Class 3 (2.25 & 4.55 miles)

Two notes on distances: (1) They advance by the widely recommended 10 percent per week, which is a quarter-mile increase each Tuesday for the 5K class and a half-mile for the 10K runners. (2) The routes will become easier for you to follow -- and for me to explain -- as the term progresses, with routes to the river and through town on alternate Tuesdays starting out the same way and only gradually going farther before turning back.

Distances aren’t wild guesses. Five-K class lengths begin where my Jog/Run class leaves off; 10K where my 5K class peaks. Distances advance by the widely recommended 10 percent per week. That’s a quarter-mile increase each Tuesday for the 5K class and a half-mile for the 10K.

Thursday’s run will be by time, not distance. You’ll go out for either eight or 16 minutes, then come back faster (finishing under 16 or 32 minutes with a so-called “negative split”). This type of running gives everyone an equal chance to finish first. More importantly, it teaches how to push faster when tired.

TODAY’S 2.25 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to last Tuesday’s run; target was to come close to matching that earlier pace)

Amina – 20:51 (9:17 pace, -30 sec. per mile)

Olivia – 19:32 (8:24s, no target)

Mike – ran untimed

Maca – 19:38 (8:43s, +8 sec.) 3^rd best pacer, tie

Elizabeth – 26:30 (11:46s, no target)

TODAY’S 4.55 MILES

(same info as above)

Alex – 33:56 (7:27s, +6 sec.) best pacer, tie; earning extra credit

Gentry – 5.2 miles in 43:41 (8:24s, +6 sec.) best pacer, tie; extra credit

Noe – 32:24 (7:08s, -26 sec.)

Philip – 30:42 (6:44s, -28 sec.)

Mak – 30:38 (6:44s, -28 sec.)

Wyatt – 36:55 (+15 sec.)

Bill – 42:57 (9:26s, -8 sec.) 3^rd best pacer, tie; after Cottage Grove HM on Saturday at 9:12s

Calvin – 47:50 (10:30s, no target)

Kelly – 41:58 (9:13s, -25 sec.)

Omar – 32:24 (7:08s, -25 sec.)

Kyle – 30:37 (6:43s, -29 sec.)
Tyler -- 8 miles on Monday night to celebrate his birthday

Colleen – 37:05 (8:08s, +8 sec.) 3^rd best pacer, tie

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.