November 6th Preview

We go different ways this Sunday, none of them as a group from the Eugene Running Company. Some will race half-marathons (Jean, Tatiana and Rhonda – any others? – at Silver Falls, and Stephanie in Sisters).

Our regular team run will take the once-per-training-cycle road trip to the Row River Trail in Cottage Grove. Directions for driving, caravanning or carpooling there will come by email. Rides will be available from the store at **7:20**, this on the first day that clocks fall back to **standard time**.

The route (from Mosby Creek Trailhead at 8:00): from “3.0” milepost to “8.5” and back. GPS distance is about 11.05 miles

Bring a drink for delivery at Harms Park, near the turnaround. Weather forecast: starting temperature in 40s with little chance of rain.

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.