July 3rd Preview

If your immediate goal is the Coburg Half, you peak in training distance this weekend at 11 miles. Shorter distance is available if you’re running Butte to Butte on Monday.

Be aware that the store, streets and paths will be busier than usual with the Olympic Trials in town through July 10^th. The route (from the Eugene Running Company with an 8:00 start): Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and don’t cross. Turn left onto bike path, to Autzen footbridge and across. Turn right, past Ferry and Valley River to Owosso footbridge and across. Back to Ferry and store. GPS distance is 10.95 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at about 4.5 and 8.5 miles (Valley River footbridge on either side). Weather forecast: sunny with starting temperature in 50s, rising toward an afternoon high in low 80s.

WEEK 8 LESSON: YOUR STRATEGY

Question: What is the best way to pace myself during the half-marathon?

Answer: Even if you’ve done everything right in training, you can cancel all that good with as little as one wrong move on race day. The first and worst bad move is to bolt from the starting line far faster than your training pace. Crowd hysteria and your own raging nervous system conspire to send you into the race as if fired from a cannon. Try to work against the forces of the crowd and your natural desires. Pull back the mental reins at a time when the voices inside are shouting, “Faster!” Be cautious in your early pacing, erring on the side of too-slow rather than too-fast. Hold something in reserve for the late miles. This is where you reward yourself for your early caution, by passing instead of being passed. Being the passer rather than the passee is a lot more fun.