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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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You're a little like a geezer our way called Simon Sikora, whose po10 never matched his ability. For instance, he did a sub 2.40 marathon - captured on tv neck and neck with Paula R in her final marathon, yet po10 has his HM as 1.21!
Let alone what his shorter pbs show as!
Unlike him, you have a good chance of rectifying that before you drop a gear.
Based on those disclaimers, I'd have you about 25 dead?
A more humble session for me, didn't look for any heroics, just a bit of a 4x1600m progressive job, vaguely starting at threshold rep pace.
Often these sessions see some decent swing down the paces as I go, but still trying to recover the top end, and for a bit of disclaimer calculation myself, it was pretty darn cold
Did rep 1 without gloves, could barely feel my hands, so back on for lap 2.
Still fairly breathy without troubling too high a gear.
Roughly speaking, averaged the below for each rep.
1.31
1.30
1.29
1.28
Wildly inconsistent actual laps though, 3-4sec swing on all but rep 3 (2secs)
Finished with a 1.25 final lap at least.
Mixed it up for the last track session of the year with the club - runners had to pick a xmas bauble from a bag which had a corresponding rep/rest to run, ranging from 200m - 1600m. Nothing particularly regimented pace wise but thought I'd try and add a bit of fun before we break for a few weeks! Seemed to go down well so I might try and add it in every now and then in the future to break the monotony
Muddy - that's a cracking time given all the pre-race issues and lace faffing!!!
Anyone doing LFOTM next week? I've got my finger poised on the entry button......
Reg; thought about getting a treadmill but decided to get local gym membership instead; works out about £10 a week so even if I only go once not too bad. Gyms obvs got loads of treadmills, but so much more for cross training etc. and also gets you a bit of me time (and sometimes nice scenery which I guess you'll appreciate
Muddy: if you can still do 28'xx when all that lot goes wrong you must be in fantastic form. Take the positives from it; how low do you reckon you could do 5 miles in perfect conditions? 26'xx?
Simon: Your sheer consistency and willingness to take on those sessions is what is most impressive. Yes the pace (ending at 3'17k pace which I couldn't even do for 1k) is great too but we almost take that for granted you repeat it so frequently.
SG: think you'll surprise yourself at xc. So long now training solo has probably made you forget how much the buzz, the competition and the team element count. Very decent training runs too.
Scedgy (great name
I think I’m least happy with my marathon record - contrary to your Sikora fella - think I’ve done pretty well this year over all the other distances I’ve tried but feel there’s a large amount to come off my 2.50 best at the marathon. Booked in for Manchester next year.
I broke my 5 mile pb in the 10 mile race the other week, clocking 28.30 vs pb of 28.37. I could have maybe put a 27.xx time up without all the other stuff ? I’ve hit that before now within 10k races.
Go for it though; would be very interesting to see how you do there. Winter Wonderland still on so prob the reserve course which Simon thinks is a bit harder; a ready made disclaimer then too!
You definitely have a sub 28 in you, as that's about a sub 35 10k which you obvs have - so just a matter of the right day to put it in.
Pete - i've managed everyone's expectations for sunday, that we have a team of 6, and me just hanging about mid pack as "cover"
Am slightly dreading it. Sloshing through muddy laps, for 3 laps on a windy exposed course sounds an utter nightmare
However, for 35-40mins of pain, I will enjoy the revelry and the combing through the snaps after! And a few days before Christmas ensures a nice atmo.
Bus - finger that button! I best not, definitely not in 5k mode right now.
Iower, bit of a x post - sounds a novel way of doing something! At my first club, I'll never forget the geezer sending fireworks into the sky, and when it went BANG, you sprinted a rep on some dark, grassy bank!
I have no idea if random gimps are allowed to just let fireworks off like that, but our guy did!
I don't think we gave much thought to where those were coming down!
Surprised to see her like both, and come back with a comment to Callum. The power of fb!
SG, I don't think you have any concerns about the XC. I am still planning on running it as it's so local, I am the one that should be thinking about being mid-pack! Of the limited running I have done in the last six month 99% of it has been in the recovery zone. Doesn't feel like it though! I reckon a good or bad run at XC would help with the motivation.
Pete, my motivation for the treadmill is because my other half is ill so it's difficult to get out and I reckon I'd get an extra two runs a week done if I had one. Space is the problem though, I'd maybe have to sell a couple of bikes to make room for it! Or buy another shed.
The one thing I would add about XC though, is a bad run at it, doesn't necessarily transfer to the road.
The last time I did the Finch XC (maybe now run by TVT?) I remember it being an absolute dire slog. And I wondered how the heck I could entertain a HM the next week. The HM went brilliantly!
Is there seriously nowhere safe to leave stuff at LFOTM? I'd be heading up on the train and was intending going out after so unless I can persuade on of the family to come with me, that might not work so well! Don't worry SG - I'm definitely not in 5k mode either
When ive done this race I've kept keys and rail ticket on me (plus spare cash) and just trusted dumping all gear under the kit tree...
Maybe aley and sc's pub owner fella might let you ditch gear there on the promise of a pint or two after...but i wouldn't like to see your face at paying time!
Training going well SG & SC2. More quality racing from Muddy too. 3 races in 3 weekends surely calls for some recovery days - especially with that 10M PB in the middle one.
Another double day today. Was going to go for my canal 10K route pre-work but the temperature plummeted turning the pavements into icy hell so went for the TM option. Inevitably this resulted in a planned easy run (with strides) morphing into a workout. Did a pace pyramid with 6K up & then 4K down 7:59/7:43/7:29/7:16/7:03/6:51/7:00/7:09/7:19/7:29. The weather had improved by lunchtime so got out for a comfortable 5M@7:40s
Thanks chaps, it'd be wallet and phone as the main thing. Could just keep them on me i guess - its not exactly like I'm needing to save seconds on my time!!! SG - I'd be meeting up with the folks after, so the question would be which of them would be happy to hang around the Serpentine rather than do soemthing a wee bit more interesting while i'm shuffling about
Jools - do like a pyramid. Well, once you get to the peak and it's downhill!
Bus -logistics are what makes the race planning fun
Little bit knacked this week, must be something to do with the time of year and probably 4 x fairly big weeks.
Probably not too surprising that the paces aren't ferocious at the moment.
Aimed for an 8, felt like it'd be a long run early knockings, but near the end chucked another mile in
9 at 7.26 pace.
I suppose I'm still a little hung up on easy "used" to come out nearer 7, or more accurately, I was used to running around 7 for whatever pace
Jools - Actually 4 races in 4 weeks ! The half wasn’t all out (around marathon effort) and the 5m race was less than threshold even. I haven’t ran anything hard in the past month other than those. I do have some twinges though, I suspect down to not warming up properly.
This week will definitely cut down - today is my long run for instance, which is shorter than the normal medium midweeker.
Will probably dabble a couple of pretty shorties out tomorrow, and rest up til Sunday then. Going into the race with 45 or so miles on the clock, for about a 52mile week, versus the midish 60s last 4 weeks.
Re LFOTM baggage issues - There's a big pile of bags with someone by them, so I'm never unduly worried.
Muddy = Our local 5m race at Wilen Lake (Wolverton 5) has made the dreaded move from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning. Quite a few did it as it was a Saturday afternoon, I think it will be a bad move eventually.
Never made it to Wolverton 5, so a bit churlish for me to say that the Saturday afternoon billing was one of the things tempting me! Always left it late and found the forecast for strong winds!
I'd like to dabble with a couple of pretty shorties tomorrow SG
WTF is going on with the weather? (alright, I know - it's climate change and we are probably entering a new Pluvial period but still...). Never seen the ground as saturated as it was on the way home tonight, there's plenty more forecast and it's still only December!!!
That's enough of that chat Bus...Sunday's XC is already looking a world of pain, being on a park that just screams "muddy bog" at the best of times, not helped by the Berkshire champs xc on it last weekend, and tonne load of rain since!
3 laps! But I suppose, as long as you're putting max effort in when Mr Foster is within sight it's all good
Wolverton being a sat was a nice idea, but then you start thinking that actually, a 2pm sat race is quite an awkward time slot when most of us are used to mornings or evenings, or at worst midday stuff like LFOTM or the old Silverstone half.
People moan about our XCs being 11 as "using the whole day up" (somehow?!), but 2pm surely does just that.
I think the Saturday thing was more popular that the start time tbh. I didn't mind waiting a little bit, at least you're not waiting the whole of Saturday for a Sunday race.
I'm just going on previous races. I used to love the Stevenage 5k series, on 3 Thursday nights before xmas. Proper race, elbows out, bit of verbals etc! Then they changed the course, then moved it to Sunday morning. Only lasted another few more months.
Anyway, pray for me. I need to be good tonight at the work do, as I have the South of Thames 'Senior' 7.5 mile xc tomorrow at Lloyd Pk, then straight to Harpenden for our training group dinner. Bedford & Co handicap race Sunday morning, HHH pub crawl Monday night.
told him 4miles at about 730
inevitably ended up further and faster
Hims slightly hauling me around, sub 7 for the last 2, with a bit of a climb in there too.
Breathy as heck, but I suppose jabbering wasn't helping. Strangely warm as well.
Some way to go to feel fit again, though I suppose I never ever run above easy at lunch, so was never going to feel golden
Simon - know what you mean about the sunday race hanging over the weekend. At least our XCs start 11am, so you can have at worst an 8am wake up
Right, it's been a long time since a SG turnout.
I believe it was the Dashers 1km relays in...early August!
After that I went straight into a base period, and put a solid 4 weeks in before vertigo utterly Rufus Brevitted me for a month.
As soon as that kicked in, the plan was to hopefully be back to full mileage by the end of the year, with a stretch target of a turnout.
Missed the first 3 XCs, just no chance. The next two, I maybe could have dribbled round, but took the sensible decision to put 3more weeks in until today....
The Reading XC, on Dachs' Woodley patch.
Unfortunately not the ferociously fast parkrun he's often mentioned, but instead on a field that doubles as a Mud emporium.
Nothing majorly tough beyond that, no real hills etc, so a bit more like the Saturday XCs the northerners go on about.
Turned up a bit gingerly, as despite a reduced week, I was definitely conscious normal runs are coming out in the 7.20-7.25 terrain, when that's been around 7 not too long ago, reps were slower, and even two miles sub 7 with a clubmate Friday lunchtime were sweatier than that pace should be!
However, as joint men's cap, and having missed 5/5, and the championship being at a critical stage, it was time to just put in, put the past's ego to one side, and just get round as best as I could, ideally in the team's 6.
Big Pete had cheered me by telling me it was a mere 5miler, and 2 laps, instead of the dreadful 3 lap, 5.6mile version.
Every little (less) helps
I've learnt some good lessons for this one prep wise! Get to the small carpark early - and reverse in as the spaces are narrow as frig
Then walk to the right out of the carpark rather than to the left...having changed into XC shoes early.
This means you don't slog half a mile through said boggy field to the start!
Having said that, I still ended up with absolutely sodden feet before I'd even got to the start. Shoe being ripped off by the mud at least 3 times! Mental note to properly tightly do those laces up - so we didn't have the Tadley pre 2010 era scenario of jumping a watery bit, landing heavily into mud, and the back of my foot coming out of my shoe, yet with the laces tied tightly!Still don't know how I forced that foot back in with only 15secs lost!
Anyway, after some original confusion of where the heck our lot were I eventually noted that for some reason they'd set up in a bush well away from everyone else!
Certainly wasn't fancying it, in any shape or form at this stage. A dribbled warm up mile, with at least another 2-3 stops to put my foot back in the shoe, came out at 8.30 pace...hmmm, this might not be ferocious today
Couldn't see Mad Dom today, the chap who always sprints 100m, then drops back 25-30 places but is adamant this style is effective..which helped, as today I didn't feel competitive in any particular way!
I kept 3 rows back on the start line, and went off pretty steadily. Probably a massive mistake, as the pretty poor choice of a route very quickly went up a small hill, with an almighty bottleneck!
I was probably in about 100th at this stage, slightly browning what wasn't already brown on my gear, sitting behind all sorts of people I should be miles ahead of...
Relax I told myself, and a bit of a down let me cut through people without upping pace.
Eventually saw Big Pete, who mentioned i'd started steadily today! Yep!
A bit of an up and down loop then, then into the 2 actual proper laps.
Saw Reggie just ahead on the usual start type bit. Was tempted to put a tiny bit of speed on to say hello, but realised today certainly wasn't the day for any semblance of chatting on the run!
Must admit I wasn't too bothered about who I'd beat, or not beat today - it was just a loosener to get back into racing, and ideally score for the club, but if not, show face as the new committee guy!
Clocked a couple of ladies ahead, and thought blooming heck,I think I've only lost to a couple in my whole TVXC history - but it turned out, that funnily enough they weren't mug punters, one was Claire Hallissey, who i'm pretty sure ran at London 2012, having done the Wycombe half in her build up.
Bit of a dull course, with the grass ranging from sloggy, to utterly boggy, and that sapping element of trying to plot the right route through it. At times I just monstered through the middle of massive bits of water, having no idea how deep they were. That has seen me fall to shoulder height back in the day
The only real respite was about a 3/4mile bit in the back woods, but that was still muddy.
At half way, a young guy Nathan from my club stormed past. Now I've always beaten young Nathan but he's generally a XC guy, and the top speed you need on the road isn't as necessary offroad, especially not for this sort of course!
That put me down to 6th in the club, and thinking, can I slog this out and not lose any more places? I knew I'm "normally" faster than the rest of our gang, but in fairness, i'm "normally" faster than at least 2 of those ahead
It's like everything you know doesn't apply offroad!
Anyway, off we continue, for lap 2, to enjoy an even sillier mashed up course, and it feels everyone has reduced to a dribble. It feels easy pace, but not able to go faster. How slow is everyone behind me going I wonder - but let's see this out!
Was looking forward to the final woods with a mile to go. I'm in a gang of three, one Maidenhead vet who has been good for years and one Windle guy.
Maidenhead got away a bit, and I got away a little from Windle, just to avoid a pained finish, and the glory of that final quarter mile starting downhill!
Our super vet, who is about 56/57 gave me a look of is that the best you can do, as I just about got home, in for 41st and more importantly 6th scorer in the club - done my bit
Should "probably" be a decent chunk higher, but am just pleased to have got a turnout in. Racing is tough enough when you're in good form and shape, but after so long both out, and away, realistically it'd have been tough to do much better today I think.
About 5mins on my ass, hands in thick black mud. Reggie came and saw me in my sorry state, but my thick mud hands ruled out any handshake
A good cool down mile with Nathan, at an outrageously slow and tight calved pace was a good chat, as was more of the same with the gang.
Look forward to digging out some of the pics.
But I need to get a lot fitter and faster very soon I think.
Not entirely sure of the best way forward.
Probably the safest bet is sticking to the percentages
A string of 15s with Wokingham Half in mind, a weekly threshold run, and something sharper as the other session.
Then as much easy running as 1) fits in, and 2) doesn't compromise those 3 key blocks