March 1st Preview

As I leave town this weekend, so will you leave Eugene on Sunday -- for a run in Springfield on the Dorris Ranch-Clearwater path. This will give you a change of scenery plus some gentle hills. The distance for marathon training is seven miles, and the same or less for half.

Directions to Dorris: take Second Street for about a mile south from A or Main. There's a small parking lot at the trailhead, and an overflow lot a short distance away. Restrooms and water are available at start/finish, plus a portable at "1.5" milepost on the path.

The run course (with an 8:00 start) : take the path to "3.5" milepost and return (or turn around earlier for shorter run). Quarter-miles are marked.

There'll be no drink service in midrun. Weather forecast: starting temperature near freezing and dry. 

WEEK'S LESSON: YOUR PACE

Question: How fast should my long runs be?

Answer: Let your pace find itself. Don’t try to force an arbitrary pace (such as a marathon time goal) onto these runs. Instead, run comfortably, letting whatever happens with your pace happen. Finish with the feeling that you could have gone a little longer that day, which you will soon enough. This is just one meaning of “pace” – your average time per mile. The other meaning is how well you pace yourself during the run. The least efficient way is to start too fast and slow dramatically later one. Better to run evenly or to finish faster than you start – known in the trade as “running negative splits.” The best way to check your pacing skills is to compare times for the two halves of your run, aiming for equal or negative finish.

February 22nd Results (13.1 miles & shorter)

Before our 13.1-mile run started in Oregon, Jennifer had finished her half-marathon race in Florida. I'm slow to give credit, but Shannon did 46.6 miles of racing last weekend. She ran the 50K at Hagg Lake on Saturday and the 25K on Sunday. Russell tapered today for next week's Napa Valley Marathon.

Thanks to Shivaun for opening the store today. And to Tonya, Sara, Michelle R. and Carson for on-course help. I'll link you to Michael's photos when they're available.

TODAY'S 13.1 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 13.10, and comparison to your last long run here; target was to match that pace for this longer distance)

Deanna -- 13.1 miles in Washington
Jill -- 2:13:32 (10:11 pace, =) day's best pacer
Mary -- 13.4 miles in Wichita
Jean -- 21 miles on Saturday
Tatiana -- 16 miles on Saturday
Rachel F. -- 1:55:22 (8:48s, -4 sec.)
Stephanie -- 2:26:59 (11:12s, +19 sec.)
Jeff -- 1:57:30 (8:58s, -2 sec.) day's 2nd best pacer, tie
Evan -- 1:55:22 (8:48s, -4 sec.)
Jake -- 1:51:35 (8:30s, +14 sec.)
Jennifer -- 2:09:56 race in Florida (9:54s, -7 sec.)
Joy -- 1:57:30 (8:58s, -1:11) = longest run ever

OTHER SHORTER DISTANCES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to your last long run here; target was to match that pace)

Neal -- 7 miles on Friday
Audrey -- 7 miles on Saturday
David -- 7 miles on Tuesday, in Hawaii, 1:09:50 (9:58s)
Michelle Cook -- 11 miles in 1:50:51 (10:03s, no target)
Amy -- 11 miles in 1:53:30 (10:17s, - 2 sec.) day's 2nd best pacer, tie
Jenna -- 7.5 miles in 1:24:15 (11:14s, +4 sec.)
Kathie -- 11 miles in 1:53:30 (10:17s, -5 sec.)
Dan -- 9 miles
Leah -- 7 miles in 1:04:07 (9:13s, -3 sec.)

Laurel -- 5 miles in Bend Shannon -- 7.5 miles in 1:24:15 (11:14s, +4 sec.)
Desiree -- 8 miles in 1:39:30 (12:26s, -1:05)
Russell -- 7 miles in 1:01:45 (8:53s, +5 sec.)

February 22nd Preview

Marathon training reaches half the eventual distance on Sunday. This does not mean you race this week's "half" (though some of you will be racing one later in the program). Instead run it at what you hope will be your eventual marathon pace.

The course (from the Eugene Running Company, starting at 8:00): Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and don't cross. Turn left onto bike path, to Autzen footbridge and across. Turn right, to Valley River footbridge and across. To Alton Baker parking lot (east end) and turn around. Back the same way: Valley River, Autzen, Ferry and store. GPS distance is 13.09 miles.

Eugene half-marathoners can do one lap of this course: Autzen, Valley River, Ferry and store. GPS distance is 6.95 miles, with shorter options available.

Marathoners, bring two drinks -- the first for delivery at about three and 10 miles (Ferry Street), the second for 6.5 (Alton Baker) and finish. Weather forecast: starting temperature near freezing and sunny.

WEEK'S LESSON: YOUR HALF

Question: How does a half-marathon race fit into my marathon training program?

Answer: It’s a chance to judge your progress in our program, a chance to see different people (plus more of them) and places than with our group, and a chance to experience the racing atmosphere. The 13.1-mile distance is perfect for all of this, provided you’ve built your training mileage to at least 11. This is more a true race than the marathon, which can be more a survival test. Your result here predicts what you might run in a marathon. No, you can’t double this race time. The more accurate formula multiples your half-marathon time by 2.1. A two-hour half, for instance, equates to a 4:12 marathon.

February 15th Results (6.1 miles)

Attendance was light today, for which post-Valentine's recovery was partly responsible. I hope you won't think these every-other-Sunday shorter runs are skippable. They also serve important purposes -- as easier runs between the longer ones or as speed-building at a lesser distance.

Thanks to Shivaun for opening the store today.

TODAY'S 6.1 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 6.07, and comparison to your last long run here; target was either to match that pace, for recovery, or to go faster, for speed training)

Neal -- 1:10:35 (11:37 pace, +43 sec. per mile)
David -- 56:38 (9:19s, no target) welcome back to team runs!

Michele C. -- 8 miles Jill -- 1:02:40 (10:19s, +8 sec.) day's 2nd best pacer
Jean -- 57:17 (9:26s, -43 sec.) after 10 miles on Saturday
Tatiana -- 10.5 miles for L.A. Marathon training
Mary -- 6 miles in Kansas
Amy -- 1:02:40 (10:19s, +3 sec.) day's best pacer
Rachel F. -- 6 miles in Veneta
Ashley -- helped organize KD Color Run on Sunday
Stephanie -- 8 miles in 1:21:17 (10:10s, -43 sec.)
Brian -- 9+ miles
Kathie -- 57:45 (9:30s, -52 sec.)
Leah -- 56:18 (9:16s, -1:57) day's most improved
Laurel -- 6 miles in Veneta

Evan -- 6 miles in Sunriver Jeff -- 48:26 (8:04s, -56 sec.) after 9+ miles on Saturday
Jake -- 48:04 on Monday (7:54s, -22 sec.)
Elly -- 13 miles
Jennifer -- 59:16 (9:46s, -15 sec.) after 5K race on Saturday; 3rd in age group
Jeanette -- 1:06:15 (10:54s, -44 sec.)
Joy -- 51:50 (8:32s, -1:37) 2nd most improved; after 13.1 miles on Friday
Rhonda -- 8 miles in 1:21:17 (10:10s, +17 sec.)

February 15th Preview

On Sunday you marathoners begin alternating shorter runs with longer. The first of these is six miles. You can either take it as a recovery run at the same pace as last week's 11, or as speed training at a faster pace than last week. Half-marathoners can go the this same distance or less.

The route (with an 8:00 start from the Eugene Running Company): Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and don't cross. Turn left onto bike path, to Alton Baker parking lot. Continue on road to its end at ponds. Turn right on canal path, to I-5 underpass. Turn AROUND there and come back the same way. GPS distance is 6.10 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at about 1.5 and 4.5 miles (near dog park). Weather forecast: starting temperature in the 40s with rain unlikely.

WEEK'S LESSON: YOUR MILEAGE

Question: You never mention how much weekly mileage I should total. Why not?

Answer: Weekly mileage is one of the most misleading figures in the sport. It causes you to run too far on days that should be easy, penalizes you for taking a day off (which you need), and can leave you tired for the ones that really count. Put your emphasis on the length of your long runs, and on recovering in between with easy runs and days off. At least for the life of this marathon-training program, stop counting weekly mileage. If you count anything during the week, make it minutes – which help insure that those runs will remain easy. As noted earlier: no more than two hours of running between the weekends, and no run lasting longer than one hour.

February 8th Results (11, 7 and 5 miles)

Congratulations to teammates Jeff and Leah for winning age-group prizes at Saturday's Bristow trail races. We claim no credit for training them for those events, since they were already tapering when our Sunday runs began last week.

Thanks to Shivaun for opening the store today, to Tonya for taking care of the shorter-distance finish, and to Sara for helping on the course. Welcome back to Michael, whose photos (such as the one below) appear on our Facebook group page.

TODAY'S 11 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 10.96, and comparison to last week's run; target was to match that pace for this longer distance)

Jill -- 1:53:01 (10:11 pace, +10 sec. per mile) day's best pacer
Mary -- 11 miles in Wichita
Jean -- 19 miles on Saturday, for L.A. Marathon training
Tatiana -- 19 miles on Saturday, for L.A. Marathon training
Jenna -- 2:02:29 (11:10s, no target)
Rachel F. -- 1:37:09 (8:52s, +23 sec.)
Stephanie -- 1:58:38 (10:53s, -11 sec.) day's 2nd best pacer
Kathie -- 1:53:39 (10:22s, +29 sec.)
Shannon -- 2:02:29 (11:10s, no target)
Evan -- 1:37:09 (8:52s, no target)
Jake -- 1:30:42 (8:16s, -12 sec.) day's 3rd best pacer
Sara -- 11 miles on Saturday
Jennifer -- 1:49:55 (10:01s, -44 sec.)
Jeanette -- 2:07:35 (11:38s, +18 sec.)
Russell -- 21.5 miles, for Napa Marathon training

TODAY'S SHORTER RUNS

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS distances of 5.1 and 6.95 miles)

Neal -- 5.1 miles in 55:38 (10:54s)
Michele C. -- 7 miles in 1:11:00 (10:12s)
Amy -- 7 miles in 1:11:16 (10:15s)
Rachel J. -- 5.1 miles in 46:00 (9:00s)
Leah -- 5-mile trail race on Saturday, 2nd in age group
Laurel -- 5.1 miles in 46:00 (9:00s)
Jeff -- 7 miles, after 50K race on Saturday, 2nd in age group
Steve -- 51:00 (10:00s)
Michelle R. -- 5 miles
Desiree -- 7 miles in 1:34:00 (13:31s)
Rachel W. -- 7 miles in 1:05:15 (9:23s)
Rhonda -- 7 miles in 1:17:08 (11:05s)
Anna -- 7 miles in 1:05:15 (9:23s)
Romain -- 7 miles in 1:13:30 (10:34s)

Summer Marathon & Half Training

Training for a long race goes better if you run with a group that shares your goal and a coach who has helped hundreds runners reach theirs before. You set the goal, and we provide the group support and coaching advice for carrying out our proven plan. 

This round of training targets the Coburg Run in the Country Half-Marathon (on July 20^th) and the Portland Marathon (October 4^th)… plus the Oregon Half in Forest Grove (September 12^th), if interest warrants.

The Eugene Running Company has sponsored this training group since its launch. More than 500 runners have joined us, and their finish rate in marathons and halves is better than 99 percent.

The team usually meets at the Running Company on Sunday mornings at 7:30. The fee for marathon training is $100 and for the half-marathon, $50 (payable at the store).

We welcome runners of all abilities and experience levels. However, we strongly recommend that marathoners have run at least six miles, and half-marathoners at least four miles before this training begins. Eugene Running Company group training on Sundays and Mondays can help you build toward our starting distance.

To reserve a spot on Joe’s Team, contact the coach: joesrunteam@gmail.com. The calendar for this summer and early fall:

May 24 -- 5 miles to start half-marathon training

May 31 -- 6 miles

June 7 -- 7 miles to start marathon training

June 14 -- 8 miles

June 20 -- 9 miles (on Saturday; Prost8K on Sunday)

June 28 -- 10 miles

July 5 -- 11 miles

July 12 -- 6 miles

July 19 -- Coburg Half-Marathon

July 26 -- 7 miles (and possibly start of Oregon Half training)

Aug. 2 -- 15 miles

Aug. 9 -- 8 miles

Aug. 16 -- 17 miles at Row River Trail

Aug. 23 -- 9 miles

Aug. 30 -- 19 miles

Sept. 6 -- 10 miles

Sept. 13 -- 21 miles (and possibly Oregon Half on the 12^th)

Sept. 20 -- 10 miles & 5 miles to start EWEB Half training

Sept. 27 -- 6 miles for all

Oct. 4 -- Portland Marathon (no half-marathon team run in Eugene)

We continue training for the EWEB Half later this fall.

February 8th Preview

Eleven miles this Sunday, starting from the Eugene Running Company at 8:00 (with the store opening about 15 minutes earlier). Half-marathoners can continue your "maintenance" plan with a run of four to six miles.

The route (which takes you, in reverse, from the 25.5-mile mark to 16.5 of the Eugene Marathon course): Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and don't cross. Turn left onto bike path, to Autzen footbridge and across. Turn right, to Owosso footbridge and across. Back to Ferry Street and store. GPS distance is 10.96 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at Ferry (three miles) and Owosso (6.5 miles). Weather forecast: starting temperature in the 40s with rain likely.

Half-marathoners start the same way -- Ferry and Autzen -- and turn back earlier. Ask me about your preferred distance's turnaround point.

WEEK'S LESSON: YOUR TEAMMATES

Question: Does everyone run together, at the same pace? Or do you divide us into pace groups that stay together?

Answer: Neither. Assigning you to run as a single big pack or several smaller ones would cause most of you to go faster or slower than is right for you. I want you to find your own best pace. With a team this size most runners fall into step with others of their pace, but we let this happen naturally rather than by assignment. You might end up running by yourself. But you’re never alone on long runs. You still gain great support from your teammates even without running beside them all the time. Also, feel free to bring along your own supporters: someone to run part of the distance with you, for instance, of someone to hand you drinks besides those supplied at the team’s stations… or simply a familiar face and voice that you look forward to seeing as the miles grow long.

February 1st Results (10.1 and 4.8 miles)

Away we go again, into our 11th year of marathon training. Welcome to the team, Ashley, Leslie, Leah and Anna. And welcome back after a year or more away, Desiree and Joy. Thanks to Shivaun for opening the store this morning. And to Tonya for helping on course and with results.

TODAY'S 10.1 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 10.11; target was to run a pace you could expect to hold currently for a half-marathon)

Deanna -- 10.5 miles in Washington Jill -- 1:41:19 (10:01 pace)
Mary -- 10 miles in Wichita
Mike -- 1:25:45 (8:29s)
Rachel F. -- 1:25:51 (8:29s)
Stephanie -- 1:51:58 (11:04s)
Brian -- 1:21:20 (8:02s)
Kathie -- 1:39:59 (9:53s)
Travis -- 1:31:01 (9:00s)
Jeff -- 1:31:01 (9:00s) after 10 miles on Saturday
Jake -- 1:25:37 (8:28s)
Elly -- 1:33:10 (9:12s)
Sara -- 10 miles in Berkeley
Rachel W. -- 1:30:15 (8:55s)
Jennifer -- 9 miles in 1:36:50 (10:45s)
Jeanette -- 1:54:43 (11:20s)
Joy -- 1:33:56 (9:17s)
Russell -- 14 miles in 2:03:19 (8:48s)
Rhonda -- 1:39:59 (9:53s)

TODAY'S 4.8 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 4.81; target was to maintain fitness until our half-marathon training officially begins next month)

Neal -- 54:02 (11:14 pace)
Audrey -- 1:00 (12:28s)
Michele -- 1:00:45 (12:37s)
Jean -- 50:45 (10:09s) after 10 miles on Saturday
Tatiana -- 50:45 (10:09s) after 10 miles on Saturday
Ashley -- 52:24 (10:53s)
Leslie -- 52:45 (10:53s)
Leah -- 54:02 (11:14s)
Laurel -- 6.8 miles in 1:00 (8:50s)
Desiree -- 6 miles in 1:13:00 (12:10s)
Anna -- 6.8 miles in 1:00 (8:50s)