September 4th Preview

You pop into double-figure mileage this Sunday, with 10. The first five of those miles will be with our marathoners. Only one step up in mileage remains for all of you before your next race day.

The course (with an 8:00 start from the Eugene Running Company): Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and turn left onto bike path. To Autzen footbridge and across. Turn right, past Ferry Street and Valley River bridges, to “.50” milepost. Turn AROUND there and come back the same way: Autzen, Ferry and store. GPS distance is 10.15 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at Skinner Butte playground (3.5 and 6.6 miles). Weather forecast: sunny with starting temperature in 50s, rising to an afternoon high in 70s.

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.