VA Momentum exists because of people like Paige Vass. She sent us a note back in October thanking us for her experience at Pound the Peak 2015. We asked her if she'd be willing to tell a little more about her story. When she agreed, we were incredibly motivated by her determination, humility and passion. She was the first person registered for Pound the Peak 2016...and we'll be going crazy for her when she gets to the top!
We're one month from Pound the Peak 2016, so we decided to open up ten more slots for $10 off until Friday, April 15th at 8pm. First come, first serve - sign up today.
We're one month from Pound the Peak 2016, so we decided to open up ten more slots for $10 off until Friday, April 15th at 8pm. First come, first serve - sign up today.
Paige (right) and her partner Stephanie finishing Pound the Peak 2015. 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
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
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