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.