Class 16

Most of you peaked out in class distance today. The climb upward wasn’t too steep, yet the scheduled runs doubled in length these past nine weeks.

Only two challenging runs remain: a re-test of one or two miles on Tuesday, and your final 5K or 10K test on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving vacation. The last day’s run here will an easy one.

For Tuesday’s run, you’ll take the same warmup as the first week, then go the same distance on the same route. This will measure how much you have improved in speed this term.

TODAY’S 4 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your first long run here; target was to approach or better that pace for this longer distance)

Bryce – 36:03 (8:10 pace, -59 sec. per mile)

Alex – 33:39 (8:24s, +1 sec.)

Lana – 33:53 (8:28s, +3 sec.)

Rachel – 33:57 (8:29s, -1:37) term’s most improved, earning extra credit

Jake – 27:19 (6:50s, -6 sec.) before half-marathon race this Sunday

Becky – 41:45 (10:26s, +46 sec.)

James – 35:55 (8:59s, -30 sec.)

Jonathan – 33:57 (8:29s, -1:15) term’s 3^rd most improved

Eleanor – 41:45 (10:26s, +32 sec.)

Sota – 26:45 (6:41s, -1:25) term’s 2^nd most improved

TODAY’S 8 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your first long run here; target was to approach or better that pace for this longer distance)

Sam – 1:05:20 (8:10 pace, -59 sec.)

David –half-marathon race this Sunday

Nathan – 1:02:38 (7:49s, -16 sec.)

LESSON 16: 10K TRAINING

The 10K program resembles the one for 5K (Lesson 15), but the distances naturally go up for a race twice as long. Again mix over-and-unders – fast runs below the 10K distance (totaling two to three fast miles, not counting warmup, cooldown and recovery intervals, running the fast portion at 10K race pace or slightly faster) and long ones above it (seven to nine miles, at least one minute per mile slower than race pace. Average about a half-hour, at a relaxed pace, for each of the three or four easy runs per week. By slightly modifying this plan, you can run races at two other popular distances – 8K (or five miles) and 12K (about 7½ miles).