May 3rd Preview

We're down to this: one last training run, lasting one hour. The by-time run serves two purposes: (1) it takes the emphasis off of distance and pace so you'll relax and let whatever happens, happen, and (2) it lets everyone finish close together in this final run as a team.

Eight o'clock start from the Eugene Running Company. Bring your team shirt for group photos.

The route: Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and don't cross. Turn left onto bike path, to Alton Baker restrooms. Onto Pre's Trail and follow water for a half-hour. Turn around and come back the same way. I can't keep you from checking distance/pace, but none I'll record none.

Bring a drink for delivery at Autzen Stadium (wooden footbridge) in both directions. Weather forecast:  starting temperature in 40s and sunny.

WEEK'S LESSON: YOUR SUCCESS

Question: How can I judge how well I run in the marathon?

Answer: A great beauty of running is that it gives everyone a chance to win. Winning isn’t automatic. You still have to work for success and risk failure, especially when the event is a marathon. But unlike other sports there’s no need to beat an arbitrary standard (such as “par” or an opponent’s score). You measure yourself against your personal record – which you might be setting for the first time in this marathon. To the runner, the personal record, or PR, represents one of the greatest advance in the history of this sport. The invention of the digital stopwatch worn on the wrist turned everyone into a potential winner. Here was a personal and yet objective way to measure success and progress. No one can set a PR but you. No one can break a PR but you.