Ten miles is our first run for the full team, starting at 8:00 this Sunday at the Eugene Running Company. The store opens about 15 minutes earlier and stays open after your run. You can leave your keys there.
The route: Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and don't cross. Turn right onto bike path, to Valley River footbridge and across. Turn left, to Autzen footbridge (brick crosswalk) and turn AROUND. Return the same way: Valley River, Ferry and store. GPS distance is 10.11 miles.
Bring a drink for delivery at Skinner Butte playground (about 3.5 and 6.5 miles). Weather forecast: starting temperature in 40s with rain likely.
Half-marathoners are welcome to join us for an early start to their training (which officially begins March 15th) at a shorter distance of 4.8 miles: Valley River to Ferry Street and across to return to store. We might not be at the store for your finish.
Given our late start, I post all the early weekly lessons here:
WEEK ONE LESSON: YOUR PROGRAM
Question:
What is the rationale behind this
training program?
Answer: The weekly
long runs are designed to take you far enough to complete the marathon. Our
teams have a near-perfect record of finishes, 99-plus percent, for runners who
started their marathon. The training distances have needed no changes since
this program started in 2005. You also train under conditions that mimic those
of the race. Most of our training routes are flat, so if you want to run some
hills do so during some of your midweek runs. Our weekend runs are on hard
surfaces, because that’s where the race is run. You can seek out softer ground
during the week.
WEEK TWO LESSON: YOUR EXTRAS
Question: If I have raced this distance before, can or
should I do more training than this program lists?
Answer:
More isn’t necessarily better. For these months, stick to the scheduled
distances on weekends, neither shorter nor longer, and take as many of these
runs as possible with the team. The average increase of one mile week already
pushes the safe limit of 10 percent, and one of the goals here is to keep you healthy
throughout the program. Adding extra miles could put you at risk of injury, and
our first goal is to get you safely to the starting line. The only run
specified is the weekly long one. No schedule-for-all is prescribed during the
week, since how each of you feels and what you need varies greatly. I can give
you as much or as little individual advice as you want for planning those runs.
The guiding principle for weekdays: nothing so hard that it might interfere
with the next long run.
WEEK THREE LESSON: YOUR
MONTHS
Question: Your Marathon Training book
claims that it’s possible to train for a marathon in just 100 days, which makes
it one of the shortest published programs? Can I really train for a marathon in
just three months?
Answer: A big disclaimer here: the 100-day count doesn’t start until you’ve
reached 10 miles. Up to that point it’s pre-training.
Our Joe’s Team program offers a month’s buildup from seven to 10 miles, to see
if you’re willing or able to continue. Only then does the three-month schedule
truly begin. It’s also possible to train for a marathon in even less that three months, if your longest
current run is already above 10 miles. You can safely begin about two miles
above your recent peak. This might let you shorten the program to even less
than the advertised 100 days.
WEEK FOUR LESSON: YOUR DISTANCE
Question: Why do we only meet as a group once a week, for the long run?
Answer: The weekly long run is by far the most critical because it’s your dress rehearsal for the marathon. This is where you not only test your ability to go far, but also what to wear, what to drink, how to cope with varying conditions and how to pace yourself. We increase the distance by one mile a week from seven to 11 miles, then go up by two miles every other week (with a run about half the previous distance, somewhat faster, on the interim weekends). Don’t jump ahead of yourself by thinking too soon, “Can I run 26 miles?” You’ll get there when you get there. For now, think only of training for seven miles, then eight, then...
Answer: The weekly long run is by far the most critical because it’s your dress rehearsal for the marathon. This is where you not only test your ability to go far, but also what to wear, what to drink, how to cope with varying conditions and how to pace yourself. We increase the distance by one mile a week from seven to 11 miles, then go up by two miles every other week (with a run about half the previous distance, somewhat faster, on the interim weekends). Don’t jump ahead of yourself by thinking too soon, “Can I run 26 miles?” You’ll get there when you get there. For now, think only of training for seven miles, then eight, then...
