November 8th Preview

On a busy Sunday of racing -- with Silver Falls, Autumn Trails and UO Run with the Duck all happening -- we also peak in EWEB Half training that day. Our distance is 11 miles, with an eight o'clock start from the store.

The route: 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 10.96 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at Ferry Street (three miles) and Owosso (6.5 miles). Weather forecast: chilly and rainy, with starting temperature in the 40s.

WEEK 7 LESSON: YOUR POTENTIAL

Question: What can I expect my half-marathon race time to be?

Answer: The best predictor of the final race result, I’ve found with previous marathon and half teams, is the pace of the longest training run. For a half-marathon, for instance, a runner who trained at 9:00 per mile (for the 11 miles at which our program peaks) can expect to finish the race at very close to that pace. Nearly all of our runners come within 15 seconds, plus or minus – or 8:45 to 9:15 in this example. As with any reliable gauge, this one isn’t based on what you dream of maybe doing someday but instead on what you really have done lately. I don’t say this to drain any of the mystery or surprise from your racing. Mainly I want you to know going into the race what a smart starting pace for you will be. Running at that rate early will assure a better finish.