Moraghan Training - Stevie G

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  • parkrun this morning for me. Sandwiched between a jog down and back to make it to 10 miles. The filling came out as 18:48 for a new course PB (old PB was 18:54 from May 2013 so it is good to beat it when the course is running much slower due to water logging). P&D, as was pointed out to me half way through the week, is a tune-up race week and it actually felt really nice to go round the parkrun and feel that the legs had something in them so the midweek 5x600 was definitely better then 6x800.

    Odd run as a whole bunch of out-of-towners appeared and I was down in 6th place but gradually overtook a few of them to pull back to 3rd by the end. It took a long while to overtake the first lady, who is a 2;16 800m runner and 36:10 at Leeds Abbey Dash, but I did so at 3k but as she had just come off a 20 hour shift it needs a re-run another day.

    I have now moved up to 4th on the all-time V45-49 records for Wycombe parkrun image , and yet I am only 3rd on this thread in the same category image.

    I am being naive, or is this a made up name? Nobody calls their child Dick Staines surely?

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Very unrortunate name, but some parents just don't think Philip! There is a Chairman of a local charity group called Mike Hunt...

    Good parkrun sandwich there. have they gone back to the proper course or is it still two loops of the cycle route?

    Good luck tomorrow then Seb - sounds like you will need it! Dorking's not a million miles away, but more south of London to our west.

     

  • The Bus wrote (see)

    Good parkrun sandwich there. have they gone back to the proper course or is it still two loops of the cycle route?

     

    It is now officially "the winter route" so starts round the back of the Lido, grass start for maybe 300m, then out and back along the dyke, 300m of grass to a 180 degree turn, and repeat. There are no steps so that is a plus but there is still a big chunk on grass and it is very soft underfoot. That will be a fast course in the summer but they will switch back as even today it was crowded with 124 runners and in the summer we will probably be closer to 200.

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    Yes, but they must be doing it on purpose. Otherwise why go for Dick and Mike rather than Rick, Rich, Mick etc.?

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    This guy always calls himself Michael, but we don't image

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Lots of potential for conflict round the back of the Dyke I should think.

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Interesting session just now. I wasn't going to run, and went out for a spin on the road bike. I did 16M on the bike, then on a whim decided to see what it would be like to go for a run straight after, with half an eye on the Marlow Duathlon. I say staright after, but the transition was more like ten minutes by the time I'd sorted myself out and get caught by the neighbour asking me for a saw!

    Anyway, I thought I would be able to set off quite quick being warmed up and did, but my legs felt very odd (probably familiar to Iron!) in a way I couldn't quite put my finger on. That said, I still managed a fair pace and despite quite painful hamstrings, averaged 6:50 for 3 miles. An interesting experiment!

    Anyhow - exceptionally good luck tomorrow for Reading Stevie G, Lit and Dachs (fingers crossed you are well enough to race!) and to Seb for his mad cap torture endurance experience! Anyone else racing tomorrow?

    Also looking forward to hearing how Ric got on today.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Back from the Middlesex masters XC with a team silver. I was second scorer from three.

    Only real problem was my spikes. The apparently tight shoes slackened right off after about 5 minutes. This didn't help in thick mud.image

    Felt I had a comfortable race but seeing who was ahead of me and just behind me in the results, indicated I was way down on normal service.

    The Garmin refused to pick up a signal so only had the second half to look at. 6:24 pace without busting a gut until the finish was ok.

    As for the race itself, found and held a position early on. Gradually lost a bit of ground in the latter stages. Shocked to discover the first women finishing seconds behind me, someone who I would beat by two or three minutes on a 10k.

    My team mate was less fortunate. At half way he was nearly a minute ahead. 400m from the finish I went past him. In his defense he had a problem with a ham-string.

    Our team were 2nd, 7th & 8th. The team that won Highgate were 1st, 4th and 5th.

    Another guy who runs for my second claim club was 3rd, as a warm up for his main race of the weekend, the Reading HM.image

    🙂

  • DeanR7DeanR7 ✭✭✭

    Congrats ric.  7th overall and team silver is a great result.

  • Congrats ric.



    Good luck to all those racing Reading tomorrow, & other events.



    Don't be shitimage
  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Cheers Dean & Nikki.

    One bit of encouragement I had was that I started the Garmin at the start of the two lap course. Some of the pace was dire as I endeavored to keep my shoes on. On  more solid ground things were better.

    On the 'run in' to the finish I had a couple of guys go past and since one of them had the audacity to be a V50 I felt I'd had enough sub standard work to contend with so I really went for it.

    Over the last 100m or so, the 'read out' indicated I rapidly advanced from mid six minute miling, into the 'fives' and then into the 'fours'.

    HR hit 177bpm with that. But I've rarely felt such a powerful finish. The strength work is working. 

    🙂

  • Well done Ric!

    Nice one Bus. We call that a brick session. Jelly legs are the reality, but you've found out that despite feeling hard, the pace is often quicker than expected. Keep a lid on it for the second run, and build up to full pace.

    BTW - the first run will be paced as if it was ONLY a run, without a bike or 2nd run. Do keep upimage

    Good luck to all at Reading tomorrow. I shall be taking part in the Green Park challenge!

  • ML84ML84 ✭✭✭

    Congrats Ric, silverware is not to be sniffed at! 

    Ive come to the conclusion that you're a screw loose Bus, image you'll not be happy u til you cant walk unaided!image 

    good luck with the obstacle course Seb, I'm sure you'd thrive on a Lakeland fell race or one up on the Pennines near me. 

    Also good luck to the Reading crew! ill be eagerly awaiting the results! 

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Well done Ric, a lot of positives to take from that race in pretty atrocious conditions. Silver team medal is the icing on the cake too.

    Iron - I only did the run after, not one before - that will be the next experiment! If I do decide to do Marlow, I'll be pumping you for all the info I can get! Not least of which will be what shorts can I wear for both running and cycling without getting some major chafing issues image

    Matt - Seb has some Pennine fell race history already - he beat Jebby at Lad's Leap when it was an English Champs fell Race a couple of years ago image.  

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Cheers, Bus, Matt, IC.

    Woke up this morning with none of the usual post XC aches and pains. Probably due more to my inability to force the issue yesterday than anything else.

    Staggered to discover only a couple of hours after the race, all the results on PO10, it didn't make comfortable reading. One of the curiosities of XC is that some runners are prepared to run at an intensity they wouldn't dream of doing anywhere else. 

     

    🙂

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Matt - missed the bit about me having a screw loose and walking unaided - you're probably right. Mind you, I'll never be able to walk unaided - will always need at my legs image. Mind you, thinking about it, even that hasn't stopped guys like Richard Whitehead, and he's faster than me image

    Well done Dachs and Lit on very good times at Reading. Won't go into the rest of the PM here! SG - how did you do?

    Managed a 7.2M xc this morning. Pretty pleased, as the pace was fine given the mud, and there was virtually no twinge from the groin. Even the new one on the back of the knee mostly behaved itself! That made a nice 50M for the week, despite being the longest run, and longest for 3 weeks!

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    V quick one, full report later. 74:58 on the watch, but i got my result texted and theyve bloody given me 75:00. My aim before the last 2 weeks was 72:59. The mistake I made was believing that could still be on the cards and setting off at that pace, hitting 10k in 34:30. At 10m id slowed but was still on course for a small PB, but fell apart.

    Felt crap all the way round to be honest, and just not up for it. Disappointed. I need to find a half later in the year to put this right.

    Well done Ric on the silverware.

  • Ealing half Dachsimage
    Pain is weakness leaving the body
  • Dachs, everyone will tell you 75 on a bad day isn't too bad, but if it wasn't what you were aiming for, no words will really help. You knew you were not in good racing mode and you have come away with a reasonable result: now need to concentrate on whatever it takes to get better and back into the groove for VLM, even if it means a week easy or even off.

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Cheers chaps. Perspective is hard to find immediately after a disappointing race. Scott, I hear Ealing is positively mountainous image

  • DeanR7DeanR7 ✭✭✭

    Dachs congrats.  the  standards you set are high but a 75 is a very decent return considering how you have been feeling.  Now bottle any mild disappointment you might feel and unleash it at the VLM.  I think that's the PB that matters the most. image

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Know what you're saying Dachs, but just be glad you weren't relying on it for London qualification!! Now THAT would be a frustrating one!!

    Hardly eaten since morning, and need a bath, but 1.17.40 for me.

    3rd quickest out of my 23, but as per the last 3 races, it's been a mix of me being a bit underpar, and the weather. Literally could wheel out the last 3 race reports.

    Will go into it more...erm..later.

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Well done SG. It does sound like conditions were less than perfect, so that's got to be worth a bit of time.

  • Well done SG and Dachs. xx

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    first of all, glad you enjoyed your XC turnout Ric. I like when you're satisfied with your racing, as it dispels those crazy quit ideas you sometimes mention.

    Right, so Reading half. Had bizarrely had adrenaline for days for this, maybe too long like Ric said.

    I'd also got sucked into the big build up on Samir's thread, when normally I keep it all on the low.

    Hit some heights between Autumn 2012 and Spring 2013 and haven't really got too close since. It's been a recurring theme of just enough weather issues to stop me thinking I'm completely not at it.

    Got to the pre booked parking and trotted along to take some race pics, and see who was about. Randomly met Dachs, who advised dropping stuff off back at the car asap.

    I'd forgotten how rammed Reading gets. Luckily I'd done a nice mile or so warmup  before remembering how you can barely even jog it's such a slow busy walk.

    Some jobsworth refused to let me jog down the quicker way to the start, as it was an elite area, ignoring that it was about 30mins to the start, so I had to sift through 3,000 people the long way round.

    Some photographer, grabbed me and a Reading runner, and insisted on us doing some mock running pose. I really hope that doesn't surface anywhere!

    I then noticed Samir and shouted out "hold on there" and went and said hello. he had a yellow vest like mine, not sure what happened there. However, they still let him into the elite bits. I could have lied my way in too, but no real benefit.

    Then it hit me, that the usual "last min pitstop" woods entrance was flooded....and the queue to the portaloos was monumental.

    Long story short, the strides gave way to standing about, giving way to somehow stealing into the elites queue, saying hello to "Mr Overall", and glorious last min relief!

    Then back into the yellow zone, with a "don't you swear if I overtake you today" shouted to Crispy in the elites.

    Told myself don't start too quick, remembering the stats I posted on Samir's thread from post races.

    Big Ben from Fetch reckons I still went off too fast, but my autosplit for mile 1 was 5.41, and 1mile marker 5.53!

    The markers proved to be odd, as from mile 1 it came out .03 after the watch (which I'd bloody left on auto miling), so didn't really have a clue.

    Looking post race on the official splits, first 5k was 17.40, and second 5k was 17.11. Showing the ups and downs..

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Noticed Datchet Alex and Sam starting next to each other on the grid. Which struck me as odd, as I knew he was aiming for under 1hr 12 at least, whereas she'd run a 1hr 17 2 weeks back.

    However, she shot off, and it took me until the 1mile marker to overtake.

    By 3miles saw Cooray walking back the other way, Bus you'll have to find out what happened ?

    And by mile 4 had caught the legend of Samir. We chatted a little, and I passed on some course tips that proved to be utter bollax...hill at 9miles? That'll be 7miles then!

    I was then transfixed by a woman by the surname of Bird, who had some great definition from behind, and her back had the shape of a 6pack! That got me through a few miles, as the course goes from silence to massive noise at the Uni and in the Oracle.

    Then by midway I was thinking, this is hard, yet there's another 6+ miles.

    The "half way" timer, said 39mins, and I was thinking, hell that's a 1hr 18 if I even keep this pace, which I won't. However, it was clearly in the wrong place like with a lot of the markers.

    I was thinking, I know there's a hill at 9miles, so prepare for that. So as I went up a hill at 7miles, I was thinking what the hell is this.

    However, the real stinker of this race is the 2miles down a dual carriageway.

    Just before that I met our man Crispy, in pretty much the same position as in 2011. Again a little bit of chat, which is never the sign of a maximum effort, and trying to move against a stern breeze,

    I did notice some guy with headphones in, dressed all in black, with no skin apart from his face showing. Most off. didn't let him beat me on sheer principal!

    When the 2miles arduous slog was done, they gave us another mental challenge, seeing the stadium, yet taking us down some other road.

    Down there I saw Dachs the other side of the road, not really knowing how far ahead he was. 2:40ish then probably.

    Then turned and was anxious to see if Sam and Samir were anywhere close.

    As I got up the top of the road, I was slightly surprised to not see Samir at all...

    Just outside the stadium, 800metres to go,and suddenly clocked my XC rival from Wargrave. Oh piss off I thought, I haven't got the will for a last min thrash down. Therefore, I just dribbled in behind, and lost on gun by a few seconds, but I notice by about 13secs on chip so would have been pointless!

    Was pleased just to finish, and was then surprised massively by a certain thread member coming in not too far behind.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    (can I really squeeze a 3rd long post out of an average race? yeah why not)

    Post race was what can only be described as a "Bugger's muddle", as I tried to manage 3 sets of people, the Sandhurst lot, Lit's Lot, and Samir, and hope it all came off.

    In the end I did it all wrong. The plan was meant to be take Lit and pal to some drinks place with Sandhurst. But I heard Samir was attempting to run miles and miles to the station which the drinks place was near. So I offered a lift.

    However, foolishly we hadn;t got his kit sorted, so got stuck in the biggest queue ever. Lit and pal were not surprisingly keen to get off.

    Back to the car with Samir, and it took ages to get to the town. I must have somehow knocked the sat nav though, as it took us back to the stadium about 20mins later.imageimage

    This was after accidentally driving into the carpark next to the station! Attempting to reverse out, having to go back in, and hoping the 10secs in and out isn't some finable situation (as we ended up doing it again later!!)

    Eventually having dropped Samir off, I was way too knackered to try and find anywhere else so shot off home.

    Only to find I was locked out for an hour, so sat in the boot (!) on facebook!

    Samir was a top guy actually, needs to reign in the silly claims and he can go places.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Stevie G wrote (see)

     

    Looking post race on the official splits, first 5k was 17.40, and second 5k was 17.11. Showing the ups and downs..

    hang on hang on... that second 5k is obviously 18.11...I can't count  imageimage

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Good run and great report SG, one day I hope I'll have something worth relating in detail myself.

    Mind you, if I do I'll type the entire lot out in a 'word' document and paste it. The last occasion I lost 45 minutes worth of post I broke a record for the total number of 'f's' unleashed in a minute.

    Sometimes my races are nothing more than glorified salvage jobs. However, any race is better than no race. Biggest shock yesterday was turning around to see my club mate Chris, just holding off (by one second) the first lady. And she was 56!

    Actually none of my team was really in shape but we were well pleased to get the medals. Just reward for turning out. Lets face it, what do most guys in their 50's manage to achieve most weekends, wash the car, wander around shops bored out of their skulls until its time to go back to work?

     

    🙂

  • Leslie HLeslie H ✭✭✭

    Good report Stevie G , that 1:15 will hopefully happen soon enough image

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