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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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I left out of my report that the carpark i'd originally earmarked for the single reason of having 500+ spaces, actually had half of them apparently taped off, according to one pal. Not sure if that was to keep some space for the actual leisure centre users or what that was about, but he had a nightmare getting in!
Mislaid my number/chip at one point, then noticed it on the floor 5metres away, thank foook that didn't fly off over a hedge somewhere
Nice turnout from you, crazy paced start
Is that where they also do a 1mile race? I'm sure there was one that I weighed up doing on a return from a United game, then realised it would have been utterly ludicrous to take a diversion to squeeze that in!
Good to have proper races and loads of them back innit though
Was gutted one of our runner's mums who is usually superb for race photos managed to bungle it today, memory full and only took pics of her own son.
Doh.
I think back to Gosport half years back in the freezing cold trying to twist these crappy little twiny things and attach the chip on the shoe. Utter nonsense compared to simply having it in the number!
That 1miler is one of about 100 races I look at and consider, but there's so many races, so little time.
With certainty I want to get at least one Welsh race in, ideally meeting up with Jools into the bargain.
One of those Rose Inn 4milers looks ideal. I have a soft as heck pb from 2008 of 24.20, so could monster that off as a C race I dare say.
A couple of other options from the classic Murder Mile to the Scenic 7, a hilly race round a sort of national park - one I got lost in the evening of the last Murder Mile I did and was lucky to get out before dark / gates being locked
Have 4 races definitely loaded before Mid May, including the 12 stage southerns.
That was the one I mused about not making the 12, despite the manager saying no chance I'd miss out..and after today there's no way I'm not going to be a long leg!
Still hoping some of our fast injured boys recover though, so I can at least be a long leg that's smuggled in, rather than on the fastest legs! Although realistically we'll be well down from leg 1 such is the standard.
SG - must feel weird racing Wokey in sunshine as well as great to get a 1:17xx back on the record!
Looking forward to Reg's report!
I guess I better get one done too. Executive summary: Great day, prefect weather PB, first family meal out in over 6 months and a cup win for the Reds
Wokingham was my main running goal as part of training for my Ironman in May and as of tomorrow I need to shift the focus to swim/Bike so I was keen to get something in the PB bank today. After Chichester three weeks ago I was confident of getting a reasonable PB but catching the Covids and picking up an ankle niggle put a bit of a spanner in the works. Thankfully the niggle wasn't serious and I seem to have shifted the virus timely enough.
I had planned a proper last few weeks with a few speed sessions and a taper but that all went out the window and after a few lower mileage weeks I actually felt the need to get a proper week in so ended up with just shy of 50 this week.
This is a proper local race for me and with the number in the post and the Sister-in-law living literally opposite Cantley in the new builds, it doesn't get much easier. Also had a bunch of team mates and the family along for the ride.
Did a bit of a warm up and HR seemed a bit high but maybe I was looking for trouble. Had a few issues getting to the front of the start and as described by SG, ended up about 100 bodies back and just behind one of my Tri rivals girlfriends, she went on to run 1:15 and his PB is 1:14:40 ish which I was hoping to beat.
As we started and turned up the hill my breathing feels a bit wheezy and I am losing ground, maybe I started too far forward? Legs don't feel great either but a glance at the watch shows 3:26km pace and it seems that either the standard is ridiculously good or a lot of people are due to fade badly. It's probably a mix of the two though. I am working in KMs these days, partly because I am trying to be more sensible and run to how my form is rather than aspiring to previous ambitions and levels, the downside is I have little idea about what they mean
I have made a mental note that 3:30/5:38 pace will get me just under 1:14 which is what the race predictor suggested after Chichester's 33:33. I'd be happy with that. First click reveals 3:26 and that was uphill so a solid start and I go through the first mile in 5:30. Going through town is quite nice but that hill was unhelpful but at least it was early on. My breathing still feels laboured and legs weak but as we hit the downhill out of town back toward the other side of Cantley, I am able to open up my stride and relax and I work my way through the field a bit. My support crew have cannily exited out the back post start and I pass them on mile 2 having put in a 5:13 second mile! Although I am unaware as I miss many of the autolap kms and I am not working in miles as mentioned :-).
Mostly I am vaguely aware of clocking low 3:20 splits and I am therefore mentally banking time for when we head back into the wind and up over the motorway bridges. As we move towards the old course section I notice a female running up ahead in what appears to be a swimming costume that is rather aggressively cut around her derriere! After a few minutes I share a chuckle with the chap alongside but on a serious note, there's no way I can run for the next hour looking at a females bottom when I have serious matters in hand
Thankfully she's gone off fast and dropping back so we're past about 3 miles in and I can get my mind back on the running. I am falling back on the uphills and coming back on the downhills and I also have a bit of close elbow contact with one of SCs team mates (a different one), he was a genuine menace at times. I plan to take note of the 5k split but when the watch beeps it's for 6km. I am momentarily annoyed to have missed the split but then I quickly realise that I am 1km further down the road! Anyway 6km was up in just over 20 minutes so an attempt at deduction reveals to me that's something 16:xx! I've now run more sub 17 5ks in 10k/HM races than actual 5k races!
Miles 3,4,5 & 6 were 5:27,22,27,31 and that last one is the first sign of pace slipping. My heart rate though is hovering around 170 and all my other raced HMs have been 177-180 average so that gives me confidence that there should be plenty left in the tank. After the 6 mile mark I again fail to notice the 10 split, looking down and it's on 10.6 already. Looking back though it was a 16:53. having not run these paces in an HM before I kind of don't really care about what time I am on for, I just know I am ahead of target. It's probably only next time out that I have a proper benchmark to work off.
So 10k in 33:39 according to Strava, just outside my recent PB although I am oblivious at the time and it's probably sightly wind assisted. About 8 miles in an I pass John K, SCs mate and fellow V45 who finished just ahead of me at Chichester so that's a boost. At this point my group of about 6 as dwindled to two and then one of the others pushes on leaving me with a ginger chap that has literally been in every photo I have been sent or shared. As we head back to Wokingham it's getting strung out now, I am still breathing pretty easy but my legs are a bit sore and tired. Pace has dropped slightly but I am still around or just ahead of my 3:30 target with money in the bank and as we hit 10 miles in sub 55 I note another unofficial PB!
That's 5k to go and this gives me a boost as we approach the toughest part of the course but I have been waiting for this and I've held something back. I up the effort if not the pace and having dropped to 5:27, 29,38,38 for miles 7-10 I do a reasonable job of limiting the damage from the headwind and hill to post a 5:49 for the infamous mile 11. Mile 12 still has some up and down but I am back to 5:38 before finishing with a 5:32 for the final mile before turning into the finishing straight, I look at the clock expecting something around high 1:13 to 1:14 but it's 1:12:30 ish and I feel slightly emotional having taken so many years to finally put together a HM that I feel does me justice. Over the line for 1:12:47 and nearly a 6 minute PB.
I knew I'd PB today but part of me still thought a bad day might lead to around 1:15:xx. So I am delighted with that.
Well raced SQ & SG.
I might to the May &/or June Rose Inn btw
69M week including a 23.5M run Tuesday a 13.4M Fartlek Thursday & 5th at Barnstaple parkrun in 19:57. Annoyingly not a course PB in spite of running my fastest times on both loops as they’d made it 100-110m long by moving the start since I last did it 2 years ago. Strava had me completing the 5K ‘Barnstaple parkrun’ segment in 19:23 although average pace suggests I went through 5K in 19:32. Everybody’s watch is in agreement about the increased distance but apparently no-one has plans to rectify it by moving the finish or restoring the original start & finish.
Xc and 10k seemed to be your sweet spot, but this year's xc was obvious you'd gone up a real notch, even being slightly masked by the Kevern/Corney types dropping out of the front end making it all seem a bit more up for grabs up there.
But that Chichester 10k...I told you that was an insane time in that wind, it wasn't just my blaggery of what I "could" have done
A 10k in yesterday's conditions, or even with no wind,as like I said Chichester properly warped the level we could moan at with wind, and there's without doubt a 32xx in there.
The May one looks difficult as I have races the two Sundays around it. If there wasn't the one after I could probably have risked a Sun-Tue, as I probably wouldn't need to be 100% to beat the pb but not with the race after too.
You had me worried for a sec but I'd misread the "long" course as being Rose Inn not the parkrun.
Annoying when everyone knows a race is long but people can't be assed to sort.
Was great to bank another hm starting with 77. You need these boosts every so often, however keen you are.
Knackering night's sleep and a bit sore , so definitely the right effort level!
2x3m very slow today then Tue off. Following Moz's classic recovery there.
SQ, what is that on your foot in the photo? Looks like something you clamp onto people on probation to stop them wandering out late at night.
SG, that is one heck of a run by you too; sub 6 pace for a HM is hugely impressive and remember running as a v40 is different to 10 years ago, so to achieve the same time is excellent. Crack on now and you could have your best year in a long time. Really pleased for you.
Nice running by SQ (great endurance paces developing there), Jools, Simon too. We are home to two of the country's best v45's now with Simon still aiming sub 16 5k and Reg a 1'12'xx HMer, to say awesome is, for once, not hyperbole
Jools; empathize exactly with that course lengthening to beyond 5k, how it messes up times re earlier efforts and that everyone knows it is long but no-one corrects it. We have a local course here (Rushmoor) where they have done exactly the same. Hope they sort it by your next visit there. In any event you seem in top form so well done and great mileage as ever.
Starting to get going again myself now. Did a parkrun, club 10k TT double this w/e. Nothing special time wise but sub 20 pr (19'43) and only just over 40 for the 10k (40'08) so right direction at least. World away from this thread's stars of course, but no surprises there.
Reg - that was truly epic. So pleased you put it all together. Looks like over 100m ascent now. Wonder if there are faster courses around?
Keen to join for a Rose Inn - not a race I have done before.
Pete, my swimming needs work
SQ - They have definitely slowed the course with the changes, basically adding a whole extra hill equivalent to the motorway bridge. It also seems to have measured long on almost every GPS trace. I reckon for that reason it's maybe 15-25 seconds slower than before. I guess it's now pretty flat. On the old course I may have done the London Marathon Champs time of 1:12:30, that would have saved me running a GFA time for 2023!
I might have another go at Reading though, I think Reading is now a faster course and Simon can testify to its flatness.
Don't think I am capable of a recovery run today but will try and get a swim in.
Couple of gentle circulation movers, and then a decent rest 2 days in when the DOMS kicks in and probably marks it as a nice finish to the race cycle.
Moz used to like a run with strides the day before a big race, and a rest day 2 days before, but I think I prefer it the other way around to that these days.
It has 2 actual hills, rather than Wokingham's string of little inclines, but also generally has a much higher quality front end.
However, having seen Wokingham's front end yesterday I'm not convinced that will be the case this year.
With the England masters thing, plus Reading having only being run 6months ago, plus all these discount vouchers, you wonder if people have switched their big HM outing to Wokey this year?
For what it's worth I think the only possible way Reading can be faster than Wokingham is that the quality depth is generally higher, plus it comes that 4-6 weeks later, so people have maybe stepped up a level.
However, the last 5k is probably quicker than Wokingham's little climbs. Although on some years that's counter balanced by the bleak windy dual carriage way run in!!
Hopefully we'll sync up at a few races over the late spring and summer.
The problem with some of these series is they annoyingly seem to share the same week of the month.
Think Rose Inn, Gosport and Battersea Park all clash!!
However, there's 4 or 5 of each so plenty of time to find a solution.
Great run SQ - Seems like a good event too. Good quality
SG - Brilliant stuff also. The half seems a long way to me, PB is 1.13.45, so may possibly get close, might wait for next winter. Thanks for the report.
Me? Well, results not horrific but felt slow and hard tbh.
Got the train down with wife and lad, so were were there 10.00, as the missus is women's/girls team manager for Bedford. First up watched our training partner in the girls U17's, she ran well to come 11th.
Then....first time watching Ollie run at PH. Thought i'd watch on that horrible 2nd hill to give him some encouragement, then over to the finish. He ran well to come 244/389 (I think) as he has another year at U13's. Someone in the house had to run well
So we were up at 3. one 2k small lap, the 2 x 5k large laps (large lap being the one we do three times for the southern.
Funny race, started reasonably strongly, but as soon as I hit the mud I slowed REALLY badly. It wasn't wet mud, this was sucky, sticky mud. Horrible stuff. Tried to get my self together on the first big lap and whilst not going too badly I was tiring and worringly clipped my large spikes a couple of times and nearly went over. on these two laps the first half is definitely worse than the second half, so starting the second large lap I was ready for the mud...so I thought. down into the first muddy field I went over. Swore a bit and got a bit of encouragement from some randoms watching...but it had killed my mojo a bit. Up the horrible hill I was barely moving forewards, just found it hard to get the energy to pull each leg out of the mud. Anyway, once the worst bits were over, I tried to recover those who had gone past me when I fell - my mate from Newham stormed past and he basically dragged me round. I hit the firmer bits on the last 2k and got a wiggle on (Newham mate finished 35 places behind me in the end).
Anyway, ended up 395/2000 odd. Like I said - not great, but not a disaster. Reggie would have run well here, good stamina course.
Simply don't have the strength now nearing 50 to get my legs out of the mud quick enough tbh - wasn't a xc specialist when I was younger, so no surprise really. Still ok over drier courses I suppose. Suppose being on my feet for 7 hours before the race didn't help!
Only 6k yesterday, will have a jog later today..
Reg - very nice, well done. Made me smile that you used your Chichester time as a 1/2 mara predictor. Shame you missed the GFA, fleet is in a few weeks, but i think you entered Eastleigh already?
Good to see Pete bounce back
The XC sounds awful, havnt done that since i was a teenager.
Good effort at the XC, SC. I watched it back on YT, I would like to do it one year, looks fun. Funnily enough I was watching that Raj chap and thinking that I would never have expected him to be so quick.
V45 is also very good in triathlon, must be a special generation!
If you’re into this sort of thing, FOD Runner’s https://youtu.be/6CB5gUFBLW0 video on Bourton 10k is pretty good. Gives a nice flavour of the race. The England Masters element definitely added even more quality than usual. And, just for SG, I was highly amused to see me struggling to park my car (blue Enyaq) at 1:20 in. Says it all 😆
SC - excellent to read of a real family day at the National. Undoubtedly the standing and walking round for that long would take it out of you - perhaps from an adrenaline as well as physical stand point.
Good conversion on 5k to 10k, Pete, especially the day after.
5.5M recovery at 8:50s this morning.
Reg - cracking result. I'm in the same age category as you but was quite a bit behind. The depth this year was quite surprising. That time would have won your AC and/or the county champs a lot of the time.
I agree with you on Wokingham v Reading. I think the only way Reading can possibly be quicker is that people have banked one already, so are having a 2nd go / are a bit fitter. Plus the higher quality field, but I doubt it'll be any higher than Wokingham this year.
Not entirely sure what the idea of the course changes were. Yes you get some claps in the town centre, but to be honest 1mile into a HM is the last place you need those. If they'd ended through there maybe, but I suppose you can't tie up a town centre at what would be past midday for some finishers.
SQ - Yes I presume there were a few more family outings, the missus ran too. I sort of knew that the hanging around all day wouldn't help.
Reggie - V45 is going like V40 did when I was 44 - stupidly fast - super shoes obviously helping now too. Raj did 15.45 at Battersea last year.
Reading annoyed me a bit going on about how flat it was, even though it's my PB course. Not done Wokingham - Cardiff was loads better course wise I thought - did the World Champs event in 2015. Weather was bad towards the end though.
Good to see the top quality racing and race reports continuing on this thread.