April 9th Preview

You’re at the “only 10” stage of training this Sunday. Ten miles seemed longer to you in January than it does in April. You’ll run the first 4.5 with our half-marathoners.

The route (with an eight o’clock start from the Eugene Running Company): 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: Valley River, Ferry and store. GPS distance is 10.15 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at EWEB (4.5 and 5.6 miles). Weather forecast: starting temperature in 30s with little chance of rain.

WEEK 14 LESSON: YOUR PROGRESS

Question: Our long runs from 11 miles on go up by two miles every other week instead of the more common single mile each week. Is this too big a jump

Answer: The generally recognized as safe rate for increasing mileage is 10 percent per week. Our increase from 11 miles through 21 averages just 6.5 percent weekly. Scheduling the long run on alternate weekends makes doubly sure than you don’t overdo. For most runners, a weekly long run (increasing by a mile at a time) allows too little recovery time in between. Hence, our plan of alternating longer runs on one weekend with those about half as long the next. The shorter ones increase by a mile each time, or the same 6.5-percent-per-week average. In both cases, long or short, we go longer each time to give a necessary sense of steady progress in distance.