There are so many people involved with obstacle course racing I want to get to know some of them better. So, I decided to send ten questions to people in OCR and learn about them and see what makes them who they are and what drives them. So, OCR Buddy brings you 10 Questions With…
Today, we bring you, Jenny Overstreet. Jenny is a Mudgear/Battle of the Lions Pro Team member. She is an accomplished obstacle racer and is a fitness and nutritional expert. In 2021, Jenny won her Age Group (35-39) in the 3k and placed second in that age group in the 15k at the North American OCR Championships.
10 Questions With Jenny Overstreet
- When did you start in OCR, and how did you find it? I teach group fitness classes. In 2017 one of my classes decided that we needed a challenge to complete, so we signed up for a local OCR (Kansas City Timber Challenge) and LOVED it. We did several more together, and most of us have remained very good friends and still do them together. Going through courses with a group of people is still one of my favorite things to do.
- When did you realize, “Hey, I am good at this”? At the end of 2019. Two days before the Rugged Maniac that
comes to KC each year, I decided to see what would happen if I jumped into the “Elite Heat”. I had zero expectations but ended up placing in the top 10. I qualified to race age group at the North American Racing Championships. That seemed like it would be fun, so I decided it was time to start training.
- How do you track your progress race to race, year to year? 1. Being able to keep up with the demands of the constantly evolving races. Battle of the Lions, for example, changes up the obstacles at each race, so you don’t see the same things over and over. If I can complete them, I’m progressing. 2. My performance at certain races and how I feel. This one is a little more challenging because no race is the same, but you can keep a good gauge on how difficult certain obstacles or terrain feels from year to year. Your finishing placement doesn’t always reflect this, but it’s another thing to look at when considering improvement.
- How do you improve on a defined weakness? I like to take a few minutes after each race and take notes (sometimes mentally, or sometimes I write it down) on what went right and what went wrong. From there, it’s all about practice. You have to take the time to work on your weaknesses, so they are no longer a weakness.
- Favorite moment in OCR This might be too hard to choose just one. I mentioned before that I enjoy going through courses with groups of friends/clients. I have a lot of very specific memories of people doing the things they thought they couldn’t. Sometimes someone in the group has a specific thing that they have either been working on or don’t think they can complete – there is nothing like seeing them conquer those.
- How do you train/prepare yourself for a season, and then during a season, how do you continue to train? I am mostly running, strength training, and rock climbing during the offseason. As the season get’s closer, I will start sprinkling more OCR-specific work – things like heavy carries, obstacle technique, and OCR simulation.
- What are your goals for this season and any long-term? To race less. Haha. Like many people, I overloaded my schedule in 2021 because I was just excited to race again coming out of 2020. I was racing almost every weekend and had some of my worst performances in the last half of the year. I plan to be more strategic this year, focus on the exact races I want to do, and give myself enough time to train and recover properly. Long term goals are to stay healthy and keep going in the sport for as long as I can.
- How do you prepare physically and mentally when you are in a starting corral or know you are entering it soon? I try to smile and remind myself that I’m lucky to be there and that there is nothing more that I can do at that moment to prepare. I also try to make jokes and make people laugh to ease the tension.
- What advice would you have for someone looking to take the next step forward in OCR? Shoot your shot. We only get one life to live and if you think you might enjoy it, try it. You’ll never know until you do.
- What is the coolest thing about you that no one knows? The COOLEST thing is that I have two awesome kids! I don’t put them on social media so most people don’t know that about me but you’ll see them at races with me occasionally. One other thing that isn’t exactly cool but most people don’t know is that I’m hearing impaired. It makes OCR a struggle because I typically don’t run with my hearing aids and hearing directions/volunteers can be tough sometimes. I do fine enough but if you ever see me going the wrong direction in a race, please yell LOUD until I respond!! Haha.
Find Jenny on social media:
Instagram:Jenny Overstreet on IG
