Moraghan Training - Stevie G

1161116121614161616171915

Comments

  • PeteM - Thanks - that parkrun equated to 89% wava. Well done on your return to racing and glad the calf is no longer an issue.

    Joe- I saw your result, that's absolutely brilliant.

    Great efforts at LFOTM, and good beer and chat by the sounds of it.

    I enjoyed the peeing discussions. I seem to have talked of nothing else since April :D Stevie - I stop lots on long runs, not even just to pee, to take in the sights, chat if I meet a mate en route, have a breather, adjust the music and so on.

    Half marathon last weekend for me. It was all kind of slippy with the frost and without a taper I felt quite fatigued. Even then managed to set off at a fair clip on the flat route but was mostly running alone after a mile, and went into cruise mode (marathon effort) after 4 miles or so due to tiredness and got round in 4th place in 1.18.55. I think I can do better than that but it was by far my best pace for effort output in a long time, so not at all disappointed. 10 mile race this weekend - hopefully I will feel fresher, after accruing many 45+ mile weeks it's time to cut it back this week.


  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Muddy without doubt you can go a fair chunk faster. You have fairly recently for starters. I won't even go into the mac calc for what a mid 16 5k should produce 😜

    Joe sounds a very casual easy sub 2.45 there! Plenty of joy ahead!
  • SCoombes2SCoombes2 ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019

    SG - We're pretty cack home AND away mate. But last night took the biccy.

    Muddy - Good steady half, loads to come off. Joe - had a nice read of the race on the sub 3 thread. Is this the god send break we have from marathon chat until London training kicks in again? ;)

    Alehouse - Yes I did stumble on my age graded 'win' on Friday. Don't like to talk about it though ;)

  • Nice half Muddy, and as you say, there's room for even more to come off given recent results at other distances.

    Joe - casual champs time there :smiley:  That's pretty metronomic splits!

    SG - not quite cold enough in my book - not all of the mud was frozen this morning and it'll be that lovely, just defrosted ultra slippery variety tonight!  

    I had two days off Mon/Tue, jut for a bit of a break. Limited access to IT at home at the mo though, as my PC died on Monday and I'm waiting for a new power supply to arrive, so stuck with a phone and a laptop powered by a hamster on a wheel!
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Bus - yes firm ground will definitely be more useful for the Reading XC in a few weeks, but a bit warmer though please!

    2 layers and gloves job today, which is a very rare combo for me, as I spend most of the year whinging about being too warm/sweating buckets.

    But comfortable, as was the 10miler, 7.24 pace job.
    Bit of weaving in a couple of bits of Slough, and the comedy of some kid running alongside me for a bit. 
    Milked it saying "I'm doing 20miles mate, you keeping up for that long? (not sure why I said 20, not 10!)..."or are you only gonna keep up for 20metres"

    He thanked me as he stopped at 20metres :)
  • Lol - prone to exaggeration SG? :smile:

    Didn't even get a chance to run today - work got in the way - so 3 days of no running  :/

    This would have been a good thing if I was doing Andy Reading 10k Sunday, but given the forecast is now for strong winds, it seems pretty pointless doing it as the route is very exposed, and I have painful memories of battling headwinds across the airfield it partly takes place on!
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    More quality "racing" Muddy. I don't really get how you can trot round for 4th rather than rinse yourself & go for the podium/win but fair play you certainly keep banging out decent times.
    Decent progress there SG. Is the mention of conditions for Reading XC an intimation you're considering a turnout before 2019 is done?
    Bad luck Bus but I'm sure the interruption will freshen you up nicely.
    Cracking on here with an 11 day streak averaging 10M a day.
    Steady 10K along the canal first thing then a 4M with 8x100m strides followed by 6x400m off 100m walk (45s). I kept the effort in check slightly on the 400s as I'm racing this w/e. Definitely starting to feel the benefits of regular mileage combined with some short rep sessions 
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Good hauling there Jools - 10 a day is a nice figure to be comfy at.

    I'm planning to turnout at the Reading XC, it's fixture 6 of 8 in our league, and I've missed the first 5! Magnificent timing as new men's (joint) captain!

     3 of them without any doubt at all in fairness - in vertigo time, but the last 2 weeks if I had an incredible team ethic, rather than just good, I dare say I could have struggled round! But I'm comfy that it wasn't clever do do them, and having done 5/7 last year, and 5/8 the year before I have a tidy record in my least favoured style of racing :)


    I'm back to a decent level, but today was a bit of a rude awakening, first time back at the track in a good 3 to 3.5months!!


    I aimed for a bookend of 4x200m, 4m threshold, 4x200m

    2mile warmup in the pitch black down country lanes in the rain and cold, didn't bother with any strides, that was probably a bad idea :)

    First 200m came out at 39secs - bit too casual!!! 
    Then 36,37,37

    Would normally expect these sort of 200s to be 35, and of course standalone sessions a bit quicker....but I suppose speed is the last thing to come back!

    Maybe utterly clattered Hyperions with 450miles in them aren't the bounciest ride ever either :D 


    Started the threshold bit, and I'd forgotten how barren slogging tonnes of laps out can be :open_mouth:

    As it dropped to 1.33-1.34 laps I thought i'd edit the sesh a bit, so it all panned out in the end as 

    4x200 off 60
    90secs
    2.5m (10 laps!) threshold
    90secs
    4x200m off 60
    90secs
    1m (4 laps) threshold
    90secs
    3x200m off 60


    The second threshold session was a lot better - 6min dead pace.
    200s tended to sit at 37 all in.

    Pleased to get back to the track then, but a bit of work to do.
  • ioweriower ✭✭✭
    Had a few weeks of next to nothing running related (wedding and honeymoon!) other than the odd half hour jog and gym session to try and maintain a bit of strength. 3kg weight gain to try and shift and the slow build up of miles to look forward to (again). Having just done this bit recently though I know what I can deal with and now there's nothing in the calendar I can concentrate on working my way back up!

    SG i'd been dipping in and out of Strava and saw that - pretty decent threshold session still - I've never done more than 2m at a time at 'hour' pace in a session, normally mile reps or set periods of time. 

    We've a local trail race/fun run thing on Sunday which goes along the coastal path across the downs, 80mph winds forecast! I ran it a couple of years ago with 100mph gusts recorded that day and it was bonkers, not sure it will be as fun if it's wet too!
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Iower -I call it "threshold" to stop people boring on about my use of "Marathon pace", a terminology relating to 10-15secs slower than HMP rather than what your output in a marathon would necessarily be.

    But to be clear, "threshold" for this sort of session is not 10mile pace, but instead involves Daniels' use of the word threshold. For him, the pace changes, whether you're doing reps, or a continuous run.

    So I don't want to give the impression I've done a 2.5mile run at true Threshold, which is certainly a brutal offering :)


    High winds and wet sounds a right old miserable experience.
    Somehow added in high humidity and it'd be a nightmare!
  • Jooligan said:
    More quality "racing" Muddy. I don't really get how you can trot round for 4th rather than rinse yourself & go for the podium/win 

    Cracking on here with an 11 day streak averaging 10M a day.

    Ambitious mileage target there Jooligan, at least from my perspective ! I was looking at my stats and have averaged 2000 miles roughly per year over the last 3 years or so, and that's where rinsing myself frequently becomes an issue. If I spend a prolonged period above my average mileage (like now), I get tired. When I cycle mileage down, I get fresher and run better races .. but only for so long, as I have a long recovery time. So with all that in mind, I knew I had a couple of target races coming up, and knew I wasn't as fresh as I would like, so backed off.  And anyway the age category win was in the bag :D

    One of those target races is this weekend, but looks a touch windy to be able to beat my 10 mile pb, it's an exposed route like Bus's 10k.  Anyway, in response to tiredness and anticipation of that race, I've had a light week; the other is end of the month, when I will take another light week.

    Good 'fast' running Stevie whatever the pace was. I quite like a parkrun or 10k at threshold effort :smiley:

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    It certainly is something to stay disciplined and not push on when you know you could really get in the prize mix.
    But i suppose we've all had races where we've settled and itd be hard to move it up a notch.

    As for me by the evening I'm always thinking of loads of races that'd be great to do.
    But come 6am and facing a long run or session it's very easy to get carried away and remember racing is hard work!
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Loads of water yesterday, plenty on waking up at 6.

    Pee at 6miles, water after and all good on the whizz colour check this week 😘🏃.

    13 at 7.14 average job.
    Last mile 7.02 so probs coming on well. 66.5mile week

    Pretty windy in places. That's never fun.
  • Doesn't count if you stopped for a pee SG  ;)

    Good week that and really back on it now!  I'm heading out for a 15.6+ in a bit to try and scrape a 40M week! Despite the nice weather, I can't say I'm feeling the love for it right now! 
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Lucky i hosed on the move then wasn't it 😜




    Don't worry..i didn't...that doesn't work.
    Need to put some proper sesh in but those will come.

    15.6 is a huge portion of a 40!
  • 16.1 in the end 😁
    Horrible too! For some reason, despite having an easy week, I had no energy and felt nauseous and had stomach cramps for large parts of it. Not ideal for 16 miles of mud and hills!

    Dean Karnazes can pee without stopping apparently.       
  • My 10 miler race went well today with all the good runners being at Telford. I managed a small pb of around 25s  to finish in 57:57. Babysitter was late so I arrived with not a lot of time to spare, got my number on and did around 5 mins of warmup, which wasn’t enough. Even with the cold-ish start the first mile was a bit too much at 5:20 (slight downhill) and worryingly positioned me at the front of both the 5 mile and 10 mile races. I won the 5 mile race in 28:30, then started to feel a stitch, got to the next bend and had a look over my corner at the long straight behind me and no one was around, so I relaxed and eased off a bit. The mid section of the loop was pretty exposed, uphill and the wind slowed me to over 6 min/mile for a couple of miles, but the loop finished with a great downhill kilometre to the finish. I felt I was in with a sniff of my pb based on the first 5 miles so really pushed the final kilometre.

    Prize was a voucher for a free pair of Altra shoes. Shame they are not my thing but will see if I can get something that might resell ...
  • Great double win, Muddy!
    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    25s is not a small pb muddy! Although i think you said you took similar off at 5k last time out so may be it is in comparison to distance😄 

    Did you wish you were doing the 5m when leading that? Turned out ok in the end! 

    When i see how well you're going it seems madness thinking i did a couple of mid to low 57s back near the start to middle of this thread...beating 5927 has to be my first priority before such heady times!
  • Good work muddy! Sub 58, a new PB and two wins in one race is not to be sniffed at!!! That's a great time in the wind too.
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Another excellent performance Muddy and congrats on the win(s); must be a shame for you the racing year is coming to an end you are going so well. 

    Strong training SG, Bus, Jooligan and will be interesting to see the next races from all 3 of you. 

    Nothing of interest for me to report as laid a bit low with my 1st cold of the season grrr. 

    What I did want the views of the experts on here on is Cani-x running. Why I ask is my 13 (near 14) year old daughter did a staggeringly good time for her at Bushy parkrun yesterday of 21'10, but ably assisted by my older daughter's GSD. She was 11th of 462 females and top 100 of almost 1300 overall both of which she's pretty proud of🙂

    We know there are no issues with the course being short so how much of this massive improvement can be put down to the dog? Her previous best was 24'20 so over 3 minutes slower. If dogs can make that much difference I'm a bit surprised more people don't run a few parkruns with them to get their stats up! Are some breeds stand-out for running (the GSD is certainly strong, but they're not renowned runners) and are certain people much better Cani than normal runners (my daughter also did very well in her only proper Cani race in April)?
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Dog assisted makes an absolutely monumental difference.

    Check this link below, a 14.59 guy did 12.24 with his dog!

    https://www.fastrunning.com/features/ben-robinson-aims-sub-12-minute-5k-help-blake/9867

    That might well be a faster dog, but look at the pace the guy already was, and think about a 2 1/2min reduction!


    I can't find my other example, but I think someone related or known to this thread was denied a 1st by some moderate lady runner taking stacks off her usual time :D


  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2019

    https://twitter.com/newburyparkrun/status/272275347599409153

    Sandra Bowers... 15.48 with dog!!

    Her Newbury record

    https://www.parkrun.org.uk/newbury/results/athletehistory/?athleteNumber=22057

    You have to doubt those two sub 18s on that record as being assisted too.

    Looking at some of her other times, i'd probably suggest her peak proper run times are in the 18s, so again that's a monumental difference, at that level.

    Not surprising really, you're being hauled along by something quicker than you, it's like the ultimate drafting!

    As the dog assisted has its own category, It could never count to po10/Rb, unless the person was a bit rogue about it. And it'd soon stick out like a massive sore thumb in any other race they did.

  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Interesting article thanks SG. Certainly implies there are dogs and dogs when it comes to Cani and also a lot of skill in knowing how to run best with them. My daughter probably has not got the best of dog breeds to run with or much skill in how to run with them yet, so wouldn't quite get the advantage these 2 seasoned top level Cani runners do.

    Re Po10 she probably will get it on her record (not that she cares, probably doesn't know Po10 exists!). I think parkrun only identify a run as Cani assisted if it is the first finisher. They certainly don't mark the results of all the people that run with dogs, many of whom have them on a normal lead which probably slows them.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Yep it's only a problem when it affects rankings and suchlike. Your daughter's 21 won't make the waves a woman going sub 16 would for instance!

    It's more a personal thing of giving yourself a time that will take a heck of a lot of improvement to beat!

    Probably all dogs over a certain size have a real benefit on a scale.
    Noone is using a Jack Russell or a poodle!
    Your daughter is probably on an improvement curve anyway, at a fast course with loads of people around and THEN the dog element.

  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    CaniX makes a massive difference Pete. The lighter the runner the more difference it makes also a long stride helps. The more air time you have the better since the dog pulls whilst you're airborne unlike unassisted runners who can only propel themselves forward whilst their feet are making contact with the ground. Re parkrun results RB now lists CaniX separately but of course it depends on the results processors correctly identifying those with assistance.
    Well worth sacrificing the podium last w/e for that result then Muddy. Rapid time must be quite highly ranked in AG with that surely.
    Bad luck Bus - well done for toughing it out.
    Triple race w/e for me. Parkrun saw a return to 19:xx & my quickest time in just over 7 months on a twisty course. Yesterday afternoon I turned out for the XC. I took it steadyish: maybe 95% race effort but still finished higher up the field compared to those around me in the previous 2 meets though I was exactly the same position as last month! With wu/cd I ran almost 14 miles yesterday. Unfortunately my body wasn't ready for more racing today, & my head wasn't in it either, so Telford 10K was underwhelming to say the least. Not helped by GI issues from 6-8K, which forced me to dial down the effort, & returned for the final 400m after I'd put in a reasonable 6th mile. 68 for the week
  • Tough weekend then Jools. And they say I do loads of races!

    PeteM - I remember seeing that Sandra woman in the rankings and going straight to my Parkrun guru and asking wtf?? Good mileage and great 10mile in the conditions Muddy!!

    Oxford Southern masters report at lunchtime..

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    That's bonkersly packed Jools! No wonder you didn't fancy it for sunday!

    Why anyone would want to be hauled around by a dog, or think it's some sort of acceptable thing to do I don't know. More understandable just basically being out for a jog walking your dog I suppose.

    What next, your mate hauling you along on a motorbike? Or just riding a motorbike yourself?

    Monday morn runs never feel super motivated, but today's job started into an absolute wall of wind for the first mile - absolutely ridiculous, was a struggle to move through bits of it.

    Last 3miles were nice though, bar the last 200metres with the same wind from earlier!
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    SG being 'hauled round by a dog' as you put it is not just totally acceptable as a thing to do in parkrun, but positively encouraged and definitely better for the dog than going round on a lead.

    Many people with dogs also like running, as do their dogs, and parkrun is the perfect outlet for that for them. If people don't like that they can just not run parkruns or find ones that don't allow dogs. parkrun ethos is all about inclusivity and I think that's brilliant. Takes all sorts remember and most parkrunners, especially Cani ones, are not bothered about their times and know nothing of Po10, RB and the like. 
  • PeteM - Cheers - my season is reaching its conclusion over the next month. This is my race phase for a few goal races, with a parkrun still to come - then a 10k on NYE and the Brass Monkey half in mid Jan. (with the county cross country champs early Jan too). I'll take a little break after that, then try to get up to marathon volume for Manchester early April, with a half, a 20 mile race and a parkrun within the 'mostly miles' training block.

    StevieG - Lots of people love to spend quality time doing things they love with their mates. Including furry ones. I used to spend ages through my teens walking the dogs and sometimes wonder if that huge (time) volume of low grade aerobic exercise set me up for life. On the 5m race - I wish I'd put in an entry. Turns out I "won" that by 8 seconds so it was a lot closer than I imagined. With a bit more company on the 10 mile race, I like to think I could have knocked a bit more off as I definitely dropped off the pace once the 5 milers fell away.

    Jools - Cross country and Telford was always going to be a tough one, but well done for trying. I find I need a proper recovery after cross country and can barely eke out a long run. Always feels like I've run twice as far  when running over mud !
Sign In or Register to comment.