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From The Top
By Charles Gheen
We're experiencing great running weather as we wrap up October and head into the late fall. The temperatures are dropping and I hope you're taking advantage of the mild days by getting out there and pushing yourself a bit. There are many good race opportunities coming up and you'll want to be part of the action.
One thing I always look at as I'm choosing an event is where do the race proceeds go? Also, who are the beneficiaries? In the case of the Pensacola Runners Association, our races have contributed to many great causes over the years (most recently the UWF Cross Country teams). Our events have also helped keep our all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization fully functional, up-to-date and solvent in the business of producing quality races for the Northwest Florida running and walking community.
It might be something you want to consider in the future when you decide where to spend your entry fees. At any rate, I hope to see you out there on the streets or on the trails very soon,
Charles
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Jim Readdy Named Volunteer Of The Year At The
Pensacola Seafood Festival Don McCloskey 5K
The PSFDM5K was a success as nearly 700 runners were registered, the weather was good (the predicted rain storms held off) and there was great competition. Seville Quarter was the perfect venue for the post-race party as all the participants celebrated another awesome race. The awards ceremony was highlighted by the Pensacola Runners Association Volunteer of The Year award being presented to a very deserving Jim Readdy.
 | PRA Volunteer of The Year Jim Readdy
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Jim served his country in the Air Force for 10 years as an
Aircraft Mechanic. Following that he has worked as a contractor, mainly with the Navy, and has been at Whiting Field for 16 years. He is a trouble shooter on TH-57 helicopters and performs field tests before returning the aircraft to service.
He has been the PRA Equipment Chairman for several years and ensures that all of the organization's physical assets are current and in excellent working condition. Jim has made many upgrades to our equipment and has everything organized perfectly. He also is responsible for transporting equipment and setting up most of our race courses.
Besides volunteering for many of the area races, Jim participates as well and is an accomplished race walker who has won numerous awards. The PRA is proud to honor Jim Readdy as the 2014 Volunteer of The Year.
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Pensacola Beach Run Early Registration
Ends September 4th!!
It's getting down to the deadline - early registration for the Pensacola Beach Run (PBR) ends on September 4th. You can still get into this great event for a LOW price by going to PBR Information and Registration. The Pensacola Beach Run consists of a Half-marathon, a 10K and a 5K on beautiful Santa Rosa Island. You won't want to miss the experience.
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Christmas Dash Is Set For December 13th
by
Shannon Kohler
So it's that time of the year for some fun Christmas festivities and the PRA Christmas Parade Dash definitiely fits into that category. The Dash will be held on December 13th at 5:00 pm starting at the intersection of Spring and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola. The whole family can come out and enjoy a holiday tradition with the 1-mile dash along the Downtown Christmas Parade route. Afterwards the parade rolls out with fun for all.
The first 300 to register will receive a special beanie hat to wear during the holiday season and all elementary and middle school finishers will receive a giant candy cane at the Finish line. There will be first place awards for the overall male and female finishers (no age group prizes). The cost is reasonable for the whole family:
Elementary/Middle School - $5.00
PRA Members - $10.00
Non-Members - $15.00
Late Registration (after December 1st) - $20.00
We highly encourage everyone to dress in their Christmas attire and get ready to be cheered on by 20,000 of their closest friends. The course is the parade route and will finish just past the intersection of Palafox and Government Streets. The application for the dash is on the PRA Website and all Escambia and Santa Rosa public schools should have received this information. So, come on kids and parents, sign up and enjoy a fun family night in downtown Pensacola. We hope to see you there!!
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My First Crossfit Competition
by Corey Dell PRA Board of Directors
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I was never going to place 1st at a triathlon or any kind of run. I'm okay with that! I strictly do them for the fun of it, to meet new people and to challenge myself each and every day.
After being injured for the last several months, I was asked to compete in the four-female scaled team version of the Pensacola Beach Brawl (crossfit competition). I was a little apprehensive at first because I didn't want to let my team down, but I went ahead and did it anyway.
I had never done a crossfit competition before and really didn't know what to expect out of the event. All teams were given four WOD's or workouts of the day. We were able to practice them before the day of the event. Before going into the event, it was drilled in our heads that we were to do the competition, rain or shine. Saturday was a beautiful day for the individual and elite competitors. However, Sunday (team day) was a complete washout!!
Early that morning, we discovered all of our workouts, except for one, were completely changed for safety reasons. I looked at it in one way, every team was in the same boat as us and had the same disadvantage. No one practiced for the change of plans, but we pushed through in the pouring rain. Going into the final event,a 250 meter sled pull on the beach, our team was in 4th place.
With a lot of determination, our team struggled and finished 2nd out of 58 teams. People competed from Miami, New Orleans, Alabama and Atlanta. I couldn't have done it without my teammates, including Kali, Luna, and most of you should know Carol Gentry. I am happy to call Carol a friend. She inspires me every day because she's normally a top finisher for her age group in most of the races and duathlons she competes in.
Some people have given crossfit a bad reputation, but I can honestly say that the last finishers are always the ones to receive the loudest cheers!! Hopefully each and every one of you enjoys the cooler temperatures and gets physical this fall!! Until next time, Happy Running!
 | | Corey Dell From Healthy Lives |
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 Can I Get You Something To Drink To Start Out
By Kirwan Price
When I was younger, I often thought about how I might make a living, but never how I would look out for my health. I thought you worked at the former, and the latter was purely good fortune. Not so much anymore. Fortunately, I enjoy running. I am lucky I don't have to do it to lose weight (I had no problem getting into my wedding dress) or because my cardiologist says so. It plays a large part in keeping me healthy and allows me to lead a much fuller life than if I weren't active. As for my career, I used to manage restaurants. I couldn't get over how some people seemed to work so hard at getting unhealthy and how picky they are. Now I work in the healthcare field, and I cannot get over how passive patients are. Not only about taking care of themselves, but also about the quality of care they receive. When was the last time you complained about cold fries, but said nothing about a two hour wait at a doctor's office?  | | Kirwan and Friends At Ironman Texas |
Consider these two scenarios:
Server: "Tonight's special is mumble, mumble, mumble...."
Patron: "Huh? I want a new server. Where is the manager? It's cold in here. We want a booth not a table. I want to substitute a salad for my soup and don't charge me extra, etc., etc., etc."
Doctor: "The procedure will involve mumble, mumble, mumble...."
Patient: "Whatever you say, you know best."
What?! Have you seen the difference between the cost of the menu item compared to the test this doctor wants? I think we behave this way because we feel as though we know food, but not so much about our bodies. That is just not the case.
Take control of your health rather than let someone dictate to you what it is. It won't be easy and it might not be fun initially, but it will become more so and will be well worth it. You'll get to know what your body, and mind for that matter, are capable of enduring. The healthier you are, the better able you will be to tolerate some medical procedure and the more in control you'll feel about your health. You'll be empowered to affect change in your body rather than merely hoping some pill will do it for you. You'll also be a better consumer of medicine because you'll be more involved in looking after yourself.
So get out and swim or bike or run or do all three. You will invariably come to enjoy doing one or all of them, and you won't feel guilty about splurging when you eat out.
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The Pensacola Runners Association
Is Looking For Volunteers!
The PRA will be manning a water stop at the Pensacola Sports Association's Pensacola Marathon/Half-marathon. We need volunteers for the ONE shift that we will be providing this service to the runners and the PSA. The water stop is located on Summit Boulevard and is early in the race. If you can be there for a couple of hours on Sunday November 9th, please email Vice-President Eric Miller at [email protected]. Thanks very much!!
 | | PRA Water Stop |
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