The Eugene Marathon is in less than 9 weeks.

My training since the last update has gone about as well as I could have imagined with my last 5 weeks’ mileage being 68, 68, 70, 70, 69; remarkable consistence.

My long run workout last week was a 20 miler with a 15 mile tempo that went like this:

• 5 miles @ 6:04
• 5 miles @ 5:55
• 5 miles @ 5:46

It didn’t feel quite as easy as the previous one I wrote about, but averaging 5:55 for 15 miles isn’t supposed to be easy! I’ve been really happy with fueling, as that’s supposedly one of the biggest variables to get under control. Two Imodium before each long run do the trick and I don’t seem to cramp at all with Gus, Maurtens, or Gatorade.

The real fun though was the Frostbite 5 Miler which happened this past weekend where I would (hopefully) show off some of this fitness.

On a 34 degree morning with a little bit of wind, Tom, myself, and 1000 other people lined up to race. We’ve run this race maybe 5 times each over the years and it usually sucks. The course is hilly, it’s competitive, and you want it to be over soon after starting. My best time ever was last year, finishing in 27:43 and 28th place.

This year, however, was different. I finished 7th overall with a time of 26:25, 5:17 mile pace, on a hilly course with not-fast conditions. It may not have been the most competitive year, but the time is legit and I think it does reflect the shape I’m in. Given everything, I think this was pretty comparable to Rothman’s 25:53.

A few obvious shoutouts are:

• Tom for running, he can tell you what he thought of his race if he so chooses.
• Not Dave for saying “Alright Sam” so quiet I almost missed him on the course.
• Mom and Meghan for actually cheering where I could hear them and smile.

Next up is four weeks of training before the Philly Love Half on March 24. I’m not calling any shots or goals yet, but with the way things are going I’m pretty optimistic.

Lastly, I booked the Eugene flights and hotel. My mom and I will be heading out on Thursday for a little vacation in Eugene before the big day. With so much time between now and then it still feels a bit off-in-the-distance, but it’s a weight off the mind to have the trip details taken care of. Booking that makes it real at the very least.