Moraghan Training - Stevie G

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  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    On another note, after Phil's "walking" at Parkrun, I noticed another older geezer we both know claiming an even faster "walk".

    Is this a new thing? Claiming 10-11min miling is walking? :D
    Maybe it's the older gents' "it was just a tempo" ;)
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    A good (running) step in the right direction SG!

    Proper race for me today (after being kept awake most of the night by torrential rain!).  It was good being back amongst people with a number pinned to my vest!

    The flooded roads on the drive to Wendover made me grateful I'd thrown my fell shoes in the car as well as wearing trail shoes, as this race has some fairly gnarly sections, including a massively steep downhill on chalk and grass and a similarly massive steep uphill!

    Easy parking and registration and after handing over my £3 for my number, pinned it on my vest, swapped my shoes over and set off for a warm up. After a couple of miles faffing about with my laces, I headed for the start line and shortly after all 90 or so of us were off, climbing the first 300m on tarmac, before heading up a muddy, narrow bridleway pretty much continuously to the woods at the top of Coombe Hill.  I'd started about 20 or so back, being uncertain of where I'd finish, and let a few overtake me on the start of the climb until my hear rate had settled into a rhythm and held my own. Near the top of the hill I started overtaking a few, though was then overtaken by the eventual ladies winner. 

    After the first hill there was about half a mile of bimbling through really muddy woods, trying to guess and avoid the puddles that seemed to have no bottom! I was running OK here, overtaking one or two and making progress. Then came an extremely steep downhill, which the RO had warned us about at the beginning saying its steep "but no where near as step as the descent from Scafell Pike in the Borrowdale Fell race for any of you who have done it". I have, and agree, but the Scafell Pike one isn't on Chilterns chalk!!!!  Anyway, got to the bottom having overtaken a couple, including the 1st lady, but you forget how much effort that sort of descent takes, and the next, flat section saw me blowing worse than after the first climb and 1st lady and a couple of others went past again.

    I eventually got my breath back just in time for the steep haul back to the top - one of the steepest climbs in the Chilterns. Last time I did this, a few years back, I managed to run the whole way, but this time I was doing the old hands on knees fell-walk with the others!  

    It's then a glorious, steady downhill all the way to the finish which is in an old chalk quarry. Maybe not so glorious today though! I was pleased to only be overtaken by one guy on the descent though so not too bad.  Had a good natter with some fellow runners at the end, including someone I work with (but don't like!) who I thought finished after me. Turns out, not only did he beat me, but he is also a V50 and took the prize - bastard!

    Another good chin-wag in the pub sipping my free pint during the prize giving - a VERY long time since that sort of thing!

    No idea of finishing place yet and the pace was slower than I've done more gnarly Sunday long runs on the odd occasion in the past, but it was still great to be racing again!

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Great stuff! There's no-one I've more willed to get back into racing!

    Hopefully the start of a few turnouts now.

    And hope your mate isn't reading this!
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    Good injury news from both the thread’s stalwarts & a great race/social report. Life is looking up. 😀
    I’ve been wrestling the black dog since coming back from the IoW & seeing my Dad
    Eventually got out for my run on Thursday at 7:35 in the evening. Decided to do a decent length workout which went reasonably well even if the paces were compromised by the terrain & hills. Certainly felt a lot better mentally afterwards which is the main thing.
    Of course the late finish meant Friday’s bike/run combo didn’t get done til late either which rather hamstrung my return to my local parkrun course. I really wasn’t feeling it at all & contemplated not going then after a lacklustre 2K wu jogging round in 24-25 minutes but fortunately the moment the countdown finished I was off & racing. Only managed 20:24 but at least it wasn’t a further regression. Did an 18M LR with 3x3M off 1M in the middle today on a stupidly hilly route. Many of my efforts were slower than the recoveries due to the placing of the hills. Obviously that wasn’t enough so I did a further 9M plod in the Malverns a coupla hours later having refuelled & rehydrated first of course.

  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    Nice comeback run Bus; as SG said great to see you back racing again and typical you manage to find a fell type race despite it being in the South East in August ;) .

    Excellent long training runs SQ and Jools and pleasing to see SG well on the road back from injury; the forum isn't the same without your daily posts!

    I'm up for a LFOTM some time Simon for sure, especially if we can add the pub visit like last time. Can't make Aug but Sept onwards should be ok.

    Thorpe & Egham HM for me which is the distance I really dislike (and so tend to limit to 1 a year). Last HM, in fact last race over 10k, was Feb 2020 and not really trained for it either due to a summer 5k and 10k programme so had all my excuses ready. Weather couldn't really be one of them though as was fairly mild for August if somewhat humid.

    Curious parking arrangements (SG would have had a field day ;)) as all the organizers seemed prepared to tell people was where they couldn't park (which they glibly said was at the HQ or anywhere near the start; helpful :/). Anyway as about half the direct route from my house to the start actually was on the course, which was all closed roads, decided I'd better get to the far side of Egham and park there in the town centre which worked ok.

    Staggered start Run Through cones style again, but still off within a few secs of the scheduled start as the field was not that big (about 600 I think). Plan was 4 min k's or just over for as long as that felt doable, then try to stay sub 4'15 thereafter. First 8k or so is fairly flat and stuck to the 4 min plan, but then a big hill into Virginia Water scuppered it and was 41 mins through 10k. After that seemed to be an uphill drag for ages even though the incline was low; this hacked me off a bit as the race was marketed as flat and fast. It also had 6 crossings of the M25 or M3 and, as locals will know from Wokingham, each of these is an annoying little rise. Was obvious by now my stamina was inadequate and the k's were mostly hitting around 4'25, though nearer 4 on the rare downhill ones. Was overtaken by quite a few, but steadied the ship a little late on to finish in 1'28'40. So pretty much the sort of time I expected; almost 5 mins off my pb and even 2 mins of my Wokingham and Maidenhead times from the last 2 HM's I did (neither of which I was very happy with). Guess its just an age thing now and should be pleased to be still out there and sub 1'30.

    Didn't find the experience as bad as I do most HM's, which I suppose is a positive, Was also a nice goody bag with a tech shirt, which I'd forgotten about as you rarely get anything much in all the Covid era races. Annoyingly shown as a Senior in race results though when I would have won my vintage Age Cat if they had put me in it ;) 

    Glad to have a long race on the card though and should hopefully serve well for Cabbage Patch 10, which is my next venture to the longer distances and not till mid October.
  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    Well done for pinning a number back on Bus, good effort and it's funny how often the first lady gets a mention!

    I am a week into solo parenting as my wife is away in hospital for a scheduled treatment that could be 4-6 weeks so training will take a back seat from here on in. My only hope is to work late and clear some time during work time whilst they are in school/holiday clubs.

    I optimistically tried to run whilst they rode their bikes yesterday, we rode just short of 5 miles to the local country park, albeit a bit stop start which was ok but on the way back we took a shorter route through the woods, my youngest fell off her bike into some nettles! What followed was a relay of me riding her bike a couple of hundred metres, leaving it, running back to then carry the child to the bike and repeat. 4 miles took us 1 hour 45 minutes  :D 

    So back to the drawing board on that one, although it was a sort of training.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Sounds an awkward time ahead Reg, hope the hospital stuff goes as planned.
    While you're used to very sketchy running training, the cycling seems to be a lot more constant, but I think if anyone can easily absorb a decent block off without going stir crazy it's you.

    Pete - nice turnout, but don't go playing the age card here, not against halfs from 2 years or less ago :D 
    While I would give you 40 to 60 would be age, late 50s to 60 surely isn't any drop :)

    Sounds a bit of a hassle of an event and route then. Surpised they're still doing distanced starts?
    Any idea if that's a theme for them, or something unusual at this event?

    Also, do Runthrough even give prizes out? No idea if they stopped due to the pandemic, or whether they never actually did them anyway.
    While it wasn't any issue as a senior, in their suddenly hyped up quality events, as a V40 in more usual times, I'd want to know i had a chance of being in the mix.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    ps won't push my luck with a run today.
    2.5m morning walk and 2mile at lunch, will probably be topped off with a 2miler this evening. Trebles ;)

    Then will try a run tomorrow, have physio and hope I can push more to daily runs again, but we'll see.
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Well done on getting through all that drama Reg; sure puts running into perspective and hope matters improve soon.

    SG; granted 2 years will not be the same impact as 20, but I do think people usually slow down a lot more year by year from late 50's on than previously. Till 40 there is very little slowing at all, but from then it gets exponentially higher (any stats on this PMJ?). Agree it doesn't explain all my deterioration, and as discussed off line, throwing in a hard parkrun and a lot of cycling on Saturday didn't help either! Anyway "it is what it is" as the trite saying goes; just under 1'30 is about where a HM is for me now and can't say I'm too worried about that.

    Re prizes Run Through are a bit random; some they do AgeGroup prizes and some not. They actually had a prize ceremony yesterday, for 1st to 3rd M and F, and for the 10k too, which only had about 100 in it I think. No Age Group stuff though. Wouldn't say the race was badly organised yesterday, the Run Through version of staggered is very little different from a normal start; I was over the line in 10 secs for example and only went forward when the said the sub 1'30 call. The lack of parking info was odd but didn't take a rocket scientist to realise Egham centre was under a mile away and you would easily be able to park there. Can't knock a closed road HM event local to home and for under £20 with their discount code.
  • SQ - Yes Poole Parkrun is quality. And yes, I'll be drinking after the VLM. Should be watching opposite the Farriers arms, 8 miles in, about 200m before the right turn at the Spoons at Surrey Quays. Then probably later outside the Red Lion with some tinnies in a carrier bag..

    SG - Good news on the injury, Jools - Glad to are feeling more up now! Reggie - Interesting times eh. That sounded a knackering workout tbh!

    Good racing Bus and Pete. Did the Coombe Hill 5 once, the free beer is definitely the best bit, a real quad killer. Pete - Defo beer after the LFOTM. October definitely my preferred one.

    Decent parkrun, went over to Great Denham, near Bedford as it was LBAC club champs. Came in 4th for 16.36. This time the 4th k held up ok at 3.18, faded a little in the last K. So just a bit more endurance needed. 

    Ran from Woburn over to Bedford yesterday, warm and hilly so happy with 6.44's for the 14.5 miles. Seem to be going in the right direction. 9 this morning felt ok too.


  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Jools - sorry missed mentioning you in the "at work, quick read, smash a post or 2 off, mode", but you're a very game fella, do some incredible undertakings, so it would be absolute madness if you always had a Pat Sharp/children's tv presenter mood on the whole time.
     Glad you're feeling more at it.

    Pete, a HM is always a decent undertaking, in a way your shorter races don't feel, so at least you've got one in the locker for the year, which is always a good feeling.
    The "extras" before it certainly wouldn't help, and I dare say you could bash that time to bits if you wanted to put a 2month block in, featuring plenty of 6-7mile type tempos 15-20secs slower than HM, and some proper long runs 14-15 etc.

    And pick a "clubbier" race too.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Reg - best wishes to you and your family.

    Bus - good to see that you've pinned a number on, good for the confidence of hopefully doing it again.

    Pete - good going, as before racing is a long way from retiring due to a calf issue, good improvement if you're able to race a 1/2. I thought about doing that race as it was 6 wks before vlm, but i cnba with searching out alternative parking, and its an hours drive......ive topped my AG in a couple of run through events and not seen a prize, but its not just them lots of new races dont either. I was 1st AG at a big race like Worthing 1/2 and there was no prize. However im not looking for prizes, the win is the main thing. NF 1/2 at least gave me a free entry. First in AG at Gosport got me £50 once but thats a hard feat to repeat, i lucked in by others not being there i reckon.

    SG - good to see you getting going. After injury there'd be no shame in those 7.30s becoming 8.30s for a while (or at any other time really).
  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    Cheers chaps, ironically I managed to do a bike and brick run at lunchtime, I did the  (hard)bike indoors, which was pretty horrid and then a 5k run. Doing it indoors just saved a lot of faffing about with kit and bikes.

    More physio tomorrow but I am feeling some benefit already from last week's session. Probably aided by the fact I haven't been able to train much.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Thought i'd gone too positive too soon for a while on my run today, before remembering this is how it went Sunday too.

    Half a mile getting achilles/hamstring etc awake, and remembering what running feels like.
    0.5-1.5m feeling this hard to describe glitchy rusty tightness, that is runnable through but not great.
    After 1.5m not smooth, but have sort of ridden through the above, and today I could have gone beyond the amount I chose to do (4miles).

    All very slow - probably about 7.50s sort of average today, but most important thing is how it feels and a progression. And 2 runs in 3 days is that.

    Physio at 11, see how we're looking.


    TR  -much agree. Shocking to not get a prize at the Worthing HM!

    I wonder with Runthrough if it's "their" races where they don't do awards, and their partner races that they do? Not sure really though.

    Runners really don't ask much.

    Accurate course and timing - the absolute 2 essentials - agreed upon probably by everyone.

    But then, some sort of prizes are probably high up the nice to have list.
  • Toilets Toilets Toilets. 

    Nothing helps race day like knowing that you can go for your dump when you want.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Agreed, i was asked to review Stubbington 10k one year which is a 1000+ runners pretty quick local race. I moaned about the very few toilets at the community centre......was contacted by the race director asking how could i find fault with his flat, fast closed road race.....i said toilets and parking matter, fair play to him there's a load of portaloos there nowadays.
  • Sorry to hear about the Black Dog, Jools. Although fantastic you can share it here. Always good to talk. I know you and others on the P&D thread were very supportive of me last year. Would the Calm app help? Hell of a Sunday from you. Is Brighton quite soon?

    That sounds a very tough time for you all, Reg. No doubt you’ll work out good ways to squeeze in some much needed exercise and stress relief. The bike, run, carry triathlon sounds bloody hard!

    Great to see you racing again, Bus. And free beer 🍺 😃

    TR have a point, SG, and time to slow down to some 8m/m? Only you’ll know of course. 

    SC I like the sound of some tinnies. Can’t stand the queue at the Red Lion!

    Great stuff at the half, Pete. 


    Wanted to hit a three hours time on feet job before going back to work. Not ideal doing it only four days after the last long effort, but keen to give a bit of a break before a hilly 10k on Sunday (Winchcombe - SG do I remember you saying you did it one year?). 

    Treated myself to a 9am start. Just shy of 24M with 1800ft of climbing. Some cracking Cotswold roads that I have only cycled on in the past. 7:38 average, which tumbled a lot in the second net-downhill half. 

  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    Welcome to veteran running SG 😜 
    Thanks for the suggestion SQ. Think it’s a combination of external factors, including my dad’s declining situation, which have teamed up with CoViD to produce another underwhelming Summer break. I’m really not ready to go back to work next week. Hopefully this weekend’s camping trip with mates in Pembrokeshire will help. Cracking LR from yourself. You seem to be running the longer stuff very well still even if you’re not as sharp at the shorter stuff.
    Broke myself today with a 7.7M & 12.6M double with almost 1,000m of climbing between them 😆 Not recovered from Sunday tbh
    OH gets back from IoW tomorrow so the 2nd half of the week will be quieter.
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    I think I know how you feel Jools. A combination of multiple shit stuff and no real escape can really start to overwhelm, no matter how well you think you can deal with things and it's really difficult to get back into a positive mindset and think rationally at times. It's been a particularly crap past 18 months on top of general life issues, that's for sure!

    Taking that big old black dog out for a long hard run until its gasping for air and panting for water helps a wee bit though!

    Another quality long run SQ and good to see the runs coming back in SG.

    And who needs toilets as long as there's a bush somewhere to hand eh SG? :wink:
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    That’s it exactly Bus. Least I’m only physically exhausted rather than injured. It was glorious up Sugar Loaf this afternoon 😎
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Lovely wee hill is Sugar Loaf - not been there for an age!   Hoping to get up to the Lakes in a week's time. Probably end up camping as a) there's almost nothing left cottage wise that's affordable and b) I'm supposed to be going with my daughter, but she is doing an internship at some point in the next few weeks but can't seem to nail down the date, which makes booking anything at all impossible!!!
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    SQ, don't worry, certainly not fixated on pace right now, only as a guide versus normal.

    I've run 3 days in a row now, and 4/5. Only singles of 4, 3 and 3.5 this week, but I'm sure there's a bit of progress each day. If i can do 15-20miles this week, plus 20miles walking, that's a good step up from 6.5miles running and 20 or so miles walking last week.

    Then we'll take it from there.

    General vibe is a couple of hundred metres loosening up achilles and suchlike that are a bit tight, but a bit less so each day. Then relatively free until half a mile, then start to feel the quad. But, it seems to be a little less "sticky" each day and for less time. Then at a certain point fairly decent, but clearly still running a little in a style that is more taxing as it's more breathy for a slower pace than before.

    However, i'll take that and look forward to progressing.
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Seems fairly standard recovery for that type of injury SG, so fingers crossed you'll be back to normal in a week or three.

    Interesting day today - went out for lunch with some people from work in advance of a "real" meeting. Al quite exciting really and I realised that, with the exception of Sunday's quick pint, this was actually the first proper social event for 2 years!!!! What a sad bastard I am!

    I also realised that, because of the short race on Sunday, I've actually now run 6 days in a row, which is rare for me even in pre hamstring days!  All seems to be holding up OK during running, but still an issue sitting and driving, so I still need to exercise some caution. As such, plan is F-off, parkrun Sat then longish Sunday.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Glad to see it's turned a decent corner for you there Bus. If anyone deserves a bit of slack!
    A race and a parkrun turnout back to back is a good output.

    4miler for me. Little bit longer before feeling things, little less long a time feeling it, and a bit faster a pace. Good triple that.

    14.5miles of running so far. Will rest until Sunday now, and push that to at least a 20mile week, with 20miles of walking, and all of a sudden that doesn't look too bad as an overall basket.

    Then push on next week.

    This has helped shape what the training will look like when 100%, will put a base period in, work up through steady tempos into the proper tempos etc.
    But no pressure on when it'll lead to any races.
  • Looking OK now then SG. 

    Going to be tough tomorrow, stupidly doing a 1500/5000 combo in the NAL for Herne Hill at Lee Valley. Races at 4.10 and 4.40. Shame they are not the other way round.

    There's no promotion or relegation this year so quite laid back. Good bit of training anyway.
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    parkrun this morning, and back under 20 mins - yay!  19:35, with hopefully more to come....

    Slightly disappointed to be overtaken 300m from the line by a V50 (I think), but hey ho - beat big Dom on this occasion :smiley:

    Mad start again - girl about 8 sprinting off then veering across the whole line of runners, then nearly taken out by a dog, all within the first 200m! On the return leg I narrowly avoided being wiped out by a double buggy on the wrong side of the path - cost me some time I reckon as it made my heart rate jump :smiley:
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Make that beaten by a V60!  Still, makes me first V50 I guess :wink:
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    oops - no. Missed the much faster V50 who was second finisher :smile:
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Good work Bus, you're still a work in progress.

    "Free-Dom" (as I now call him, having seen a string of his anti lockdown etc posts on fb!) is decent, and he's on the way back himself, but beating him while on your own comeback is good work.

    Nothing as humbling as running as a sport.

    I think it was my fastest 5k this summer, the 17.32 where I lost to both an U21 girl, and a V55 in my actual 4 wave!
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Yeah, but that was in a proper race rather than the local parkrun SG :smiley:

    Thanks by the way. If I continue this rate of progress I'll beat Ian Kimpton's course record by Christmas :smiley:
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