Class 7

Good-bye, January. The month turned out better for outdoor running than it threatened to be when winter term started. We lost no one from this class after the first (and worst for weather) day.

We did briefly “lose” a few of you today. The scheduled 3.7-mile run ended a half-mile short because I described the route poorly. Sorry.

Thursday you’ll take your second session of interval training. This time the format will be 3 x one-third mile or 3 x two-thirds, run as a relay team of two. Partners of similar speed will do alternate segments, which equalizes the running and recovery periods.

TODAY’S 2.8 MILES

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

Erik B. – 25:38 (9:09 pace, +55 sec. per mile)

James B. – 22:21 (7:59s, +13 sec.)

Olivia – 22:00 (7:51s, -19 sec.)

Amina D. – 32:18 (11:32s, +1:10)

Bella – 22:57 (8:11s, +1 sec.) day’s 2^nd best pacer

Joey – 32:50 (11:43s, +29 sec.)

Daniel – 23:12 (8:17s, -5 sec.) day’s 3^rd best pacer

Leticia – ran untimed

Aminagh K. – 30:08 (10:46s, +26 sec.)

Katie – 27:16 (9:44s, -46 sec.)

James S. – 24:57 (8:54s, +42 sec.)

YingYing – 30:08 (10:46s, +31 sec.)

TODAY’S 3.2 MILES

(same info as for the shorter run)

Leah – 25:56 (8:06s, -20 sec.)

Houston – 24:58 (7:48s, +12 sec.)

Scott – 25:30 (7:57s, =) day’s best pacer, earning extra credit

Eric S. – 23:56 (7:28s, -17 sec.)

Eleanor – 3.7 miles in 33:00 (8:54s, -32 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

Today’s run was meant to teach you how to push harder when the going gets tougher – as it surely will in a race. The time period that you ran was the average 5K race length for your group.

This was the only time all term when everyone had an equal chance to finish first. So I gave the day’s extra-credit prize for that.

Tuesday’s distances will be 2.8 and 3.7 miles. You’ll go through the neighborhoods to the Amazon Trail and back.

TODAY’S “24 MINUTES”

(with actual finish time and comparison of second half with first; target was to go faster, or run so-called “negative splits” – which everyone did)

Erik B. – 22:59 (-1:01 for 2^nd half)

Leah – 23:41 (-19 sec.)

Olivia – 23:14 (-46 sec.)

Amina D. – 22:34 (-1:26)

Houston – 21:00 (-3:00) 2^nd to finish

Tori – 22:27 (-1:33)

Bella – 22:56 (-1:04)

Daniel – 22:09 (-1:51)

Aminah K. – 22:47 (-1:13)

Scott – 22:07 (-1:53)

Jessica – 19:57 (-4:03) 1^st to finish, earning extra credit

Katie – 22:03 (-1:57)

Amanda – 22:30 (-1:30)

James S. – 22:00 (-2:00) 3^rd to finish

Eric S. – 22:30 (-1:30)

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

This was your first trip to the Willamette River and beyond. You’ll go in this direction every other Tuesday. Crossing Franklin can be frustrating, but you can ease that complication by turning off your watch while waiting for the stoplight to change. That way, you don’t penalize yourself for time spend standing still.

Thursday, for the only class this term, you won’t run by distance (and also a rare occasion when everyone will run the same amount). It will be a by-time run, going out for 12 minutes, then turning back. This is a “negative-split” exercise, in which you try to run the second half faster than the first – finishing under 24 minutes, that is. This approximates the 5K race length.

TODAY’S 2.5 MILES

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

Erik B. – 20:35 (8:14 pace, -38 sec. per mile)

James B. – 19:24 (7:46s, +13 sec.)

Olivia – 20:25 (8:10s, +25 sec.)

Amina D. – 25:54 (10:22s, -11 sec.) day’s 3^rd best pacer

Houston – 19:02 (7:36s, -50 sec.)

Bella – 20:25 (8:10s, +25 sec.)

Joey – 28:05 (11:14s, =) day’s best pacer, earning extra credit

Daniel – 20:54 (8:22s, -9 sec.) day’s 2^nd best pacer

Leticia – ran untimed

Aminah K. – 25:52 (10:20s, -12 sec.)

Jessica – 26:05 (10:26s, -18 sec.)

Katie – 26:17 (10:30s, +25 sec.)

James S. – 20:30 (8:12s, -42 sec.)

YingYing – 25:38 (10:15s, -1:15)

TODAY’S 3.4 MILES

(same info as for the shorter run)

Leah – 28:41 (8:26s, +39 sec.)

Tori – 26:54 (7:54s, +24 sec.)

Miguel – 32:55 (9:41s, -35 sec.)

Scott – 27:03 (7:57s, +13 sec.)

Amanda – 26:21 (7:45s, +14 sec.)

Eric S. – 26:21 (7:45s, +14 sec.)

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

See what a difference the rest break makes. It allows you to go faster, without the run seeming any harder than when you went nonstop last Thursday.

Tuesday’s distances will be 2.5 and 3.5 miles. You’ll go to Autzen Stadium (and beyond for the longer run) and then back.

TODAY’S 2 X HALF-MILE INTERVALS

(with total time for one mile and comparison to last week’s nonstop mile; target was to go faster, which everyone did)

Erik B. – 6:55 (-39 sec.)

James B. – 5:41 (-52 sec.)

Leah – 7:35 (-9 sec.)

Olivia – 7:21 (-57 sec.)

Amina D. – 8:27 (-1:35) day’s 3^rd most improved

Tori – 6:23 (-45 sec.)

Bella – 6:43 (-35 sec.)

Joey – 9:15 (-1:17)

Daniel – 6:27 (-1:39) day’s 2^nd most improved

Leticia – 6:53 (-59 sec.)

Aminah K. – 8:24 (-1:34)

Scott – 6:27 (-54 sec.)

James S. – 6:46 (-1:06)

Eric S. – 5:28 (-58 sec.)

YingYing – 8:22 (-3:13) day’s most improved

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.

Class 3

This winter I intend to introduce you to many different places to run. In fact, you’ll rarely if ever go the same place and distance twice. On Tuesdays you’ll alternate between routes through town, as happened today, and those along the Willamette River.

Thursday’s run will be our first round (of three this term) of interval training. This involves splitting the distance into segments with a rest break between, starting with either 2 x half-mile or 2 x mile.

TODAY’S 2.3 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to Thursday’s test; target was to run about 1:00 per mile slower than that pace)

Erik B. – 2.4 miles in 21:18 (8:52 pace +1:18)

James B. – 17:23 (7:33s, +1:00) day’s best pacer, earning extra credit

Olivia – 20:09 (7:45s, -33 sec.)

Amina D. – 24:17 (10:33s, +33 sec.)

Bella – 20:09 (7:45s, +27 sec.)

Joey – 25:52 (11:14s, +42 sec.)

Daniel – 2.4 miles in 20:28 (8:31s, +15 sec.)

Leticia – ran untimed

Aminah K.– 24:13 (10:32s, +34 sec.)

Jessica – 24:41 (10:44s, -15 sec.)

Katie – 23:13 (10:05s, -13 sec.)

James S. – 20:28 (8:54s, +1:02) day’s 2^nd best pacer

YingYing – 26:29 (11:30s, -5 sec.)

TODAY’S 3.1 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to Thursday’s test; target was to run about 1:00 per mile slower than that pace; if you didn’t time yourself out at stoplights, you probably ran faster than listed here)

Leah – 24:08 (7:47 pace, +3 sec. per mile)

Houston – 26:16 (8:26s, no target)

Tori – 23:15 (7:30s, +22 sec.)

Miguel – 30:50 (10:16s, +16 sec.)

Scott – 23:58 (7:44s, +23 sec.)

Amanda – 23:20 (7:31s, +22 sec.)

Eric S. – 22:27 (7:14s, +48 sec.) day’s 3^rd best pacer

LESSON 3: YOUR PACE

Pace has two meanings, one mathematical and the other physical. The first – a key figure for any runner to know – is a calculation of your minutes/seconds per mile. Divide the total time by the distance (remembering to convert seconds to tenths of a minute; an 8:30 mile is 8.5 minutes). The second meaning is even more important: how you find your best pace. On most runs, this means pacing yourself comfortably – neither too fast nor too slow. There are several ways to arrive at that pace. The most technical is to wear a heart-rate monitor and to run between 70 and 80 percent of maximum pulse. Another is to know your maximum speed for that distance, then add one to two minutes per mile. The simplest: Listen to your breathing; if you aren’t gasping for air and can talk while you run, your pace is not too fast. Your effort should stay constant through the run, but your pace-per-mile seldom does. Expect the pace to pick up as you warm up.

Class 2

Thursdays are our days for going shorter and faster. Today’s run was the first of three “tests” – a term I prefer to “race” because you’re mainly testing yourself here. Later tests will move toward the 5K distance.

Tuesday’s longer runs will step up by about a quarter-mile each week. This observes the safe limit of increase of about 10 percent weekly. With that in mind, the Tuesday distance choices will be two and three miles.

Starting today, I recognize the runner who distinguished herself or himself the most in the run. The “prize” is extra credit.

TODAY’S ONE-MILE TEST

(with comparison to pace of Tuesday run, if timed then; target was to go faster)

Erik B. – 7:34 (-1:16) day’s 2^nd most improved

James B. – 6:33 (-56 sec.)

Leah – 7:44

Olivia – 8:18

Amina D. – 10:02

Veronica – 12:19

Tori – 7:08 (-58 sec.) day’s 3^rd most improved

Bella – 7:18

Joey – 10:32

Daniel – 8:06

Leticia – 7:52

Katie – 10:18 (-29 sec.)

Aminah K. – 9:58

Scott – 7:21 (-1:44) day’s most improved, earning extra credit

James S. – 7:52

Eric S. – 6:26 (-23 sec.)

YingYing – 11:35

TODAY’S TWO-MILE TEST

(with per-mile pace and comparison to Tuesday run, if timed then; target was to go faster)

Miguel – 20:00 (10:00 pace, +45 sec.)

Jessica – 21:58 (10:59s)

Amanda – 14:18 (7:09s, -49 sec.)

Eleanor – 17:42 (8:51s, -35 sec.)

LESSON 2: WINNING WAYS

A great beauty of running is that it gives everyone a chance to win. Winning isn’t automatic; you still have to work for success and risk failure. But unlike other sports there’s no need to beat an arbitrary standard (such as “par” or an opponent’s score). You measure yourself against your personal records. To the runner, a “PR” does not stand for public relations or an island in the Caribbean. It means “personal record,” and this PR may represent the greatest advance in the history of this sport. The invention of the digital stopwatch worn on the wrist turned everyone into a potential winner. Here was a personal and yet objective way to measure success and progress. It didn’t depend upon beating anyone, but only upon how the new numbers on the watch compared with the old ones.