Spring Training for Eugene

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 it previously. You set the goal, and I provide the group support and coaching advice for carrying out a proven training plan.

Our next round of training points toward the Eugene Marathon or Half (April 29^th). You can, of course, train for other races. But you must make the necessary adjustments in distances, and we can’t promise full support for those runs.

The Eugene Running Company has sponsored our training team since its launch in 2005. More than 500 runners have joined us, and their finish rate in halves and marathons is greater than 99 percent.

Most runs start at 8:00, with previews of the route emailed to registered runners each week. Weekly results are posted on this blog.

If you’re joining us for the first time this session, the training fee is $50 for these two months. If you paid that amount in winter, the additional fee for continuing in March-April is just $25 (which many of you paid in advance). Fees are payable at the store before your training begins.

We welcome runners of all abilities and experience levels. However, we strongly recommend that marathoners have a recent 13-mile run or race, and that half-marathoners have run at least four miles before this round of training begins.

The spring schedule:

March 4th – 5 miles for half, 7 for marathon (Joe is away)

March 10^th – 15 miles for marathon (on Saturday at 9:00, Whole Foods)

March 11^th – 6 miles for half

March 18^th – 7 miles half, 8 for marathon

March 24^th – 18 miles for marathon (on Saturday)

March 25^th – 8 miles for half

March 31^st – 9 miles for all (on Saturday of Easter weekend)

April 7^th – 21 miles for marathon (on Saturday)

April 8^th – 10 miles for half

April 15^th – 10 miles for marathon, 11 for half

April 22^nd – 6 miles for all

April 29^th  – Eugene Marathon & Half (7:00 start)

Our next round of training will target the Newport Marathon and Half (June 2^nd) and the Love Liberates Half-Marathon (June 23^rd). Target halves for summer-fall 2018 will be Coburg in July (when training will overlap with Love Liberates, for a single fee if you’ll run both), Florence in September and EWEB in November.

(Photo: Most of our 2017 Eugene team)

February 25th Results (13.1 miles & shorter)

Today's longer distance normally would have been a race to end the winter training cycle. That didn't happen for anyone but Sean (see his result below). But your training miles the past two months weren't wasted. 

For marathoners, this was another step in the long buildup of mileage. For half-marathoners, who now drop down in distance to start building distance again, no mile that you wanted to run and then completed successfully is ever wasted.

Thanks to Lindsey for opening the store this morning -- and for scoring the shorter run while I was otherwise occupied with the longer one.

SUNDAY'S 13.1 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 13.11; target was to run at about your spring marathon pace; these are "raw" times are from my watch, and you might have gone faster)

Bill -- 2:24:30 (11:01 pace)
Jenna -- 2:25:30 (11:24s)
Amy -- 2:18:07 (10:31s)
Stephanie -- 2:35:24 (11:49s)
Scott -- 2:01:12 (9:14s)
Dean -- 2:01:12 (9:14s)
Taylor -- 2:18:07 (10:31s)
Norm -- 1:48:07 (8:14s)
Trina -- 2:33:45 (11:43s)
Rhonda -- 11.2 miles in 2:11:50 (11:47s)

SUNDAY'S SHORTER DISTANCES

("4-mile" course is actually 3.9, "5-mile" is 3.9, "7-mile" is 6.95; this was mainly an early start for Eugene Half-Marathon training)

Gabe -- 2-hour walk, 6.4 miles
Neal -- 7 miles, untimed
Jan -- 7 miles in 1:15:05 (10:48s)
Tim -- 5 miles in about 1:05 (13:16s) welcome to the team!
Ann -- 7 miles in 1:14 (10:38s) welcome to the team!
Kathie H. -- 7 miles in 1:16:54 (11:04s)
Renee -- 6 miles in 1:00:45 (10:07s)
Seve -- 4 miles in about 46 minutes (11:47s) welcome to the team!
Becky -- 4 miles in about 46 minutes (11:47s) welcome to the team!
Lydia -- 7 miles, in 1:11 (10:12s)

OTHER RECENT RUNS

(those reported to me)

Rashi -- 14 miles on Saturday in Minnesota at 9:38s
Kristin -- 13.1 miles on Sunday at 12:04s
Leah -- 12 miles on Saturday with Lindsey's team
Sean -- Cottage Grove Lake Half-Marathon on Saturday, 1:53:34 (8:41s)
Joe -- 11.1-mile walk on Friday at 17:10s

(Photo: Sean's proof of half-marathon success at Cottage Grove Lake)

February 18th Results (6.1 miles)

Winter! Just when we thought this would be a year without one, here it comes. Snow showers didn't stop us, or even slow us much.

Thanks to the weather gods for keeping temperatures a bit above freezing and the roads ice-free. And to Lindsey for opening the store this morning. 

TODAY'S 6.1 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 6.14; target was either to run faster than your last long run for speed, or equal pace at this shorter distance for recovery; times are from my watch, and yours might have been faster)

Neal -- 1:10:48 (11:32 pace)
Bill -- 6.3 miles in 1:02:28 (9:58s)
Jan -- 1:04:59 (10:35s)
Jenna -- 1:04:39 (10:31s)
Kristin -- 1:10:48 (11:32s)
Stephanie -- 1:1:48 (11:32s)
Chris -- 1:09:26 (11:18s)
Kathie H. -- 1:05:39 (10:41s)
Renee -- 4.0 miles in 44:00 (11:00s)
Carrie -- 1:04:39 (10:31s)
Leah -- 55:12 (8:59s)
Dean -- 51:12 (8:20s)
Taylor -- 1:03:35 (10:21s)
Sean -- 53:30 (8:42s)
Rachel -- 53:36 (8:43s)

OTHER RECENT RUNS

(those reported to me)

Rashi -- 15.3 miles on Saturday in Minnesota at 9:23s
Kathy B. -- 12 trail miles on Saturday
Michele -- 12 trail miles on Saturday
Scott -- 7.7 snowy miles in Redmond on Sunday at 10:30s
Leah -- 14 miles on Saturday with Lindsey's team
Taylor -- 12 trail miles on Saturday
Norm -- 6.1 miles in Roseburg on Sunday at 7:54s
Trina -- 6.1 miles on Saturday
Joe -- 6.0-mile walk on Friday at 15:52s

February 11th Results (11 miles)

Normally this would be the longest training run for a half-marathon two weeks later. But this isn’t a normal cycle, with no half upcoming. So it’s your choice the last weekend in February: run 13.1 miles for marathon (or long trail race) training… run shorter that Sunday with new teammates starting Eugene Half training… or race the Spirit of the Mill Race 8K on that Saturday.

Thanks to Lindsey for opening the store today. She’s just back from her marathon and vacation in California.

TODAY’S 11 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 11.00; target was to run at half-marathon effort; these are “raw” times from my watch, and yours might have been faster)

Gabe – untimed

Neal – 9 miles at 11:24 pace

Bill – 1:55:55 (10:32s)

Michele – 9 miles in 1:38:00 (10:53s)

Amy – 1:57:51 (10:42s)

Kristin – 2:05:36 (11:24s)

Stephanie – 2:05:36 (11:24s)

Scott – 1:38:22 (8:56s)

Kathie H. – 2:02:47 (11:10s)

Leah – 1:39:30 (9:02s)

Dean – 1:38:22 (8:56s)

Taylor – 1:57:51 (10:42s)

Norm – 1:28:12 (8:00s)

Sean – 1:42:46 (9:20s)

Trina – 2:02:30 (11:08s)

Rachel – 1:39:30 (9:02s)

Rhonda – 8.8 miles in 1:36:30 (10:58s)

OTHER RECENT RESULTS

(those reported to me)

Rashi – 11 miles at 9:16s in sub-zero Minnesota

Michele – Polar Plunge on Saturday
Chris -- 11 miles on Saturday

Carrie – Polar Plunge on Saturday

Charlotte – 5K race on Tuesday at 12:27s, 1^st in age group

Joe – 11.0-mile walk on Friday at 16:00s

February 4th Results (10 miles)

A team within the Team went out to play in the mud yesterday at the Bristow 10.5-mile trail race. All six of them came home with age-group prizes.

Our Eugene Running Company teammate Lindsey fought off heat and cramps in the Surf City Marathon (in southern California) to set a PR of 3:15:52 (7:28 pace).

Locally we enjoyed a perfect spring-in-winter run on the Springfield paths (see Neal's photo below). Later this month, on Saturday the 24^th, an 8K race will follow the Mill Race Path. Another team within Team event?

SUNDAY’S 10 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 10.05; target was to run at half-marathon effort; these are “raw” times from my watch, and yours might be faster)

Gabe – 8-mile walk in 1:57:30 (14:41 pace)

Neal – 5 miles in 58:17 (11:35s)

Bill – 4.9 miles in 48:12 (9:49s) happy birthday!

Jan – 1:48:52 (10:50s)

Jenna – 1:46:40 (10:36s)

Amy – 1:40:57 (10:02s)

Chris – 1:50:40 (11:00s)

Scott – 1:32:00 (9:09s) welcome to the team!

Kathie H. – 1:49:38 (10:54s)

Renee – ran untimed

Carrie – 1:40:57 (10:02s)

Leah – 1:19:20 (7:53s)

Dean – 1:32:00 (9:09s)

Sean – 1:33:10 (9:16s)

Rhonda –1:46:40 (10:36s)

SATURDAY’S BRISTOW TRAIL RACE

(listed as 10 miles but closer to 10.5; official times and paces shown here)

Bill – 1:34:14 (9:51s) 3^rd in age group

Kathy B. – 2:11:21 (12:38s) 1^st in age group

Michele – 2:11:48 (12:41s) 2^nd in age group

Kristin – 2:11:52 (12:41s) 1^st in age group

Stephanie – 2:11:53 (12:41s) 2^nd in age group

Lydia – 2:01:23 (11:41s) 2^nd in age group

OTHER RECENT RESULTS

(those reported to me)

Rashi -- 10 miles on Monday in Minnesota snow
Leah – 12 miles with Saturday team
Charlotte -- 5K race near Portland on Saturday
Trina -- 10.1 miles on Saturday at 11:40s

Joe – 10.0-mile walk on Friday at 16:06s

(Photo: Our award winners at Bristow)