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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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Had a strange F OFF yesterday, stuck in a room while workmen carpeted a room and staircase for the best part of 6 hours (!), as the final bit of work after flooding in what must have been early Autumn now. Felt strangely drowsy and knackered so was glad to sleep and was sure I'd wake up fine today.
Fine as always then, just "that" race feel, besides you can always suck a 5k up no matter what.
And plan in hand to leave at 8am for a 10am start.
For some reason Runthrough had changed the order, so HM was 9.30, 5ks 10 and 10k waves 1 and 2 at 11 and 12.
Not sure what's gone on, but clearly they've changed to stagger stuff out more. Other races they've had the 10k about 15mins before, so you have more out there with you, which I found very useful at Newbury in Autumn.
Did do this one as my 3rd of 4 races back last autumn before it all shut down and I was starting to get into the mode again for a 17.25 that day.
This time round I was just keen to log a 17xx and hopefully get under 17.49, but honestly didn't know.
Set off at 830 which was a bit bloody later than ideal, sat nav on, 1hour. Heck, had forgotten Newbury is one of those places seemingly no where near anywhere. 2mins of driving, it suddenly decided it was 1hr 15 away, heck - that'd get things a leeeetle tighter.
But told myself I could always piss about at the back and no harm done.
M4 is the usual mix of 50-60 annoying zones, seemingly in place for ever for these (not so) smart motorways that they're just about realising are utterly unsafe and thus bonkers as a concept.
Amazingly got there even earlier than the original 930 prediction, so goodness knows that the sat nav was playing at there.
Had already entered, so no messing, 1.2mile or so, less than marvellous warmup, including a chuckle with some kid marshal who confirmed to me he was beyond bored spitless stood there for hours, and then I was in and around the action.
Saw a clubmate or 2 and their kid, and over to the grid.
Except I was a bit caught out by how early they were calling it this race, so even at 5 to 10 the grid was a mile back, and I didn't want to just point at my "proper runner" vest and just say "innit", and bundle in (like I saw some twat do later...well, maybe without the pointing and innit parts), so ended up gridding up with the 30min crew.
Can't lie, I felt a bit big time, and when the fat lady shrieked to set the race going, I monstered off like someone who has forgotten how to race.
3.15 or so first km, extinguishing most of the people in front who should never be, and then it got barren and straight with a little bit of wind down a straight.
3.30 next km, still all good I thought, even 3.30 is 17.30 pacing and I'd "banked" a bit.
No idea what the effort was, daren't look at the watch, and periodically went past the occasional, perhaps the odd HM runner too.
3.45 or so next km, sheash, what's going on here. Though oddly still on 17.30 pace, but that played a leeetle bit of havoc.
Hindsight later showed me that the first 2km were 0.61m, and the third one 0.63m, so not as mad as first seemed, albeit one real drop, as the bleak loneliness midrace crescendoed.
I always look forward to the 4th km, to start that mysterious period where you feel like you're at plenty of effort, but can suddenly boot one last harder one out, but all of a sudden the km had disappeared.
No man's land time.
It wasn't helped by some genius deciding to break up the rampage by having one of these bloody, run 10metres up a random path and then a dead turn at a cone. A ridiculous addition from the autumn. Just start the bastad further forward or move the finish line further back!
I was put off by a 1mile split then recording in 5.49, leaving me in utterly no real idea if I was going to get well down the mid 17s, match Kempton, or be well off.
Worked decently into the final 1/3mile, and that slight sinking feeling of knowing the finish was further away than I'd imagined off the distance left,
Over the line, and scraped in just behind Kempton, for 17:52
I read this brilliant description of the course from a fellow runner Ben
Superb tarmac at start lulls you in. Had sand, potholes, grass, meshy netting bollocks. Nice for good blow out anyway
It makes me laugh, and just needs the back and forth to that cone, and mentioning the 2 "No overtake" tight zones, that inevitably have people in when you go through
I think sometimes you come back to a course and have lower expectations too. In Autumn I experienced it fresh and so couldn't put myself off I suppose.
Another one to file in the "solid" folder I think. A good chunk slower than autumn, but I think I was into the flow of races by then with 3 a bit closer stacked than 1 a month ago and then today. I don't think I'm one of these people who seem to maximise their time irrespective of format either. Was an interesting "experiment" going off at the back of the grid too. Probably worked brilliantly for km1, but once it was just you for a couple of km, not so great at all. A harmless race to trial it in really - and I say "experiment" which I can say it was, but it was inflicted, by them doing the grid earlier than usual.
However, 17.49-17.52 may simply be where I am right now, and there's plenty of work to drill that down.
I'll get in for a couple more turnouts soon and do my best
Good to see Ben MD , aka Jock Itch there, the Biggest Boy Pete, and a number of other clubmates.
Running is like that isn't it, tonneload of venues and races (normally at least), but quite a small scene, so always a chance of seeing, or making a new pal
I hung about like a great guy, having finished by 10.20, for the 10k which didn't even start until 11, let alone the ending time around 11.40, but having a "Lovely" tour around the outsides of Newbury town. Gorgeous....coughs.
Racked up 3.7miles, just to get it up to 8miles for the day.
Fair play for the 10k, and especially the HM lot. I wouldn't have fancied multiple laps of this course. Constant changes of footing, bits of wind on a couple of long straights and fiddle faddle of turns are fine for 1 lap, but not again and again.
Definitely prefer the Kempton course for actual route and footing, but that had more wind, so you don't always win
For now though us runner beggars can't be choosers, so take the chance while you can
And I'll book at least 2 more in May tonight
I’m going to ache tomorrow 29.3M & 6,000ft today supporting another South Wales Traverse. Not the best idea 6 days after racing a marathon 😂 Definitely harder work than when I did it back in September even though it was a lot cooler. Even had a bit of May Day snow!
Jools - how you managed to get back out for the second 9 is beyond me! Difficult enough anytime, but 6 days after a tough marathon!!!!
Still a bit of sags with this hamstring. 7 last night was fine, but probably pushed my luck by running tonight. Only relatively short and first 5 was no more than mildly niggley, but then the last half mile just switched to painful. Looking like the planned trip to the Lakes in 2 weeks would be pointless, especially as long drives are likely to set it off as much as anything.
Jools- no idea how you've done 29m 6 days after a marathon.
Bus - hope the hammy picks up soon.
Typically bonkers, like we've come to expect
7.17 pace. Couple of climbs, bit of offroad, usual sort of mixer, to just squeeze through the 60miler marker.
Got an option of a 5miler next weekend, an intriguing 4 lapper on a 2km motor circuit.... not sure if it'd be really fun, or dreadful!
Sounds like the organiser did amazingly to find this as an alternative venue as their original venue was binned by some authority with 2 weeks notice!
Go for it SG, you can race those short races every week, probably depends how far away the new venue is now?
Easier day tomorrow as the weather forecast is shite.
Managed to make the hammie worse on an easy walk by somehow over-stretching it stepping through a dip in the path this morning! Sometimes luck is just not on your side. Very dull 30M bike ride late afternoon to round off a best forgotten weekend I think! Hey ho....
But seriously, hope that bores off, at least to a level where it only gets like that after a "proper" hard workout/race etc. To at least feel it was worth it.
TR, chatted it all through with Pete off forum, and think we're in agreement this Hatfield revised course just seems a bit too shoehorned in, when there's going to be plenty of choice soon. No need to force it, and in effect race 4 weeks in 5.
The organiser looks to have done a good job against hard odds, but with the very prescriptive arrival times and exits only allowed at certain times, 4 laps on a no doubt windy course, very vague about how many people have actually signed up, it just screams the risk of "washout" to me.
Jools, you get restless don't you. Bet you're a nightmare at home and refuse to sit down.
I can imagine you shouting out special move names for the most mundane activities
Probably a single 8 or so today. Have a route in mind to get up the steep hill into Bus's neck of the woods, flat through Hazlemere then turn to Penn, and then down some woods and back.
Will mapmyrun it now (for the first time in ages), see how close 8miles is.
But I hope they still get great turnouts, as they've been a superb company over this difficult time.
They and Nice Work are clever as they build "communities" and support them with various stuff, and get the loyalty back.
It looks like our summer series which has 6 events from May to July are going to try and squeeze 5/6 of them in from mid June to early August. Great to have options.
ps I almost got my karma for saying I bet your walk is an all action/parkour type job.
I leapt onto a curb (yes I'm spelling it this way to annoy you
Using today as my Monday equivalent, so 6 done and 4 later.
Felt like a Monday! Bit of a slog for most of the run, especially the 3miles into wind. However, the last mile was a glorious change of direction and enjoyable, and reminded me what it's all about!
So funny with the mental side of runnning. I've booted so many 9 or so milers out in the various lockdowns, so you'd think a mere 6 would feel like no time out. But you soon get used to changing distances, and 6 can feel plenty again!
https://www.chiacharge.co.uk/blogs/news/5-reasons-to-love-the-long-run
The long run is about much more than just testing out your kit, it's also about building up your lungs and legs for the rigours for running.
Nothing much yesterday apart from a 5k morning shuffle -had a work 'awayday' although not away yesterday. Got the LBAC 'Stag' thing tonight. basically that 4k blast time trial.
Monday finally got through the fences to run through the new houses being built near us. You know what it's like - been sounding it out as a possible 5k route...been itching to measure it
Still got about 20m of dirt to turn into road though. will just have to be patient..
4k's an unusual disto.
Had to oversee a bit of furniture being delivered back, as the last job in a long saga starting with flooding in the autumn, but still got similar to the light-ish session I had planned off.
5.5miles, with 10x1min "relaxed hard" in, out on the road, off 1min, tending to be 30secs walking, 30secs jogging.
Like we found with these really short road segs, the watch rounding has them all very black and white paces.
So 5 were 0.17m, and 5.53 pace, and 5 were 0.18m and 5.33 pace.
8 of them were into fairly strong wind too, so a decent freestyled sort of sesh in the circumstances.
Will have to do something more "proper" Friday. Maybe some 1km reps might be in order.
Couple of options. Standard sort of 5x1km at 5k pace, or maybe even an experimental mere 3 reps, but banging them with long recoveries.
We'll see.
7.14 or so, chalked off, done until tomo.
Following my physiotherapy my glute is now fine but I think the issue was and has always been the hamstring tendon where it inserts into the bony stuff at the pelvis. It's improved a lot but now only one run in 11 days. In retrospect, I can pinpoint when it started, I felt a weird pain running downhill and it was really high up the thigh. Another one I just ignored! Will we ever learn. So confidence in the physio missing this is low and at the aforementioned extortionate price, I might swerve the second appointment and use Dr Google.
To compound this the Gym has closed the pool for three days to remove the roof for summer. So it's just cycling and a freezing cold lake on offer at the moment. Leg feels reasonable so might ease out a slow run today to test things out.