Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Moraghan Training - Stevie G
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Reckon that’s about right for me Pete. It’s going to depend on tides & weather of course but about 17-20% slower on a normal day. I’ll be happy with a low 19 tomorrow evening.
We've starting racing weekly in the Zwift racing league, it alternates between a team time trial and a scratch race (individual race with points for sprints KOMs and finishing spots). Last week's scratch race I came 4th overall in our league. It's quite a popular format and across all the divisions and leagues I think there's about 8,000 riders. We sit 8/17 in the division after 4 races and there's a Clapham Chasers team in 9th, not sure if Joe is involved?
Today seemed to signal an entry to Winter. Absolutely freezing on the warm up today, and for a rep or 2. Real "can't feel fingers" scenario, that I can't remember for a long long time.
Luckily not one of the massive long recovery jobs of the sharpest track work, but instead a more measured 4x1mile threshold job off 90secs, developing on last week's 4x5mins.
Did the first one without taking lap splits, forgetting that the auto mile recording would take that, ludicrously early on lap 4, with me being a right wrist wearer, going anti clockwise!
(5.25!) The actual rep being 5.55 with the 2secs or so into lap 5 for those 9metres
(Makes me chuckle when I think of a guy locally who takes his mile splits off his watch on a track! Even as a left wrist guy that'd still be cheating him by a good distance)
Anyway, settled back on track
5.55, 5.52, 5.52, 5.50 all in.
Will probably build to a fuller 5 reps of this one, and a 3x10min job at one stage too.
I've been reading along as always but haven't posted in quite a long time now - apologies. Quite a lot going on in the last month or so actually.
Enjoyed reading up on various turnouts from threadsters - hopefully we won't be restricted from doing stuff for too long.
Some might of seen on Strava that me and a couple of mates cycled from John O'Groats to Lands End over 6 days. Averaging about 160 miles a day, with one day over 200. Great fun, but a lot harder than I thought. I won't bore you with all the details on here, but I've done a fairly comprehensive write up for anyone who wants to hear more;
https://spragginsblog.wordpress.com/2020/10/22/jogle-day-1-i-dont-think-i-can-do-this/
I then had the brilliant idea of running a trail marathon just 7 days after (Endurance Life Suffolk). Thankfully, it wasn't too hilly, just muddy. The 'standard' rolling start format, I was one of the first off and knew that on the road I was in the lead. Got passed around 13 miles by a guy doing the marathon, so knew that I then would at best be 2nd.
Second half was a real slog, especially as we got a bonus mile at the end to round it up to 27 (to be fair this was advertised) - legs were pretty cooked by the end of it, held on to 2nd place by a decent margin though.
On top of that, we've now got a 10 week old puppy who's proving to be quite a handful, and are in the process of moving out of London. Obviously lockdown slowing things down slightly.
Reg - challenge sounds fun. I've not been involved in any of the racing and to be honest it looks like we've got our B team out. Can't see any of the big hitters taking part
Hope everyone is getting on alright - will try and post a bit more regularly if time/work allows!
I really have to not post a meagre session 3mins before you post an epic
Read about a guy doing that challenge on foot. Think he took about 3months and went through a huge wad of cash even though he was tenting it for a decent chunk. Not sure if it'd be magnificent or miserable. My big concern would be setting out for a day, and ending up further away than I'd started
Where's the big move going to be to? Far enough away to need a club change? Or just somewhere close that's less insanely expensive?
9.5m this morno, threw in a real steep muddy footpath I've always wondered where it goes, and didn't get round to doing on the epic tour of furlough! Now I know!
Race/TT was interesting yesterday. The A race was won in 15:08 with 2nd place finishing more than a lap behind in 16:25! The real fun & games began in the C race which went off next: floodlights failed. First half went off then the other side went out which made spotting the lanes/kerb tricky. They were back on for the start of my race but went out again about half way through. My left foot decided it wasn’t up to running & this meant I dropped off the pack completely after a K with it protesting ever more angrily. I pressed on & even rallied from 3K. It was all too little too late & I finished in a woeful 20:20 which I suppose is apt. Limping after & again after trying 6K at lunch. 😭
I'm "blessed" in that there's a steep hill in the woods on my doorstep, and a choice of steep hills all within a mile
But unlike the big boys like Phil, who is at the top of a hill, I can still find a good 8-10miles flattish in a couple of directions too.
Anyway, had run through my 12 sesh 5k plan, so noticed Datchet quoted this week's "virtual" session as 24x200m off 30secs, so gave that a whirl.
Turned over around 38, which is probably spot on for the "20secs a mile quicker than 5k pace" quoted, but it just feels an odd session, where you're never coasting, but never putting the gun down.
Something different.
Managed to only take 20sec recoveries a couple of times, but no biggie.
AD - that's interesting. Either a very optimistic secondary date - with a typo on the year, or very bizarre to change next year's date?
I'd edge on the side of it being 2020.
General question for the thread - I’m a runner in my late 30s, been running about 7 years and have used the Daniels plan for the past 3/4 years with some success. I’ve managed to get my pbs down to 20:42 for 5k and 43:00 for 10k. I’m happy enough with the way Daniels works, but wonder if I could make better progress with another training plan. Are there any other approaches that you’d recommend?
Surely extra mileage would be the obvious route to gains however, good gains up to 50 miles I expect before diminishing returns.
Went to my favourite local hill at lunch, managed 420 metres of elevation in 10km and door to door in 1hr 20 mins. I just hate getting in the car to do a run so I need to fix up a bike I don't mind leaving at the bottom of hills!
Your age won't be against you, especially if you've not been above 25-30miles a week throughout your years running.
Probably needs someone with more minimal mileage on here to advise you than me, as that mileage really needs a boot if at all possible. I'll never forget a legendary local runner telling me that I "hadn't started training yet", when quoting 30mile weeks!!
However if that is your constraint, I'd imagine you have to make sure on 3 key sessions a week - long run, continuous tempo, reps. And make those 3 count.
I'm also like Reg in being historically injury prone and also in trying to make up for a lack of running distance by getting plenty of regular cycling in. That was much easier when cycling was my commute, so now its all work from home it requires more effort and planning to get the cycling volumes in.
Re time constraints I would suggest trying to combine normal day to day routines with exercise if at all poss; running or riding to work (when its not all wfh!), while waiting to get kids from places, cycling to and from any shopping errands etc. all builds the miles up.
Like SG said though, you are still young in running terms (probs about 20 years younger than me!) so should be able to get a bit higher than 25-30 mpw if increased steadily and without too much hard running on tarmac surfaces (keep it off road where possible I'd suggest).
Jools bad luck on that 5K; sounds horrible trying to do track with no light
Good going Reg and SG too, hard to keep the focus now we have another long break from races. Brilliant cycling on LeJog Joe, and only you would throw in a trail marathon a week later.
Wool and AD; I did Hatfield 5 last year. It is, as they claim, a very fast course but also incredibly dull! Would do it again though given the chance and their website seems to be (optimistically surely?) suggesting 27 Dec 2020 now.
I had a quick whisk through on the below, and can only see the original date and time here?
http://hatfield5mile.co.uk/
But AD has a good point when he says that's an awkward slot for a race. I did the Aylesbury 5k on Boxing day a few times, but a little further away, a little further in distance, and one of these wave races could be tough even for the most motivated!
Thanks all for your comments, I do agree that mileage is probably the biggest thing holding me back. I do still fit in the 3 main sessions each week, but just don’t have the time in the week for much more mileage (probably a crap excuse if I’m honest!). Good to hear that age isn’t yet a problem too.
Our route was off-road from Bus' country estate, mainly within his own grounds but we did briefly exit into Hugenenden estate before returning. He mentioned that he seldom visited the Thames and when he did so he was disappointed. I was out there this morning: no comment necessary.
Have felt a very distinct lack of Bus posts recently
Combination of general manicness workwise and just not really having anything of any interest to say is the reason for the lack of posts. Just the same old same old for me, but not its stopped me reading through everyone else exploits of course
It was great to go for a run with Philip yesterday - only the third face to face (or face to back of head anyway
It's not so much the views and the sheer scenic appeal for running by the Thames Philip - that's what makes me think I should head there more, it's just that, for some odd reason, the running always seems like harder work and just a but duller on the flat! I do love a stroll from Marlow, but usually when I've got an ice cream at one end and tea and cake at the other!
In six months I took a 2:54 marathon down to 2:46 averaging 18 miles per week. Max, 31 miles.
Nothing special about the speed sessions. Straight out the door and spend the first ten minutes getting the deal up to speed. That's one minute running and about half a minute at slower pace. After ten minutes I'd chuck in two or three reps of three minutes apiece with a minute full rest between. Then back to the one minute on, half minute off while reducing the pace into a type of warm down.
Whole session door to door lasting less than an hour.
Long run? As far as reasonably possible. Bearing in mind you'll have a day off before and two days off either side of it.
🙂
Just the more positive, honest posts the better really.
13.5m for me today. Did a version of my run up and out to Beaconsfield, up and down a little to Penn, and down a colossal hill back from Hazlemere, but in reverse today.
Didn't attempt to run up Amersham hill in one go, but did the equivalent elevation with some weaving and exploring. Still a tough climb of course, as it's around 300feet whatever way you do it.
Bit of an explore through a few trails into and out of Hazlemere Rec then through Penn. Instead of going all the way to Becaonsfield though, I tried a wander through Forty Green.
Pretty much a straight line, resisting temptation at the various footpaths, before finally hitting some muddy woods.
It was here I started having a few doubts to this plan, as there were a couple of left right options, and seemingly no end to these woods.
Finally, I was delighted to come back out about 1/2mile away from Hammersley Lane, and all simple fare from there.
1,000+ feet in there today, which has to be up there with my highest climbing long runs, still turned over at 7.16 average surprisingly for all the climbs, and chunks of offroad.
64m week.
SG did 13.5 miles and just shy of 1,100 feet and flags it as hilly. I did 10 miles and 1,200 feet and that is regular fare for me: about 100 feet per mile is what it works out as.
Reg is trying to do 29,029 feet so at 100 per mile that is 290 miles so he obviously needs way more concentrated hills that that, closer to 200 feet per mile.
Since recovery from the foot injury, I've averaged 5,432ft a week for 22 weeks, off 47M a week, so 116ft per mile. Just need to up my mileage to 250 for the month
14M and 1655ft today to make 50 for the week.
(PS - SG, look for the footpath alternative to Amersham Hill which runs next to the cemetery - better views, although possibly a higher chance of being mugged!)