AORTA News: November 9th, 2026

Happy International Stress Awareness Week!
What better way to relieve stress than a Saturday morning run with friends? Great turnout for Saturday's AORTA group 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.

Upcoming Local Race This Saturday!

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. 

Upcoming Local Races

Moore’s Mill Turkey Trot
- When: Thursday, November 26th, 2026
- Time: 8:00 AM
- Where: Moore’s Mill Club, Auburn, AL
- Fee: $35 includes t-shirt
  (Register by Nov 17th for guarenteed t-shirt)
- Description: The annual Moore’s Mill Club Turkey Trot is something NOT to be missed! Taking place Thanksgiving Day morning, it has become a fun family tradition for many. Runners, joggers & walkers - this fun run is for EVERYONE!
- Last year we raised $40,000 for the Food Bank of East Alabama!
- $1 Donation Equals 7 Meals!

Active Auburn Jingle Jog & Santa Stroll 
- When: Saturday, December 05, 2026
- Time: 6:30 AM (1-Mile), 7:00 AM (5K)
- Where: Toomer’s Corner, Downtown Auburn
- Fee: $20 (Fun Run), $30 (5K) 
           *Prices increase after November 26.
- Description: The Jingle Jog 5k and Santa Stroll Fun Run are here again – so pull out those Santa hats and ugly sweaters! Join Active Auburn on Saturday, December 5th at 6:30 a.m. as we ring in the holiday season in style! The Santa Stroll Fun Run (1 mile) will begin at 6:30 a.m. at Toomer’s Corner and the Jingle Jog 5k will begin at 7:00 a.m. at Toomer’s Corner.

Auburn Toys for Tots 5K/10K and Fun Run- When: Saturday, December 12, 2025
- Time: 8:00 AM (1-Mile), 8:30 AM (5K/10K)
- Where: Town Creek Park
- Fee: $20 (1-Mile), $30 (5K), $40 (10K)
  ** Prices increase after October 15th 
- Description: Mark your calendars and start the holiday season in a festive mood with a 10K, 5K, or 1-Mile!  All participants are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy. to be distributed to children in need. This year, Toys for Tots donations are especially important. the weak economy has caused many to lose jobs, be furloughed, or be forced out of work for long periods of time. Families in these difficult situations desperately needed a little extra holiday cheer this holiday season. The Toys for Tots race will help bring people together during the holidays. All participants who register online by November 30th will receive a souvenir festive t-shirt!

Weekly Whimsy

Why the 5K Is Harder Than Most Runners Admit
Matteo Sargenti, The Running Week

The 5K isn’t the easy race people think it is. When you race it hard, there’s no time to settle in, no real breaks, and zero room for error from the gun to the finish.

The 5K Doesn’t Give You Time to Settle In
Every so often the same idea pops up again… Someone will say the 5K is the easy distance or the fun one or the race people choose when they don’t really want to train much. Or even the race for newer runners. Whenever I hear that, I assume the person saying it probably hasn’t actually raced a 5K hard. The 5k is one of my favorite distances and with little room for error.

Jogging one is different but if you actually race a 5K all the way through, the experience is not relaxed and it definitely isn’t easy. With the 5k, there’s not much of a settling in period. Within a minute or two you’re already breathing harder than you’d like. Probably within 5 minutes you are questioning how you are going to keep up this effort for another couple of miles. By 4k, you are just hoping you will make it to the finish line.

Over the years I’ve run a lot of 5Ks. Road races, track races, cross country courses that were technically listed as 5K but probably were anywhere from 4 to 7k. The thing that always stands out about the race is how hard they are. I can’t think of a single 5k I’ve raced hard that I thought: wow that felt easy and comfortable.

The gun goes off and everyone immediately accelerates to a pace that feels uncomfortable. You tell yourself things will settle down once the pack spreads out, but the pace usually just keeps pressing a little more each minute. By the time you hit the first mile you’re already working harder than you probably planned.

Why People Underestimate the 5K Distance
People underestimate the distance because they’re looking at the clock. 3.1 miles seems like small potatoes compared to 13.1 or 26.2 but I encourage you to reframe how you’re thinking about the race. The 5k has all of the effort of a longer race compressed into a much shorter duration.

In longer races the early miles are usually controlled. You have time to relax, settle in, and get into a groove. The 5K works differently… If you approach the race too cautiously you can set yourself back.

In longer races you sometimes get little resets. There might be a section where the pace feels manageable again or your breathing settles down for a few minutes. Even in a half marathon there are stretches where the effort briefly feels smooth before the next rough patch shows up. A hard 5K rarely gives you that kind of break. Once the pace starts to feel uncomfortable it usually stays that way until the finish.

Training for a Fast 5K Is Harder Than People Expect
Training for the distance reflects that reality more than people realize. From the outside the 5K looks like a short race that must rely mostly on speed work, but most of the training ends up looking a lot like what people do for longer races. Plenty of threshold work, solid mileage, and a lot of efforts that sit at race pace. Sure, you might not have the easy long run, but you’re going to have a higher concentration of hard efforts.

Some of the workouts I remember most clearly from 5K training are things like kilometer or 400 m repeats with short recovery. Those sessions are not especially long in terms of total time, but you must stay engaged all of the time. If you lose focus for even a lap or two the pace starts drifting and the workout falls apart.

Another reason the distance gets underestimated is that many people experience it casually. Local 5Ks and Parkruns often function as community events. Some runners treat them as workouts, some run with friends, and plenty of people are just out there to finish. 5ks are the most common distance because they are the most accessible. There’s nothing wrong with that approach and in fact it’s great for the sport, but it can make the distance itself seem easier than it really is.

Racing a 5K Leaves Very Little Room for Error
If you watch the finish line of a competitive 5K for a few minutes, the reactions tell you everything you need to know. People crossing the line and immediately bending over trying to catch their breath, runners walking in slow circles to keep their legs from locking up, someone eventually sitting down in the grass because the effort caught up with them. It doesn’t look like the end of an easy or casual race.

What’s interesting is that the 5K sits in a strange place in running culture. For newer runners it can feel intimidating because it’s often the first distance they run. For experienced runners it sometimes gets dismissed because it is not as glamorous as a marathon or ultramarathon. Go to a packet pickup with a 5k and half marathon and listen to how many runners say: I’m doing “JUST” the 5k.

To run a 5k well, the pace has to be aggressive enough that you’re actually racing, but controlled enough that the last mile doesn’t completely collapse. If you take the first mile out too fast, you could be looking at a 1+ of time added during the last mile and believe me, there is nothing that hurts more than taking out a 5k to fast. Most of the race is spent right on the edge of what feels sustainable.

Of course the distance itself is short. No one is going to argue that three miles takes the same level of endurance as a marathon. But if you’re really racing it, those three miles have a way of feeling much longer than they look on paper.

If someone thinks the 5k is easy, there’s usually a simple explanation. They probably haven’t tried racing one all the way through in a while.

Link to article: https://tinyurl.com/r92h2wxn

Quote of the Week

    Persistence

    can change failure

    into extraordinary

    achievement.

                Matt Biondi
                Olympic Gold Medalist

Video of the Week

The One Number That Sets Your Marathon Pace (10:48)

We look at what your lactate threshold is, how long you can hold it, why it predicts race times, and how to test yours and turn it into a marathon pace.

** 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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