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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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Hampshire League XC down in Bournemouth today. It was always going to be an odd one, as this is the league Aldershot run in, and one of the girls that was killed won the women's race in the last fixture.
In the event, AFD brought a massive team with some real quality, clearly a show of solidarity, and in a couple of races, including the men's, were able to dominate to such an extent that a group of them could cross the line at the front together, which felt fitting somehow. Most of the runners had black ribbons on, or facepaint in AFD colours, so good to see support being shown.
I woke up feeling pretty grim, with the onset of a cold I think, so was 50/50 about whether I would go full pelt or just keep it steady. Well, I say 50/50, in reality I was only ever going to choose the former, despite the fact that my breathing felt very off on the warm up. Aim was a top 20 place, and dreamland would have been top 15.
Got swamped a bit at the start, and must have been about 50th after the first couple of corners, so had to get to the side and go the long way round. Got through into the mid 20s and continued trying to work my way through. By the halfway point of the four lapper, I was just about in the top 20, and ended up at a peak of about 16th, closing on 15th, but I ended up losing a couple of places in the last field and ended up 18th, in 32:38 for about 5.9 miles, which is pretty decent as it was pretty muddy in places. Legs felt great all the way round, but the breathing was definitely not right. Still, my best position in this league, so happy with the end result. Just now have to fend off the appearance of full-blown illness before the target 10K in two weeks.
Lazy 12 this morning for me as I didn't have race legs for the XC but too nice not to go out so up and down round Turville where they filmed Vicar of Dibley and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! 40 for the week, 1,998.4 for the year, so 2,000 up tomorrow.
Nice piece and background to the run Phil
13miler for me, 6.44 average pace.
One of those runs that without pushing came out quite a nice pace, so made me start wondering whether a half marathon vaguely raced is as out of the question as I'd thought.
The route was mainly a 5mile out to Beaconsfield and back, with bits before and after. Even up the incline I noticed some 6.30 action going on, so had to reign it a little.
Last 2-3miles were into wind and even on the flat felt less tasty.
However, overall positive stuff. If anything ,a few tightness were more the focus than any thoughts on breathing! I'll take that!
Good work Dachs, especially with a lergy onset. Hope it keeps away....
Nice LFR SG
. Definitely suggest a 10k or 10M should be on the cards...
I also went through Turville today Philip, but was on a bike.
Hurt my right heel quite badly last night (don't ask - it was stupid!) and I can't put any weight on it, so decided to go out on the bike instead. Nice morning for it, and at 40 very hilly miles was the longest ride I've done for a few years (though small beer compared to Iron and AG's outings!). The pace wasn't quick at just shy of 16mph, but OK I suppose, given that most of the downhills had to be taken very carefully as most of the lanes were wet and covered in greasy leaves. I overtook a fair few as well, including a couple on Aston hill. I've never done that one before, but it's a really good climb. Long, not too steep, and good to get into a steady climbing rhythm
How did you hurt your foot Bus?
.
Hope it fixes soon, all the same.
I did a mere 23 miles on the bike this morning (late) which seemed enough. Something about winter riding which gets me on short rations.
The closer to freezing the temperatures get. The more likely I won't go out at all.
🙂
Cycling is dangerous enough in the summer, nevermind the added hazards that winter brings.
I'm finally in the results. I've been given 33.11 (chip and gun) which is kind. In my email to them I said I was between 33.11 and 33.14 as that was what my watch and strava says. Picture of the finish line has 33.17 but I was stood a few rows back at the start. Lads I know who were stood on the very front row have a 2 sec difference between chip and gun so looks like they've been kind to everyone.
Should've said 32.59 to them.
Good work ML. You'd have probably produced something as fast as the first race in our local XC series which is very much an entry level one. ie grass and paths, flat.
The rest of our races are more your MT type affair. You wouldn't be doing as fast on any of those!
Nice one too Dachs.
Ric, good to get a double figure run in. An ultra obsessed pal would once tell me a 10miler wasn't in any shape or form a long run. But for me a 10 will always be a good length run.
Nice 10k Matt.
Nice XC showing their Dachs, good signs for when you get back on your favoured surface for the 10k, hope the sniffles comes to nothing.
Good effort on the long runs SG & Phil. Nice bike ride Bus, that's good going round those parts. I actually did Aston Hill for the first time not long back, inexplicably I somehow avoided it for years.
I was at the Rugby at Twickers yesterday so had a few beers. Took my daughter to swimming this morning and then rushed over to Datchet for the first TVXC. I had to abandon the family in the car park having had an SG style car park drama, except that my issue was every road I went down there was either a police road block or people marching about for Remembrance day.
Eventually found a car park and ran over to the start just in time for a quick pee. I then crept towards the start carefully balancing getting to the front with not being disrespectful to the 2 mins silence.
Two laps of the field and Dachs' mate has a 20 metre lead and is banking his standard 5 minute mile start. I feel ok and have a quick introductory chat with a chap from another thread. Two guys including Graham pull away and a couple of rivals I normally beat or am close to also look pretty strong. That left me with a Sandhurst chap going for 7th place. He came past me about 2 miles in but I started to close at 4miles, i decided to put in a burst to break him which worked and I eased in for 7th.
Reasonable effort, I was never going to push it too much today but I was happy with 5:45 pace over 5.7 miles as I ran 5:50's last year.
SG - That gives an indication as I ran 5:40 pace at Fleet a few weeks back with a bit more effort.
You do seem to excel at these sort of events, so well done. Probably a Sandhurst guy I don't know then, if Graham got ahead, and I doubt Mark FS can live with you these days.
Can be a nightmare to get to with the road shutdowns. I can vividly remember ramming coins into some random metre in some random high street, before realising I was a million miles away from the start, not to mention it being a very short term metre too, that I wouldn't have got back to in time. Then...just driving off!
Fun!
10 miles was about the limit guys in the Metros used to run, and they knocked out half marathons in the 71/74 range.
Good result Reg. You appear to be able to do what Ron Hill could do, and switch injuries off for the purposes of a race.
Like him, do you go back to being injured afterwards?
🙂
It's either the race day magic, or Reg's definition of "Injured" is looser than ours
ps Ric, have you been watching the Simpsons...in reference to your name change? Or have you stirred up more controversy over on clubhouse and need to keep it on the low?
Thanks, SG/Ric
Re injuries, I've always recovered quickly and perhaps I've taken liberties as a result. I once spent a weekend playing out with my mates having hurt my knee in rugby at school and when my mum convinced me to go to hospital to have it looked at I'd shattered a small part of my knee cap and torn the ligaments in my knee. I'd been climbing trees with one leg. I was in a full leg cast for a couple of months. I've always been a bit of a stubborn twat.
Today I had a slight aggravation of the calf but didn't feel it during the race. It's not a Pete setback but needs a bit of care.
SG, the name probably fits me more than anything else. But to you and the guys, I'm still Ric.
I mean, I don't trash convention or the opinion of others. I tend to 'go with the flow' for reasons of an easier life. However, there's occasions where; and I'm always prepared for this, to get out of the water to get a different view of where it's heading.
Some never get out of the water. Even when heading over the falls, they insist they meant to, and were correct to do so.
Reg. If you knew of the type of things which stopped me running for a full 10 weeks, you would laugh. I even said to my lad, that the condition I was in (for me bad) was to many others, good!
It's relative. I hate niggles and injuries. Can't enjoy a run unless totally free of them.
🙂
I often find that milder injuries will behave themselves for a race then come back with a vengeance in training! I think partly its down to how much you can put the discomfort to one side when it matters - different story with anything serious that would worsen under stress of course. Either way, Reg - bloody good effort!
As for my current injury - totally self-inflicted. In fit of childish pique last night I stamped, full weight, and bare-footed, on a small, but very hard and angular metal object (not intentionally of course...). The area just in front of my heel is very bruised and swollen. It didn't quite break the skin and I'm assuming no permanent damage, but it might take a while to heal enough to run on - twat!!!!
Bus, one must realise that in a house containing children, there is only one honorable object to prang ones feet upon - the Lego brick. Top of the stairs while carrying a valuable object, being the gold standard.
If it makes you feel better, just before one race, a guy of an ok standard damaged his heel so much, he had to adopt a style which put him up on his toes and only at speed, just so he could run at all.
A forced reduction in mileage, and fast one's at that. He then toed the line.
Won the National XC champs by nearly two minutes.
There you go. Fame and fortune await.
🙂
Out of the thread for another week and a half or so for varying reasons I won't bore you with. Looks like a couple of good races going on but I haven't had a proper read back - from Matt and Reg in particular
I will bore you with this though...
Peterhead 10k report from yesterday:
Looked out the window on Sunday morning, hmmm, it looks calm out there. Pretty good for November in the North East of Scotland. Checked in with a couple of Peterhead mates and the weather looked kind. This could be on.
Arrived in Peterhead and it's windy. Not mega windy, but it is windy. Hmmm.
I knew the first half was uphill and second half downhill. 36:24 remained the target as that's gold standard for the club and the 17:31 5k on the track the previous week suggests I could be in and about that fitness. I was hoping to stay reasonably close to average 3:38/km and then use the downhill second half to pull back anytime I'd lost.
First km, we turn into the wind and start climbing. Knocked out a 3:41 km and thought if I could stay in and around that pace, I might be in with a chance. But the wind and the climbing isn't letting up at all and the pace slips to 3:59 (!) for the second km but I'm gaining on a handful of runners in front of me and I go past Cammy Robertson who's a good runner. I beat him at the 3k a few weeks ago but he put in a 17:23 5k a couple of weeks ago. Manage a 3:42 but then 4th km slips to 3:48 and then we turn out of the wind.
Still going uphill but feeling quite strong and put in a 3:44 5th km and we start to go downhill and I decide to start throwing everything at this. Could be too soon with 5k to go but fuck it, I'm way off even sub 37 pace at this rate which was the B target (beating my PB of 37:26 being the C target). There's a bit of climb just after 6k but apart from that it's all gloriously downhill for the second half.
Km splits for 6, 7 and 8 go like this:
3:35.3 / 3:32.4 / 3:29.9
I check my watch as I go through 8k and it reads something like 29:26. Quick maths tells me that if I stay on 3:30 pace, I might give myself a chance of getting 36:24. This is fucking on!
9th km of 3:30.7.
Cammy Robertson is from Peterhead and every time I go past any supporters there's the usual "well done, keep going" followed by what felt like half a second later, "GO ON CAMMY!!!!!!". I thought he must be right on my shoulder although I couldn't "feel him" there. I didn't look back, just kept going for it.
Last km I chucked everything in there. And I mean everything. Near the end, one of my clubmates was spectating and said something like "Push on, Cammy's just behind you" and I went for it down the final straight.
Final km of 3:06.2. 3:06.2!!! Jesus.
36:11, 6th place and 3rd place male senior, so I won a tenner.
Absolutely, bloody ecstatic with that. I'm not sure if I ever thought I was capable of that sort of time!!
(Cammy ran 36:28 - never in doubt
)
Great stuff CC, you should have kicked earlier with that last KM!
Don't say that Reg, I'm trying to ignore the little voice in my head that's saying I could have ran sub 36...
Awesome work CC, pretty sure I've never ended a 10K with a 3:06 kilometre! You are definitely a candidate for some more big improvements.
SG - are you ready to race a half you ask. Yes, you've been ready for over a year. Your long runs are faster than mine.
Red Wang, nice to see you getting stuck into cross country again. As usual I will have to wait for a while to see the results. Who won?
Red Wang.
That name change has to happen.
CC, that results is pure scenes, and the glorious time where you can sniff around in unchartered territory. Enjoy these times for all they worth.
Dachs, wouldn't quite go that far,uncertainty with doc commentary and more importantly things feeling wrong were the story for a lot of it.
Doesn't feel perfect now, but it's hard to remember what racing used to be like. I might start easing the reps down and adding a tempo again. if i can repeatedly lay down 6m MP through to the mix with HMP, then it's all systems go.
Pretty sure it was Graham with one of your mob I didn't recognise in 2nd then Datchet Dave, James C, DMC & HA77. First results always takes forever as they try to find someone that understands how to complete the database. I think it's done on a BBC Micro.
Hi All
Good racing going on - CC82 - I see we are starting to rub off on you! Running faster and talking shite
..love it (only joking about the talking)
ML - great report, decent time too. I've had some chaotic races too. One Wolverton 5 I did was windy, puddles everywhere, loads of glare off the puddles. Forgot my chip, but thought I would run anyway....got injured and pulled out!
Good run SG - DEFO ready for a race now. Reg - that XC sounded decent
Dachs - Just looked at the results. That's a really good run, I'd struggle to make top 30 in that race at the moment. The young AFC guy infront beat me by 50 seconds at Mansfield! you need to do a 10k very soon, you are nudging sub 32 territory.
Me? Another meh race at the weekend. Its a 2 lapper, long drag up a slope to start, horrible stony path to the bottom, along the bottom, short sharp hill up to the top and along the other side of the ridge back to the start. Felt I was going ok, but ended up in 40th, at least 10 places lower than where I should be.
Had a decent 14 miler yesterday and getting the sessions and miles in...so the sharpness should come back soon. I don't feel I have lost too much from my 10 days out..
am so far off the scene these days, but HA77.. is that a forumite, am sure i've seen similar to that floating around.
Yes you made a comment to him about the liar bloke that had been running for 5 minutes but on another thread.
SC - I've been fully capable of talking shite for a long time
Running - forgot to say I knocked out a 13.1 miler @ 7:20s this morning. Putting in an until now unplanned Parkrun on Saturday to try to secure "gold" standard for the club for 2016 now that I've got 3k and 10k golds. Got 2 weeks to run gold at a different distance to get awarded the official standard. So - long run in start of the week instead of at the weekend.
I need to run 17:30 or quicker. Feels eminently doable now.
Great work CC.
Sub 36 minutes easy on a flat course.
Not sure what this is about.
Looks like something I deserve to get. It must be due. I repeat myself enough.
🙂
SC thinks he's a chat killer. Red Wang posted some tumbleweed straight after his post...
I am going to have to run a flat 10k next year. There just don't seem to be any within a million miles of me.
I'm looking at you Lit - where are the flat 10k races in Scotland!? You mentioned Stirling earlier - is that flat? I know it's the Scottish Champs so attracts a big field etc. and will therefore be faster as a result of that. I may well pencil that in for next year.
i told SC why he has that effect. Too much excellent training, and racing back to back, year on year. Need to mix in a bit more soap opera for pure box office.
what club is this HA77, someone PM me the name etc?