Moraghan Training - Stevie G

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  • That’s sensible SW. Good use of tech. 
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Bit of a freebie week for me - flexi.
    So thought i'd try and get a seg someone nicked the other week. One of my easier ones I'd taken on the casual in fairness, and he'd taken it back to about 6 dead pace for 0.25m. Slightly uphill, but comfy

    Am sure I rinsed it for something in the 5.30-5.40 pace mix for 2 goes, but on checking back I've missed it by like 7-8 secs :D

    Must have started the effort a few metres in so it records me as having started when I hadn't moved.
    Oh well...luckily I had a thrash of the down seg i already owned. 1.08 job now.

    Rib feels like I've been speared for some reason

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Lunchtime job then, mile and half pissing it down, got half way at 2miles, and thought i'd try a different return to the office.


    Down some random little woody bit later, and ended in some really odd place, tiptoing across a bridge that must have been about 20cm wide, with massive stoney spikes on.

    Walked this bit, as slipping and smashing myself here would probably mean being found a half eaten mess in about 7months.

    Got over the "bridge", to find a dead end. Back round, and ended up in some fenced off field. ARSE. Luckily got away with it only costing me an extra half mile.

    What did we learn?

    Stick to out and backs innit.

  • Ha. Even raised a chuckle with your runch report SG, nice one :)
    Glad to hear your campaign isn't completely wrecked SW. Have you come up with a new target yet?
    After destroying my legs over the last 2 days I figured another day's damage was the way to go :D Cycled 10M to work but unfortunately the weather front arrived early so I arrived soaked :s 
    I then ran 10.4 back - slightly different route which avoids the road for 5K. Worked out nicely & legs felt remarkably OK. Kept the pace easy but managed a little pick up at the end B)
  • That's a big day Jools! Its Brighton you're doing isn't it?
    No concrete target for Manchester yet. Spoke to my coach earlier, plan is for 4 more weeks of training then a one week taper.

    I'm still fairly confident I can sneak under 3hrs and maybe even get close to my pb. A 10m tempo and 20m easy run will be my testers to see where I'm at.

    SG that made me chuckle, is your sense of direction as bad when you're driving!?
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Only once sw.
    When i gave the legendary samir haddad a lift back to reading station after the half marathon.

    Except..30mins later even with the sat nav on we managed to arrive back where we"d set off from 😘😘

    Slough has a lot of dodgy little rabbit burrows and i obvs picked the wrong one today💩

    Jools that's a good day's work.

    Potentially a turnout tomorrow and ensuing report...
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    edited February 2019
    Appetites whetted, we salivate eagerly SG ;)
    Work's the bit that gets in the way between bouts of training :p
    Yes it's Brighton SW so I've an extra week to get myself marathon ready & recover. I'm planning a 2 week exponential taper. Final XC of the season on Saturday then 4 more 20 milers one of which I'll be racing & another is a fell race. I shan't be racing that one though just using it as a training run. I've another HM 3 weeks out too so plenty of easy running in between.
    I expect you will be able to dip under 3 as you were in 2:50 shape at Abo and won't have lost too much fitness from the few weeks cycling
  • Er, my previous post was edited only to add in my whinge about the knee!!!  I wish I did have some influence over which roads were fixed when - the failed road surface of Sawpit Hill that I have to bounce my way through almost every day would be first on my list rather than Bryant's Bottom!  It's the main reason I bought a gravel bike for my commute :smile:

    You are totally bonkers Jools! Out of curiosity, which fell race?

    SG - what are you like????

    Talking of which - setting off this morning with a sore knee, but no DOMS, I quickly found out that the first was OKish, but the second was my legs telling lies! Wowzers - what a painful run! If I hadn't had a 9am meeting with BSI auditors and no choice, I'd have called it a day and walked back home! Knee was OK until short but steep slope, which set it off and made me literally scream in pain! It's a bit bizarre, because after a few deep squats, it was OK again and running on it was mostly fine. Ric's theory of a snagged tendon seems the most plausible thing I can think of, but why is it snagging and then fine when running (mostly) but hurting when walking?

    Unfortunately it was a double day today, and after spending a day at work shuffling painfully, I had little choice but to try an easy jog home or beg the Mrs for a lift. As is often the way of these things, it was actually OK. Slow, but nothing more than a bit of residual DOMS in the legs, and the knee behaved.

  • Llanbedr-Blaenafon Bus. It’s not quite 16 miles but packs in 4,500’ of climb! I’ll warm up with a blast round parkrun beforehand  :D 

  • Weird isn't it Bus - just bit and bobs warming up I suppose. Interesting run SG - I used to do that in London, the good thing back in the day was each bus stop had an actual map in it to help. Good days effort there Jools.

    Track last night - 5 x (600,400,300) off 200m jog between sets, about 60 secs between reps.

    Something like (1.46,68,48), (1.46,67,49), (1.46,67,49), (1.44,67,47), (1.43,67,44). Sensibly didn't bother long commute today, as will do session tomorrow and popping down to Brockwell pk to do the HHH 10k race, the Frank Harmer, on Sunday morning.


  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Sounds a tough session Simon. Busy weekend ahead!

    Jools - yeah, just what you need as a warm up for a tough fell race that :smiley:

    Knee seems fine today! Very easy run later perhaps...
  • SG - never known someone to get lost so much whilst running. Remind me never to get in a car with you..

    Race directing on Sunday - Thames Riverside 20. Nearly 500 entrants, and my first time doing it. Been quite challenging - looking forward to a few beers on Sunday night when it's all over. 
  • Stevie G said:

    Lunchtime job then, mile and half pissing it down, got half way at 2miles, and thought i'd try a different return to the office.

    ...meanderings snipped...

    Stick to out and backs innit.


    Channel your Inner Ring Road Stevie.

    I took another rest day yesterday so started a little bit sluggishly for a lactate threshold test last night. This is where you run faster and faster until you get diminishing returns on pace for effort, then the watch and monitor combo estimate where threshold heart rate is and where threshold pace is. All looked good, with improvements showing over my last test. Felt decent too for a 7m outing, finishing around 5.30-ish pace.

    Weather looks absolutely shocking for Newport. Strong wind, heavy rain. I would've liked to push the boat out, but as I’m marathon training I can always drop the effort and call it a decent effort long run if it turns out as forecast. The next window of opportunity for a raced half would then be March 31st. I see there is an event near Bedford Simon, at an aerodrome. You heard of it ?

    Glad the knee seems better Bus. Good luck with the race(?) tomorrow StevieG. the 10k Simon,  and the race directing Joe.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2019
    Today, Muddy :)
    Just done.

    After the Wokingham hoo-har, I wanted to get a turnout on the grid as soon as possible, especially in this "odd" week that had started with easing back into training, and no sessions.

    Can't say I exactly felt marvellous on wake up. Bit hot headed, ache in the ribs, and a few tightnesses maybe down to yesterday's few burns.
    I started thinking, is this any different to how it felt last week? Not sure, but either way a mile v a half is a totally different muffin of cheese.

    Therefore, a strange "half day" within a day at work, couple of hours to be worked early doors, and then returning after.

    Ealing is about 17miles according to the sat nav.  Having ignored it and gone the "other" direction down the Bath Road, I was 10mins into the drive, and 22miles away.
    It's fine ...eta 11.48 for a 12.30 start - no panic.

    Dreaded 50 zones, but no worries.
    Suddenly saw a sign referencing "High Wycombe/Maidenhead" so I'll admit I had a slight panic that I had set the sat nav to "HOME" rather than Ealing :D  

    It was fine - I hadn't and it was just a dodgy sweep back to the M4 and on we went.

    The turning off the main it is a really odd little road that looks like it should be in some random T junction type of private road, not a major turning off a fairly busy road.

    Some speed measures set up, where anyone in a medium sized car needed to go through at about 5mph to make sure that they didn't scrape their car to oblivion, I spent the next 400metres looking into my mirror wondering how a big van was going to get through :) Bet he's still there now working it out ;)

    Couple of miles on, to the much heralded easy carpark.
    The bastad is full innit. I'd ever so slightly not realised that early January is different to early March for how busy a town might be. The 20-25 space car park is full.

    Drat. 35mins to go, wheel around town, back to where I'd found the first time I'd come here (and panicked), as well as just checking back at the original carpark of course.

    Unlike the quality car park, this one is a dodgy 1hour max. Arse. The plan had to be to luxuriously cruise round the town adding some miles after.

    Loiter around for 5mins to ease it a bit later, and off I go at 11.57

    Jog into the venue, clutching a mobile, some coins, and in my warm up gear (ie normal  shoes), and as I wander in there's Big Pete from the thread.
    Nice. Give every detail under the sun to the organisers to sign up, trying not to look at my watch, and rope Pete in as my "emergency contact", which hopefully won't be needed for a 1 miler, in middle class Ealing, in early March in the middle of the day.

    Jog back to the start with Pete in tow, change into the A gear, and back to the start, and time is running out like a weasel.

    Duck into Trap 1 (ie the most covered bush) and see what looks like the remnants of some kind of teens "legal high" party, with about 30 used balloon blowing up type capsule things (ask your kids, or in Joe's case., ask your slightly younger pals ;) )

    Back to the start line, and look like an absolute full kit w@nker, dressed in vest and club colour shorts, with obligatory Vapors on.

    Me and Pete get on the front, as we consider ourself big players in this sort of high profile (ed, ahem) race, and manage to be very "British" about the fact some bloke has insisted on his two (clearly very young and not very fast) daughters joining him, with a few looks at him, with a certain expression of "you sure, son:dizzy:

    They seem a little unsure, but he's adamant, "yeah you can't start where you like"

    I gently ask one of them if she can "inch up a notch", bearing in mind they're sort of crowding us, not recognising the "Ealing mile royalty" they're stood next to, with between me and Pete an incredible 4 wins here combined :D:D

    A bit of Vapors related bants with a couple of chaps, and a few photos (that i dare say I'll be milking for the 2019 FB album later), and it's time to get shaking.


    (in post 2)



  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2019
    The start is very tight, and you have a tight bend about 10metres in.

    A ludicrously fast guy has started wide left, meaning he has the silliest tight turn ever. He's round the bend, and the lead bike and him almost career straight into two dopey blokes who are completely oblivious about the high level athletics meet going on in this very park :)

    I'm just behind the near collision, helpfully shouting something like "Come on, guys!), and taking a really wide line.

    Only when I was cooling down with Pete after do I realise this is more of a slight down then I'd given credit to, but it explains why some people start like loons!

    Fast guy has set off amazingly. He's about 40metres down the road already. He'll be winning this, of that I'd bet my small running thread internet hero fame.

    I have some guy in hi vis on my shoulder. Who is this guy? We're 100metres into a mile and I'm having to battle someone, and not just win this week, but instead fight for 3rd? Unsettling.

    No idea on what pace this is, won't look at the watch, as it tends to undereport distance so will do the same on pace, and either way, there's nothing to be gained, as if this isn't fast off, you're not exactly going to find extra!

    To the half way point, and incredibly I clock the guy winning has gone up and round this extra little section - he's doing extra! For some reason the lead bike had done the extra, so he followed. Got to add on 5seconds or so doing that.

    I'm in 3rd, and it's the hardest bit, the slight incline 3rd quarter. You're just pleading for the turn, although you always forget it's longer back than you remember - in the context of a mere mile!!

    Guy in hi vis feels too far ahead. Usual mile drill - he's probably only 2-3 secs ahead.

    One eye on a mangy mutt, and an older woman still on the first half. Do not want to clatter into either.
    Last straight - always longer than you realise, but at least this time I'm not tormented by the clock looking like I'll easily break 5, before running out and beyond.

    One look at the watch, see the clock getting to 5 and I'm not there, perfected "look of disappointment" for the camera and watching crowds (ed...behave...), ok watching, one man and his dog, and storm across the line on 5.03

    EDIT - given as 5.03 official, so happy with that - same as Jan.
    So a decent outing. I probably need to boot a month or 2 of summer track stuff and have another go. Have done 5.00 and 5.01 when perhaps in more "short" form. 5.11 the outlier on a windy day, and 5.03 twice this year. Small measures at this disto!

    Found out the winner had come down from South Shields type area! Madness! 
    pb in the 4.20-4.30s I think he said. 4.46 today with the extra bit was a top effort.
    I've done Gosport 4-5 seconds quicker than here, as while it's a nice little race, there's a few twists whereas Gosport is a straight line.

    Had to cut the chat off, having to race back with Pete to the car for it's 12.57 cut off time, and then drive back to the free parking!

    Good few laps with Pete after. I did find it ever so slightly breathy for the pace we were doing, so maybe there is an element of being slightly off still like last week - not so much for today's race, but just a general linger.  6miles totals for the day, and feeling a bit tired for it

    Plus more importantly a show where the proper, free parking is! Ludicriously close too.

    Although, it wouldn't be a SG race report without a ludicrous extra.

    On getting back to the place I'd parked  post race, I found it boxed in with a massive digger and guys in the road :D   

    I did fear for a second I'd be stuck there for ages, but not to worry, got away. Phew!!!

    Back to work to see the rest of the day out.

    3rd turnout for 2019
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    edited March 2019
    Ok now SG has told you almost everything it makes my bit very easy (great to see a 1 mile race needed a double page report SG) :D Drive and parking a doddle; left Sunningdale 11:30 and there and parked (free and 2 mins from the start) at Noon. Good to see SG also in the VF's as I would have looked a bit out of place otherwise in such a low key race, but wanted to see if they made a difference over 1 mile. 

    Was a bit hemmed in by the messy start, but down the back straight overtook a few and knew I was going ok. Definitely felt easier in the VF's and through a k in 3'11 which is about as fast a k I have ever run. Slowed a bit from there but held my place to finish 7th in 5'20. I'm calling that a pb for 1 mile as I'll get few other pb opportunities and not had one for a few years. My best Po10 official mile (including track) was 5'24 before, though I had also done 5'20, as part of Battersea park relays back in 2016 (but Po10/RB don't count relay times in pb's).

    All in all very pleased with the outing and result; only 17 seconds behind SG is very good for me! Not naive enough to think I would have achieved the same result without the VF's though ;)   
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    Top racing chaps & epic reporting from SG.
    No point killing yourself for a less than satisfactory result on Sunday Muddy. You could always do the Forest of Dean on 24th with SQ & myself. Great course although not a PB shot especially as being MT it doesn't go on Po10 though I don't think Newport does either - never used to anyway.
    Great session there Simon and immaculate pacing.
    Just 5M for me at lunch as keeping something back for tomorrow's XC. I'm in 3rd place in our club XC champs but one chap is within striking distance of me so need to put in a decent performance to secure my 3rd consecutive XC prize. It's 3-1 to him on head-heads but so long as I finish next FoDAC I'll beat him. We've a strong team out tomorrow so there's a remote possibility we might get promoted too.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Must feel weird still having a XC fixture after you've gone back to the road! Best of luck.

    Top work from Pete - matching the BP pb, but like you say one legitimately counting on the "1M" category on there now. And also a slower course than BP for sure.

    Joe - good luck on the RD-ing. Can imagine that's stressful and a real release when it's done!!

    Muddy-like Jools (and you yourself) said, you can always reduce it down as you go at the weekend. It should be obvious early doors whether putting a big effort in is worthwhile or not.

    Looking forward to a lazy evening and SAT OFF.
    Feel strangely knackered for what hasn't been that big a mile week, and obvs not a big race today, but I guess every so often it can hit you and that's where the rest kicks in
  • Good miling chaps. I would go with something akin to slippers for a mile race ;) Actually I haven't ever ran a flat out mile (coincidentally, in an attempt to defy aging, I refuse to wear slippers).

    The FOD half looks like a good morning out Jooligan, but I am doing the Gloucester 20 on the 17th, then my next free weekend is the 31st.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    I probs need to get a bit more race sharp for short stuff or do the longer races to get the magic effect i think.

    I almost feel like the footing is too squidgey versus the say hyperions..but just early thoughts...a mere 2miles raced in 😎
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Good work in the mile caps - both cracking runs, but Pete takes the edge on the run itself, with SG getting the best report prize - partly for the usual spooky level of detail remembered while racing, but mainly for the car-parking and getting lost shenanigans :smiley: Oh, and I will never willingly enter any bush close to the start of a race SG has been to.....

    Muddy - fingers crossed for Sunday, but not looking great currently...

    Good luck tomorrow Jools.

    Evening off-roader for me - 7M and hilly. All OK, and actually, despite the legs remaining heavy and a wee bit sore, I felt relatively strong and the pace was OK.
  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭
    Good racing SG & Pete, and anything else anyone was doing.
    Great race reports. Nothing left unsaid.

    Strangely enough, I can often remember small details about races too.
    If I didn't find writing it all down so much of a slog, I might race more often  :/

    Anyway, training (some is running) is ok right now. Moving much faster for similar effort than a couple of months back.

    🙂

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2019

    We're awaiting your May race(s) with relish Ric, fingers crossed.

    Just reached the peak of the PO10 backdating results obsession mountain, by keying in a printed out Hillingdon 2003 5miler set of results, as no one in the world has the electronic copy (it seems)

    That'll go up.

    We'll see if the dodgy Henley 5.2mile MT 2009 race where I apparently mustered a sub 30 time for 2nd place, despite racing standalone 5mile road races in high competition not much quicker at the time,  gets through their checks though...the fact I only have the category winner names might be a struggle..we'll see.


    Had to do all manner of a salvage operation after my over zealous chasing of the Sandhurst XC results from...late November. Still not on po10, despite the series result being declared a month ago and PO10 having the results link. Organiser is not best pleased with me, and reckons she's still "chasing up" a few queries :):)


    Just press the "final" button...


    That aside we're done, save finding the Silverstone half marathon results from either 2003 or 2004. No sign...if anyone has any extra skills to find those, do let me know :)

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭
    We'll see if the dodgy Henley 5.2mile MT ...

    Steady on SG,
     
    I'll have you know that in 1997 after ten years of toil, this was my first ever race victory.
    28 minutes and a few seconds.

    🙂

  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Congrats on the Henley win Ric even if I'm 22 years late with them.😏 Are you doing Staines 10k again? Didn't enter in time myself so prob do Woodley or Shinfield instead. What other races are on your radar?

    One time too many to the well for me today. Went to Reading parkrun but lacked fizz today which after the mile race yesterday meant 6 races (counting parkruns) in only 15 days and 4 in 8 days. All short stuff; 2 10k's, 3 5k's, 1 miler but they still drain the energy tank. Reading course was also surprisingly muddy given the lack of recent rain and it all felt like hard work back in the DS trainers rather than VF's. Plugged on as best I could but 8th in 19'01 was as good as it got. Guy shouting out times said 9'23 at half way so a bit of a fade but nothing dramatic. Still top WAVA of 379 runnners so that's some consolation. Will back right off now for 2 weeks and just try and do some steady paced distance stuff to try and be at least semi-ready for Fleet.  

    Good luck to whoever is racing tomorrow: Jooligan, Muddy anyone else?
  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭
    Thanks Pete. Yes I'm in the Staines 10k. I was on the PC when the email came through and just entered on the spot.

    With an application that SG would be proud of, I went through the results of last years race and cross checked the names with the entries for this years event. Only five from the 25 who broke 40 minutes last time out are there this year - if they turn up.

    My 13 mile plus job this morning averaged about 45 seconds per mile faster over a course I did a couple of months back. Dropping the volume and increasing the intensity right now.

    🙂

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    You can be a contender Ric old son! And the run sounds promising.

    Just a shame we can't repeat the thread triple voucher magic of a few years ago, as the Marlow 5 is the same day.

    And no slight on yourself or the Henley HAODS 5.2miler :) Amazed it was still going by 2009. But must have quickly stopped quite soon after.

    "Dodgy" just referring to the fact it was a MT job, there were kissing gates to get through, and fairly solo for a lot of it, yet still got in under 30? In 2009 when I did the Marlow 5 in 29.38!

    Finally loaded my 1st ever win the high profile Winchcombe 2008 4.6miler!

    Another of these bootleg sort of races where you're leaping some gate midway, as well as crossing a busy main road without marshals. Need that win on there though :)

    Biggest memory of that one was winning some dodgy goblet. Unengraved.

    That they blooming asked for back 9months later!

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Lots of races there pete.
    You'll be getting my once a year anecdote about Maybe doing the Silverstone10k this year before aborting realising it's too close to marlow5
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Will add Marlow 5 to my list of 'possible SG; does sound a good one. 

    Great to hear your return to racing is imminent Ric and that you are learning about running obsession from SG, whilst adding PMJ style stalking skills😏. Wish I was in Staines 10k too but guess my absence is one less threat to you capping your comeback with a v50 prize!
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    edited March 2019
    Cheers Pete.
    XC was today after warming up with parkrun (5th WAVA of almost 500) in the new Adizero Tempo 9s & refuelling with a full Bristolian fry-up. Not sure of the team standings as results won't be up til tomorrow night earliest but I did enough to be 5th scorer & hold on to Bronze in the club XC champs for the 2nd year running. Not quite the Gold of 2016-17 (the inaugural year) but I've missed a few fixtures the last 2 years as the first fixtures of both leagues have been on the same day & the final Glos League has clashed with my HM plans. 
    Parking: navigator directed me to the Leisure Centre which had spaces = a doddle.
    5 minute walk up the hill to the race venue (Blaise Castle) in time to support the Ladies race.
    Team Management: Registered my 7 runners having seen the 5 who were likely to score for the team so administrative duties done, four of us jogged a lap as warm-up which was useful as although I've done the course several times they'd made an important alteration removing a tricky little stony U bend so definitely racing in spikes.
    Toilets: clean, queueless & plentiful paper :)
    Race: A slow start meant I was boxed in when the course narrowed. Managed to work my way through but probably expended too much energy surging. Once I'd found space from about 1K in I was running fluidly, feeling great up to 5K when I started to die up the 3rd (& steepest) climb on the 2nd of 3 laps not helped by being passed by a clubmate. It was only a shortish climb though & once over the top I was able to open out again & take advantage of gravity to gain a couple more places. As we started the 3rd lap I realised there were 2 guys just ahead I've not beaten all season so although I was hurting I kept hunting them down. Passed one with about 2K to go but couldn't quite get on terms with the other before THAT hill which once again proved my nemesis. By now I was feeling really fatigued & although I put everything in to the final K I was overtaken by maybe 4 or 5 runners. Finished feeling light-headed & slightly sick so guess I did what I could. Was a bit disappointed to have faded so badly after having felt so good in the middle of the race however Strava tells me I equalled my best pace in 5 times racing over the course.
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