Class 10

This brings us to the halfway point for class. Already?! It might not seem so to you, but to me this went really fast.

You were back today where you started five weeks ago – same distance, same course. It should have felt shorter now.

We’ll continue the same pattern in weeks six to 10: long on Tuesdays (climbing toward a peak of four or eight miles) and fast on Thursdays (with one set of intervals, one slow/fast run and two tests remaining).

Tuesday’s run will take you through the neighborhoods south of campus. Distances: 3.25 and 6.5 miles. Sunday’s optional run, for half-marathon training, will reach 10 miles. Remember also that you can earn extra credit by entering the Run with the Duck 5K (Sunday at 2:00 p.m.), the Halloween 5K (Monday at 4:00 p.m.) or both.

TODAY’S TWO-MILE TEST

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your last long run here; target was to go faster; * = faster pace than first week’s test at half this distance)

Bryce – 16:47 (8:23 pace, +17 sec. per mile)

Alex – 18:11 (9:06s, +31 sec.)

*Mariana – 18:29 (9:14s, -36 sec.) day’s 3^rd most improved

Elliot – 21:26 (10:43s, +11 sec.)

Rachel – 17:06 (8:33s, -48 sec.) day’s 2^nd most improved

*James – 17:06 (8:33s, +1 sec.)

Eleanor – 18:49 (9:24s, -1:16) most improved, earning extra credit

TODAY’S FOUR-MILE TEST

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your last long run here; target was to go faster; * = faster pace than first week’s test at half this distance)

Connor B. – 27:37 (6:54s, -13 sec.)

Sam – 35:14 (8:48s, +12 sec.)

Ella – 35:14 (8:48s, +12 sec.)

Lana – 34:55 (8:44s, -2 sec.)

Jake – 26:40 (6:40s, -5 sec.)

*Nathan – 26:22 (6:35s, -22 sec.)

Sota – 26:05 (6:31s, -10 sec.)

LESSON 10: GETTING SICK

Take illness symptoms as seriously as those of injury. But instead of using pain as a guide, substitute the words fever and fatigue. The most common ailments are the flu and colds. Never, ever run with the flu’s fever. Don’t just rest while feverish but take an additional day off for each day of the illness, or you risk serious complications. Colds are more mundane – and more common. They usually pass through you in about a week. Rest during the “coming-on” stage (usually the first two to four days). Then run easily (slowly enough not to cause heavy coughing and nose-throat irritation) during the “coming-out” stage.

Class 9

Today’s run previewed the final test, to come in week 10. You’ll follow the same course then, but at a faster pace than today.

Thursday will bring your midterm test, at twice the distance of the first week. That’s two or four miles.

TODAY’S 3.1 MILES (5 KILOMETERS)

(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 – 26:39 (8:35 pace, +32 sec. per mile)

Elliot – 33:42 (10:32s, +1:08)

James – ran untimed

Jonathan – 26:39 (8:35s, +18 sec.)

Rachel – 29:00 (9:21s, +50 sec.)

Eleanor – 33:03 (10:40s, +18 sec.)

TODAY’S 6.2 MILES (10 KILOMETERS)

(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)

Connor B. – 44:10 (7:07 pace, -2 sec. per mile) day’s 2^nd best pacer

Sam – 53:19 (8:36s, -27 sec.)

Ella – 53:19 (8:36s, -27 sec.)

David – 52:45 (8:30s, +40 sec.) after 9M on Sunday

Lana – 54:20 (8:46s, +5 sec.) 3^rd best pacer; after 13.1M race on Sunday

Jake – 41:54 (6:45s, +20 sec.) after 9M on Sunday

Nathan – 43:16 (6:57s, -1 sec.) day’s best pacer, earning extra credit

Sota – 41:28 (6:41s, +12 sec.)

LESSON 9: GETTING HURT

Runners get hurt. We rarely hurt ourselves in the sudden, traumatic ways skiers and linebackers do, but the injury rates run high. Most of our injuries are self-inflicted – from running too far, too fast, too soon or too often (and sometimes on surfaces or in shoes not right for us). Prevention is usually as simple as adjusting our routine. Immediate treatment seldom requires total rest, but only a change in activity. Use pain as your guide. If you can’t run steadily without pain, mix walking and running. If you can’t run-walk, simply walk. If you can’t walk, bicycle. If you can’t bike, swim. As you recover, climb back up this exercise ladder.

Class 8

One reason you took today’s intervals as relay teams of two is that it’s the simplest way to equalize the time spent of running and recovering. I’ve found that the best results come from using this run/rest pattern.

Tuesday’s distances will reach 3.1 and 6.2 miles – aka, 5K and 10K. You’ll run at normal pace while previewing the route for the final week’s test.

TODAY’S 3 X ONE-THIRD-MILE INTERVALS

(with total time for one mile and comparison to your first week’s non-stop mile; target was to go faster)

Bryce – 6:58 (-1:18)

Alex – 6:58 (-1:13)

Mariana – 7:46 (-3:13) day’s most improved, earning extra credit

Rachel – 7:02 (-1:29) day’s 3^rd most improved

Becky – 8:28 (-1:23)

James – 7:02 (-1:30) day’s 2^nd most improved

Eleanor – 7:46 (-1:15)

TODAY’S 3 X TWO-THIRDS-MILE INTERVALS

(with total time for two miles, per-mile pace and comparison to your first week’s non-stop two-mile pace; target was to go faster)

Connor B. – 11:57 (5:58 pace, no target)

Sam – 13:54 (6:57s, -27 sec. per mile)

Ella – 13:54 (6:57s, -25 sec. per mile)

David – 13:29 (6:44s, -38 sec.)

Jake – 11:13 (5:36s, -23 sec.)

Nathan – 12:06 (6:03s, -40 sec.)

Sota – 11:26 (5:43s, -23 sec.)

LESSON 8: TAKING TIME

Your second most valuable piece of equipment, after shoes, is.... no, not shorts and not T-shirt. You can wear other clothes than those. Your next most vital item is a watch. Buy a digital model with a stopwatch feature, and make time your main way of keeping score. Time can make you an instant winner by telling exactly how fast you ran a distance, and maybe how much you improved your personal record (“PR,” in runner-talk). Another, more subtle value of the watch: It lets you run by time – by minutes instead of miles. This has several benefits: freeing you from plotting and measuring courses, because minutes are the same length anywhere... easing pressure to run faster, because you can’t make time pass any faster... finishing at the assigned time limit no matter your pace, which settles naturally into your comfort zone when you run by time.

Class 7

Distances are building. Next Tuesday, you’ll reach the namesake distance of this class – 5K or 10K (3.1 or 6.2 miles). Progress won’t stop there, as you move toward a four-mile or eight-mile peak in November.

Thursday will bring our second set of intervals. Same total distance as before (one or two miles), but different segment number and length (3 x one-third-mile or 3 x two-thirds-mile). You’ll do this as a relay team of two, running every other lap and recovering while your teammate runs.

TODAY’S 2.75 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your last long run here; target was to match that pace for this longer distance)

Connor B. – 17:40 (6:25 pace, -44 sec. per mile)

Bryce – 22:18 (8:06s, -28 sec.)

Alex – 22:09 (8:03s, -9 sec.)

Mariana – 1.85 miles in 28:02 (9:50s, -6 sec.) day’s 3^rd best pacer

Rachel – 23:26 (8:31s, -22 sec.)

James – 23:30 (8:32s, -58 sec.)

Eleanor – 28:30 (10:22s, +26 sec.)

TODAY’S 5.5 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your last long run here; target was to match that pace for this longer distance)

Sam – 49:49 (9:03 pace, +19 sec.)

Ella – 49:49 (9:03s, +19 sec.)

David – 43:09 (7:50s, -4 sec.) 2^nd best pacer, after 8M on Sunday

Lana – 47:49 (8:41s, +3 sec.) day’s best pacer, earning extra credit

Jake – 35:20 (6:25s, -10 sec.) after 8M on Sunday

Nathan – 4 miles in 26:39 (6:40s, -18 sec.)

Sota – 35:43 (6:29s, -7 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.

Class 6

This is the only time all term when finishing first has its rewards here. That’s because it’s the only time when everyone, no matter your native speed, has an equal chance to finish first. This out-and-back, by-time run equalizes your chances of leading.

Tuesday’s distances will rise to 2.75 and 5.5 miles. The optional Sunday run (from the Eugene Running Company at eight o’clock) will reach eight miles.

TODAY’S SLOW/FAST “16 MINUTES”

(with actual time and difference between the second half and the first; target was to finish below 16 minutes, or run so-called “negative splits”)

Bryce – 15:59 (-1 sec. for 2^nd half)

Alex – 14:38 (-1:22) 2^nd to finish

Mariana – 15:02 (-58 sec.) 3^rd to finish

Becky – 15:47 (-13 sec.)

Jonathan – 14:21 (-1:39) 1^st to finish, earning extra credit

Eleanor – 15:47 (-13 sec.)

TODAY’S SLOW/FAST “32 MINUTES”

(with actual time and difference between the second half and the first; target was to finish below 32 minutes, or run so-called “negative splits”)

Sam – 28:16 (-3:44 for 2^nd half)

Ella – 28:16 (-3:34)

David – 29:38 (-2:22)

Lana – 28:29 (-3:31)

Jake – 27:37 (-4:22) 1^st to finish, earning extra credit

Nathan – 28:03 (-3:57) 3rd to finish

Sota – 27:38 (-4:22) 2^nd to finish

LESSON 6: GOING FASTER

A little bit of speed training goes a long way. In fact, a little bit is all you should do because, in excess, speed kills. Most runners can tolerate fast training that totals only about 10 percent of weekly mileage. This can come two major ways and one minor one. The first big way is as intervals – a training session of short, fast runs with recovery breaks between. The other main way to train for speed is the tempo run – at race pace or faster for a shorter distance. The smaller way to gain and maintain speed is with “strides” – ending the warmup by striding out for a hundred yards or so, one to five times, at the top speed that you would ever race. Strides also have value at the finish of a relaxed run, as a reminder to push at the end of a race.

Class 5

Racing opportunities abound locally. They’ll happen two days in a row, on or near campus, at the end of this month.

First comes the Run with the Duck 5K, on Sunday the 30^th at two o’clock. It has a modest $10 entry fee.

None is cheaper – it’s free! – than the three-mile Halloween Fun-Run, on Monday the 31^st at 4:00 p.m. Entering any race earns you extra credit.

Thursday’s run in class will be a negative-split exercise. You’ll go out easily for eight or 16 minutes (about a mile or two), then come back faster – to simulate how the latter half of a race feels.

TODAY’S 2.6 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)

Bryce – 22:17 (8:34 pace, -8 sec. per mile)

Alex – 21:19 (8:12s, -14 sec.)

Mariana – 25:49 (9:56s, +3 sec.) day’s 3^rd best pacer

Connor J. – 24:24 (9:24s, -16 sec.)

Elliot – 24:28 (9:23s, -34 sec.)

Becky – 25:49 (9:56s, -11 sec.)

James – 24:43 (9:30s, +1 sec.) day’s best pacer, earning extra credit

Eleanor – 25:49 (9:56s, -4 sec.)

TODAY’S 5.0 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)

Connor B. – 35:47 (7:09s, no target)

Sam – 44:35 (8:54s, -23 sec.)

Ella – 44:35 (8:54s, -23 sec.)

David – 39:35 (7:54s, -18 sec.) after 7M on Sunday

Lana – 43:11 (8:38s, -23 sec.) after 10M on Sunday

Jake – 32:57 (6:35s, -13 sec.)

Nathan – 34:50 (6:58s, +2 sec.) day’s 2^nd best pacer

Sota – 33:00 (6:36s, -30 sec.) after 7M on Sunday

LESSON 5: GOING LONGER

Distance, unlike speed, is almost limitless. No matter what your level of talent, no matter how many years you have run, no matter how old your personal records are, the possibility of covering longer distances still exists. This helps explain the appeal of the marathon. First-year runners can take pride at finishing one in twice the time the leaders take to finish, and longtime runners can feel good about going the distance an hour slower than their PR. Not all runners can go faster, but just about anyone can run longer. It isn’t a matter of talent, but only of pacing, patience and persistence. However, you can’t take big leaps in distance all at once. The safe limit for progress is about 10 percent per week – for instance, no more than a half-mile added to the recent five-mile run.

Class 4

I doubt this is anyone’s favorite way to start a day. But note how much difference the rest breaks make in interval training. The payoff will come later, when the speed gained here makes all runs faster without them seeming any harder.

Tuesday’s distances will step up to 2.5 and 5.0 miles. The optional Sunday run from the Eugene Running Company is 7.0 miles, starting at eight o’clock.

TODAY’S 2 X HALF-MILE INTERVALS

(with total time for one mile and comparison to last Thursday’s non-stop mile; target was to go faster, which everyone did)

Connor B. – 5:41 (no target)

Bryce – 6:28 (-1:48) day’s 3^rd most improved

Alex – 7:10 (-49 sec.)

Mariana – 7:28 (-3:31) day’s most improved, earning extra credit

Connor J. – 7:14 (-37 sec.)

Elliot – 7:16 (-1:00)

Rachel & Alisha – 7:36 (-55 sec.)

Jake – 5:20 (-39 sec.)

James – 6:42 (-2:47) day’s 2^nd most improved

Jonathan – 6:43 (-1:12)

Eleanor – 8:41 (-20 sec.)

Sota – 5:17 (-49 sec.)

Max – 5:53 (non-stop as makeup mile test)

TODAY’S 2 X ONE-MILE INTERVALS

(with total time for two miles, per-mile pace and comparison to last Thursday’s non-stop two-mile pace; target was to go faster, which everyone did)

Sam – 14:40 (7:20 pace, -4 sec.)

Ella – 14:28 (7:14s, -6 sec.)

Nathan – 11:54 (5:57s, -46 sec.)

LESSON 4: BIG DAYS

Most runs need to be easy. This is true whether you’re a beginning racer or an elite athlete. (Of course, the definition of “easy” varies hugely for these groups; easy for the elite would be impossible for the beginner.) Training for the distance and pace of races, and actually running these events, is a prescription item, best taken in proper, well-spaced doses. New racers are wise to limit themselves to one big day a week. On this day, run longer than normal (as long as the longest race distance but at a slower pace) or faster than normal on this day (as fast as the fastest race pace but for a shorter distance), or go to the starting line in a race (combining full distance at full pace). Experienced racers can put a long run AND a fast run into the same week, but don’t want to squeeze both of these PLUS a race into one week.