February 2025
TRAINING RUNS, FUN RUNS, RACES
Come on out of your winter blues and join us on Saturday mornings at 8:00 for our weekly PaceSetters group run. We leave from the Copper Rock Coffee shop for a 10 mile loop run, or you can choose a shorter distance. Followed by coffee, snacks and lively conversation inside.
We will be having our first 2025 Fun Run on Wednesday evening, March 12 at 6 pm at the Grand Chute Community Center. Mark your calendars!
If you have not heard, we are happy to see that EPIC Event Center and Race Day Events have teamed up to bring a new racing festival to Green Bay on May 18, 2025. Events will feature a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, half marathon relay, 5k, and a kid's dash. https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/GreenBay/EPICMarathonAndRunningFestival
Genetic Impact
One notion that many people do not understand is that our lives are NOT largely predetermined by genetics. Studies are showing that genetics impact our longevity only by 7 – 30%, meaning that at worst case, your longevity is 70% in your own control.
Lifespan is how long your heart is ticking and you’re alive, whereas Healthspan is the time when you are still in great health with the vitality to live and enjoy your life. It’s sad to think that today, although our average Lifespan is 79 years, our average Healthspan is only 63 years, leaving an average of over 16 years in this less than pleasant gap. Our goal should be refusing to let this decline happen. You can help accomplish this by embracing studies that show optimists tend to live 15% longer lives.
So, stay positive and don’t give in to the theory that your family has bad genetics so your lifespan is predetermined .... instead, take control of your life!
Skipping Helps Runners
Did you know skipping is a form of plyometrics exercise? Plyometric exercises should be a key part of all runners weekly training programs but do you know why? Plyometrics help to:
- Improve running economy (a recent study showed this can be as much as 2% in 6 weeks!)
- Increase tendon stiffness (making you more springy and taking the load off your muscles)
- Stimulate bone remodeling - leading to increased density and cortical thickness
Congratulations to Jordan Crawford!
This past month, our very own PaceSetter Jordan Crawford competed in the USATF 35k Racewalk Championships in Santee, CA. At nearly 22 miles, this was a much longer race than what Jordan had ever done. But he felt good throughout, never bonking out or hitting the wall and had a strong finish, completing the race in 2:46:20. That placed him 2nd for the US men and 4th overall including the International participants. CONGRATULATIONS JORDAN!!!
Spartan Runner
73 year old Idomeneas Avramakis completed the 2024 Authentic Marathon in Athens, Greece barefoot, dressed as an Athenian hoplite clad in full, heavy Spartan armor. He made a striking impression coming across the finish line in 8:50. His story is inspiring as he faced a health crisis years ago that dramatically impacted his life. After being in a coma for a month he woke up and changed his entire outlook on life. He has not missed an Authentic Marathon since then.
