Class 7

Distances grow. Next Tuesday you’ll reach the namesake of this class, 5K or 10K (3.1 or 6.2 miles) – not as a race or test but as another long run in your buildup.

Thursday will bring your second set of intervals (of three this term). You’ll do either 3 x one-third-mile or 3 x two-thirds with a rest break between segments. This time I’ll match you with a teammate of about your speed, as you each run every other lap.

TODAY’S 2.9 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your last long run here; target was to match that pace for this longer distance; if you didn’t time yourself out at stoplights, you probably ran faster than listed here)

Alex – 26:59 (9:18 pace, +46 sec.)

Alyssa – 26:01 (8:58s, +22 sec.)

Elliot – 34:08 (11:46s, +1:32)

Blake – untimed

TODAY’S 5.7 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your last long run here; target was to match that pace for this longer distance; if you didn’t time yourself out at stoplights, you probably ran faster than listed here)

Peter – 4.6 miles in 37:03 (8:03s, +1 sec.) best pacer, earning extra credit

Zach – 4.6 miles in 37:03 (8:03s, +22 sec.)

Doug – 8:04 (10:11s, +43 sec.)

Dillon – 40:30 (7:06s, -1:04)

Jessica – 7 miles on Sunday

Lauren O. – 55:41 (9:46s, -41 sec.)

Miranda – 1:06:14 (11:36s, -18 sec.)

Becky – 4 miles on Sunday

Tyler – 38:50 (6:48s, -6 sec.) day’s 2^nd best pacer

Austin – 38:48 (6:48s, +13 sec.) day’s 3^rd best pacer

Anna – 50:02 (8:46s, +43 sec.)

Lauren W. – 55:04 (9:40s, -28 sec.)

LESSON 7: GOING EASIER

Pacing isn’t just for a single run. It’s also something you practice from day to day throughout the week. Some runs must be hard if you’re training to race, but most runs must be easy to compensate for that effort. In other words, you run less than your best much of the time – neither long nor fast. You can calculate ideal pace for easy runs several ways: at least one minute per mile slower than you could race the same distance; or about 75 percent of maximum heart rate; or simply whatever feels comfortable, not too fast or too slow. The last of these guidelines is the simplest to use. What feels right usually is right.