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Welcome to The Rundown!
We are glad to have you as a member of the Pensacola Runner's Association and hope that you find this newsletter both informative and motivating. As a PRA member, you can expect to receive our newsletters every month. The newsletters provide training tools, insider race discounts, advice from the pros, and a race calendar. Don't see something? Shoot us a line at [email protected], and we will make sure it gets considered.
About the Pensacola Runners Association
The PRA is a non-profit organization dedicated to running advocacy in Florida's Northern Gulf Coast. Since 1973, PRA has grown into a organization that supports runners across the region. We help runners run better, faster, and stronger, by providing training, social, outreach and advocacy while also promoting friendships and goal achievement.
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Get Involved in PRA's Upcoming Events
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July 19, 2018
FREE to all PRA members! The PRA Members Social is a fun, informal celebration of its members. Join us from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Phineas Phoggs inside Seville Quarter (130 E. Government Street, Pensacola)
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August 25, 2018
The Argonaut 5k, a Pensacola Runners Association Event, is a fun, challenging 5k and a great way to give back to the Northwest Florida running community! 100% of the profits will go to support the University of West Florida Argonaut Cross Country Team, who give endless hours of their time volunteering at area races each year.
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September 29, 2018
The Pensacola Seafood Don McCloskey 5k, hosted by the Pensacola Runners Association, is a flat, fast certified 5k course through downtown Pensacola and the perfect opportunity to kick off your fall racing season (not to mention eat some of the best seafood around at the Pensacola Seafood Festival after the race)!
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January 12, 2019
Pensacola Beach
Half Marathon, 10k, 5k
Registration details coming soon!
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TRAINING FOCUS
With the summer well underway and many of us train
ing for fall races, the summer heat
can make it very difficult to train. To help you get through the summer heat, we asked some local running and walking experts to give you their best tips. Click each graphic, below, for hot weather running and walking tips and tricks.
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Sustainable Running:
Running for the rest of your life
Part One of Three
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| Paul Epstein, Owner, Running Wild (locations in Pensacola and Fairhope) |
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Running is a simple activity. You put one foot in front of the other fast enough and...you're running. Despite the simplicity of running it's not necessarily an easy activity for one to sustain long term. Running, at its best, is an activity that provides endless health benefits and, at its worst, is an activity that allows one to experience all kinds of different repetitive motion injuries. My goal for this three-part column is to help you, runner, think about and participate in the activity and sport of running long term.
If we were all
bio mechanically
perfect, slept eight plus hours a day, had no stress, a climate with low humidity, ran on dirt roads, and didn't have jobs we could all run forever. Unfortunately, for most of us, there is nothing on this list that mirrors our lives. For those who can check off each item on the list and say: yep, that's me, stop reading now and go out for a run. If you're still reading, congratulations, we are going to explore three topics that will help you (or at least get you thinking about) running longer. I don't mean going from a 5k to a half marathon, I'm talking about running for the rest of your life at whatever distance and intensity level that you desire. We won't go into training philosophies, types of training runs, frequency of running or whether tempo runs better than fartleks.
We're going to discuss: choosing the best footwear, preventing injuries and staying motivated.
If you read all three columns by the end of August you're going to be able to pick your best shoe, never get injured and always be motivated. Well, that's the goal, but if you start to think about the possibilities of running until you're 100 (even if you're only 20) then we've made some major strides (get it?).
Today there are more great choices in well-made technical running footwear than ever before. Also, the access to information regarding these footwear choices and which are the "best" is accessible to anyone with a phone (ok, that's everyone). This fact should get all of us runners really excited. The challenge though, is that most of the information is somewhat convoluted and at times even seems contradictory. There are several facts when it comes to choosing your best shoe:
1. Price doesn't determine bestness (made up word). I'm running i
n a $90 shoe. Yes, $90 bucks at full price. It's one of my favorite shoes of all time. It feels better to me than a $175 shoe that I used to run in. I'm not suggesting that you should choose a $90 shoe; I'm suggesting that just because a shoe is more expensive than another it may
not be a better shoe for you.
2.
Lower drop is not better (or worse), it's just different. If you have no idea what I'm talking about don't be discouraged. Traditionally running shoes were made with a 2 to 1 heel to forefoot ratio. Several years ago a few shoe companies decided that a shoe with the same heel and forefoot height was better for everyone so they started producing low drop or zero drop shoes. Since then shoe companies have been making running shoes with all kinds of different heel to forefoot ratios, i.e. 2 to 1, 1.5 to 1, 1 to 1 (aka zero drop) and everywhere in between. The goal of a zero, or lower than traditional drop shoe, is to allow the runner to not strike on his or her heel as hard as they would in a traditional drop shoe. The things that shoe companies didn't necessarily tell everyone is that the runner can achieve a softer foot strike by practicing running more upright. So don't bend your hips at all when you run, in fact, push your hips slightly forward and run "tall".
3. A wide toe box is more important than your favorite color. Your abili ty to spread out your toes is directly related
to your foot being more stable on toe-off. If your toes are jammed together in the front of your shoe you can't stop your foot from rolling inward as you go into your next step, regardless of the amount of "stability" devices in your shoe-think abnormal repetitive motion. If you can "toe-off" with your foot in a normal and neutral position with less structure from a shoe you will absolutely reduce abnormal repetitive motion and increase your ability to run longer.
Next month we will go more in depth with footwear and injury prevention. Until then, stay safe and be seen on the roads.
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ll current PRA members are invited to the University of West Florida Track at 6:00 PM each Monday evening for a FREE interval workout led by UWF Cross Country Coach Caleb Carmichael!
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The PRA Needs You!
The PRA is an all-v
olunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to promote, support and develop running, walking and racing along Florida's North
ern Gulf Coast. Our goal is to enhance the experience of being a runner or walker in Northwest Florida.
The events and programs we produce would not be possible without the support of the Pensacola area's active and involved community of runners and w
alkers. That said, we are always looking for new members and volunteers to get involved and help take us to the next level.
If you'd like more information about how to get involved please send your your inquiry and contact information to the PRA at:
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The Pensacola Runners Association brings together runners, walkers and fitness enthusiasts to promote, support and develop running and racing along the Northern Gulf Coast. Our objective is to provide information, education, training, social and sporting events for competitive and noncompetitive runners and walkers of all ages, races, genders and abilities.
Benefits:
- Discounted entry rates on the full calendar of PRA Races/Events, including FREE entry to our Membership Run
- The chance to eat, drink and socialize with fellow runners at our free, members only social events
- Access to our action packed monthly newsletter: "the Rundown"
- Eligibility for the Lou Gregory, Jim Harrington and Volunteer of the Year Awards
- Access to free, members only weekly interval workouts overseen by a professional Coach
- The opportunity to do your part to promote, support and develop running and racing along the Northern Gulf Coast
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Thanks to our Organizational Sponsors!
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