Class 3

With this two-days-a-week class, I recommend adding at least one run on your own. The best place for it is in the long gap between Thursday’s and Tuesday’s classes. For most of you, its length should not exceed the longest you’ve gone here that week.

Thursday will bring an introduction to interval training. After a good warmup, you’ll run the same total distance as last Thursday, but this time with a rest break between the two half-miles or two one-miles.

TODAY’S 2.25 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to Thursday’s one-mile test; target was to match the pace of last Tuesday’s run at this longer distance)

Bryce – 19:35 (8:42 pace, -1:17 per mile)

Alex – 18:59 (8:26s, +3 sec.) day’s best pacer, earning extra credit

Mariana – 22:14 (9:53s, -53 sec.)

Elliot – 22:09 (9:58s, +18 sec.)

Rachel – 19:59 (8:53s, -1:13)

Becky – 22:46 (10:07s, +27 sec.)

James – 21:21 (9:29s, no target)

Jonathan – 18:37 (8:17s, -1:27) after Army 2M test on Monday

Eleanor – 22:46 (10:00s, +6 sec.) day’s 2^nd best pacer

TODAY’S 4.0 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to Thursday’s two-mile test; target was to match the pace of last Tuesday’s run at this longer distance; I didn’t describe the course clearly enough, causing many of you to go 4.0 miles instead of the intended 4.5; my fault!)

Sam – 37:08 (9:17s, +8 sec.) day’s 3^rd best pacer, tie

Ella – 37:08 (9:17s, +8 sec.)  day’s 3^rd best pacer, tie

David – 4.1M in 33:52 (8:18s, +13 sec.) after 6.1M on Sunday for half-marathon training

Lana – 4.5M in 40:37 (9:01s, +36 sec.) after 6.1M on Sunday for half-marathon training

Jake – 27:13 (6:48s, -8 sec.) day’s 3^rd best pacer, tie

Nathan – 27:46 (6:56s, -1:09)
Max -- ran 3+ miles, untimed

Sota – 28:26 (7:06s, -1:00)

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.