April 26th Preview

You know your taper has begun when the half-marathoners distance (11 miles) exceeds yours this Sunday. This 10 is the last double-figures distance before Mother's Day.

The route, starting at 8:00 from the Eugene Running Company, is the same as two weeks ago: 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. Turn around at brick crosswalk and come back the same way: Autzen, Valley River, Ferry and store. GPS distance is 10.15 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at four and six miles (Ferry Street). Weather forecast: starting temperature in 40s and dry.

WEEK'S LESSON: YOUR TAPER

Question: How much should I run the last week before the race?

Answer: You’ve already been tapering since the longest run. In the final week, run as little as your conscience will allow. It’s too late now, with the marathon just days away, to do anything that will make the race go better. But it’s never too late to make a mistake – most commonly running too far or too fast – that will come back to bite you on race day. Take at least as many rest days as you would before a weekly training run. Take nothing longer than you would on a normal week’s easy run, and ideally shorter. You won’t forget how to run now, and you’ll race better the more rested you are.