AORTA News: December 30th, 2025
Upcoming Holiday Runs!
Christmas Eve Morning Reindeer Run!
*** All Runners /Walkers Welcome! ***
Come and celebrate this Christmas Eve with a morning group run! Choose to run, jog, or walk a 3, 5, or 10 mile course… your choice. We’ll kick off the run at 7:00 AM!
Date: Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Location: TCBY (next to Kroger), Auburn
Time: 7:00 AM
Cost: Free (No t-shirts/medals for this one!)
2025 Reindeer Run 3.2 
2025 Reindeer Run 4.9
2025 Reindeer Run 9.8
2025 Last Chance 3M/5K Run
** Non-Members Welcome **
Looking for one last end-of-the-year group run, or trying to log the last few miles to make it into the coveted 600 or 1200 mile club? This is your moment. We’ll have both 3-mile and 5-mile routes, and you’re welcome to modify them however you need to hit your personal goals. Expect encouragement, conversation, and plenty of good vibes.
Best of all - it’s FREE!
No registration fees, no pressure. If you’d like, bring a small dish, snack, or drinks to share, along with your New Year’s running or fitness resolutions.
So lace up, mark your calendars, and help us make this Last Chance Run a memorable way to close out 2025. Tag your friends, spread the word, and let’s finish the year strong - together!
Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Location: TCBY (next to Kroger), Auburn, AL
Time: 7:00 AM
2025 Last Chance 3M
2025 Last Chance 5M
2026 New Year’s Resolution Run!
* Non-Members Welcome **
Auburn Runners - kick off 2026 on the right foot! Join us for the New Year's Resolution Run on Thursday, January 01, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM from TCBY (next to Kroger). This fun, relaxed run is all about fresh starts, community, and positive energy.
Whether you're a seasoned runner or just getting started, everyone is welcome. Choose between the 5K or 10K route, challenge yourself, and bring friends or family to share in a great start to the New Year!
Date: Thursday, January 01, 2026
Location: TCBY (next to Kroger), Auburn, AL
Time: 7:00 AM
Cost: Free! (No t-ishirts or medals for this one!)
2026 Resolution Run 5K
2026 Resolution Run 10K
Run During the Holidays Without Losing Fitness
December 17, 2025 The Running Week
** Summary of article **
The holiday season often disrupts regular training with family events, travel, rich food, and busy schedules - but you don’t need to stress about losing your fitness. Fitness doesn’t disappear after a few missed runs, and you don’t have to train like an elite athlete over Christmas to stay in shape.
Key takeaways for runners:
- Shift your mindset to maintenance: Focus on staying active rather than hitting peak workouts. A shorter or easier run still keeps your body engaged.
- Find a minimum effective dose: Even a 20-minute run or a one-mile jog is valuable on a busy day. Daily consistency beats rigidity.
- Be flexible with your schedule: Swap workouts around to fit family plans—move a long run to a different day or switch tough sessions to simple easy runs when needed.
- Hydration and nutrition matter: Holiday food and alcohol can make runs feel harder, so stay hydrated and plan meals around your runs when possible.
- Have alternatives if you can’t run: Cross-training, brisk walks, or bodyweight circuits help maintain cardiovascular fitness and muscle engagement when running isn’t feasible.
The goal isn’t perfection—it’s keeping the habit alive so you return to structured training in January refreshed, injury-free, and ready for your next training cycle.
Link to full article: https://tinyurl.com/33seydnx
Quote of the Week
The days you run
don’t want to run,
are the days
you have to.
Unknown
Video of the Week
Should Endurance Athletes Choose a Ketogenic Diet?
** AORTA provides this informational video to its members as a courtesy and does not endorse any particular product, process, or service.
New Recovery Center in Auburn Now Open
Looking to boost recovery, reduce soreness, and stay strong through all your training miles? Degree Wellness in Auburn—opening soon in January 2026—offers runner-focused services like whole-body cryotherapy, cold plunges, and Normatec compression massage, all designed to ease inflammation, speed muscle recovery, and improve performance. Their wellness options help you rebound faster from long runs, stay consistent week after week, and feel better heading into race day. A great upcoming resource for any AORTA runner wanting smarter, more effective recovery.
Are your running shoes past their useful running life? Most are normally good for 300 to 500 miles but can still have a lot of “sole” left in them! If yours are ready for retirement, bring your gently used running shoes to Love2Run, our local running partner store, where they’ll collect
them for a fantastic organization called “Sneakers4Good”, a social enterprise that ships them to developing nations for micro-entrepreneurs.
When you bring them, please check for the following:
1) Gently worn means they are clean in usable condition and have no holes.
2) Soles are intact and not too worn, cracked, or breaking apart.
3) Laces intact, in good condition, not frayed, and tied together.
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.
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!).
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.
Saturday Group Routes
Open to non-members, joggers, and walkers! Meet at 6AM at the start/finish location near TCBY/Pakmail in the Corner Village parking lot at the Glenn-Dean intersection.
December 27, 2025
LHS 292 5.7 
LHS 292 7.6
LHS 292 10.6
Volunteer for a water stop here!
December Birthdays
Terry Dees: 1st
Joy Dees: 2nd
Mari Wilkes: 7th
Byron Farnum: 11th
Randall Stoves: 31st
Join AORTA Today!
Click on the RunSignUp logo below to signup online. Annual fees are $25 for individuals and $30 for families. Memberships run for one year from the day of membership.
Race Calendar!
Looking for a local 5K or popular marathon? Click on the calendar to check out our race listings!
AORTA's Facebook page.
Road Runners Club of America
Use this to figure out what to wear under any weather condition.
If you can't speak for yourself, your Road ID will. Not just a piece of gear, it's peace of mind.
Running and Race Information for the Auburn-Opelika Area. Info for the Summer Swing 5K Series in Opelika.
Hal Higdon’s training plans for everything from a 10k to a marathon.
Link to RunGoApp.com for customized maps and voice navigation!
Link to mapmyrun.com to calculate distances, elevation plots, and more!
Pace, age-graded, run/walk pace, training pace, race predictor, pace wristband creator.
Enter a race time and desired time for a given distance and get a goal time for any distance.
