Moraghan Training - Stevie G

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  • PeteM said:

    Good 5k Philip and that looks a nice series. Pity they don't invite all the TVXC clubs to join but presumably us, BFR and Sandhurst are deemed a bit far away?  

    yes it is confusing. The summer 5k series is formally Thames Valley Association of Running Clubs 5k Series or TVARC and the cross country is TVXC so look the same but are totally different.

    Totally unscientific but the races show the general trend you expect to see with more runners and more fun-runners. 

    Handy Cross 1992, 208 runners, fastest 15:11, 28 sub-18, slowest 33:59
    Handy Cross 2005, 214 runners, fastest 16:39, 5 sub-18, slowest 39:22
    Handy Cross 2018, 284 runners, fastest 16:07, 3 sub-18, slowest 47:37

    The stand-out figure is how many sub-18 runners there were historically, so either fast or short courses. The most in 1992 sub-18 was 37 at Marlow.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019
    Well 2018 doesn't help the stats analysis, as that was a deffo long job, as despite not using the parkrun course, they used the parkrun finish  :s

    An extra straight, versus stopping in front of the tennis court the year before.

    But I dare say as well as the drop in standard, there's an increase in race options. That always diffuses the quality

    I remember a well known forum guy on a different thread once trying to argue with me that parkrun is just as quality a field as an open 5k.
    He tried to use Bushy park, which is no standard parkrun in any respect, to back his angle up, and even then picked the very outlier super stacked front end week.

    Generally you might not get 10 under 17.30 there. And that's in a field of 1,400!

    Battersea Park was 114 in the field, and 17.23 was 20th as comparison.
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Cracking mid-week racing from Pete and Wool. Seems you are still on the up Wool (and bugger all to do with the shoes!) and Pete, hat's off to you maintaining such a high standard!

    Very tasty 800 Simon too!

    SG - is there a road round there you haven't got lost on? :smiley:

    7 commute this morning. Oddly, after yesterday's tempo it came out quite quick - that's a good sign.

    Anyone racing this weekend? Toying with Run the Rock 10k Saturday (hilly off-road job) or parkrun, with a possible outlier of one of the Surrey Hill Races on Sunday - though probably couldn't face the drive!
  • Cheers Bus.

    Great racing from PeteM and Wool, more prizes for Pete - anything decent..vouchers? or are they one of the stingy lot? The next 800's will be better, there's a Serpies guy who is pretty good who I'm likely to race on Monday, then it's SAL Saturday week, so there will likely be fast 2.00m types running.

    I noticed that James form Dachet was going well, went faster than me at Sutton Pk by over 10 secs - which looking at PO10 I think looks like his (or one of his) best races, along with the low 33.00 10k's? Be interesting to see what he can do.

    Good stats PMJ - Shame that the standards are slipping like this, we'd all be running faster 30 years ago - Just the way it is. Some of the old 10k results I've seen from the early 80's are mental with the amount of runners sub 31.00.

  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    £25 voucher Simon, but for Scott E's shop chain Alton Sports, and the nearest one of those is a good trek away in Farnham! Will have to try and accumulate more at the next 2 in the series to make a trip their worthwhile ;) Prefer trophies these days as long as they look decent; nice for the memories and no need to buy stuff you don't really want. 

    Sounds good progress Bus and no mention of niggles too! You might want to consider Wargrave 5 on Sunday; new version of their old 10k but a similar course profile I think (i.e. hilly so to your taste). Not one for me and will take Sunday off with a view to BP on Monday or Dinton Pastures 5k trail on Thursday.  
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    I can get away with this, as Scotty will never read it, but those vouchers are not exactly a top prize.
    Shop miles away, has to be off full price shoes currently in stock, not allowed to combine two - so Pete, the plan to get another doesn't help! :D

    Some geezer jogged Wargrave out for strava (interestingly coming out 5.09miles but maybe he had to use a traffic in progress route?), but there seems to be a decent UP in mile 2, then it's a rampage to the finish.
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    SG; yes their vouchers used to have those conditions but these don't. They now say you can use them on anything so they must have responded to criticism. Still don't know if you can combine them, but wouldn't really need to as the only expensive running stuff I buy is shoes and I wouldn't want shoes from Alton given their prices (which to be fair to Scott and Alton only reflect the costs of selling via the High St and are no worse than other specialist running shops). Much more likely to try and get 2 or 3 vouchers and buy vests and/or shorts. 
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Sounds much better.
    And Scotty being a top man did get me a freebie into the gosport 5k/mile combo last year which was much appreciated.

    9days til endure.. Still haven't borrowed the tent one of our lads offered. Probably should get that sorted as while it's a popup job i am a technical boob
  • StevieWhStevieWh ✭✭✭

     Great racing Pete & Wool! Congrats on the prize Pete.

    Sounding positive Bus! I'm racing the Two Castles (Warwick to Kenilworth) 10k on Sunday. Target is as close to 37mins as possible. Good luck with whatever you decide to race!

    SG you do realise how a pop up tent works right? There is no technicality you just put open it and it pops up! :D

  • Lots of stuff on social maida about Ronnie O'Sullivan:

    “I came 180th in the Southern England Cross Country nine miles over Parliament Hill, 34 minutes in a 10km race in France, so they’re all my proudest achievements”

    I looked him up on po10 https://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=38667 and his 10k PB is from a race in France and is 34:54. Now, that is a handy PB and it does start with 34 but I'd call that 35.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Sw i still expect to find it more difficultings than most 😇

    Phil m - ive seen his record before and i do wonder how legit that time is. The rest is all masked in unspecified xc distances or hard to define toughness of courses and nothing else looks close in official distances.

    He may be a sikora type though having a po10 that doesn't properly reflect his best level
  • Great 10km racing Wool and Pete - a tidy time Wool, especially with a 5km PB prior. Good to see you get the prize Pete!

    Nicely done on the 800m SC - I just can't fathom the races and times that you and Dean both produce!

    SG, you are a boob if you can't sort the easy tent!


    Followed up Tuesdays session with 2 x 2mi with 5min cruise recovery - building upon the 2mi (5min), 5 x 2min (2min) from the other week. Felt pretty comfortable in the first rep, although it was a bit faster than anticipated, coming out at 12:27 averaging 81.9% MaxHR (vs 12:46 and 85.7% two weeks ago). The second was tougher, as would be expected, coming out at 12:10 for 88.6% MaxHR.
    Felt quite tidy come the end, probably could have done another mile at the same sort of pace, so the effort was right.
    Not 100% where this places my 'zones', given that the second 2mi rep was the same pace as my recent 19:02 5km - hopefully this indicates there's some time to shave off after this short stint of training!
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Yeah, but to be fair Philip, he did run it in his Tuxedo :smile:

    Pete (and any other vets who wan cheap shoes!) if you join the FB Veteran Runners UK page you get 10% off and free delivery on sportsshoes.com

    And Matt - the longest part of SG's race report for endure will be the story of putting up the tent :smiley: (nice sesh btw)
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019

    Matt - you're on the comeback trail to that 28:xx 5miler. I always forget how young you are, you just need to stop those 2month doss about trips to NZ, and try and get away from the ridiculously hilly SW!


    Bus - any average race is 2-3 posts. This promises to be 5 or 6 x5mile legs.

    By the time we have the drive there, parking shenanighans, tent sent up, tent use, eating, toileting issues, photos of the venue, and randomers and covering each leg in piquant detail, we'll do well to get out of this with less than 27 posts.

  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Its putting down and packing away those pop ups tents thats tricky, no wonder so many get left at festivals.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    A few people have said that TR, but I expect i'll just chuck it in the back seat and worry about it when I've slept the rest of the day away!
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the tip Bus but we get those discounts from Sports Shoes anyway via my club. I think they offer them to all clubs. Came in very handy to bring the VF price down to a mere £189😉
  • Pete - Nah I love the vouchers! I called Scott when I got the voucher and got it sorted over the phone, no need to go to the shop. Anything to help with trainer costs :)

    Track last night 6 sets of (600,400,300) so quite a long one, the 600's were a pain after Weds night, but session went ok, mainly (1.48,68/69,49). Knackered now, but easy weekend before an 800/3000 double at southern masters on Monday night.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019
    Good stuff Simon as usual.

    I was due the 8x600 at 3k pace sesh today, aiming for 1.16 lapping.

    I'd held 1.18 for 600s at the 5k zone (ahead of the 1.20 ask), 1.16 for 400s, and 1.20 for 800s at the 5k zone, so this should have been a development of those.

    However, by the end of rep 1 - a 2.00 rep , with wind and rain, I knew it wasn't a day for splits, so instead converted to a straight 8x2mins on, 2mins off job - just working as it felt right.  
    If i had to "guesstimate" I dare say it'd have been 1.19/20 throughout, but I thought the unmonitored version was better rather than play havoc putting in 2mins or so rep when I "should" be doing 1.54 or so...

    Rain came on a fair bit during as well.
  • WoolWool ✭✭✭

    Pete - does Yateley still do category prizes across the 3 race series? I would have thought you would be very hard to beat in your cat and so could look forward to a trophy or some more vouchers.

    I wonder how specialized running shops manage to survive in all honesty. They're great for the new runner who can go in an and be categorized as an over-pronator & thus prescribed their 1st pair of real running shoes - likely a 200 quid pair of Asics bricks - but after that who really uses them?

    Mind blowing reps as usual from Simon. Perhaps that's why I marveled as you ran past just so fast at the Masters Relays. Hmm, maybe I should try some speedwork one day. Oh, I'm sure yours were good too SG, perhaps switching to mins relieves some of the stress from the session?

    And I've never met TR although we both ran at the Worthing HM the same day and I kept waiting for you to come past when I was all but stationary in to the wind. Anyway, I'm not sure that I could root for anyone more to get back to sub 3. Have loved reading your comeback story, run strong.

  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Wool, yes they still have series prizes but not sure I'll be able to do August. In any event by no means a given I can win series age cat as I tend to run a lot worse in heat (witness a pretty ropey 39'32 at the August one last year). Will try and give it a go though to keep Alton Sports busy ;)
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019
    Wool - I suppose the whole point of track is there's no blaggery, the distance is set, the timer doesn't lie and all that, but every so often you'd be running a fool's errand trying to track it, so the version today did the job that was available.
    After Wokingham last year, I did a number of sessions with Dashers where it was like a 4 or 5min effort and couple of mins recovery. The pace, while I did look after, wasn't intended as such - but was the right "feel". In a way that's the set of sessions I missed this year.

    I can only imagine running shops work off incredible margins - so they don't actually need to ship "that" many units to survive nicely.
    For example, wave riders cost about £120 new these days - i had a deal to bulk buy 4 pairs at £85 each, so that's a huge saving right off the bat. What do they cost the retailer? Must be way way less than that 85? 
    So any newbie paying anywhere near that 120 is giving them a monster wad of a profit - even if they got the 10% discount for club member etc.

    The smart shops link up with big local events and clubs. The Marlow lot are excellent for that.

    Maybe Scotty can give us an insight if he's ever sniffing through?
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Wool - thats very kind, thank you. I remember pointing out yr worthing run to SG, that was a good run on a tough day. I was happy with my 1.24.1X as it was my best time on the road back to fitness, esp on a windy day. Had a dissappointing 1.25 at fleet but i was putting in big miles then. Worthing was a windy day, and then there was the wind at Brighton mara which was outrageous. Lots of things conspired against me at Brighton, so hopefully i can go better Sunday, ill be chuffed if i can go sub3 aged 52, if not Sunday then it rolls on to Abo.
  • SG - It can be a good idea to modify a session if the conditions aren't quite right - although I always try to ask myself whether I might actually be 'chickening out' of the session or it's the right thing to do - sometimes I persevere, sometimes I don't. Hill sessions are always good if its too windy. Failing that, just running and getting really knackered is good enough!

    Wool - Thanks for the compliment. I did run well at the masters relays, like most of us I have had a few shockers at Sutton Pk. That's why I noted how well your colleague from Datchet did, it's a bugger of a course. Yes speedwork is always a good idea!


  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019
    Yep - that is always the risk SC - and similar in a race when you have the "shall I drop out" doubts. I've experienced windier, but I think the mix of pace and distance needed today just made it too much of an ask. I think if it had been either the very short stuff, say 200s, where you can accept say a second difference, or the longer tempos, where the pace isn't quite as big an ask it'd have been different.

    I think in my 248 races, there was probably only the one Wycombe half that was a bit reckless NOT dropping out.  Whereas there will have been a handful that were real slog ins, but not dangerous as such to continue.

    Also different from those sessions with doubts early/mid sesh where you entertain the idea of editing it, but then just push through...
    I can't remember many sessions I've edited or binned totally - once wearing a hoodie trying to do a 6m MP sesh in absolutely thunderous rain and ending up about 2 stone heavier 1mile in - was a deffo bin off!


    In our 6some at Sutton Park, i think there was a bit of a consensus that Mr Samson and the boy Wool had done really tidy legs, whereas the rest of us could file under solid.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Fancied a different route today, something up to hazlemere which would need some sort of long hill to be clambered.

    The hill that I've finished a few longuns on is damm steep. I tried the other week and bottled out and changed the plan..but this other route was a bit more gradual to begin and i thought id deal with the rest when i got there.

    Threw in a mile loop before rather than bouncing straight in and off i went.

    Checked later and mile two was a decent little 66ft climb but mile 3 a colossal 300ft. Actually saw an over 8min mile here and some panting late on😷😷

    Ducked into the hazlemere rec which had a 5k race on later. I did entertain very gently the idea of racing but it wouldn't have achieved much i don't think.

    Back through hazlemere and down hammersley lane, hill i wouldn't even try and run up, round the back of a park and back.

    12.5 job still 7.14. 63.5mile week, highest since early april.

    2miles down the steep hill were 190 feet each, and i dare say the bottom of the hill up must be a huge chunk of that in the first half mile alone.

    This week I'll probably turn out at the local summer series 5k to rack up race 249 as we build to endure next week.

    Load of desired races after that but we'll see how 25-30miles sits recovery wise!
    Will have to bear that in mind this week and make sure i haven't put 50miles in beforehand!
  • StevieWhStevieWh ✭✭✭
    37.46 this morning, 2 seconds off a PB. Forgot how hilly the course was so im happy with that. Big sprint finish with another runner which was fun. Good day out overall!
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    I'm amazed you weren't hit by a car on Hammersley Lane SG! Better option is Beacon Hill and down through the Golf Course - all bar about 50m is on tarmac, but no cars :smile:

    Good work SW - sounds like you need a nice flat 10k and that PB is ready to be blown apart!

    In stark contrast to yesterday, where I sacked off any kind of race and barely managed to shuffle out a 5 mile recovery run, I felt good on my long run today. So good in fact that I added in a few extra miles and an extra couple of big hills for my longest run since Abingdon in 2013!

    17.2M & 2200ft of rolling hills at just shy of 9 mM pace, which I'm happy enough with on that route :smiley:
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Where is everyone???
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