Moraghan Training - Stevie G

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  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    SCoombes2 said:
    Good stuff. I was lucky enough to win the Stevenage half one year - that was my biggest win and I think it was in the 74's. Not going to win a semi big race in that time these days.

    It's good to go for the smaller races now and again - but then it's the bigger races against faster runners where you tend to get the PB's etc..

    Only did about 4 miles yesterday, trying to get my legs ready for the 5k at MK tomorrow - which I feel isn't going to be nice. I'm off at 17.05, so the warmest part of the day. They are going for 78's - which is low 16's, which wold be great - but I feel it will be slower.

    Got a 9.2 mile relay leg Sunday morning. Going to be a busy one.
    The start time of those 5ks do not look genius do they!
    Beautifully across the afternoon on a roasting day!

    Some of the heats look fairly wide standard!
    That AK at your club in the elite women's that says they're going for 74s...ie dead on 5min miling pace?
    Surely that's only the absolute fastest in the race, unless she's found 90secs or so in a couple of months...although maybe you can take 20secs off from road to track I suppose.

    Also in another heat there's a guy in my club who "may" be able to do sub 18, and another one I know who "might" be able to do sub 17. That's again a good min range.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    SC, saw AK did 17.37 tonight then. Coincidentally to the exact second my Monday time.
    She beat me the BP I did 17.32, so must have been something like 17.25 maybe? So probably a heat thing, even at 8pm ish it probably was still pretty hot?

    17.25 on road, you'd expect knocking somewhere near the door for 17 dead on the track?
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2021
    Right, as no-one else is abooot, let's get a "quick" turnout report in.

    No photo description available

    It didn't take a huge amount of thinking to decide to go for the Herts 5k on Bovingdon "Drift" race track, with the Dorney races kicking off at 1pm-2pm, absolute lunacy, Wycombe 10k MT being mad enough as a route, and the HM being a guaranteed risk of stacking it :D 

    Had half an eye on seeing if I could get a swift V40 1st, but to be honest, would probably be equal chance across all 3 races anyway.

    30 min trip, off at 7.30, get there 8, for a 9am race was the plan.
    Obviously set off 10mins later, and the sat nav decided it was 40mins instead. Doh.

    Will still be fine I thought, especially as the weather was the opposite of the stormy rivers of water seen on Monday.

    M40-M25 and Hemel Hempstead way then, and intrigued to see how this race track operated and what it'd be like.
    This event seemed a bit less fussy about start and leaving times then one me and Pete saw a few months ago, the re-venued Hillingdon 5. That had 3 waves and strict rules on arrival and leaving times!

    On arrival, they'd got it sorted quite nicely, so that the route and access in were separate, so no problem anyway.
    Only thing was that the hill up to the venue is a little narrow, so you wouldn't want loads coming each direction.

    A geezer driving a Ferrari rolled in before me, and I assumed he was there for the car part of things, but no, he was driving his daughter to run.
    Why bother - you're loaded ;)

    Already about 22/23 degrees, and feeling like 26 (according to the bbc), so the billed "fast course" was nice, but we all suspected the heat would kick in a bit.
    Just hoping less so for us 5k-ers, then the 10k crew, off at 10, as the temp would be monstering up.

    Mile and a half or so of "warm-up", no strides, and really wasn't fancying it (ed - do you ever ;) ), and eventually was time to get over to the start. Seemed a little windy, which seemed a strange combo with very hot, but it is what it is I thought.

    There was an odd little grassy/rough path that for a second I was wondering about how the 3.5miles in Next's would like it, but wasn't too bad.

    Called to the start line, and there's a little cluster of fast looking younguns.

    Then me, then almost an exclusion zone behind me!

    I asked the 2 youngsters in front what sort of time mixer they'd be after, and they suggested 1715-30 sort of fare, so I thought, brilliant, if you're miles ahead of these 2 you're overdoing it. 

    As the route is a 2km loop, the 5k needed to make a 1k part up. It looked a bit ropey on the map, seemingly suggesting an about turn. But when it came to it it was quite well done, a bit of a sharpish bend, but a bend none the less, and not too slowing.

    With no km markers, which you can understand, on a 2 big laps, 1 small lap, and 5 laps in the 10k, i for once set the auto km markers on the watch... having spent 10mins trying to remember how to set both miles to km, and then auto to 1km. With only about 5 options, I'm not sure how it always seems so hard to do :)


  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2021
    Off we go, and I sit in nicely behind the 2 young lads. 4 other lads are off hard. 2 of these look really quality fare.

    The 1km loop takes you left, past some random flash cars (trying not to skim them (!) ), and then back on yourself, and round a loop back to the start.

    I'm pleased to see the first km at 3.28, having finally broken the 3.32 curse.

    I'd got ahead of one of the youngsters too, so into 6th, and could tell he wouldn't be back on me.

    A long loop kicks in now, and while there's a windy stretch, and surprisingly a very slight up and down, I'm going decently enough, albeit in the same sort of intensity as all the recent races.

    Usual slight drop for km2 and 3, but not too bad, and it's all going alright for the heat.

    Enjoyed the second lap, and looked forward to the last loop, to whip up a strong sprint in. Got that dead on 5min miling, and over the line for

    17:48 and 6th.

    Same average pace as Battersea of 5.40, but 3.15 on the mileage, but not an unreasonable extra, but is the flaw of using the auto splits, as you have the 5, then you have this extra bit!

    1st MV40. Glad to get one of those under my belt 6 days into the category :D 
    (Even asked a couple of geezers if they were over 40 to make sure...I've become one of those types :D:D )


    The below doesn't include the U19s, which had a couple well down the 16s.

    May be an image of text that says 0948 Seniors Pos Top 100 Seniors Name Lewis MCBRIDE Time 2 Angus SAUNDERS 001725 3 Sam AUSTIN 001741 M35 002112 Pos Name Top 100 M35 1 Jonathan PARR Time 2 001647 Douglas COLEMAN 3 Simon DRON 001710 002023 M40 Pos Name Top 100 M40 lan GUTTERIDGE Time 2 Stuart HAYCROFT 001748 3 David OLIMA 001813 001833 M45 Pos Name Top 100 M45 Ashley HOWES Time 2 Gareth CLARK 001919 3 Simon WHITING 002142 002250 M50 Dne Nama Top 100 M50 Tima


    I was happy enough to put a solid effort in, get my 17:xx without too much damage.
    Felt fairly decent after.

    Met up with Sam and Trevor, 2 local scene legends, and said I'd stick around for a bit.

    I went off for a couple of mile jog down, round a field footpath. (Having changed shoes of course!!)
    THAT was when the heat kicked in a bit, even at jog pace.  Must have been reaching 28 degrees or more by that point, and that's where I felt sorry for the 10k crew.

    Was happy to leave it as a 2mile cool down, 6.5miles for the day, for a mere 50mile week, but with a 2 race week that's ok.

    I trudged back, and saw Sam round twice, but no Trevor. Turns out he wisely bailed, having come close to wipe out. Has some major surgery up soon, so hopeful that goes well and he's back on the scene soon, as he was a legend when I was coming up. 72min HM guy.

    Slightly fraught drive home with less than 50miles of fuel on the trip calculator (may have to give the company car back in 2 weeks, so keeping the fuel low!!) ...and 32miles to do. You never quite know how quickly those predicted miles will rack up.
    Had to turn the air con off, and try and drive more consistently, and when the M25 came to a stand still, as 3 poor people had crashed literally in the middle lane, the most vulnerable place, I did hope this wouldn't all conspire...

    However, got away with it, and enjoyed an afternoon of that post race feel.


    Endure 24 next weekend...looking forward to it.

    Will see what's next after that. Maybe a few random piss abouts/trips in August, then think about a proper block aiming for a proper distance, pending no backwards steps with covid, and racing being back to all-in.
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Excellent run SG; I think that is probably your best of the group of 5k's you've done in recent times, as racing must have been horrible in today's heat. Very impressed that you were only about 10 secs slower than at BP. If you get the 'right' condiotns some time soon you can get a long way down the 17's. 

    Entered Thorpe & Egham HM in late Aug last week after SG kindly alerted me to the '40% off' available on all Run Through events. Wish I hadn't after today's run which was meant to be the start of my brief HM training spell. Wanted 16k at something akin to (theoretical!) mara pace so about 4'30 k's. Was always going much worse than that and cut it short after 13k which felt awful and averaged about 4'50. If I'm like that next training run I'll bin the HM plan. Could be to do with just being overly knackered after 65k on the bike y'day, which is nothing to Reg or Joe, but loads for me.  
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2021
    Unless you went out at about 3am Pete, I don't think you can base a struggle today on anything beyond the extreme surge in temperature... Very much the stand out super hot weekend of the year so far.

    See how it goes in more "normal" summer weather next few weeks.
    Having said that I thought you were brave to be considering an August half anyway, even late Augo. :)
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Happy belated birthday SG, good to see you celebrating it with a race on v40 day, that worked out well.

    Dont beat yourself up pete, you're a long way on from that calf issue and thinking of retiring. 10m ~mp is a bloody hard run, and it was scorchio this weekend. I did 10m ~mp yday in my long run (towards midday) and it was tough, and i do that session once a month or so. I thought of doing that 1/2 too, but its only 3 weeks before Brighton mara, if it was 4 or 5 id be tempted. I dont mind a summer 1/2, its good mara prep.
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Ditto Pete for SG's and ditto TR and SG for Pete 😉

    Unless you are well acclimatised, heat like today, and it was humid, screws things up, and the longer the race, the more impact! Good work the pair of you and many congrats SG on the first of man V40 prizes to come!

    I started my own LSR very early (for me!!!) at 8.15, but it was still ridiculously warm. So much so, that I had to ask a very helpful groundsman at Bradenham if I could cadge some water from the cricket pavilion!  With almost 6M to go I'm very glad I did, as even with this it was pretty dire stuff!   On the plus side, no hamstring issues of note and , at almost 44miles, my longest week for some time! A few miles strolling around Hughenden park  this afternoon actually meant I covered around 18M on foot today too...
  • SG. looks like you fell foul of the filming they are doing in West Wycombe Park.

    The big track that follows the floor of the valley along the bottom of Hellbottom Wood is not a public right of way and the footpath winds its way along a parallel path about 150m further up the side of the valley. 



    https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/19153127.warning-gunfire-sounds-film-crews-descend-west-wycombe-estate/

  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    I wouldn't base too much on one hot and sticky run , Pete, unless you're just looking for a way out of the HM ;-)

    I ran this morning and it was only about 18c apparently but my HR was well up and it was very slow, sweating like a running tap.

    Haven't done much else as I went away with the wife on the weekend, had my first full body massage which was weird. I was both delighted and concerned when I saw she was young and attractive but I managed to get through it by never looking at her  :D Not sure I'll ever bother with that again, it's not as relaxing as it should be!


  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Good research Phil - that'll be it.
    Am sure the road was marked as a bridle path though, and it was a straight line that lead me there? Oh well.

    Just glad I'd clocked that there was that parallel route out a bit higher up, rather than taking the route they sent me on. I'd probably still be out in some fields now, 20miles away!

    3miles this morning not much under 8 min miling did not feel easy. Felt very hot indeed.
  • SCoombes2SCoombes2 ✭✭✭
    ugh. That is all. Too hot to type currently. Will do more later - enjoyed all the reports though.

    Reg - Very nice thing to do with that money. Someone should anonymously tell the club members what you did ;) 
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    set off on a second 3miler thinking how much cooler it was than earlier.
    Didn't last long, and the "back" half of it was damn hot.

    Best not be like this at the weekend for the running parts!
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    The bridleway is just peeping in at the bottom of Philip's snip - the longer dashed green line.

    Early doors run this morning and it was lovely - warm, oblique sunshine but not too hot! 7 pretty hilly miles before breakfast is always nice! I'm attempting to get back to a weekly double, so plan to go out again this evening if several hours sitting at a desk after this morning's run doesn't set the hammie off!
  • SCoombes2SCoombes2 ✭✭✭
    Yes, hoping for a thunderstorm and it breaking soo.

    So saturday was the 5,000m. Did the old wet baseball cap thing, decided to wear it in the race..which I think may have been a mistake, but lessons for next time. Our race was aiming for 16.00, but it started off steadily - my first couple of laps were 80's and only really got t down to 78's for a bit. Race wise, got up through the field to 5th. 4th K was the quickest trying to catch the 2 guys in front of me..but =couldn't quite do it. 5th K was a struggle, ended up with 16.42. Hopefully worth a 16.20 odd on a better day - most were down 20-30 secs. Nice chat with Dachs, unfortunately he DNF'd, but wasn't too bothered.

    Sunday was first leg of the round MK relay, 9 miles and mainly uphill. Wearing my Adios and quickly realised it wasn't going to be great. Went wrong a couple of times, stopped for a breather a couple of times, ended up with 66m for 9.5 miles. Stupidly I agreed to jog back 5 miles as the crow flies after a load of drink. Hung around in the shade back at the start, but just couldn't cool down - kept having to pour cold water over my head. Felt  a bit better later.

    Nothing yesterday, just a gentle 20 mins this morning, didn't feel too bad.
  • For years I've been heading to far away places to climb proper mountains and today I discovered that was all a waste as there is a Chiltern 3 Peaks.

    "The route follows the Ridgeway path taking in the 3 highest peaks in the Chiltens. (Whiteleaf Cross, Coombe Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon)."
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Which is odd, as the highest point in the Chilterns is Haddington Hill, just east of Coombe Hill...barely a molehill though, let alone a mountain :wink:

    Double day today (yay!). First since march and the hamstring is now a little sore - bloody weird as there was barely even a niggle on Sunday's long run!  Possibly running then sitting all day...
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Tricky area hamstrings.
    I've had spells of that tight-run-sit-tighter-run-tight cycle and it's hard to break. Especially with driving on top.

    I've had spells where I did loads of stretching too. Oddly these days it seems to work better with minor amounts, rather than the proper amounts I used to do.
    Need to get back in the habit of a bit more than I do now though I think.


    6 this morn, that'll do for today, probs similar tomorrow, then off until what promises to be a 30mile shift across the weekend.
  • SCoombes2SCoombes2 ✭✭✭
    Oooh you've got me looking at OS Maps online. Can See Haddingdon Hill. 260m something as it doesn't give the exact height at the top - Same with Coombe Hill.

    Did a 15 miler ending at the Ivinghoe Beacon car park. Up up up at the end...lovely..
  • The Bus said:
    Which is odd, as the highest point in the Chilterns is Haddington Hill, just east of Coombe Hill...barely a molehill though, let alone a mountain
    Yes, I plotted the route and it has 4 peaks (not 3) and the third is this one at 267 m (Coombe Hill 260 m).


  • SorequadsSorequads ✭✭✭
    Great 5k in the heat, SG. Enjoyed the photos too. Are you doing Endure?

    Agreed with the others, Pete. 10M at MP is a big ask at the best of times, never mind Costa del UK and 65k on the bike. 

    A good week, Bus. 0815 early 😆

    Running that kind of pace in that heat is impressive, SC. Presumably zero danger of any shade as well. 


    Linda Franks 5M last night, put on by my own club, Almost Athletes. 

    In the ‘COVID learnings’ category, I really like the race briefings being a pdf in advance. So much less fannying about on the start line. 

    Goes without saying, but it was HOT. 32C when I left the car, only having dropped to 29C by the time I drove home. 

    Took a couple of frozen water bottles with me, assuming they would melt pretty quickly and I’d be left with a nice slushy to do some pre-cooling. Bloody things wouldn’t melt! And incredibly, one I left in the car was still 80% ice even after sitting there for a couple of hours or more. 

    Wasn’t expecting great things, with the chances of maintaining the sub-30 streak seeming extremely slim given the weather and current lack of pace. 

    Upon lining up, it was clear the field wasn’t quite as strong as usual - a clash with a local track race taking some away. Settled into 6/7/8th with the front five edging out of sight. 

    Pleasantly surprised to see a 5:59 first mile, and really pleased that each of the first three miles were sub six. 

    I led our group of three which became two and picked up an overkeen starter or two. Gently encouraged the other chap, Abingdon vest, to share the workload, but he said he was absolutely on his limit. Fair enough. A little disappointing when he then sped off with a mile and a half to go, absolutely dropping the hammer! 

    Finished up in 30:19 for 5th overall and 2nd SM. Feeling really positive and hopefully means I am moving in the right direction. 

    Ran a lap cool down in reverse - lovely chance to cheer everyone else on, thank club mate marshals etc. Half way round, saw a 70 year old Cirencester runner who must have just had a massive fall. Blood everywhere with a gash on his head and arm. Conscious, but not exactly coherent. He was being helped by a couple and the ambulance was on its way, so I directed runners to avoid him. Pleasingly, he was discharged from hospital this morn. Poor bloke. 

  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    edited July 2021
    Good to see it all (pretty much) coming together for you Bus and great track effort on a crazy warm afternoon Simon.Good luck for Endure SG; sure you and the DD men will be up with the leaders.

    Yateley 10k report from Littlehampton Beach which is a lot nicer place to be! Was in two minds whether to run last night as it was so hot, but made the wrong decision and there I was lining up in the first wave off in 30° heat.

    Set off quite hard and my first 3k were pretty much as fast as in my last one in the series. However they felt really tough which was the warning sign I ignored. 3k to 7k is largely gentle downhill but knew I was slowing. Through half way in 19'20 and 7k about 27'20, but in the last 3k the wheels really came off. 4'25, 4'25, 4'20 finish gave up a full minute on the last 3k last time, and felt like I wanted the ground to swallow me up. Even briefly took a wrong turn at 9k, my mind was all over the place, but shouted back on track thankfully. Eventually home in 40'38 which was my first 10k road race over 40 ever in probably over 50 10k's. So not the best of races, but no great surprise given my age now and the temperature and we move on. 
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    "Abd geest" track sesh from Simon indeed  :D 

    Good work both SQ and PM on the boiling hot races. Sooner you than me. 5ks I think you can suck up however hot, but 10k or longer, I think enters the serious world of slog territory.

    Thay may sound ironic to say, with me due to pump out 30miles at an event this weekend, but am hoping the more "tempo" effort level, being 5mile legs, and the hopefully cooler conditions mixed with promised showers/thunderstorms cool it down, without massively sending us into drenchville!

    Last 7miler done this morn, and that's me done.
    Will get to the venue tomorrow morn for a set up and look see, but despite originally thinking about staying over on the Friday as well, the smart decision looks to be leaving for a proper fuelling/sleep at home I think.
  • SorequadsSorequads ✭✭✭
    Sounds tough going, Pete. 

    Yeah SG. Agreed. I think 5M is just doable in the heat. 10k a step too far though. Enjoy Endure. 
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    I always massively prefer a 5m to a 10k, as I think the pace required is almost identical, so it's  easier in all ways. The lesser mileage, and the maths!

    Some real late week stresses with organisation so I'll be glad to get there and relax tomorrow for the "easy" day, the one with no running!

  • SCoombes2SCoombes2 ✭✭✭
    SG - Hope the weather doesn't turn your event into a quagmire, the forecast isn't great tbh.

    SQ, PM - Good effort for having a go in this weather. I was going to race the Bedford 10k next Friday night, but sacked that off after last weekend.

    Track session last night, went a bit better than I thought - 4 x (600,400,300,200) usual off 80 with 2 mins between sets. Not too hot. Being a 'spikunt' I bought a pair of the Nike Zoom Victory off Sportshoes and gave them a test over the last 3 reps. A good idea would have been to put some spikes in before!! My 2nd pair of Dragonfly are on their way from the states - so that should sort me out for a good few years spike wise.


  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Well done on your 5 mile race SQ; averaging virtually 6mm in that scorching heat most impressive :)

    Back to parkrun today after what seems an eternity. Chose a very low key one at Hanworth, just off the end of the M3 so only a 20 min drive. Madness really, but despite being only about 5k from Bushy it usually gets under 100 runners (only just over 70 today), whereas Bushy as usual was over 1000.

    Cool temps, low key event without the pressure, back in my trusted (if knackered) old 4%'s and down to 5k all helped and ended first in 19'06. Led for first 300m, then a youngster took it on for a k or so but once back ahed of him no real dangers. Obvs no decent runners out there or no way I come first, but still pretty satisfying as I near the end of my 50's. 
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Good work Pete - you'd have given the first finisher at Wycombe a run for his money today too!

    And SQ, as Pete says, that's a very solid time in that heat! Well under 30 mins on a cooler day  I should think.

    I put an offer in on a flat at the bottom of Wendover Woods yesterday and had it accepted, so plenty of new off-road routes to look forward to once all the paperwork is finished - just in time for the winter mud probably!!!
  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    edited July 2021
    nice park jogging Pete 
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