hopefully it will be because I went back down the course to cheer on someone else who needs it!

-Paige Vass, 2015 Pound the Peak Finisher

Our loyal VA Momentum friend Nelle Douglas put together a super easy to follow training program for those looking for that extra umph in their Pound the Peak preparation. Nelle is an RRCA certified running coach. We'll let Nelle tell ya about the plan:

Pound the Peak is an awesome experience that involves a very obvious, specific kind of challenge: 2.1 miles of steep climbing. In order to feel strong and perform stronger, hill training is absolutely necessary!

Additionally, Instead of providing specific mileage each day, I have provided minutes. Why? Many individuals coming to this plan for guidance will run different paces. No matter what, time on your feet and intensity will build your aerobic endurance, and your pace will naturally quicken. 

If you are an experienced runner and can run longer periods of time (30-45 minutes) without needing to walk, modify the Tuesday effort sessions to periods of harder efforts with jogging recoveries. 

Good hills for training in Harrisonburg:

Erickson to High street
Chestnut off of Reservoir
Wolf Street (take a buddy)
RMH hospital to peak of reservoir (before reaching town homes)

If it's a rainy day and you want to complete your hill workouts inside, the stair master is an excellent tool. You will climb for the duration of the workout with high and low levels of intensity. 

Click the button below to view the plan on Google Docs or download the PDF directly.

Please contact me at douglasnelle@gmail.com with any additional questions about the plan!