April 10th Preview

Once each round of training, we take a road trip to the Row River Trail in Cottage Grove. This is that week, which also brings the longest run of this cycle -- 11 miles. Directions for driving or car-pooling to the to the start, along with a course map, come by email.

The route (with an 8:00 start from the trailhead gazebo at 10th and Main in downtown Cottage Grove): follow the paved path to the "5.5" milepost (these posts appear every half-mile, starting at "3.0"). Turn AROUND there and come back the same way. GPS distance is about 11.1 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at Row River Road underpass (about four and seven miles). Weather forecast: starting temperature in high 40s with little chance of rain.

If you can't make this trip, I recommend running a similar with the Eugene Marathon preview on Saturday. It starts at 8:00 from the turf fields between the Rec Center and Hayward Field on 15th.

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.