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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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I've been included in our A team for Saturday's relays SG so better do it, even at the expense of parkrun and maybe Ikenham 5 on Sunday.
Not sure where I'm at right now; did 5x1k off 80 seconds this morning and only averaged 3'40 which is no better than last week's parkrun. Felt tough and the weird niggle to bone at bottom of hamstring and outside of knee flaring up again. Don't really even know what the problem is and whether it's something a physio could resolve.
The router had been changed. The others in the house and Sky's finest IT experts had failed to resolve the matter, whereas I simply got up and sorted it out.
Can't get the staff these days.
Not that I had much to post about. Great tales of racing. Oh for track speed, or the speed I think I had, but probably didn't.
Knees ok now, but discovered during a working day, an area around the hip getting my attention.
That's a bit sore but getting better. Source is the lower back.
I vaguely remember getting a minor strain some while back and some odd tightness and restriction in the area. Faster running shook things up. My guess is some bits of scar tissue have been complaining about having to get out of the way for good stuff.
Nearly there, again.
Not sure about the weight gain, though the diaries indicate I was the same weight 25 years back.
🙂
Hope nothing too serious Ric . SG - Yes suppose so regarding recoveries, on the subject was at the track again last night for more punishment. 4 sets of 400m off 80 secs with a lap jog inbetween. If I remember rightly they were (69,66,66,66), (68,64,65,66), (67,66,67,66), (67,66,65,64). So pretty happy with that, not quite as bad as I thought it would be I suppose.
Relays wise - annoyed that I'm missing the Stevenage relays this year, but we are arriving in Aarhus that night for the Euro Champs. So I'm a V45 today, be good to set some decent club records for LBAC, need to set a sub 16 5k I think first. Will even have to do a half marathon later in the year!!
Happy birthday Simon! Glad to see you move out of the category just before I move into it. Interestingly, you are the exact same age to the day as my clubmate Lance, who got V40 5000 bronze at the weekend. Don't think a sub 16 5000 will be too much of a stretch for you if you find the right one.
Sure the niggle will resolve itself Ric.
SG, neck tightness just tends to be a trapped muscle or something doesn't it? It usually passes quickly enough. Bounders was also cancelled at the last minute 2 years ago. I get the impression that organising it isn't a massive priority for them. As far as I'm aware it's run on virtually the same course as my club's TVXC fixture. I organised that for a couple of years, and all I needed to do was book it with the Forestry Commission a few months in advance and then send in some bits and bobs like risk assessments and course plans. And then arrange with Broadmoor to use their car park. It was very simple - as long as you actually did it in time.
Took Ric's advice (I know, first time for everything) and did some short (approx 150m) hill reps this morning. 4 miles into work, dropped my bag off, then tried to find a location in central Reading to do some hills. Settled on a high footbridge over the inner ring road. Usually, it's quite quiet, but I failed to take into account that the bottom of the hill is the entrance to a primary school. so had to dodge kids and parents milling around at drop-off time at the start of my rep. Not ideal. Did 15 of the bastards, then my legs didn't want any more.
My vague thoughts were to be aiming for a fast track 5000 in mid August. The choice was the BMC at Eltham or the Wimbledon festival, where I set my PB last year. Well, the BMC meet has been cancelled, and the Wimbledon one is now a week later when I'm on holiday. Slightly irritating. Finding good 5000s is tricky.
Morning all.
Happy birthday Mr C! Well done on the cracking 1500s Dean and Simon too.
Likewise Ric - hope it eases.
SG - sounds like you are getting old ;-). A team Saturday Pete? I love it when a plan comes together :-)
Bet that looked a bit odd Dachs!
Funny old week for me this one! Abandoned run Mon, double bike Tues, easy 5.4M Wed, but still niggly, double 6 yesterday, again, no pain but still uncomfortable, bike in this morning, ending with mechanical woes and now feel like I've got the lergy! Easy run to physio in a bit to tell him he's made it worse...!
Hopefully some very slight nerve thing upset by the 19miler, a few races and a track sesh. I'll probably need to remember to keep the day or 2 after races a little lighter than i had.
F OFF, so will be fine to turnout tomorrow, hopefully next to fine when adrenaline kicks in!
Strange with Bounders then.Was one of those easy "races" that even a stress head obsessive like me would treat casually.
Interesting with the hills. Where to do them is always a challenge. I can only remember doing a few sessions under Moz in base training. They were more concentrating on form and going steadily rather than monstering up. Even that would feel a workout after enough reps. I did some up Marlow hill for those of you who know it, with the lovely peaceful mass of traffic next door. Worrying a few randoms walking, as you suddenly turn and head back past them, only to then come past again later.
Pete - which leg tomorrow old son? I'm packed mid order, which is where I've been for all our relays. I imagine the thinking is, use the talent early and late, and smuggle the any old iron in where it can do least damage
Happy bidet Simon, i can imagine the damage you're going to do to the V45 category this year! One less guy to do a faster time than me in my category in the masters relay too!
You seem to get a lot of mechanicals Bus. I've had a similar week to you, without the mechanicals. I felt battered on Monday, recovery run on Wednesday and abandoned lunch run yesterday. I seemed to pull my calf so had a 1.5 mile walk back to the office, doesn't feel too bad today but I am going to need to rest it for a few days I think.
I've booked in to see a sports therapist and started doing some yoga for runners, the 'for runners' bit helps me say it out loud without feeling like a female vegan hippy type. I need to do something different to get past all these niggles.
Happy birthday SC.
Glad you've got your IT issues sorted Ric, not sure how I'd cope without the internet these days.
Reg - you are a short step away from eating a quiche. And they were your rules!
simon, happy bday. you can deal with whiteman now. unfortunately for me i join you in that ancient category about 6 months.
SG - im sure that pain will disapear as quick as i came.
Dachs - when i do hills i do about 45 secs. the trick is to run them like you are being chased by a bear. you dont go flat out as you will tire and the bear will eat you. Until you get used to them, maybe dont use an actual bear.
Having had at least 3 periods in the last decade of simply not believing i'd come through , I have every faith you will hit a good zone fairly decently soon.
Dean, i think it's pretty easy to forget you and Simon are hitting some ridiculous times almost a decade ahead of some of us. Maybe less mileage on the clock in some ways, but arguably not with other sports you've done.
One things for sure as you get older,it's good we don't play football. A game that guarantees major tightness, and being unable to control variables like dodgy pitches and madman opponents. The idea of running full pace stretching into a challenge as some goon with metal studs slides in with 15stone behind them on a winter's day, well, i couldn't imagine much worse now.
Looking forward to seeing Reg at parkrun wearing a hair shirt.
I did end up canning the last of the hills due to crowding on the course. This meant that I did 15 rather than 16, which is a shame, because, as we all know, if you do an odd number of reps, that means you lose the same amount of fitness as you'd have gained if you did an even number of reps. That's science, that is.
Yeah hopefully I can get a injury free run but I kind of believe you need to change something to get different results, hence the yoga. Got to love Youtube for stuff like that, I may have just picked the video with the most attractive woman on, but she seems to know her stuff.
Dean - Aren't you supposed to stand still when a bear is chasing you and make lots of noise? Not sure that would go down well outside the primary school playground. I did a 4 day bear watching trip in Canada once and the most revealing thing to come out of it was that bears genuinely don't shit in the woods.
Where do they shit then?
Spent an enjoyable hour or so a few weeks ago watching videos on Youtube where a cyclist or runner wearing a GoPro disturbs a bear whilst out on the trails. The videos usually end with 4-5 minutes of shaky camera footage to a soundtrack of panting and swearing, as the protagonist makes good their escape.
Going to Slovenia in August, and will do some running out there. Apparently it's the wrong bit of the country for bears though.
Nice Dachs. I'm lucky that my nearest hills are Primrose Hill, bloody tough session though - Cheers for all the birthday wishes, PO10 have tagged me as V45 straight away.
Checked the Euro masters entry list for the 1500 and 5k - Mark Symes did 4.17 at the masters, but all the other GB lot are around 4.22 and up. 5000 wise K-L Wilson has entered and he's class, no one else sub 16.30 by the looks. Just have to see if Whiteman gets a late entry and what the rest of Europe has to offer I suppose.
Hope those niggles clear up Reg and SG. Dragging the kid around Cannons Pk PR (near Watford??) tomorrow, then a session followed by a beer session in town
Where did they shit before human beings built roads and paths then? Did they just spend millennia holding all their excrement in, waiting for someone to come along and put down some asphalt?
That's why, pre Anthropgene, the woods sang out for so long with bears crying "we need a poo" (said Eyore)
SG - you have a perfect hill rep hill about 100m from you front door! Off-road, steep, straight and almost constant gradient.
Reg - if it works, I may join you. I can already do a cracking downward dog :-)
Talking of niggles - physio today. he told me to try not running for a week and focus on rehab instead until next session next Friday. He also gave me a load more exercises, including some that can only be done at a gym. Feckin' hate gyms and this one is a right PITA to get to! Not a happy bunny this afternoon...
Where's the big man Pete?
Just checked some guy from my club's strava (it can occasionally be useful then!), and it seems there's a 150feet climb over a mile on the long leg, then another 133feet climb from 1.5 to 2.5.
Did some rough looking around for what Marlow hill in Wycombe would be, and I believe that's just over 150feet, but perhaps only over 2/3 to 3/4mile.
Can't remember much about 2013 when i did it, except i managed to do it (apparently) in 31:31, which for an offroad 5 1/4miler on a pretty hot day sounds alright. Almost dead on 6min miling.
Will have to remember not to shoot off like an insane fool this time, and save any monstering for 3miles on when it's down and flat all the way home
I'm hoping at some stage the Datchet crew suggest and organise some exotic race trip abroad, it's one of my vague bucket list things (10k or under). They're doing Amsterdam in October, but it's all fairly well set now, and it's pretty much the only place in Europe i've been bar France! And 3 times too (full expenses paid work footy trips in the days of heavy budgets!)
(pps i know you didn't actually say you were going to do a race in fairness!)
The other aspect is the limit of only 3 men under 40. A lot of clubs can field a strong number in that age range, but for vets, that can be a different story.
Tomorrow, i think we have a low 16 5k, a lady who did 28.45 or so at the Marlow 5m, a vet who would still be say 1.18 half and a few mid 17 5kers...out!
Will be fun. Last time out, i did a fairly decent leg, but just watched a Watford guy the whole way round, and got overtaken by a Datchet star late on, meaning i actually lost us a place
They tell me last year our first leg runner had some sort of asthma issue on leg 1, and brought us home in about 8th after leg 1, but the rest of the crew rectified it!
Example: Abandoned run Mon, double bike Tues, easy 5.4M Wed, but still niggly, double 6 yesterday.
Strange sort of re-hab program from where I'm sitting.
🙂
Last time I was told to run by the physio, but only to the distance it starts to hurt (and that was actual pain rather than a niggle/discomfort). That's been consistently about the six mile point for the last few weeks. Last Saturday's 10 was definitely stoopid though! It was actual the rehab exercises yesterday that were hurting, but he reckons that was because it was in addition to the running volume. Cycling is fine - he says I can do as much as I like as its not aggravating the tendon.
Reg - yeah, lots of mechanicals recently, but this mornings was self-inflicted as I wanted the gears to be running a bit slicker and started to dismantle the rear mech in the bike shed at work to see if I could adjust the base b screw tension - which was a very bad idea with limited tools and a filthy bike!
Monday the jet lag got me up early and went for a local run around the Long Island National Cemetary. Not seen anything like it in the US (even at Arlington in Washington), reminiscent of the Somme memorials with thousands of graves laid out in an exact grid. The only downer was Strava said I could run in one gate and out another opposite but apparently they don't open all the gates that early so a bit of a detour.
Tuesday drove down to Jones Beach (well, it would be rude not to) and did a gentle 5 out and back on the boardwalks.
Wednesday, as I remembered earlier in the weeks, was summer mid-week races so I signed up for a 5k in Eisenhower Park with the hope of an age group win and top 10 finish. Last few weeks, the V50 was outside 20 minutes and low teens so was a realistic target. Signed in, warmed up and onto startline. Bit odd I thought, whole bunch of youngsters right up in a bunch at the front on the right and nobody asking them to step back so I moved to the other side behind a bunch of athletic looking guys. Silly "on your marks, get set and go!" start and we were off. Nobody seemed to want to take it on and some of the youngsters were flying and I drifted past the guys I started behind. Through 1 mile in just outside 6 minutes and I was about 12th and I started to target those ahead and gradually moved through. Passed a few and a girl (literally a 12-year-old girl) refused to be passed so I continued with my task and she held on. Bit slower second mile but time looked good for sub-20 and picked off a few more. Passed the finish funnel so only a short out and back to go and the youngster pushed hard and I was happy to let her go. 19:51, 7th overall and first adult. Ahead of me 13, 17, 15, 11, 11 and the 12-year-old girl. Seems some of the start line placing was OK, though some of the youngsters were outside 25 minutes so hopefully optimistic and the adults I lined up behind were nowhere to be seen so all show and no blow.
Thursday day on a plane.
Friday easy 7 to complete June, 173.95 miles at 8:00 minutes per mile (much slower than normal) but 1,000.12 miles for 2017 so on target for 2,000.
Saturday inaugural parkrun at Henley. 2 laps, very narrow paths, steep uphill but nice long downhill. Definitely a slow course but very scenic.
Tidy week's work there Phil. I expect most people would have sacked the majority of their running off with that sort of trip! 11 year olds though, chuckled!
Runnymede relays today - the 6 leg relay in Windsor park. 3 long legs, 3 short legs, and only 3 men under 40 allowed per team.
Our initial plan was to put in 2 equal teams to compete for honours, but I always thought that was a bit optimistic, and of that initial 12 names, only 6 made it, with the men's captain Rob having to pull out last night for what I hope turns out to be nothing major.
I was slightly perturbed by a few unusual tightnesses, but didn't think they'd affect today. Was a bit late getting going, getting my quarterly (!) haircut, and messing about buying deep heat (back in footy days and early racing times this was critical kit, and I always had tonnes of tubes handy!)
Arrived at 11.40 with the event starting at 12, and parking what seemed miles away, and got to the scene in time to see Leg 1 get going.
Must admit I felt utterly sluggish at this time and didn't fancy it at all, but told myself that's the usual!
Few chats with the team, and some old pals at Sandhurst, and found Pete as well.
Out for a warmup. I've found for relays that added stress of the slight uncertainty over start time means less is more. Set off, and had the distinct impression I was being watched. Looked over to a massive tree to see about 10 stags eyeing my every move. Got out of their grill pretty quickly, and i'd racked up a "solid" 1mile. Sat under cover sweating, which I must admit I thought was due to the deep heat kicking in, as my perception was that it was a "cool" day.
Almost time to get going, and I must have spent about 10mins waiting at the grid for our second guy doing the 2.75mile leg to come home. I'd heard Chris B had done a 30:xx , so I wasn't sure what was going on when my watch was showing 12.50 or so and I hadn't got going.
We've got a decent sized lead, I think it must be a minimum of a minute, as Chris B apparently held 20secs, and Rob our legendary 50+ guy had added well.
The start is an incline up a grassy stretch. I've seen the profile from the night before, and it's apparently a 150feet climb to mile 1. I can't quite work out how it is, as it's a gentle progressive slope.
I set off a bit too sharp, but it's always hard when you have a few from other legs in front of you. I clock 5.05 pace. Too fast! 5.20, still. 5.30 and we're half a mile in. Then I see where this incline occurs, a pretty steep turn to the left that was out of shot from the start!
Fairly sturdy, and it instantly reduces that pace down! 5.51 first mile logged.
Hill levels out and we have a nice road bit slightly down, and then into a really awkward bit of rutted trail that seems to have one "racing line", albeit it still dodgy uneven footing, but less dodgy than the grass either side. Have to go wide to overtake a few that I've quickly termed "lucky bastads" doing the short leg.
Then we hit the split, as the short leggers, doing a 2.75mile (actually 2.66ish), are pretty much back at the start of the finish field, while long leggers take the right and more hilly "fun"
I've disturbed a couple of marshals who got a bit complacent after the 1st leggers have come and gone, and I've already got into a zone where it's becoming hard work, and I'm not really taking in what they're shouting!
Follow those arrows, get to 3miles and it's "all downhill and flat" I tell myself. Get to the peak of the hill at what feels like dribble pace, and this is shown in the splits, as mile 2 was 5.44 and mile 3 6.21.
There's a section with a flurry of people riding horses coming in our direction, at some point between mile 2 and 3, I can't even remember now, and recalling the "what to do If you encounter horses" line in instructions, I recall shouting "sorry, I can't slow down...i'm leading" and they smile and allow it.
I'm thinking I can't wait for this to be over. I know there's nothing anywhere close behind, but in effect i'm running an absolute solo time trial which is always hard work.
Tell myself keep ticking over, and I enjoy a down stretch that I think will take me to 4miles. Check my watch, 3.5miles up, dohhh.
Do a massive "shrugged shoulder" gesture at 2 marshals standing like statues in the middle of a classic "could be either left or right" junction, and they eventually give me the way to go! By this stage, my bearings of where the heck I am in relation to the final field are in pieces.
Past a couple of clubmates, one of them for some reason doing a young girl's voice. I literally cannot take in what they're shouting, i'm absolutely longing for the finish already.
Slightly worries me they shout again when i'm well down the road...are they shouting to me, or someone in 2nd? Forget it, just get to the finish in one piece, and the other guys can do what needs to be done! End in some bush now and that doesn't suit anyone
Mile 4 came and went in a surprisingly swift 5.37, but now we're closing in on the last field.
I'd told myself it was a 5mile race rather than a 5.25mile race, so we're into the field, I can see the finish, and we're well past 4miles. We're almost there right?
Wrong!
One of the cruellest finishes in history sees you have to do a huge long straight to get to the turn around point to the actual run in.
It's not helped by some Sandhurst ex clubmates, not quite sure if they should be applauding me or not, standing in a position that I presumed was the turn line. It wasn't. There's about another 500metres to it. Damm it!
At some points I did think, of all the races not to have my "medical band" on (forgotten In the car, this was the one!)
Really feeling it now, will probably just have enough to get there!
Get to the turning point, the finish still bloody seems miles away for a supposed 5.25miles.
5th mile has faded to 6.11, but get us home safely and we'll be golden, with 2 short leggers and the fast Dave Lee to get us the trophies.
Feels like I'm disco dancing on the last stretch, haven't much left, and with the clock on 5.36miles I've seeped over line for 31.54 a 5.57 pace.
2013 shows a 31.31 time, but who can be certain to the exact length of course in comparison
I am literally dead on my feet, or erm back, down on the floor for about 10mins to a cautionary "you ok mate" from the organiser.
I was actually wondering for a while if this was the Wycombe half finish again, just without the longer distance that ensured it! I certainly wouldn't have fancied any more mileage today, I think it might have pushed things into dodgy territory! Probably a lot more humid than I gave it credit for, and it is a gruelling course.
Another 10mins or so lounging around and I finally get up and stagger with tight Achilles back to our team. Starting to feel decent again and relieved it's all over!
I start thinking that today's effort and result was more in keeping with the days of the hot MT 10ks of the past with old clubs, rather than the "something's obviously wrong" Wycombe half. For all of those races I wouldn't have fancied/been able to do more mileage!
In the meantime, our B team promoted guy has seen us take our lead on (I think the commentator while I was lying in a stupor suggested our lead had been cut slightly on my leg - to which I was thinking some unspeakable thoughts towards him
, but we've still a very healthy lead.
Dave Lee is our last long legger, and he put in a 16.20s sharpener 5k at Hyde Park yesterday, so he'll take some pegging back. He extends our lead, and I time it myself when lil Chris sets off for leg 6, it's 3mins 32seconds!
He put in a middish15 last year, so it'd probably take Mo Farah to claw that back over 2.66miles, he just needs to get round in one piece!
He does even better this year, rocking a 15.10 I believe, and it's good to see his face and arm pumping as we head over the separate finishing line in 1st place.
McCoy at Reading has apparently trimmed 30seconds off his lead which is sterling work, so he'll get the fastest short leg of the day prize, as well as a question of "why in blazes didn't you run a long leg?", unless Reading fielded 3 quicker pro rata guys in the longs? Unlikely.
Lovely engraved plate for 1st, which we hung on about 90mins-2hours for, well, 4 of the 6, Reading and Millocoran (? army lot) also in the prizes.
Hoping that the aches and bits ease down a bit, and the feeling at the end was purely down to the course and fairly humid conditions. If it had been like that for a flat 5k finish i'd have been more worried.
Shows I need to continue to pick and choose races carefully though, nothing too long or hilly, and especially not in summer for
I did clock a colossal max of 207 HR at one stage when i'm not sure I can remember a 200+ before.
Will take it very easy next 2 days, and hope I can turn out at Marlow 5k, can't miss that for the 5th or 6th time!!
Assuming things ease and get back to mint condition quickly, I can reflect on 12 turnouts this year, a nice pot, and 199 races, with the big one to come next!
And more importantly, we've finally bust into 2 posts for 1 report on the new site's "longer character allowance" message limit.
(Not the best pic ever, I should probably steal a teammate who took a better shot, but as attached!)
Couldn't post yesterday. Lost the broadband again and this time couldn't get it back. The lad solved the problem by changing the settings on the new router. Something that the guys from SKY didn't or couldn't do; even if they were actually aware of how the problem could be solved. They reckoned the problem was the PC.
Only took 15 hours of sodding about.
Limping about at the moment. Sometimes things feel worse before they get better.
🙂
Today was Ickenham 5 and a different story though. Little sleep as older daughter's flight delayed so didn't get back from getting her at Gatwick till after 2am. Felt lethargic at the start; got too hot almost immediately and struggled big time from half way with my injury on the base of hamstring.k's started at 3'45 and gradually increased to just over 4'00. Finished 16th in 31'15 and even though I was very underwhelmed with the time (90 seconds down on my best last year) it was still enough for 1st v50 and a nice bottle of Merlot. Think I'd better get this injury sorted though before any more races.
Pete - good work on the first V50. Hope you haven't downed the Merlot already ;-)
SG - epic report, and top racing. Very well done for the team prize. Sounds like the marshals need a put of a prod! I always do the crossed arms pointing in both directions and puzzled expression! Glad the end was just general race related fatigue too.
Ric - sounds like my experience with EE call-centre when we had router problems. Their technical support only know some basic diagnostic tests to run through and anything beyond that, you're better off Googling it and doing it yourself!
Bike today, which felt very hard as I'm still feeling slightly lergified, so took it relatively easy. It didn't help that I seemed to pick the hilliest route I could as well! As my road bike needs a new back tyre, I used the gravel bike, whihc then gave me the opportunity to explore a Byway from Pishill to Christmas Common. Unfortunately though, after about a mile uphill on a reasonable surface, it turned into mud and I struggled in places with almost slick tyres at 90psi and then got covered in mud splatter on that long downhill from Christmas Common! 43M in the end, so about half of Reg's ride yesterday and 5mph slower!!!