AORTA News: August 31st, 2026

Chi Omega and Farmhouse Results and Video!

Results: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/207878
Video: https://youtu.be/Ju5Wsm6bsEU

Happy National Sports Day!

AORTA celebrated the only way we know how - getting in a few Saturday morning miles with good friends. Great turnout and a great way to start the weekend!

Upcoming Local Races

Auburn University ODK Cake 5K
When: Thursday, September 24, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM
Where: Cater Lawn, AU Campus
Distance: 5K
Fee: Free
Description: Omicron Delta Kappa will be hosting Auburn University's Annual Cake Race to kickoff Homecoming Week. The 5k is open to the Auburn community, and the top five male and female finishers of the race will win a cake! This longstanding Auburn tradition will begin and end in front of Katherine Cooper Cater Hall, and the route will take participants around Auburn's campus.

Mercy Medical 5K/10K
When: Saturday, Ocbober 03, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM (1-Mile) 8:30 (5K/10K)
Where: Ogletree Shopping Center, Auburn
Distance: 1M, 5K, 10K
Fee: $20 (1M), $35 (5K), $45 (10K)
Description: Come join us for the 3rd annual Mercy Medical Run to raise money from this race, all of it, will be donated to Mercy Medical. For over 25 years, Mercy Medical has fulfilled this mission through the generous financial support of our community. The clinic is staffed primarily by volunteers who selflessly give their time to love and serve the underserved of our community.

Walk For Life + 5K
- When: Saturday, October 10, 2026
- Time: 8:00 AM (1-Mile), 8:30 AM (5K)
- Where: Opelika Sportsplex
- Fee: $30 (5K), $10 (1M), $0 for 12 & Under (1M) 
- Description: Looking for an easy and fun way to make a difference for LIFE? Join Women's Hope Medical Clinic & Hope Adoptions as a runner or fundraising walker for our upcoming Walk For Life + 5K! By getting sponsors to support your walk, you can help reach our fundraising goal and play a significant role in cultivating a culture of life.

Tutu Trot 5K
- When: Saturday, October 17, 2026
- Time: 8:00 AM (Fun Run), 8:30 AM (5K)
- Where: Town Creek Park
- Fee: $30 (5K), $25 (Fun Run)
- Description: Join us for this fun, family-friendly event that benefits the Down South Cancer Foundation and celebrates breast cancer survivors while raising awareness and support for those affected by cancer in our community. Participants are encouraged to embrace the theme and run or walk in a tutu — a tutu is included with registration! Come run, walk, wear your tutu, and help support a great cause!

Beat Bama Food Drive 5K
- When: Sunday, November 01, 2026
- Time: 2:00 PM (1-Mile), 2:30 PM (5K)
- Where: Cater Lawn, Auburn University
- Fee: $38 (5K), $18 (1-Mile)
- Description: The Beat Bama Run Fest is a charity color run benefiting the Food Bank of East Alabama. It offers a 5K race and a one-mile fun run for participants of varying fitness levels, encouraging community involvement by collecting non-perishable food donations. Pre-registration is encouraged to save on fees, and the event includes water stops, refreshments, and children's entertainment, making it a well-rounded experience focused on fitness, community engagement, and philanthropy for participants of all ages.

Unity Wellness Center AIDS Day Run/Walk
- When: Saturday, November 14, 2026
- Time: 8:00 AM (1-Mile), 8:30 PM (5K)
- Where: Town Creek Park, Auburn, AL
- Fee: $5 (1-Mile), $5 (5K) (t-shirt $20)
- Description: Join us for the 9th Annual Unity Wellness Center World AIDS Day Run/Walk, featuring a $5 fee for both the 5K and 1-mile events (with an option to add a shirt for $20). Age group awards will be given, and there will be a raffle and refreshments for the whole family. The 1-mile walk starts at 8:00 am (untimed), and the 5K timed race begins at 8:30 am. This event commemorates World AIDS Day, a global day of unity against HIV, and supports Unity Wellness Center's vital services, including HIV testing, counseling, medical care, case management, and prevention education. 

Dealing with Summer Heat
The Auburn hills are tough enough—but add in summer heat and humidity, and it’s a whole new challenge. As the saying goes, it’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity—and it can zap even the most dedicated runner. Use the table below to help pace yourself, and take extra precautions anytime the apparent temperature tops 90°F.

Weekly Whimsy

The 3-Min Workout That Beats 90 Mins of Cardio
Matteo Sargenti, The Running Week

A new Rockefeller University study found that just three minutes of all-out sprinting changed nearly 25 percent of the proteins measured in the blood—far more than 90 minutes of moderate cycling. Three minutes of hard effort may therefore do something a 90-minute steady session cannot, according to research published in Cell Reports Medicine. The findings offer an interesting look at how exercise intensity and duration may produce very different responses in the body.

What the Rockefeller Team Actually Did
Researchers led by Luke Olsen and Paul Cohen conducted a controlled comparison in healthy adults. One group performed six 30-second all-out cycling sprints, separated by four minutes of easy pedaling. Another group cycled at a moderate, steady pace for 90 minutes, while a third group ran on a treadmill. Blood was collected before exercise, immediately afterward, and several hours later. Researchers measured nearly 3,000 proteins in the blood plasma along with hundreds of metabolites to see how each type of exercise affected the body.

The Number That Made People Stop Scrolling
The most striking result came immediately after the sprint session: 714 different blood proteins had changed significantly—nearly one-quarter of everything researchers measured. By comparison, the 90-minute moderate cycling session changed only seven proteins immediately after exercise and 19 three hours later. Moderate treadmill running produced a greater response than moderate cycling, but still nowhere near the response produced by sprinting.

Why the Sprint Response Looks So Different
The molecules released after sprinting were not random. Many were associated with blood-vessel growth, tissue remodeling, hormonal signaling, and communication between organs. Some are known as exerkines, signaling compounds released during exercise that allow muscles, the liver, fat cells, and other tissues to communicate. Sprinting also altered more than 200 metabolites. Researchers then exposed human fat cells in the laboratory to blood collected after the sprint sessions and found changes in genes involved in fuel use, hormone response, and nutrient sensing—changes considerably greater than those produced by blood collected after moderate cycling.

The Health Link, and the Honest Caveat
Researchers also compared the sprint-related proteins with health records from more than 53,000 people in the UK Biobank. Of 33 proteins associated with a lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic diseases, 32 were altered by sprinting, compared with only three following moderate exercise. That is an intriguing association, but it does not prove that these proteins themselves provide protection against disease. The exercise trial was also small and weighted toward young, healthy men, so additional research is needed before assuming the same effects occur in older adults, women, or people with chronic health conditions.

What This Means If You Are a Runner
For runners, the findings certainly don't mean it's time to abandon the long run. The moderate exercise session produced a slower, sustained release of fatty acids and liver-derived proteins several hours afterward—the classic endurance response associated with developing mitochondrial capacity, aerobic fitness, and fat metabolism. Long, easy running still provides adaptations that short sprint sessions cannot replace.

Instead, the study suggests that a small weekly dose of very high-intensity exercise may complement endurance training.

A Practical Way to Add Sprint Intervals
The researchers' sprint protocol consisted of six 30-second all-out efforts with approximately four minutes of easy recovery between repetitions. Runners could produce a similar stimulus with short running intervals, although hill sprints may provide a more controlled way of introducing very hard efforts because the incline naturally limits speed.

For runners who haven't done serious sprint work recently, introducing these efforts gradually would make sense rather than immediately jumping into six maximum-effort repetitions.

What Sprinting Does to Your VO2 Max
The Rockefeller study did not measure VO2 max, but the molecular response it identified overlaps with adaptations previously associated with high-intensity interval training. VO2 max is strongly associated with cardiovascular fitness and long-term health outcomes, and high-intensity exercise is one established method of improving it.

The Takeaway Without the Hype
The important takeaway is not that three minutes of sprinting replaces a 90-minute long run. The two types of exercise create different physiological responses. Rather, the study suggests that intensity and duration send different signals throughout the body. A very small amount of extremely hard exercise produced a surprisingly large and rapid molecular response, while longer moderate exercise produced the slower metabolic adaptations traditionally associated with endurance training.

For runners, that makes the message fairly simple: keep the easy runs and long runs, but there may also be good reason to include a small, carefully introduced dose of high-intensity work. Three minutes of actual hard effort, incorporated into a roughly 25-minute workout with warm-up and recovery, may produce benefits quite different from those gained by spending 90 minutes at an easy pace.

Link to article: https://tinyurl.com/264ybjzn 

Quote of the Week

          Don’t Look Back.

          You’re Not Going

          That Way.

                    Anonymous

Video of the Week

Signs Your Glutes Aren't Working When You Run (18:43)

** AORTA provides this informational video to its members as a courtesy and does not endorse any particular product, process, or service. 

Ongoing Events

RunGo For Turn-By-Turn Directions!
RunGo provides turn-by-turn navigation allowing you to just enjoy your runs without having to think about looking for street names and when you may have to turn next. Other great features include, audio cues with your running stats, split updates, the ability to share your runs via social media, and create new routes. Another great feature of the app is the ability to work offline. You can create and download your routes ahead of time, before your run so you don’t have to use data during your run.

Race Volunteers Needed!
As a runner, we know your time is valuable. But if you have a couple hours to spare, we could use your help for one of the upcoming AORTA supported or directed races! Assisting at a local race is a fun and rewarding experience. You are surrounded by health conscious individuals that, like you, are motivated fitness enthusiasts and appreciate the effort of volunteers.

Water Stop Volunteers Needed
Water stop signs and coolers are available at the following location: 1536 Professional Parkway, Auburn, AL. (Thank you Adahli Massey!). Coolers and signs can be picked up Monday-Thursday from 8AM-4PM and on Fridays from 8AM-12 noon. Items are in the room next to the back door. If you are unable to pick up supplies on these dates/times, e-mail clemster@aol.com to make alternative arrangements (we deliver!).

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