Moraghan Training - Stevie G

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  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Totals

    Year’s mileage – 2,937 (2013) vs 2,372 (2012)

    Races run – 17 individual, 2 relays

    Distances raced – 5K, 10K, 10 mile, half marathon, marathon, XC/miscellaneous

    PBs – 5 (1 x 5K, 2 x 10K, 1 x HM, 1 x mara)

    Prizes/general accolades won:

    Individual (not all with actual prizes though):

    • Three 1st places (Shinfield 10k, Yateley 10k Race 1, Reading O2O 10K)
    • Four 2nd places (Last Friday 5K, Woodley 10K, Wells 9.6K, Yateley 10k Race 3)
    • Four 3rd places (Yateley 10K Race 2, New Forest 10, Frome Half Marathon, Reading XC)
    • Yateley 10K series winner
    • Berkshire Marathon Champs Gold (Abingdon)
    • Berkshire Half Marathon Champs Bronze (Wokingham)
    • First Wokingham Borough man at Wokingham Half
    • Reading O2O 10K course record

    Team

    • Shinfield 10K first team
    • England Athletics Half Marathon Championships 2nd team (Reading Half)

    Lots of vouchers, a big plate, a golden trainer and a framed photo of some deer’s backsides among others.

    Top 3 Personal Running Highlights of the Year

    1. My first ever proper race win at Shinfield, with a decent PB to boot, in a race organised by my own club.  My whole family (including my parents) happened to be there too, so felt pretty damn good.
    2. Breaking 1:15 at the Wokingham half – one of the few times I have genuinely felt that I have left everything I had on the course.
    3. A string of ten top 3 placings in a row between spring and autumn – not sure I’ll ever manage that again. 

    Top 3 Disappointments of the Year

    1. Frome Half Marathon – an utter disaster – after having been ill all week, I barely broke 1:20 and had to walk 4 times, having never walked in a race before.  Awful.
    2. Cross country performances – being consistently beaten by people who I would mainly be ahead of on the road.  Reading XC hardly counts as it was virtually a trail race.
    3. Just missing out on 2:40 at Abingdon.

    Thread Members

    • Best race performance – Whilst Iron and Dean’s international vests were excellent, that’s more about getting there than the performances per se, although Dean’s 1500m at the BMAF champs was awesome, and surely is the main reason he ended up in consideration.  However, the one performance which most made me think ‘wow’ was Johnas’s 33:15 at the South Bucks 10K, because, despite great times in training, it hadn’t yet shown in a 10K race, so that time was an absolute stormer.
    • Thread poster of the year – Samir Haddad!  No?  Oh, OK.  Honourable mentions to Phil for his curious blend of stalking and graphs (we should be glad he’s posting on here, because otherwise he’d be perched in a tree outside some unfortunate young woman’s house, making bar charts on his tablet about how often she goes to the bathroom) and Lit for breaking up the complete sausage-fest of the thread.  But I shall go for Stevie S, who, that 3000 apart, has endured a pretty frustrating year, but has kept training hard and kept posting offering support to others all the way through.
    • One to watch – can’t disagree with mattl, who will run some terrifying times in 2014.  More to come from Seb too.
  • Can I join the foot pain club? I actually have (self-diagnosed) extensor tendonitis from tying my trail shoes too tightly on my Christmas off-road runs  so the bloody things wouldn't get sucked off in the swamp (slight swelling of bony bit at the top of foot). Ibuprofen and wearing different shoes that I don't need to lace as tightly is fixing it.

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Race Results

    • 5K – 16:33 (2012) à 16:22 (2013, Last Friday 5K)
    • 10K – 34:19 (2012) à 33:27 (2013, Shinfield)
    • 10 mile – N/A (2012) à 57:21 (2013, New Forest)
    • Half marathon – 1:16:23 (2012) à 1:14:46 (2013, Wokingham)
    • Marathon – 2:50:51 (2012) à 2:40:22 (2013, Abingdon)

     

    Review of aims for 2013

    • 5K – sub 16 = Nope (this was always going to be a stretch – think I was in shape to go close at one point, but didn’t run the right race at the right time
    • 10K – sub 34 = Done (6 times!)
    • HM – sub 1:15 = Done
    • Marathon – sub 2:45 = Done
    • Finally meet The Bus = Done

     

    2014 Race aims

    • 5K – sub 16
    • 10K – sub 33 (this is the absolute daddy target of them all)
    • Half Marathon – sub 1:14
    • Marathon – sub 2:40
    • Still be faster than Samir Haddad at 31st December 2014

    Also would like to break the relatively soft club 5 mile record (26:40), and set some respectable track times.

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Hmm.  Some formatting bizarreness above means that I appear to have introduced some French into my Race Results.  Supposed to be arrows...

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Lit - the first rule of foot pain club is don't talk about foot pain club.  The second rule of foot pain club is thick carpets.

  • This thread could do with more French if you ask me. image

  •  

    Cheers Dachs for the mention, it has been a frustrating year but I kinda feel like I'm a bit closer to putting my finger on why it didn't go as planned. You mentioned a pre-race night from hell then go and whack my 5K PB out of the park(run)... whilst having a foot pain! Good man!

    My lack of miles up to Christmas was due to a pain on the top of the foot as well, so demand to be in foot pain club. As John McLane would say... "Fists with your toes, fists with your toes."image

    Started the new year with a slow 3 and an easy 8. The 8 was the first easy run where everything seemed normal. Legs ached a tiny bit, heart rate was normal and pace was 7:30.

    Dean, that picture is ace! And cheers for the kudos on the 3000. Be interesting how I do at that distance without the prolonged spring focus. As I'm not warm weather training this year.. I think that partly did me in last year!

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    good work Dachs. Made good reading, although I'm hallucinating a little after discovering there IS a limit of how far you can push things in a day.

    10mile run morning? Easy. Combined with a 400mile round trip to Manchester? Not many would, but yeah standard. Combined with a sudden cold, with shocking motorway driving conditions and watching the team lose?

    All too much.

    Only erm, positive is that clearly this cold has been slightly brewing and must have affected yesterday.

    Oh dear, 2014 is going to be one massive excuse fest, I can feel it. Probably followed by disappearing for good, out of even Phil's stalking capabilities reach...

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Stevie, the situation is easy with you, you had a couple of PB-tastic years, and simply hit that plateau everyone hits.

    Might be a little bit more hard gain here on in, but certainly there's plenty more to come. Start with that half marathon! Fat as anything!

  • SG,  you've got what has been around for a while.

    A night in London,  return flight to France with late night,  a meeting with a sick colleague and a late night tempo in horrendous rain on my return put me on the limit. The subsequent speedy 21km run broke me. Hence the week of easy over Christmas.

    This year won't be much different to last. You just need to consider not only training stress but real few old stress too. You're getting older and these things will happen more often. 

    Slightly worried as this week's LSpR was in heavy rain,  as was yesterday's easy parkrun. Can see blue sky today though,  which bodes well for a track session. 

  • I'm with you boys.



    Horrendous 8m session today. This gastly cold combined with not much sleep on NYE (always seems to hit on day 2 after a late night!) really knocked me for six. Shattered and could breathe. Attempted some short quality (4x30m/150m) plus 4x200m on a bit of a hill. No quality whatsoever. Not sure why I tried!



    Then sat on the turbo for 20 minutes feeling guilty!
  • JohnasJohnas ✭✭✭

    Been great reading peeps’ reviews and as Dean mentioned, there’s been some great results across the board on this thread in 2013. I’m pretty sure 2014 will see things improve further too.

    Mattl – looks like the pressure is on mate as the hotly tipped ‘one to watch’. Don’t be sh1timage In all seriousness though, a bit less of a scatter gun approach to your racing and we’re all going to see some epic times from you for sure.

    Dean – thanks for the nod. Coming from you, it’s appreciated. Looking forward to watching you smash things up over the track season and think that sub 2min 800m is there for the taking. Suggest you invest in a trophy cabinet too if you haven’t already J

    PMJ – after reading your meticulous VLM build up in 2012, I’m looking forward to following your build up this year. A 2.4X is tough target but I’ve no reason to believe it’s not achievable with your scientific approach.

    The Bus – what stands out from your review is what you’ve achieved when realistically being injured for 51 weeks of the year! What I can’t help noticing is the desire to PB across the board, from 5k upwards – whilst not impossible, I can’t help thinking that targeting one (your 10K?) and training for that would not only get you sub 36 but also tick off some of the others on the way? Whilst my 5k is 16.33 officially, I ran 16.25 at 5km in my 10k race thanks to the event specific training. Thoughts?

    Lit – *chants* sub 3, sub 3, sub 3!

    Velloo – nice medal haul. I share your pain on the injury front but slowly slowly catchy monkey! If ever’s a good time to build back up, it’s these winter months.

    SS – I can see a plan formulating! Nice build up work in first quarter, summer of 5ks and 10ks leading to an autumn of marathon training and HM PB, before Chester Marathon! Seems like a decent plan to me. If I may be so bold but in reply to your question, I do think you could be accused of leaving some of your best work on the training track but no doubt that, if you could get the session planning right (maybe with the help of a coach?), 2014 would see you sail past those targets on your way to Chester Marathon

    Iron – a great year from you. GB vest never to be sniffed at and well out the reach of most of us here. And with everything you’ve ‘learnt’ by your own admissions in 2013, 2014 is looking pretty rosey I’d say. That 1

  • JohnasJohnas ✭✭✭

    Iron – a great year from you. GB vest never to be sniffed at and well out the reach of most of us here. And with everything you’ve ‘learnt’ by your own admissions in 2013, 2014 is looking pretty rosey I’d say. That 10km time is a dead cert for sure.

    Dachs – thanks to you too for the nod. To be fair, you’ve put in some incredible performances since I first met you at Wokingham and you put in that breakthrough run. Dean aside, I don’t think anyone else has had such a blistering year of podium finishes. Not sure I agree that it won’t be repeated. Pretty sure you’ll hit all your goals in the summer off the back of VLM training & fitness and the sub 2.40 which is due.

    Seb – As other have said, nice to see you finally realise some of the road potential we were all waiting to see. All that in amongst some crazy arsed races too which, if i didn’t know your quality, would have poked fun at at being ‘novelty’ races. With you at the sharp end of them though, no risk of me taking the piss out of them anymore! Would love to see you focus on the road as think you’ll be well up there in the Matt/Dachs zone. In fact, you probably still will be as you’ve proved a diverse mix of races works for you.  

    Nikki G – Epic mileage but not really surprised. Interested to see your 2014 aim is to NOT have any racing goals. In addition to your obsessiveness, I’d have thought the lack of race focus post Spring has only contributed to the high training volume that’s left you fatigued towards the end of the year. There’s no doubt though that you’ve achieved some awesome improvements in 2013 but I would guess it’s having a better structure rather than pure mileage/volume that has led to them versus 2012.

    SG! – The originator. Thanks for the kind words and to be fair, we could have continued to be neck and neck I reckon if you hadn’t had such an injury strewn end-of-summer-into-autumn. Funny old thing injuries and as Wokingham is looking like a DNS for me and you’re back on an upwards curve with some good sessions of late, there’s every chance you’ll start levelling those PBs again, starting with HM. We should line up a few races this year (but only when I’m fit yeah?)

    In fact, why don’t we ALL try and do that? 2014 SG thread race/outing anyone??

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Johnas - good call re an outing.  I'm pretty much decided on Leeds Abbey Dash being my Autumn target.  My wife has been going on about going up north for ages, and whilst I am sure Leeds was not entirely what she had in mind, the chance of a bit of poking around York or Harrogate or the moors will sway her to make a weekend of it.  So, anyone else up for Leeds?

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    A big thread race has been mooted for a while. I guess Wokingham half and Cabbage Patch 10 have been the highest volume we've ever managed, but clearly southern biased.

    Hard to pick something loads are up for, that everyone is fit for.

    For instance I missed the CP meet last year, and will miss Wokingham this year, won't be ready unfortunately. After last year probably good thing as it went so well.

    ps Johnas thanks for the kind words. I'll do really well to get you within sight again!

    Today has mostly been lying around, but cannot tell you how eagerly I'm smashing some food down today after eating next to zero yesterday, bar some delightful fish and chips. Those tasted so good, that I considered packing the running in instantly and just becoming about the food!!

  • Johnas wrote (see)

    PMJ – after reading your meticulous VLM build up in 2012, I’m looking forward to following your build up this year. A 2.4X is tough target but I’ve no reason to believe it’s not achievable with your scientific approach.

     

    I know 2.4x is going to be hard but it is the only thing I can really target. Same as last year I had to give myself a shot at sub-60 at Cabbage Patch, this year I have to give myself a shot at 2.49.59. There are any number of fall back times from beating 2:50:28 (VLM 2012), 2:57:09 (2011), 2:58:30 (bus' time from Abo), sub3 and plain old 3:15 to renew my GFA.

    Dachs wrote (see)

    So, anyone else up for Leeds?


    I fancy that and have waved such an idea for our club's winter outing.

     

     

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Not the Datchet fun bus?!

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Datchet fun bus, with obligatory  "and we haven't even got xx and xx running" comments from all

  • DeanR7DeanR7 ✭✭✭

    dachs - the plan is to race leeds in 2014 but it was also the plan for 2013 and that didnt work out.  Im sure matt, stevie s will be in.

    havent run a step this yr and wont do now until the county champs xc on sat?  anyone else doing theirs?

     

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Nope, forgot to enter in time.  According to PC2 there are only 6 inter-counties places up for grabs in Berks rather than 9, so I'd be even further away from qualifying than I would have been anyway.

  • ML84ML84 ✭✭✭

    Great post Johnas. I'm going to try and sort some sort of race plan this year. The 'don't be shit' line looks like it could get a few outings this year! image 

    ill be entering Leeds this year all being well. THE quickest 10k I've come across. I think Salford is flatter (there's 2 humps at Leeds) but the quality of field is unbelievable. 

    Tried a trot out on my niggly calf and came through unscathed. County champs Xc on sat but not sure if to risk it. It'd be a miracle if I landed a top 8 spot anyway. 

  • JohnasJohnas ✭✭✭

    Quite fancy Leeds. November seems like a long way off though right now. Do Leeds/York/Harrogate have any nice Xmas markets that I can dress it as a 'weeekend away' with the missus?

    Had to drop my County Champs this weekend too as recovery taking longer than planned. Managed top 10 in V35 last year and was hoping for a better show this year but hey ho.

    PMJ - although there's no such thing as a given in marathon running, i'd be surprised of anything other than a sub 3 but, get the long run sessions right, and no reason a 2.4X isn't achieveable.

  • Thanks Johnas. Good thread-year summary. For a rag-tag group of internet saddos we do quite well image

    I'm up for Leeds, depending on whether I 'need' to race a du that month. I'm also considering Eastleigh if the Southern contingent wish to make an appearance; perhaps we can persuade PhilPub to bring along a picnic?

    In line with SG and Nikki's crap sessions I have completed the triumvirate at the track. Plan was 1k, 2k, 1k, 1k@400m RI. Targets of 3:31/1km and 7:24/2km.
    First rep was bang on, second (2km) I missed by 25s and I missed the third (1km) by 16s. I listened to my body and went home without doing the fourth.

    Positive outcomes from today: 4km quality and 9km easy running, plus rest day tomorrow! Every cloud and all that!

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    25secs? Wow, what happened over 2k big man? Feeling ill? Or just one of those sessions?

    I'm hoping I can accelerate my recovery to do this 5miles MP through to 10k to 400m hard tomorrow...but might have to swap with sat, or even just rest off...

  • Cheers Johnas, I do think I pushed too hard on many track sessions, also 3 a week took their toll. I always seemed to run out of steam 2 weeks before a key race. But yes, you've rumbled my plan.

    SG - I'm being brave and doing the hilly HM on the 19th of Jan. I think I'll be fit enough to do something decent.

    Dean - I'm running the Cheshire XC on Sat. Very early in my getting fit again but will be a nice test. Plus it's XC... I love it!

  • I am running the combined Notts and Derbyshire XC on Sat, for the laugh. And also because it's the first time (perhaps ever) my club has managed to field a ladies' team. I don't expect us to win anything!

  • Stevie G wrote (see)

    25secs? Wow, what happened over 2k big man? Feeling ill? Or just one of those sessions?

    Just one of those sessions. It worked out at ~22s/100m. I hit 100m at 23s and it went downhill from there. 10th day in a row, and nothing left in the tank.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    one offs are fine to occasionally go wrong. Easier to say to someone else than yourself though!

    I'm wondering where the time has gone, just 1 day left off this little 2 week work break.

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Blimey, I go offline for 24 hours and it all kicks off on here! anhoJ

     

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    anhoJ indeed Bus.

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