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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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It was about 30 mins to the start and people were starting to walk down.
I'd read elsewhere in another epic report that this is the bit you really get a sense of dread. And they were spot on. So steep in places that it's actually quite difficult to walk properly, and I clocked a HR of 100 already, as humidity had crept up.
Made sure I enjoyed as much chat with assorted locals as I could, whilst looking out for any of these supposed "plateau" points (meant to be 2 distinct 75metre levelling outs).
Tell some random lady I might be taking 15mins or so to do it, then thinking, i'm not even sure if i'm insulting anyone with that, overestimating, underestimating, no idea whatsoever, this is going to be surreal!
Hear from people some tips about how to treat the race, and to enjoy it. I'm encouraged by how most people just look your normal runners, and not some Welsh hill legends.
The walk seems to go on forever. I presume where we went past the farmer earlier was near the start, but it isn't! Him his mate and his wife have a beer on, and some little seats out. It's obviously their favourite event of the year, watching nutters hauling up the beast of a climb.
Hear some local say he tried to do this mile within a long run at the weekend had blew up midway. That's re-assuring.
The walk down continues, Bloody norma, how far down is this one going! This must be a mile by now surely. Heck. The dread has turned to slight panic.
Down, under a bridge, and down further. Farkkkk.
There's 10mins to go, and there's a huge field behind, for some last min activity, as well as about 200metres of jogging as I try and remember only goons don't warm up.
By now word has got round there's this English nutter who has travelled 130miles for just this race, and I'm revelling in the madness. Maybe this is the way forward after years of pb chasing, random trips to obscure races. I always wanted to sample races around the country, I might have stumbled onto my next phase!
A lady loudly says "you must be looking to win having come this far", and I quickly make sure I play down expectations, and talk about "just getting to the end", having remembered I not only drove for just under 3hours, but also remembering i'm colded up. And i'm no hero when hills/off road come into play.
Someone else clocks my medical band (not needed for any condition now, but always useful for name and details etc), and much joking about did I get it just for this event
Share so much chat and fun with people on the start line, I'm starting to think, are we actually getting going soon.
I've clocked a couple of guys who are clearly going to be front runners. Tall, muscular, actually doing even a slight warm up, rather than what I've been doing.
Start cautiously I tell myself, so I start a few rows back.
We're off and jogging. Get a little blocked in, but it's obviously going to open up.
Clear my nose, massive wad of snot on my hand 30seconds in. No one's seen, wipe it off, carry on.
Notice some girl about 15 is ahead of me, who cares, doesn't matter today I tell myself, disclaimer in head already.
She soon drops off, people are dropping off, i'm going past them at jog pace, it's obviously already hilly
Some random geezers are steaming down the hill. Thought I was hallucinating at one point, but no, just late! Imagine being late to this one!
Under the bridge, we're already 1/4mile in. That's quarter of the way, after a 130mile drive I tell myself.
Past the farmer, who is absolutely loving the revelry of the scenario, we're coming up to half way, where I know the challenging course becomes absolutely insane.
My tactic in mind was when the gradient slows me to an inefficient shuffle, engage power walking instead. I'd heard some geezer saying walking the steepest bit wasn't a bad idea, but thought i'd see how it pans out.
We hit midway, cripes, it's like someone's turned the course a few degrees, but people are barely moving, and I've long since weaseled my way into the top 10, not even through any great effort, just by consistency.
Engage power walk. Expect to see people come past me. They don't. Instead i'm actually hauling back people stubbornly trying to run at an increasingly slow and inefficient speed and style. Throw a couple of jogs in too, instantly becomes harder, Back to action best described as being in between power walking and skiing. Most animated arm movement ever seen in a race.
I know there is a sign for last 200m up the hill, and the last 150metres are flat quite amazingly, on the run in.
Not quite sure what position i'm in, can definitely account for 4 ahead of me, and there's another guy just ahead of me, who i'm having. He's shuffling, i'm power walking, it's the least hot battle in the history of running. Eventually I get ahead , and back on jog mode, he aint getting back ahead. Past the crowd, who I notice some are taking photos (hope these don't look too bad if they show up), and onto the glorious flat bit, and the only proper bit of running for a nice finish.
They tell me sub 10 is a good effort on this one, so I'm happy with my watch of 9.43, and start thinking, 9.44 is my 3k pb.
No real idea if i'd pitched this perfectly, if I could have been braver on the more runnable first half, or whether I could have jogged fractionally quicker than I power walked some of the steep part. Such a surreal experience.
Glorious feeling at the finish. Especially having felt dreadful for bits of the day and the week. That feeling sort of disappeared In the race itself, but I knew i'd be able to suck it up for a mile, in a way that might not have been worth it for a flat race where you're after a time.
Given a free bottle of beer, which useless for me is good value for a race that cost £3.42 affiliated to enter, with the 42p the online bit I could have swerved!
Loads of chats post race. Found out the guy I'd beaten near the end was a 4.53 pb miler, but reckoned he was perhaps 5.10 now.
Much more impressively, it turned out the guy who won, in 8.23(not even a course record!) was James Thie, a guy who has performed at European, Commonwealth and World stage for Wales, and holds a sub 4min mile pb,a 3.37 1500m as well as loads of Masters records.
http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=1602
Results will be interesting, hopefully 5th, but maybe 6th, hard to tell, as everyone goes off in a blur, and you're not looking too far up! You just gently ease past people.
I wonder if this gets the club record for slowest mile! It might do.
Last year 9.43/9.44 would have been 3rd, but I believe prizes were first man and first woman, so no worries either way!
Hung about for ages after, had a little jog around, and a long chat with a couple of local chaps, who recommended their mate's log cabin for next time.
Had a jog half way back down the hill, and walk back up. I did a video on FB of the walk back up the steepest bit. It's basically me panting like some absolute asthmatic, only slightly livened up midway by re-meeting the couple of chaps from above out for a walk midway saying "I didn't say I was going to run back up" and "this is the worst video ever, basically just me panting in the background"
It surprised me how hard the hill was just to wander back up. Like I found in the race and with the drive, momentum is everything!!
With around an hour still to drive back to Bristol, and my overnight stay, I thought that would do, so didn't go to their pub. I'd milked the "I've come 130 miles for this" enough to anyone who would listen by now, including a St John's Ambo fella, so it as time to disappear
Some great views on the way back out. Sort of sorry to leave, as some of the runs round here must be incredible.
All in all a great trip, very befitting of a landmark like 200 races, and will have to get back one year, ideally with a pal or 2.
Would definitely be worth a few night staying round there, maybe taking in the local parkrun (which presumably isn't as severe!) the next day too.
Rest day sat, still feeling very coldy today, so just chucked a "do at least" scenario in, and came out with 10miles. 7.11 job.
Will give it half a week to get well again and see what the next little jaunt is.
Official youtube video...again, you can't quite get a handle on the steepness from this, but probably the tail off in pace at start to middle, jog to shuffle gives the story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNe86Ra2UvA
Back of pack, so i'm not in it unfortunately, but hopefully some pics will emerge in due course.
I've missed many chances to do a Battersea Park 5k this summer, but i'd ideally still like to do one of the Portsmouth Lakeside, or Gosport 5ks. Looks like I have 2 dates left. Wed 30th August, or Tue12th Sep.
Too expensive to stay down there, so would potentially just whizz down there, race and come back same day.
Keeping an eye on the champions league draw at the end of this month for the latter one, as 12/13 is a gameweek...
Will get well soon though first!
I know someone doing a mile fell climb somewhere up north, which would be rather interesting
12mi long run yesterday for me, and an easy hour today - 43mi for the week, and legs feeling it a little from the sessions and upped mileage. Gotta start somewhere!
Solid weeks from Bus and MH.
There was a sportive going on from Henley on Saturday but it was too late to enter so I just turned up an hour to two after it started and followed the route. Got caught in a savage thunderstorm 30 miles in and then another at 95 miles. Rounded the ride up to 100 miles.
Followed that up with a 16 mile run this morning before breakfast, did it at recovery HR but still came out at a reasonable 7:3x pace so that looks promising. 34 miles run this week, 240 miles on the bike and a few swims as well.
Completely missed MLs race report - cracking 10mi, and with neg split miles from looking at Strava, especially given the tempo yesterday. How's your foot?
Looked at the results, good to see it was won by a Brit who wore a shirt.
Good job you don't have to pin a number on for parkrun.....
(I wouldn't run a parkrun topless by the way - SG might.....)
You can have a "nice" work for the rest of the post though
If i was having a stinker where i didn't fancy it over 10k, i dare say it'd be more a case of think of a number and double it!
Matt - usual tidy work yourself too!
Matt H - mileage getting a bit higher, always a good feeling. 50 miles to me now feels severely under par, whereas mid 60s feels the real deal. 60 is generally what i like to average.
Phil, can only imagine how hot that is there for shirt off action.
6&4 today, still that uncomfortable coldy feeling, but i'm judging it was ok to run easy through.
Can't see much quality coming in this week, but am on standby in case the Dacthet guys call me in for a doubles relay Thursday, as one of our chaps who has a fast partner is doubtful. Comfy either way, not bothered about turning up just to "take part", but if there's a chance of placing i will do!
Add in the joining of a local powerhouse club and winning a few pots with them, and all good.
I definitely want to do some more events by "Nice work" the Sussex based team who pit on the Gosport mile/5k. They seem to do tonnes of series all over
SG Our glorious leader, Matt Head, ML84, Bus, Phil Morris Jones PHD I imagine, Simon ten pints please Coombes, Reg magic Wand, Ale-probably run faster than you once - house. Dachs -should be a comedy script writer.
Great reports. Keep them coming please.
Such is the power of this thread that everyone's efforts are considered worthy of support from internationals to relative cripples like myself.
Lets face it. Running speed is relative. Everyone has a personal standard, the big issue is whether or not they can improve. The journey is what makes the athlete.
So lets not grizzle about speed or disappointment with race times. As I said to the guy who had just finished fourth in the National XC champs. I wish I could run half as shit as that!
My knees/lower legs seem to make running (I tried) impossible at the moment.
Hard to put my finger on the problem. It's nerve connected. If I had a disappointment it was Sunday where I thought I could run slowly due to lack of running fitness, only to discover I couldn't run one yard, period.
🙂
Ric - keep the faith, you will feel stronger with the running soon enough
Simon - Congrats on another medal. great work. also good to see the chap I nicked the silver off won the gold in the 5k so at least he goes home happy. Are you tempted by Malaga, to add to your impressive haul?
Dachs - a decent crap race which ends in a series win....congrats! you cant churn 32's out every time. I agree a small break and re-energized legs should see you closer to a PB
SG - The combined posts and photos of 5 European championship races between myself and simon ending in 3 international medals was significantly less than your monster report/photos from a back end of the world uphill mile adventure.
lots of detail to picture the event and very few of us consider making reference to watching farmers family so well done for spotting that. 
Great stuff and sounds like a cracking day out. Sounds like you enjoyed it...if so there is a "famous" mile near me you might be interested in. www.mowcop.info/killermile/killermile.htm
Since finishing the race in Denmark I have eaten and drunk as I please and am suffering from restaurant and takeaway fatigue now, so back on the healthier diet again soon. Was forced to race on Saturday in a 1500 league race to ensure we weren't relegated. didn't fancy it. thankfully I was the B runner so I just sat in front and slowed it right down, only getting excited for the sprint in which was nippy. Got 1st place in a sizzling time of 4.21 but still won by 4 secs. was very slow and tactical.
Another tidy little race, so much easier to rack up loads of races with shorter ones!
Interesting to compare the Mowcop v Welsh one. Looks to be 550ft v 680ish, with records of 6.12 v just over 8. Not sure on the pedigree of the Mowcop winners, but the record holder and the winner were both Commonwealth games/Internationals.
Apart from the ascent differential, the Mowcop one looks to have 4 parts, 2 runnable, and 2 super hard, with the Welsh one, starting off steep, and then getting super steep.
Might fit it in if it suits a footy trip.
Few more days easy running, to rid this cold off, and then Thursday, I've weasled into a club relay event, 2 in a team, 5x1km each. Quite fancy this, as it'll be like a harder version of one of my sessions, but with more recovery.
Thinking about it, it actually will count as race 201 on my record, as there's a medal for finishers, and it's a payable "open" event, rather than just club fare, just limited to 100 teams.
Probably our current top guy (lower quartile 16s for 5k) has teamed up we believe with our super vet (mid 50s and mid 17 5k), so myself and teammate will have our work cut out to compete for the win!
Nice bloated 1500 Dean
Ric - hope it sorts itself out soon.
Soaked on the way home last night. Swamp run this morning. Same again home.
Whatever happened to summer then?
SG, those relays sound like an excellent opportunity for a session!
Ric, I hope you find some relief soon.
24 x 200m session with 1min recovery this evening - with the coach saying somewhere between 1500m and 3000m effort.
The people in our training group can be split into two, roughly, those with sub-1:20/2:45 half/mara, and those that are sub- 1:30/3:00. In my mind, I wanted to stay in between these two groups. Sadly, my watch decided to break (or just play funny buggers) for the session, so I have no direct data.
However, with each rep, I was consistently ~3s behind the leaders and ~3s ahead of the others - and looking at their data afterwards this gives me an average of 36s. This equates to sub-5min running, which given the lack of speed work, I am incredibly pleased with!
Calves are now a bit tight, but that's to be expected!
As things stand, running is on hold.
I've worked out the source of the problem. It wasn't from running. Running just paid for it.
🙂
Typically, my longest weekday run coincided with the worst rain for ages, but was fairly enjoyable. 10 miles, 7.02 job.
Setting the route is usually the most challenging bit, to not bore myself to tears, so found an extension to one of my shorter runs down some random country and grassy paths. Bottled going too far though, as the last thing you want to do is overdo the distance, 10 was plenty!
Murder mile results are finally confirmed. 5th out of 122 in 9.44.
While the winner was a running legend as mentioned beforehand, i notice 2nd, hasn't run any other times anywhere near what i have and is V40. 2 years ago he did 9.46 and this year 9.11, but without any improvement over other distances seemingly. Huge gain.
Does have a 3.24 marathon, but dare say it's massive hill skills gained from living in that sort of area, not to mention experience on this course.
Definitely one to have a crack at beating the time on next year....
Starting on the front line, and working harder in the first half before the inevitable meltdown seems the best bet