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
i do like the Tadley course, as it was my first XC race, back in Jan 06. Can remember turning up thinking, "This'll be fine", and feeling utterly knackered begging for it to end.
I actually ended 2006, which was my first year of a lot of races, 25 or so, vowing never to do an XC again.
Probably my favourite running photo ever came from that Jan 2006 race
Tadley used to have this massive tree blocking the course, and there was only one rock n roll way to deal with it
I remember wearing spikes at Tadley XC and it was a BAD move. Knobblies or trail shoes all the way or get an extremely sore foot for a week like i did
Sam likes that picture of her ahead of you, has made it her cover picture:
certainly seems a great race to get pics from
Only question for me is how big I choose the studs - trail big or fell big (no spikes anyway!)
Shame there was no picture at the same point we went up the steps the second time then as I'd have been in front!
Nice Tadley shot that SG. As for tomorrow, I can do a 6.5M to get there, 4 with you and then take another 4.5 to get back home so that would work very well. Just need to get the timing right, so I don't have to hang around the car park and stiffen up! Bear in mind I'll be in road shoes for your route choice
. How would 1pm suit, or would a little earlier be better?
Dachs - Get trail shoes, Kanadia or similar, I used only those for years on XC as there is usually a section not suitable for spikes (or at Tadley, a lot). Now I have spikes because the Oxford league courses are more suitable.
Recently got a pair of these bad boys:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=1&gs_ri=serp&pq=asics+hyper+xc&cp=11&gs_id=18&xhr=t&q=nicklas+bendtner&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.d2k&bpcl=40096503&biw=1366&bih=643&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=CB3rUMC6DuON0wWlv4HIBA#um=1&hl=en&tbo=d&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=asics+hyper+xc&oq=asics+hyper+xc&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l8.815.4676.0.5493.16.11.1.4.4.0.166.1038.9j2.11.0...0.0...1c.1.mhrBGL-gx58&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.d2k&fp=1ea0a9e2e30f9ab&bpcl=40096503&biw=1366&bih=643
Convieniently my current favourite socks are the same yellow. Only issue with shoes like this is not looking like Nicklas Bendtner - nice shoes, crap at football.
Sounds a better plan, can we make it 12.30 instead?
I'd aim to get there slightly before, say 12.20-12.25 so it can be a seamless transition rather than you having to stop.
All the routes are normal trainer friendly, even the woods seem to have pretty good coverings, so don't get too mashed up.
I'm 99% this'll work well. If anything ridiculous has popped up at work tomorrow morning in my weeks off I'll let you know, but don't envisage a problem!
SG, what's that t-shirt about? Big girls' blouse! None of that nonsense up noooortfff
A 4 and a 7 today. I had 3 hours sleep due to illness and waking myself up sneezing (that's a new one on me!) so chuffed I made it. To all the early birds pout there... I've done 2 early runs recently and they came out at 8:30 pace
and my heart rate was 170+
. Compared to my evening run of 7:30 with average heart rate of 153. Is it normal to struggle so much for energy/pace/good form in the morning?
that was one freezing cold January back in 06. Having said that, it was my only time ever wearing gloves, and regretted it after 1/2mile.
It's funny, it was even colder in 08 there, so wintery cold, they had to re-route the race so that the water jumps had thawed before a stampede of runners got there! Been mild so far this winter, hope it lasts until Sunday!
Never used heart rate monitoring myself, but an 8.30 average, if that's on the flat seems to suggest you're either knacked, or a bit under the weather. You mention illness now, has it been lurking, and showing itself in those runs?
No I've been grim for about 5 days, it's a full on cold now, I'm pi**ing out my nose! Maybe it's my body adapting to the early mornings, I do literally run after being up for 2-3 mins. It's been the case when I'm fighting fit, but always managed to squeeze the pace to sub 8min/miles.
I only ran with gloves once felt like a girly footy player never did it again!
you're not even giving your body a chance to get going in that case!
Even when I've run at 7am I've been up an hour. You need to wake up fully at least, and get prepared. I doubt I'd get much out of it trying to run upon waking up!
Gloves in a race, I won't do again. You reach a certain intensity where you feel warm enough however cold it is. In training though, or doing reps, you don't always maintain the heat, so it's pretty impossible to run without them sometimes. I can recall not having enough feeling in my fingers to press the garmin before.
There's much worse though. Shades in any weathers, those skintight calf support things that surely look more likely to cut off blood supply than help out, and shorts so small that on motion it's a miracle they keep even the most shrivelled noodle at home
Training is a different matter! I've trained in a bobble hat, 2 coats, a neck scarf and 2 pairs of gloves. I suffer from raynaud's disease so I have to be careful with my hands, even when it's not apparent it's that cold! I remember one race where I had to ask a guy to go in my shorts to get my car key, he then had to open the door and start the car as my hands literally went purple. It was scary and very painful!
coats and scarfs is extreme. I've often done hooded tops. And found to my peril that you can't do MP or faster work in the pouring rain wearing a fleece, as you end up weighing double by the end of it!
Bus has a good story about the cold though, one marathon he did! Now that's a distance not to get cold in!!
Presuming he pops on later, I'll catch up on that tomorrow...have to get back in the routine for proper sleep times now, after a glorious 2 1/2 weeks of any old hours
For him mostly if he had to get the keys out of your shorts!!
Seriously though, Raynauds is not nice...
12.30 should be OK. Technically I need to be contacable except between 12 and 2.30, but can probably sneak out early. If something crops up though, would a bit later cause a problem? If it would, then no worries as I'll just do the shorter section first.
I wouldn't get Kanadias - they are heavy, and don't last long either! For racing some New Balance MT101s or MT110s are good - very light with reasonable grip, or if you need a bit more in the way of grip, the La Sportiva Cross Country is good - both can be had for peanuts at the moment...
5 mile tempo tonight in 29:01, so 5:48 pace. Definitely feel like my pace is coming back. So that's nice.
Best thing about the Sportivas (other than the gripand fit of course!) is the price. Nowt wrong with the Speedcross though Matt, I wouldn't have thought? Not a true fell shoe as not so low profile, but grippy enough I would think. Seb whooped me at LL in a pair!
Bloody quick tempo that Dachs - inside my (official!) 5M PB mate!!
SG - cross posted! Yep, a tale about Luton and near hypothermia, but one of a dull moment methinks!
Bus, i'll start getting prepped at 12.20,to be in position for 12.30, but can no doubt squeeze back a little if needs be. Drop me a text if needs be.
Dachs, as a comparison I hit 30.10 at 5miles within an hour tempo that alternated in 10mins between HMP and Steady last week. But clearly that has the steady 6.30+ pace for 10mins reducing it.
29.01 and 5.48 is pretty fast. On paper my tempo pace is 5.42-5.45 ish, but clearly I wouldn't be able to handle 5miles at that in training, probably 2miles at most!
OK, I will aim to be at that car park for 12.30 (or as close as I can get it!) and let you know if there is an issue.
Decisions though - to take a drink or not! I'm trying to build up the length I do without taking one but the longest run wthout a drink to date is 13.5M and will probably end up around 15 today...
chap i train with just ran a 3.47 1500m indoor this weekend. winning the BMC A race. thats how to open your 2013. should make my reps this spring a bit more lively with that sort of speed out in front
Seb - he "only" finished 16th in the birmingham xc league, but won the leek xc.
Bus - i would take a drink, maybe a half bottle to reduce the weight you have to carry
That's an impressive performance!
Bus, i've regularly run 16milers with no drink. Not sure you need one in this weather, as you won't dehydrate. Couple of sweets might be a better bet.
Bus, take a massive cannister of water, but make SG carry it like a mule. Water for you, resistance training for him. Win-win.
Adidas Adizero XT4 purchased. They didn't have any of what The Bus recommends, and I don't have enough time before the race to order anything. But they're grippy and light. Plus they are bright blue/orange, which has to be worth at least 20 seconds per mile.
XT4's have got a good reputation Dachs, should do you fine for Sunday (you'd beat me wearing wellies!). Bet they're not bright by the end of the race!
Wish I'd thought of getting SG to carry the water (might have slowed him up as well!).
Did 15.1M in the end in 1:56, with the partly off-road, hilly bits with SG in the middle making it up to exactly 1000ft according to Mr Garmin! Slowish pace overall (that'll be Stevie dragging the pace down then
), but not surprising given the climbing and couple of miles of mud on top of a hard race Sunday and another hilly xc yesterday!
Dachs, got to love the Adizero. Although getting the flash looking shoes and then smashing them through mud water and all manner of farmers slop means they won't look new by 11.40 sunday morning!
Bus, good run, reminds me that running with people makes it a much better experience, easy to forget!
When i saw you smashing along I realised i'd have to reduce that pace somehow, as my stomach was already finding the transition back to rice and banana morning fare too much too handle!
Lucky you weren't too far away from work then I guess!
SG, its funny that you can do long runs without a drink. Right this minute I'm having some fun on another thread where the posters are convinced they'll pass out if they feel peckish.
🙂
Ric - you're so mean
. I've just posted on their (to balance your old school curmudgeonliness with the more friendly face of the SG thread
)
Oops - terrible misuse of their/there above!!