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.