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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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I won a half marathon once where I dumped the rest of the field inside 400m. A stress free run until I realised I was tying up and being hunted down. A last mile involving some tactical surges (every time I went out of sight, I put the boot in for a few yards) let me get away with it.
That's the thing with the longer races. If you escape at level effort then its unlikely you will get caught. Unless of course you slow right down.
Sometimes even slowing down doesn't matter.
On one edition of the Harrow marathon I had got myself into fourth place when; at around half way, a sore ankle started to get on my nerves. So I stopped and had a stretch while waiting for the next runner to appear. But when there was no sign, I carried on jogging down the course for the reason I lived at the 17 mile point.
I ran along easy the whole way there and still I wasn't caught. Must have had quite a lead on 5th for that to happen.
Worst example of getting caught I reckoned happened at the Luton Marathon one year. Its a three lap course and two guys raced each other all the way until one of them jacked it in after two laps. The remaining runner had the horrible experience of being nailed in the final mile by a runner who was at one point over a mile behind. Ouch!
🙂
That's gotta hurt! Luton is bad enough on that final lap!
he did, that was the year I did Abingdon. The 'winner' was DQ'd as he was running on a mate's number and had turned up at the last minute. he had won it before though.
If you're a front runner type, you have to be a clown to not make sure the admin is correct. Especially as a marathon isn't going to be a warm up event for something unless he was some mad Ultra runner.
Ric, always good to hear a tale or 2. One of my 3 bootleg race wins was a 5k somewhere in Berkshire where a 10k was also on.
Before the race, I heard the local press interviewing the previous year's winner, some teen. Apparently it was a given he'd win, and in a course record!
400metres in, round the field the race started on, I heard his chump of a dad shout "got it in the bag son", even though we were level and he'd have no idea who I was.
Long story short, me first, him 4th or 5th (i forget!) miles behind!
And a little reminder to the lad to never presume anything, especially as you have no idea who is in the field!
Reminds me of one of the young lads in Phil's club at the Wooburn 10k once. "I'll come 2nd depending on how Will runs" he told me....ie 2nd at worst.
Result? 7th or so.
SG, arrogance is the one attribute that doesn't lend itself to competitive running. I see it with kids when schools first start holding XC races or anything beyond a sprint.
When my lad first went to his secondary school, he and his friend (trained distance club runners) both knew about the 'road run'. It's 2km of footpaths with a big hill to get over in the middle.
He told me that on the start line the big mouthy kids; especially one, were telling anyone within earshot how they were going to be handing out a beating to the rest.
My lad said nothing.
Whereas 'motormouth' assumed he was going to beat everyone else. My lad and his mate knew otherwise.
Well they were 1st & 2nd by some distance. It didn't go down well.
🙂
I see that twitter abuse guy at races, and he's always very squirmy. I'm always really polite though, which must make him even more awkward
To explain what kind of chap this guy is, a running pal told me that after coming quite high in race that this chap had won, he came over and said "you're in with the big boys"
you have to laugh
And Ric, you're bang on, certainly isn't a sport to blag in. I remember coming 13th out of about 60 in a random 4miler once. I thought i'd get higher in so small a field, but you simply never know who'll be there.That's why I take no shame in winning the occasional race.
That sounds familiar SG
And don't forget - the man IS a champion
6 miles on the road today. Pace came out OK at 7;08 without seeming to push, but I've got all sorts of random pains in my legs - probably all the recent road stuff including Sunday's 15M at pace then the 9M tempo intervals within a few days after a prolonged period of running off-road on soft stuff. Still, 12M progression on the road tomorrow should help!! Might need to re-think that one....
got to keep the runner confidentality clause
Haven't run for what feels like ages! Low mileage job this week. I have to keep remembering it's alright as it's race time!
12mile progression run? Not the classic, end with MP and HMP job is it?
Back from the 3 days away with the terrors.
7 miles on Wed AM was a trail. Thurs off and a 8.5 tonight. My legs feel OK but calves were tight and had to stop to stretch them, not great news after a day off! Had a cold water bath after, which was horrific, to help with the recovery.
Into Feb, Jan was 292 miles! What a cracker!
RE winning races, I won one, but I needed 12 fellas to go the wrong way for this to happen!
Bus... a marathon?! I'm excited already!! Are definitely in?
Still working up to clicking the entry button Stevie! Will try to man up and do it tomorrow! Strangely enough, my calves are feeling tight too (even stranger as I didn't do nearly 300 miles in Jan!!). Sometimes a day off, whilst a good thing overall, can make things tighten up though.
SG - could be, but need to work out how to avoid Amersham Hill to get home for that to work out... Might end up being progression, than slow, then a bit more progression!
Dachs - if you hang around long enough for me to finish at Wokingham I might let you know who
Breaking personal training records can be quite compelling. I myself didn't let the small matter of a HM race get in the way of the opportunity to clock my first ever 100 mile week. (100 miles came at mile 6 of the race).
However from some writings of the late Peter Coe, I tend towards the least specific work requirement way of doing things. Though that depends if the goal is good races.
For me at the moment, its races. Sometimes I like just clocking up miles but that doesn't mean I'll race any good.
Also, you have to ask the question sometimes. Will this session be a plus or a minus?
I've set off to do a long runs and within 15 minutes can sense it's not going to be good. So I packed it in. This has invariably turned out to be a good decision.
🙂
100mile week. I can't actuallu comprehend that. I think I did 80+ once. But 2-3 big weeks soon led to a minor breakdown.
100 is monumental, and you have to be pretty biomechanically sound.
Bus, true on the rest leading to seizing up sometimes. I remember with the hip,after a day off it actually felt tighter. That's when I realised that with a joint you need to keep it warm and worked out, and then strengthened afterwards. Rest won't do it alone.
Stevie, welcome home son.
Classic day today, 2 runs, a 5 with strides, and a 3, and then potentially watching 3 footy games. The kind of day I wonder if I'll ever look back in potentially more responsbilitied up days, and reminisce about
The following Thursday - Sunday was 12s on each day. That incline carried right the way up to 20, 20, 20, 20. We finished our training with a 20-20-26-26!
That still 'only' accumulates to 92 miles. Heading out on consecutive days after work running 20 milers was bloody tough.
If I knew what I knew now, there is no way I would've even attempted it and the fact I prob knew sod all sort of helped me.
Just entered the 3 peaks fell race which falls the day before my birthday. Looks like I'll be sleeping through that. My Sunday long runs look set to be on the fells. Shouldn't interfere with my efforts towards the Trafford 10k which is well over a month beforehand. I seem to be getting fond of these great fell races. :-/
Stevie See I can imagine the cold water bath was fairly intense! I've only just started using cold water in a bucket then dunking the injured leg in for 10 mins after a run and that is enough for me!
Not seen my training partner for a few weeks, turns out the crazy fool was doing some sort of 'run the date' which is apparently 10k every day up to the 10th of the month, then you run the date so by the end of the month it was 29,30,31km. Resulted in 370miles for January, most people would get injured doing that sort of thing but his endurance background seems to have held him together.
How are you getting in all these fell races matt! They won't let me in due to inexperience at the longer distances. They all say, 'you must have completed three AL (long/lots climbing) events in the past two years' which I haven't but where do you start!
Ric, that is tactics you don't mention in public in case the youngsters cotton on.
Rye parkrun today, usual fare, very wet underfoot. 4 runs and a spin session for 27 miles this week, tick, tock, tick, tock, The subway outside the Wycombe Abbey is flooded 3 foot deep but the lights are still on, under water!
SG, your Dad didn't teach English did he?
Phil, sure did!
Where exactly does the park run route go again? Starts behind the swimming pool...and then where
Did a 5 ending on the Rye, around 10.30, a few park run types fizzling away.
Normally the run with strides before a race feels sluggish. Today felt good.
Bus, you're going to miss CP, and the GSR then! That's a shame! One of them might become my yearly staple.
So I was speaking to someone yesterday and he said his English teacher was Mr G and as an option instead of sports they could go for a walk with Mr G and that involved a gentle stroll and a pint at the local.
parkrun (always lower-case, always one word) follows the route below.
http://connect.garmin.com/course/2054932
Starts at the back of the Lido, west by the end of the playing fields, right across the playing fields, right again with the playground on your left and then left and left again along the bank so a full lap of the playground. Then back onto the path (1k) and round by the nursery, cut the corner and onto the main path round the back of The Dyke (2k) and to the end, cut down in to the field at the end of Bassetbury and a lap of there, up the steps back to the path and retrace your steps (3k) past The Dyke (4) and back along the bank and a loop of the far field before the finish.
Works out as 1k grass, 1k path, 1k grass, 1k path, 1k grass. if it is dry underfoot then the only drawback is the slope down and steps up to the midway loop which is worth maybe 20 seconds but the last few weeks it has been cross country.
Big mileage weeks leading to a minor breakdown. Now lets see...
The sequence went 65, 82, 106, 100, 83, 28, 5, 3, 6, hmm!
Biomechanically sound. Not!
🙂
woah! i thought the thread was attacking marathons in 2014....not for abingdon. count me out until 2014 (at least)
my first run since ticking over into the V40 category, after a few days away in Cartmel, a 17 course dinner and tucking more fizz away than i have done for many a year i wasnt sure what to expect on my tempo today. i think sub-conciously i was sending a message to myself as i noticed 2/3rds into the first fast mile i was in very low 5mm territory. slowed it down and did miles alternating between tempo/steady pace over 8 miles.
reminds me of one of the Sale sizzlers 5k last summer. about 250m to go and entering the track finish, this chap who was about 5m ahead of me and his coach shouted you have this man beat, no one can live with your finish. Its over! So i pull along side him with 200m to go and he kicks, i match it and hold level until we come off the bend then i show him a proper kick and drop him hard. took the best part of 20m off him sharpish before easing up to a trot looking over my shoulder with a "where did you go look on my face?" as i cross the line. good news was as it was on the track his coach got a great view of it unfolding
SS - reminder that christleton opened entries yesterday, im in!
I've entered another AM fell race in the lead up to it and put that down.
Your mate made the last 4 words up, but the rest is true.
You park run aficionados are so precious about the branding!
Route sounds like an odd one, and no wonder the times are slow. The about turn round the kids playground sounds particularly badly planned. It all makes the summer 5k seem a super route in comparison
Dean, hopefully someone's coach acts a clown at the next races, is always good for a late boost!
I almost invited the other way round once. Early on in my racing days, perhaps 2003, I did the now defunct Hillingdon 5miler. For some reason as I overtook a guy with about 400metres to go i said something like "keep going mate", meaning to be encouraging, but he took exception to it, meaning a right old ugly sprint in.
beat him though, but as the finish was on an incline it was a bit pained
Ric, people should heed your experience there I think. Those numbers don't lie!
There's parkrun starting in the forest near me that I love. March the 3rd is the inaugurall race... ahem... 'timed run.' One week before the Trafford 10K, might do that or the one after.
4 weeks till Trafford, First big session today... Looking at getting 10 sessions in.
Dean... Christleton... I'm on it now! And mate your kick is a sight to see. Famous last words by that fella, ha ha, if only knew what they were dealing with! Happy birthday day pal, V40 domination pots await.
SG, my experience of having my experience 'heeded' is minimal. People tend to do what they want to do rather than what they ought to do.
Or they interpret what I come out with as 'its your way or the wrong way'.
What is more, I discovered that some people are cynical (cynic:def; someone who doesn't believe in the inherent good in others) so they viewed my advice as some tactic to mess up their training.
So I let em get on with it.
Makes me laugh when I hear a football commentator describe 'a cynical tackle', hmm, a tackle that doesn't bel...........
🙂
All very educational on here today
Dean - that must have been a sweet victory!
Seb - as Matt says, just put down the experince you have, and they'll take a view. With my first Borrowdale it was off the back of an AM (Fairfield).
Bit of a bugger that Abingdon is the same day as CP and will wipe out any chance of GSR. Will HAVE to make certain of Maidenhead then
Right, need to go and do some race entering, which so far is looking like:
Maidenhead Easter 10, 29th March
Coledale Horseshoe, 6th April
Pednor 5, 6th May
Marlow 5, 12th May
Staines 10k, 19th May
Just looked at the Abingdon entry - £36
A lot of money, and in return? Just under 3 hours of pain, after months of commitment, hard work and those wiped out Sundays, as well as a load of grief from the Mrs
Why then do I still want to do it??? Not long to decide before it sells out....
Abingdon marathon entry versus a few bottles of favourite red wine.
I'll get my glass.
🙂
£36! Sounds a lot, but when we don't give a thought to £15-20 for a half makes sense really.
Some pros and cons for you Bus
pros
You marathon folk tell me the marathon is the ultimate satisaction
Better time of year to train for a marathon than a spring one (not freezing and dark!)
I'm certain your marathon time has some chaff to take off
cons
Suddenly the Autumn is about 1 race
Victory 5, CP, GSR, Gosport, Marlow half all presumably off the agenda straight away
interesting one for you.
Ran a course Pb at Marlow 2 weeks after Abingdon last time
Ric, suggests your taste in red wine may be more refined than mine-i'd want a whole case for that!
Do it Bus, I bet you'll boss it this year.
Just did 6 x 1km (90 seconds rec) on the track, was very windy and had to cut the session from 8 to 6 reps as the track closed early today. Reps were:
3:28, 3:30, 3:30, 3:33, 3:31, 3:33. Average 3:31. On paper pleasing but my form was a bit all over the place and at the end it was shocking, not helped by a gusting wind. My 10k pace is 3:36, my 5K pace is 3:28... so it was neither!