Wednesday, April 15, 2015

April 19th Preview

Here you go, to the top of the training mountain this Sunday: 21 miles. You'll see miles 17 to 25.5 of the Eugene Marathon course -- twice. Half-marathoners will run 10 miles.

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 Autzen footbridge and across. Turn right, to Owosso footbridge and across. Back to Alton Baker Park, and turn around at restroom parking lot. Repeat in opposite direction: Owosso, Autzen, Ferry and store. GPS distance is 21.10 miles.

Bring two drinks, the first for delivery at Ferry Street (three and 18 miles) and Alton Baker (10.5); the second for Owosso (6.5 and 14.5). Weather forecast: starting temperature in 40s but warming toward a day's high in sunny 70s. 

WEEK'S LESSON: YOUR STRATEGY

Question: What is the best way to pace myself during the marathon?

Answer: Even if you’ve done everything right in training, you can cancel all that good with as little as one wrong move on race day. The first and worst bad move is to bolt from the starting line far faster than your training pace. Crowd hysteria and your own raging nervous system conspire to send you into the race as if fired from a cannon. Try to work against the forces of the crowd and your natural desires. Pull back the mental reins at a time when the voices inside are shouting, “Faster!” Be cautious in your early pacing, erring on the side of too-slow rather than too-fast. Hold something in reserve for the late miles. This is where you reward yourself for your early caution, by passing instead of being passed. Being the passer rather than the passee is a lot more fun.

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