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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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Looking through the books I note my HM pb is 20 years old today. Time flies. Even now I can feel like it was running that one. Slowish start and negative splits. Sprinting almost.
Shows how the imagination can play tricks. In idle moments I still imagine I could run that fast, when getting within 30 seconds per mile would be an achievement.
On the marathon subject. If you are the sort who gets bored running long distance and derive no satisfaction from going the extra mile. Then a marathon isn't going to thrill you.
However, it's a running qualification of which to the non running public there are only two acceptable items of acceptance. The first of these is:
((1) Have you run a marathon? 2) Have you run the London Marathon? )
The other item of acceptance is having run in the Olympics.
If yes. Then you are a runner. If not, then you're not.
To be fair. I know of runners who once ran several 68/70 minutes for the half distance. But only one marathon - never again.
🙂
Then realised it's Watford tonight, so he hasn't raced it yet!
ahem.
ps Ric, spot on with marathons. Someone like Lit i can tell genuinely loves the long runs. I like to get a 13 or so done, but i'm always pleased to finish. I cannot imagine how dull it must be to comb out 18-22 milers. And then the body battering effects of 26.2 at race pace on the day. I've seen way, way too many people it has utterly wrecked.
I think a lot of it is relative to what you prepare for mentally as you head out the door. The marathon I did in Wales the other week barely registered in my mind in the way you think it might have. There was no carb loading, agonising over footwear, in fact I can't even remember what shoes I wore???
I've got more marathons on PO10 than 10ks
Cheers for the kiss of death SG. Was that revenge for the marathon pace comment?
Hope alehouse's thrilling treatments do the trick.
Deep down, I know that marathons are my enemy, but even I can admit there's something about them that keeps dragging you back in. Something about the feel of race day that is very different to any other distance. It's a hippyish, new age, completely uncharacteristic thing for me to say, but there genuinely is a sense of all being in it together, and that competitiveness seems to fall by the wayside a little.
So yeah, sod that.
Reg, maybe it's different for you, as you're used to hours out on the bike. Although clearly none of your marathons are raced if i remember correctly?
That said, i still wouldn't especially fancy cruising one out, the only even vague thing that made me consider it was to hit the 8 races on the club champs. But as I missed a simple 5k, and would have to be bound for their choice of some awkward other stuff, i'm packing that one straight in.
After an initial "Hot bed" of activity in the first few months of the club, where i was amazed by how many races, how many relays etc they got involved in, it's "lulled" a bit. Our fastest guys seem to all be in a state of apathy at the moment, but then I suppose that happens when they might only run 25-30miles a week at best! It doesn't feel as much as a gap as it would for us much higher people
Now i'm back "proper" racing, the appeal of parkrun has reduced back to almost zero again. I think it might be a little thrill if staying over somewhere on a Friday night somewhere, but generally I like my races either super standard that'll invite a fast run, or bootleg with prizes
Incidentally, via Twitter - one-time occasional thread poster Jonny D ran 1:48 for 800 last night. He's not even an 800m runner.
Also, on the subject of stalking former posters, I was idly browsing the ranking lists recently, and noticed that former poster UG is now running in the mid 15s for 5K and 32s for 10K. In Hong Kong.
Running training is but part of the deal.
🙂
The other reason to enter a marathon is that it nips that inevitable conversation in the bud when people find out that you are a runner: Done a marathon? Yes.
It's the only reason I did my 1 and only marathon
SG and PMJ are you doing the club champs mile on friday? I was hoping that PMJ could drag me round to a good time.
Although in fairness he'd logged a fairly epic 2.37 as a marathon yonks back, and always had that touch of pace lower down.
I wonder what the conditions are like for the races, although i dare say he's nicely acclimatised by now.
But nice one Dachs, make other long termers like me feel particularly mediocre
Can't you dig out some past threadites who are now 31stone bloaters who haven't run for 27 months?
Kenbro, it helps that i'm based about 40mins away from them and only the fast guys and a few younger ones even know i exist
Your reason is a valid one, but after a couple of full on years with Marlow being beholden to their schedule, i don't like to get caught up in "having" to do certain races/distances these days.
Not sure if i can whip up the enthuiasm to hang on until 8.30, with a 1hr 20 round trip to run for a mile that won't count on PO10, that won't really do me any good in the champs. Not to be a negative nelly!
They aren't on Power of Ten. Maybe there's an equivalent website for sumo wrestling.
Kenbro, to his credit, SG seems immune to peer pressure. How else would he had gone through life, particularly student life, having barely drunk alcohol? Also, this thread did our best trying to exert pressure on him to race during the year or so he was being poked and prodded by baffled medical professionals whilst at the same time easing out 12 miles at 6:45 pace, to no avail.
Loose Alsatians
I spent the next few minutes wondering if their legs were about to fall off or they were of easy virtue or you could get a paper bag and scoop up exactly what you wanted until I realised it meant Alsatians on the loose.
You're right about the bike hours, it gives you a different perspective on session lengths. I think it also gives you a big aerobic base and strength without doing the long runs in the first place so when you come to do them it doesn't seem like such a big deal.
Pete - 15 miles isn't really enough for me to venture out as far as the Thames or Chilterns from my house but 20+ miles gives me a lot more options.
I did a Mona Fartlek session at lunch, stolen from HA on the P&D thread or more accurately the Macmillan website. It's the first tough session I have done since returning from injury. It was very muggy out there and I found it a bit of a struggle.
Session was a mile easy then a tempo effort round the Maidenhead parkrun course, which is crap. There's loads of low hanging branches and dog walkers and a slippy corner oh and a nasty little incline. I don't know how they cope with all the branches, I am tallish but not unusually so.
Next was 5 minutes easy and then I moved on to the track to do 2 x 90 secs hard then 4 x 60 seconds, 6 x 30 & 6 x 15 seconds all hard efforts with the same time float between at normal easy pace, so not a proper recovery. Finished with a mile or so easy back to work.
Parkrun was 18:58 according to the Strava segment and the efforts at the end were 5:00-5:30 probably averaging around the 5:25 mark so 5k pace.
Maybe a bit less ferocious disdain for other peoples' actions and a bit more chill would have been a more enjoyable way to be.
But then we most likely wouldn't have a 7 year thread
I'll get a report in early before there are any complaints.
Long story short, crap run.
The numbers were huge there last night. I warmed up ready for an estimated 9:30 race, but due to the sheer number of 1500s and 3000s, I don't think I actually raced until 10:30. By that time, I'm normally drifting off on the sofa, my mouth attractively agape. Was in race 3 of 4 3000s. Don't remember them ever having 4 3000s, and this was on top of an elite one at the beginning of the evening.
Once race 2 set off, I put the spikes on and started doing some strides and whatnot, and after a few, realised that the spikes were killing my Achilles. I've had some soreness in that area since Saturday, when I wore spikes for the 5000, but it was pretty much gone in normal trainers by yesterday, but the spikes brought it all back. Had no choice but to ditch them, and return to the Adios, which, whilst still a light shoe by most people's standards, are not one I tend to race anything shorter than marathons in. However, I do most of my sessions in them, so thought it'd be OK. Doubt it made any difference.
Gun goes off, and I go to the back to keep out of trouble, but it goes out slow. This is supposed to be the 8:35 race (69 per lap roughly), but it goes through 400 in something like 73. Then it speeds up, and I find myself having to change pace to keep up. I do keep up for a bit, and at least the 1K point is OK with 2:59, but I feel like I'm not really getting going at all. People start to pull away at the front and I can't go with it. There's pushing and shoving and heel clipping, which always pisses me off. Still under 9 pace at 2K (just), but the PB attempt has gone and the slide towards oblivion has begun. Try a last lap rally, and even briefly make a game attempt to outsprint someone (I may have managed it as well, can't remember), but it's too little too late, and it's a very underwhelming 9:03.
Who knows what's going on there. I'm definitely in PB shape, a 5K PB at the weekend proves that. Went through 3000 in 9:10 in that race feeling comfortable. To be honest, to not even break 9 is a bit of a surprise. Oh well, don't think I can get in another 3000 this year, so will have to look to put that right next season.
You did bring back some of the dreadful feelings around Watford meets though, the horrible late starts, the hanging around, the bogs running out of toilet roll and the lights never working, so you're in effect sat in the dark with your pants round your ankles, not quite sure where you are.
Well, ok you didn't actually mention that last bit, but i read between the lines.
Yes, for some reason I find it unnecessary to add toilet-related text to my reports. You'll be pleased to know that the toilets haven't really improved, but I am quite comfortable in the dark, as a result of time working as a night security guard.
It's nothing that can't be resolved by several days of not attempting speed work or other sessions.
It's common. It's do a race ok, another race ok and then a flat one.
Usual mistake of the majority is to assume they lack fitness. So away they go and hammer themselves even further into the deck.
I know of one who did that into running oblivion.
🙂
Achilles, later than usual start, or just being one of those days?!
6|& 4 for this brother today.
May fancy something like a bookend session tomorrow...something like
4x200m (then whisper it, a 4m MP stretch) and then 4x200m
Sounds like a nice break Bus. I was in Ireland last year but too late to cover a couple of events.
Waiting for the people upstairs to come back from their holiday.
It's usual for people in our situation to leave keys in case of emergency. Not this time. The stray dog of a guy who moved in with a ready made house and bed doesn't like the idea, so no go.
After four days I notice the odd drip of water coming through the kitchen ceiling. I go outside and can see a dripping kitchen tap through their kitchen window. I count the drips to time. Hmm!
For water to get through the solid floor takes some doing, so I assume the kitchen sink must be over flowing.
That was from yesterday morning.
Calculations show 175ml/hour (for them). Much less for me.
Only 100 hours more until they return. Work it out. It's already flooded up there.
Oh yes. 4 weeks since my last run. Picked up a complimentary injury of a tweaked outer knee ligament. Caused I imagine by severe limping about during the other injury phase.
Very wary about trying to run at all.
🙂
Are you at risk of the roof caving in Ric? Water damage is a bastad to deal with!
4 weeks since the last run! Darn! It wasn't that long ago you were going great guns. I dare say that's the game unfortunately.
ps just thinking of our thread heroes at Denmark. I know you can't go off times completely in champ races, but Deano looks to be sitting pretty as top paced this year out of 37, and Simon about 5th or 6th. Promising.
Clearly our two are right at the top of the UK rankings for their categories, in with a great medal chance and are completely different gravy entirely
...but I did naturally wonder what the "slow" end of the fields might look like. I was surprised to clock a few mid 17s - 18s for 5k, and half marathons in the mid 1hr 30s-1.41! Presumably these guys have ferocious pedigree, but have "Only" posted those times this precise calendar year?
Otherwise...do I smell a Team MTSG road trip next year
I've had water come through twice before. Lucky that it chooses either kitchen or bathroom. The bathroom incident was so bad it appeared to be raining indoors. Right over the bath, so no harm done.
There's going to be some noise from upstairs on Sunday afternoon. My calculations indicate there's another 12 litres looking for a 'new carpet' home by then.
Shame really. The irony of the situation is that they asked my wife to water their hanging baskets.
Once I'm up and running again, it won't take too long to get some consistency. Well, until the next twang that is!
Yes, the lads in Denmark. Shows a whole spectrum of abilities across the thread.
🙂
Where are you in the V35 UK rankings? Erm, don't ask that
Woke up with adrenaline, which normally means I'm attempting a tempo!
Eased in with a 4x200m, 4m MP (allow it), 4x200m bookend job.
The heat i was generating on the MP section, my word, shirt off still felt warm!
1x34,3x35
23.46 for the 4m (16 laps and 8secs worth extras)
1x34, 3x35
Reminded me why i've always found tempos harder work than reps, and hence why i need to do more if i have visions of doing 5m-10k and up stuff.
In fairness, i've never changes this Theoretical MP zone from the days i did a 75.41 half, so it could be a faster zone than current fitness, so who know if it's a HM zone or not.
Either way, done and dusted for today, and pleased.