Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Options
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
Today, even worse, so taking the obvious call of putting "ill" in the diary, and will take a few days off now until it's fine again, simple as that.
Have already sacked off Friday's Maidy 10 as there's not a chance in hell it'll be worth doing that. The idea of running 10miles feels miserable right now, let alone any fast effort.
Also alerted the team manager that i'm not given for the finals, just 2 weeks away. Not a chance i'm saying yes to that if any doubt.
Knew there was something brewing, but just glad to have got through decently and not the team down!
Had 2 days off work anyway as end of year holiday filler, but lying around coughing and sleeping is not the stuff of magic
Thank goodness for WFH for getting through the next 2 workings days.
Just did 8 min tempo - 10 x 400 - 8 min tempo last night, with 2.5 mins recovery after the first tempo and the 400's. With the crap weather and being a bit achy I didn't go over to Luton.
Thinking about it, 3 hard races Sunday-Tuesday-Sunday is a bit full on...
SQ - thanks re: the NB SComp sizing thoughts. I'll keep an eye out for a pair when it looks like I might be able to make use of them! Training is looking very good; keep it up!
SG - hopefully you feel better soon. I'll also be giving Maidenhead a miss. Given my last few weeks in particular it would be particularly stupid to even consider it.
Hope you are feeling stronger!
Hope you feel better soon SG
Not like the Home Countries cross country thing when you have to do the qualification race in Derby to get in the England team.
The 10k & marathon is slightly easier as there's often a few races (one in south, Midlands, North etc) to get your place. Although this may have changed.
Going to Luton tonight for track training, not letting the weather beat me!
And yes, heading in the right direction, thank you. Last week after an hour at 6:46m/m I was too wiped out to run Friday, tried to run Saturday and turned around at the end of the road, and didn't even bother Sunday. 6m at 6:43m/m on Tuesday saw me just about ok to manage an easy 7m / 4m jog yesterday, albeit feeling very tired, but I'll take what I can right now.
Going to do the 1500 in Gothenburg as my final international V50 hurrah before it gets swamped with fast 50's! That's towards the end of August.
In my book it should be an even playing field irrespective of where you live, particularly as we've got a reputation for getting all around the world. Unfortunately, as a country, we have previous across different sports that say otherwise.
In the underage national football teams, if you weren't from Dublin you tended to get treated very differently (Roy Keane was very outspoken on this based on his experiences).
There's also a great book by a guy named Jim Hogan, called 'The Irishman who ran for England' - he got slated as he tried to run for a medal in Tokyo '64 in his marathon debut (which he only found out he had been entered in on the plane out, so didn't have the training done for it) and ended up on a stretcher at 23m where he was 2nd only to Bikila (both of them went through 20m inside the then WR for the distance).
He was treated so badly, and some of it was directed towards the fact he had moved to England, that he basically told them to get lost, transferred to England, and won the European Championships marathon in '66.
No athlete I know would begrudge anybody a place in a squad in any sport just because he was living outside the country. The officials tend to be a different story, though maybe that has changed since the last time I queried the situation (I was told that if they were picking a marathon team they'd only pick resident athletes - at the time I was 2nd ranked v40 I believe).
Great to read the write up, SC. Well run and it sounds a brilliant trip all round.
Positive signs of progress, TT. Interesting story about Hogan. Seem to remember the name.
How you feeling now, SG? Well done at the relays. Not before heard of the classic combo of lucozade and tic tacs, but whatever works for you 😊
9M with a few strides along the canal on Monday. Squats and box jumps.
Early morn 6M recovery Tuesday, with a 3M double later on.
Big session yesterday: 94 mins including 20 mins (6:35 pace), 16 (6:41), 12 (6:27), 8 (6:19), 4 (6:07) all of 3 mins. Total of 13.8 at 6:52 average. The big tempo style sessions seem to really work for me in a way that short very fast sessions don’t.
Deadlifts and kettlebell swings before another 3M recovery double in the afternoon.
Then a 2 x 4.7M slow run (8:30s) to the hospital for a diabetes appointment today. Bit of a weird run with a 30 minute break in the middle. Cholesterol marginally improved, HbA1C (longer term blood sugar level) marginally worse. Hope to be changing to a different pump soon.
Helluva racing schedule that SC2 Decent positions. Shame you weren’t able to squeeze a medal out but sounds like you had fun in between racing too.
Well done on the NR qualification SG. Hope you’re starting to feel better now.
Glad to hear you’ve been getting out the door TT. Long may it last.
This week has been 0, TM5K, 11.8, 6.3 so far. The 5K was 8 m/m whilst the outdoor runs were 9 m/m. The first was almost a Tempo session & the other 2 were top end GA. HR still elevated - probably 40s a mile slower than I was just a couple of weeks ago. 😞
5 total rest days - while it's not been anywhere near the Chicken Pox and Vertigo total wipe out jobs of previous years, it's clearly more than the standard cold, which I'd often not even miss 1 day for.
Put a 4miler in today, see how it is, and also get into double digits (10!).
Was probably as expected - a few coughs on way, legs hating having to move, and while the left hamstring woke up 2miles in, right hip was still moaning at the end!
Finished and spent 5mins coughing.
The national relays on Sat is looking massively unlikely.
It'd be one thing if it was on the doorstep, but a 200 mile round trip, plus hanging about 6-7 hours doesn't scream wise move.
I'd never actually said I was in and did point out to the captain the state i'm in, but his last comment was saying I might be leg 2
I did a slightly better 4.5miler today, same coughing after though. Have privated my runs at the moment as don't want even more pressure coming my way from the team!
There is a travelling reserve thankfully, just need that to be for me once i'm 100% out, not for anyone else!
Will ignore any chat about it for the next few days and see how the recovery goes.
Have the next 2 days off work which at least allows a few longer sleeps to aid things.
I was in for a HM the week after next, but without any doubt I'll defer that one. You can blag a 5k but no chance with a HM.
Hopefully will be back on track in a couple of weeks and then can look forward to doing a tonne of short races for the next 3-4 months. Usual mix of fast ones, fun ones, random ones and a couple of little relays maybe.
Good you’re back running, SG. And no bad thing to enter Strava dark mode for a while. Good for everyone very now and again.
Seems a mixed bag from you, Jools, but a good adventure king one from you I note. Enjoy the break.
Big run at the back end of last week: 3h including 1h easy into 4 x (20 marathon effort, 10 steady). Tough going off a big week and a windy day. 6:52s for the ons and 7:20s for the steadies. All in 24.65M at 7:14 average.
Big week in total with 31M and a huge March of 336M. Probably the biggest reason for this is no racing in the past month. Seem to be getting fit from all the training but I’ll be lacking a bit of mental edge you get from racing. Might need to get in a parkrun dust up as a bit of a rust buster.
A month to go until Boston (UK 😆) and the plan starts to decrease from here. Another descender style session tomorrow, albeit a bit shorter than last week. And long runs go 2h15, 1h45, 1h15.
Jools - Yes was a good laugh, that's a major side of it
TT - Great post, interesting reading.
SG - Hope you feel better soon, take it easy etc..
Nice weekend down in Poole, 1095 down at Poole Parkrun Sat am - went round in about 18 or so, just picked up the last K a bit. Was never going to be eyeballs out as I was a bit hungover after watching footie on TV and then to a beer festival!
12 miles Sunday (7.7 with Ollie) and then 7 yesterday morning.
I'll have a proper read back later. SQ big week of 31m, I assume that should be 81!
Like SG, I have been a coughing, spluttering mess the last few days. I planned some good raining over Easter but alas it was fairly minimal in the end. I also had some hamstring cramping on a couple of runs, not a full cramp but enough to suggest it may be wise to return to base.
So the last 4 weeks have been 0,9,17,7. Still need to see off this cough but I was ok to dribble out a slow 10k yesterday.
Fingers crossed we're both on track soon.
I finished another 4.5miler today coughing like mad, so finally made the obvious decision - out of Saturday. Feel slightly bad as it's a real hassle organising this for the captain, but i'd been up front with updates from the day after we qualified and when someone like me is taking a 5 day ill break, you know it's not blaggery. He had a travelling sub too, so there's still a full team available thankfully.
5 of the 12 for the southerns are out, but at least others can sub in and experience the Nationals.
I'm neutral about the course and venue myself as it's got a right bastad hill in it, but I've only done the more knackering long leg.
Long trip, long day, and going off 2nd in a national relay screams a day of misery really, so at least that's done.
Will defer Reading HM soon, then have a clean bill to just get back onto a usual keel, and hopefully be ready to race in May onwards again and rescue things with a good summer.
Likewise Reg.
That’s a monster LR SQ & month. Boston should be a breeze.
Finished my week with 7.3 out & back over the Severn Bridge en route to Cornwall. Saturday was 8.4 inc Penryn Parkrun in 23:21. 3 laps each with over 100’ of descent then ascent! I then walked 10 miles around Loe Pool, along the coast to Porthleven then back via Penrose. Trip down memory lane for me as I lived hereabouts intermittently during most of the 90’s & early 00’s
Started this week with zero running but went to a Health Club for swim, sauna & yoga/stretching then walked 5 miles round Pendennis Head back to Penryn.
Tuesday was another coastal escapade from Bude: 10 miles N along the SWCP then 9 back on the tarmac lanes. 4,000’ of climbing, wind & rain after the first hour. Legs weren’t happy from the start & they only got grumpier 😆
Had hoped the CP here would be firmer but if anything it was worse which put paid to my plan to complete the N.Devon stretch this week. It’s only a 15 mile route with half on the CP but I can’t face another battle like that just now.
Instead I drove South & did 12M@8:27 done along the Camel Trail. I was a bit ambitious & only turned after 7.2. Got to a road crossing in Wadebridge on 12 & decided to walk the remainder as my HR was climbing rapidly even though pace was more or less constant & I now had the wind at my back.
Hopefully do a few more in the other direction during tomorrow’s dry weather window.
Not totally 100% either here, bit tired I think, touch of sniffy nose.
8 x 1k on Tuesday, 3.13 down to 3.07 off 90 secs. Got soaked so might feel a bit crap from then. Just 5k Weds, commute runs yesterday, nothing today.
Long leg on national relays tomorrow. What joy
Have been conducting a typically sensible recovery plan - very gently inching the single run up.
And i have to say 6miles today felt better than any of the 4-5s until today.
Legs certainly still feel a bit leaden, and it's only sub 8 sort of fare.
25 Mon to Fri, i'll take the usual Sat off, and then gently perhaps inch to 7-8 Sunday, for a 32/33.
Then hopefully see that to 45-50 next week then move from there.
Last friday track of the block tonight, obviously a no go, and they shut down until May, so hopefully May is a good reset for both track and racing as a whole.
Still haven't dealt with the club situation
Current slight change is considering staying as i am 1st claim, but local addition as 2nd claim. As bar racing in a local series in their vest, there doesn't seem any actual benefit in going 1st claim right now.
Pop back in next week for another change of mind though
An outrageously mature and sensible comeback SG. Keep it up.
Impressive k reps, SC. Good luck tomorrow.
Jools is back with some epic outings. Great to see. The spa and health club less expected 😊.
Hope you’re on the mend, Reg. Your planned ‘raining over Easter weekend perhaps did come to fruition. And yes, 81!
Solid session on Tuesday, although perhaps not progressing it in quite the way I hoped: 13.1M in 90:08, regretting a ponderous warm up 😆. 20, 15, 10, 5 mins off 3 min jogs. Paces were 6:30, 23, 21, 24. Probably overreached in the first and paid for it at the end. 7:28s for the jogs so solid from that respect.
9M easy Wednesday, 7/3 double yesterday with a big hill early doors. Then a token 4M with strides today. Peak tiredness coinciding with peak mileage I suppose isn’t a surprise.
Anyway - I’m addition to Boston (UK), I’ve entered a race! Bristol Track Club 5k next Saturday 13 April. Held on a cycling crit track near Bath it gets rave reviews and when the weather plays ball, numerous PBs. Attracts some good fields and if you’re sub 14:30 it’s free entry 😳.
SG = Sensible Guy 😆 Glad you’re improving.
hat’s a very solid HM training time SQ.
The spa & health club was my non-running mate’s idea. She’s a member & signed me in as a guest. It was very enjoyable for a change.
12 more on the Camel Trail & on up into Bodmin Thursday. The hill destroyed me & I was done by the time I was on the return.
Must’ve been enough to freshen the legs for Saturday’s parkrun: Central Plymouth. Another lumpy one (240’) with 3 dead turns too. 21:44 for 28th of 404. Jumped straight in to barcode scanning after then had coffee & a bite to eat before finding a city Trig, then running another 11M to tick off the Plymouth stretch of the SWCP. Drove home after.
Legs weren’t exactly fresh this morning so 8.8 on the local trails was plenty & bring up my biggest week since last May’s Ring o’Fire adventure: 68M
68M is a cracking week, Jools, and it has been great to see the trig adventures back. Some are very understated though I must say!
After two weekends of 3h long runs, yesterday was a significant cutback at a mere 2h15. That said, it included 13-15M at marathon effort. I reckon this is verging on risky territory, having seen far too many a club mate ruin themselves with say 20M at marathon pace.
Absolutely filthy southerly wind, which made then opening 3.5M ‘easy’ warm up to Cheltenham, frankly, disgusting. MP HR already in operation. With it being 17C I took a bottle with me with some ginger sports drink freebie from Abingdon marathon.
Dumped it near the parkrun start/Prince of Wales track before beginning the effort on the Honeybourne Line cycle path. 5k there and back and managed two before heading over to parkrun: 20:57 (6:44 pace) and 20:54 (6:42s) continuous. Probably overcompensated into the wind.
Four minutes of faffing with the drink and some back and forth waiting for parkrun to start. I feel a bit rude not attending the briefing, but after 184 at Cheltenham, I reckon I’ve got the gist
. 21:10 for parkrun, although the watch has it at 6:34 pace, so I guess that shows parkrun winter course is long or I need to remember the watch adds some serious mayo to help paces.
Another three minutes of barcode scanning/jogging before heading home with a (faster) mate. 6:53s for the next 4.1M. Largely tailwind, but I was ruined with a long way to go. 7:36 for the mile and a bit home for a total of 19.2M at 7:03 average. If I am honest, I found it bloody hard and had zero chat with Alex. The warmer weather (and wind) probably added to this, but I think it is best to lean into any filthy conditions at this stage of race prep.
5M wind that was borderline illegal this morning. 75M for the week.
SG - did you go to the big cup final today?
I did 20m at 10 easy, 10 av 7.20 yday. 2 wks til London. Havnt done as much as normal, but lots of 60 to 70 mpw weeks, lots of 20 or 21 milers and the last 3 wks being 88, 80 and 73m. Sensible to 1/2 way, then see what I've got.......made the sensible decision to swerve Brighton today as the wind was howling on the seafront this morning, probably as bad as Gosport HM in November.
Ridiculous to equalise late, and concede again even later to a farcical fluke. Oh well. Travel was brilliant, albeit boiling hot on the train wearing too much stuff for April!
You must lose so much money in aborted windy race entries
9miler for me today, 50% higher than any run for 2 weeks, and a 34mile week, which doesn't sound too bad.
Obviously need to keep going the right direction, but hopefully not much harm done bar missing out on a little 3 week block of races.
Big session SQ, and big miles Jools.
One of our lot was aiming sub 3 at Paris today. Did 3.08.
No idea if he put the right amount of long runs in, but I dare say it can catch you out first time out however perfect the build has been.
I'm glad I've done my 20milers steady-ish last couple of years. Those have pretty much shown me marathons will not be for me, whatever people reckon.
Some good training and long runs going on out there, in particular SQ. Also seems all is right with the world with typically madcap write-up from Jools.
That still sounds like a pretty solid build up TR. Hopefully London provides a still cool morning, unlike last years rain.
Sensible work SG, just doing enough to keep things ticking over. I am still coughing up all sorts but I have managed a few easy runs and 24 miles in total last week. I have spent a lot of time sleeping!
Thankfully nothing serious to train for so no need to rush, although Hyrox is in a month.