Athlete Race Recap: Greenland Trail Race & Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run‍

‍Greenland Trail Race

On Saturday, May 4, 2024, Jennifer Pearce took on the 8-Mile Distance at the Greenland Trail Race in Larkspur, Colorado!

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Jennifer ran this race before, so she has experience with the course.  However, this Winter and Spring, we have been spending a lot of time on elements of her training besides running.

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We’ve been really developing her swim and focusing on strength training being a backbone of her weekly training schedule.  We basically overhauled everything about her stroke and had her work in-person with a swim coach based in Colorado.  Together, all of us have been working to help make her swim more efficient, economical, and faster.  Doing this requires a lot of time (many, many months) and a lot of mental focus, so we haven’t been putting quite as much focus into running. 

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That being said, the running-specific work we have been doing has been high-quality work, and the consistency in strength training is really paying off for Jennifer.  She was very mindful of her effort levels as she ran and she paced it well.  She had a strong race where she finished in the top half of her age group.  Even more importantly, she felt strong during the race and recovered better from it than she has in past years.

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Well done, Jennifer!

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Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run

Lisa Crockford and Leslie Smith took on the Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run in Syracuse, New York on Sunday, May 5, 2024!

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The Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run truly is Syracuse’s premiere road race.  It is 10 miles, runs through four city parks and six city neighborhoods, and has 565 feet of elevation gain.  Most of that elevation gain comes from three hills, so it can feel quite tough when you’re out on the course itself!

Lisa has been sick several times this Winter and as a result, she’s had several instances of unplanned training cessation and unplanned detraining.  Listening to her body, Lisa decided to stop at the 5-Mile mark and discontinue in the race.  This was absolutely the right call for her, and showed wisdom and experience on her part.  Deciding to quit halfway through a race - even when it absolutely is the right call - is something that many athletes do not have the maturity to do.

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Leslie was looking forward to the Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run as a C-Race and as a way to connect with the local running community.  She really enjoyed her experience and the party atmosphere that takes over this course.

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Well done, Lisa and Leslie!

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