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Issue: #52
June 2015
In This Issue
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Mission of the PRA

The Mission of the Pensacola Runners Association is 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 non- competitive runners and walkers of all ages, races, genders and abilities.

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From The Top

 

By Eric Miller   


It's a new year for the Pensacola Runners Association! First, a huge thanks to outgoing President Charles Gheen and outgoing Directors Angelika Cope, Glen Sefcik, Tina Schmitz and Jack Williams for their service to the Pensacola running community. Due in large part to their efforts, 2014-2015 was a banner year for the PRA. We put on 8 races with combined participation of over 3,600 runners, organized a successful Membership Social and made charitable donations to the Gulf Breeze High School Takedown Club and to the University of West Florida Men's and Women's Cross Country teams' scholarship funds.

 

Even bigger things are   planned for 2015-2016! First up on the schedule is the Membership Social, which is slated for Wednesday, July 15, from 6-8 PM at Apple Annie's in Seville Quarter.  

 

Come out, renew your membership and enjoy food, beverages, door prizes and entertainment, all provided by the PRA. We will also be rolling out our full Calendar of Events, recognizing our previous year's award winners and announcing a brand new program that we will be starting soon for the Pensacola running community.

 

Next, the Varsity Sports Running Club out of Baton Rouge is planning a trip for their members to Pensacola on the weekend of July 17-19. On the morning of Saturday, July 18, they will be holding a training run on the course for December's Volition America Half-marathon/5K, followed by a full weekend of events (and preceded by pre-run "hydration" at Gallery Night) to which they have graciously invited the PRA membership. We'd love to have a good showing to play hosts to this large, fun group of runners coming to town! For more details, please send an email to president@pensacolarunners.com.

 

On a personal note, I and the 2015-2016 Board of Directors are humbled and excited at the opportunity to serve a running community as active and involved as Pensacola's. You, the members, are the PRA and if there are any ideas you have regarding programs, services, events or anything else we could do to enhance the experience of being a runner in our little town on the Gulf, please do not hesitate to contact me!

 

If you'd like to learn more about our organization and ways you can get involved, please feel free to attend our next Board of Directors meeting. It will be held on Tuesday, July 14, at the Pensacola Sports Association building at Baylen and Main Streets. The meeting starts at 5:30 PM and is open to all current members.

 

Until then, keep training (and stay hydrated)!

 

Eric Miller


More PRA Races
Are Coming Soon



The Pensacola Runners Association and the University of West Florida Cross Country team are partnering to hold the Argonaut Welcome Back 5K race on August 29th. This fun, challenging 5K is 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. You can find all the details HERE.
 
 
 
The Don McCloskey Seafood Festival 5K is coming on September 26 at 7:30 AM. The downtown Pensaola race course is a flat, fast, scenic route that will kick off your fall racing season with a possible PR. You will also have an opportunity to eat some of the best seafood anywhere at the Pensacola Seafood Festival after the race.  All the information and registration can be found  HERE!   

 


It's Time To Honor
The PRA Volunteer Of The Year 

As a 100% volunteer organization, the Pensacola Runners Association absolutely could not operate without people giving generously and selflessly of their time to improve the health of the community and make our area a much better place to live.
Each year the PRA recognizes a person who has given untold hours to the organization to help it succeed in its mission. The Volunteer Of The Year Award, established in 2013, was first won by Sherry Readdy and the following year by Jim Readdy.  Each has performed outstanding work with the PRA. We need your help to continue the tradition of ensuring that our awesome volunteers are duly recognized. Please send your nominations to PRA President Eric Miller.  
Jim Readdy - 2014 Volunteer Of The Year

Runner Of The Month
Andrea Moore

When you see Andrea Moore at the races (or at training sessions with TriGulfCoast) several adjectives come to mind. She is enthusiastic, focused and has this energy about her. We've been impressed with her fervor in competing and her results. Here's more information:

Finishing Strong At The
Double Bridge Run
Andrea's hometown is Augsburg in southern Bavaria and she has lived in Navarre since 1995. She was a track athlete in high school, but distance running was the last thing on her mind then. She started running again when her Husband was deployed and she was a single, working Mom for over a year. She went out jogging for about a mile one night for stress relief and she's still running.

Carrying Her Shoes Across The Augusta 70.3 Finish Line
The running years have continued and Andrea has distinguished herself by completing 6 marathons and one trail ultramarathon. BUT in 2010 some friends talked her into running My First Tri at Eglin Air Force Base and she discovered a whole new universe of challenges to master. She also won a very nice First Place trophy in that race and she was hooked.




Her triathlon experiences have included finishing a half ironman race running without shoes (pictured above). In the Augusta 70.3 race, she had problems with her feet which were badly swollen after the 56 mile bike ride. She struggled through several miles and then took her running shoes off and ran the final 8 miles in her socks. That's hard-core.

The demands of her job include frequent traveling and she often finds herself up well before dawn or running late at night to get in her training which is usually three runs a week year-round. When it's time for triathlon season, she incorporates swimming and biking into her regimen. Running is her strength, but the other two disciplines are  challenges that she continues to work on.

Andrea (orange outfit) Sprints For The Gate To Gate Finish Line

Her favorite races are the Double Bridge Run (with all the fantastic water views and the finish at beautiful Pensacola Beach) and the Marine Corps Marathon which runs past many famous landmarks and historic sites in the Washington D.C. area. She enjoys being a member of the Zarzaur Law Firm's Gavel Girlz triathlon team because of  enjoyable camaraderie of a team environment and their efforts to benefit a worthy charitable cause.

Andrea balances her career, family and other interests (including writing poetry) with her training to satisfy her several passions. A favorite quote is "if it's important to you, you find a way. If it's not, you find an excuse". You'll see her soon....at the races, making no excuses..
 
When Accidents Happen

by Mark Sortino
USA Triathlon Certified Level II Coach

Occasionally, accidents happen that cause a "pause" in our training as we try to heal and recover. These could be bike crashes, a running fall, or any other injury or sickness that puts us on the sidelines and all but stops our regular training. Here's 5 steps to physically recover fast and mentally stay positive and in control.
 
1 - Take the time. If you want to recover as fast as possible, then you must take the time to recover. If you come back too early or force training too soon, you may not feel it immediately, but you most certainly will in 4-6 weeks. Figure out how much time will be required to recover and commit to it with the same passion that you do with your training plan. Finally, work closely with your coach - that's why he/she is there!


2 - Sleep, eat and drink. Do you want to recover as quickly as possible? Then get off Netflix and target the most amount of sleep per day that you can get. So disconnect from Netflix and go to bed on time. Seriously, this is THE number one action to decrease recovery time, so do it. As for eating and drinking (no, not beer), stop eating a gazillion calories as if you're still training and start taking the time to eat right. Good food and proper nutrition in, high quality recovery out. Now is not the time to throw down gels and sports drinks. 

 

3 - Stretching, massage and epsom salt baths. Depending on the injury, start the healing process with movement promoting good blood flow. Take it easy and slow. If possible, take an Epsom Salt bath every day - getting that magnesium in the body is the secret elixir that will make you feel fantastic. If you know a good sports massage therapist, schedule an appointment asap.


4 - Believe that you won't lose fitness. Well...you won't lose much. Experienced athletes know that the more fit you become, the quicker it comes back after the offseason or after a break due to injury or sickness. Don't panic and think that coming back a few days sooner will make you better - it won't. More athletes come back too soon because they are just convinced that they have lost all their fitness. You won't. See #1.

5 - When you feel good, add a few.  When you start to feel good and even think you're just about recovered, you're NOT. So add a few more days. Trust me. While I may not be able to quote scientific studies on this, it has been proven to me over and over both as an elite athlete and as a coach. Add a few more days of recovery.
   

~ Coach Mark

Multisport Performance Institute (Team MPI) 

 

 

 


Breakfast!
 

by Corey Dell

PRA Board of Directors 


Corey Dell Hopefully by now it has been drilled into your head that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I'm not sure about most of you, but I have to eat breakfast before I leave for the day or I feel irritable, cranky, and hungry.   

 

That's not the best combination when you deal with people all day.  But, not all breakfast is created equal. To me the ideal breakfast includes whole grains, fruits/vegetables and protein.

 

Most people have a tendency to forget the protein.  Protein is what best satisfies your hunger. Without protein you're likely to feel starving at lunch, which can lead to poor food choices.  You don't have to have a hearty breakfast consisting of steak and eggs.  Remember that protein comes in other forms besides animals including:  eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, beans, nuts, seeds, hummus and edamame.   

 

Get creative, do your body a favor and don't forget to eat breakfast before you leave the house!!

 

Until next time,  Happy Running!!     
 

 

TriGulfCoast
    
Know Thyself  
 
by Nancy Grogan 
   
Nancy Grogan
Triathlon season is upon us and it is amazing to see how many people are embracing the sport. Each Sunday morning at Mere Mortals is a good example of its growing popularity. There are a lot of new faces which makes me wonder, what lead them to commit to this sport?

Is it the challenge? Were you already an athlete in swimming, running or biking and want more? Or perhaps it is because you want to get back into shape and lose a few pounds?

Now that you have attended several Mere Mortals sessions you may be slowly forgetting your commitments. You may have developed new fears. The water course can look really long and intimidating. The strong wind on the bike course makes it feel impossible to gain any speed. By the time you make it to the run, your legs are like wet noodles, you are exhausted, hot and hungry.

 

 

Being proficient in all three sports is very difficult. Start with small realistic goals and set larger ones as you go. Feel the success of being able to swim that extra lap, run more miles and bike longer. Look ahead and plan your goals for the coming year. Keeping these realistic goals will make you stronger and less likely to give up.

 

Learn all you can. Know the swim, bike and run courses, know your equipment. Learn about nutrition, and take part in the extra training offered. Some hire a coach. And most importantly know your mental self.

 

 

Keep your thoughts towards that amazing feeling you get once you cross the finish line... and how sweet it is when you achieve the goal you have set for yourself.

 

Ask yourself what motivates you. Knowing this will make you unstoppable. 
The PRA Is Looking  
 For Volunteers (ALWAYS)!

The Pensacola Runners Association is a not-for-profit organization that is 100% volunteer driven. None of our members are compensated for all the hours that are put in organizing and holding our events and helping out at MANY other events across Northwest Florida throughout the year.
 
PRA Waterstop Volunteers
If you are interested in volunteering or in becoming a Race Director, please email PRA President-elect Eric Miller at emiller0586@gmail.com.  Thanks very much!!