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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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I jest, probably similar to my Murder mile "action" shot the other year that looked like I was doing a very slow walk indeed. "3 hours to walk a mile?" was one comment a clubmate dished my way
Nice parkrun progression PMJ and good to see the rapid improvements. Expect you will be back close to 20 mins by the end of summer if you can avoid injury. Any plans to return to racing?
Quality national relays performance again Simon. You are so reliably fast it must get a little boring
So Maidenhead 10 miler for me today and will get in there before SG for once, as he normally covers all angles before I can! Decent conditions, sunny but only about 14 degrees at the start and parking as easy as ever so all set to get off bang on time. Massive turnout from my club that represented about 4% of the whole field and all the fast guys there. Set off as near the front as I dare and aimed at 4 min k pace for as long as possible (standard tactic in endurance races these days).
First 5k or so is round a business park with multiple loops but at least flat and fast. Got to 5k in a tad under 20 mins, so bang on course, and already alongside a fellow WV runner (who stayed neck and neck with me till about the last 2k then pulled about 15 secs clear). Then out into the country with no protection from the sun and the temperature ramping up, but at least not too humid. k's rattling by, but most just over 4 mins so still not too bad. The problems didn't start till the rise to a rail bridge about 14k in where I showed my usual rubbish form on any incline to throw in a 4'35k and drop a few places. After that its fairly flat to the re-entrance to the business park and then only a k or so to the finish. Thankfully got back into my stride for this part and only just over 4 mins for each of the last 2k to finish 81st in 65'18. As usual overtaken on the run in by a few, but at my age probably can't do anything about that. Overall very pleased with the run and 1st in Age Group (just!) in quite a major race after 2nd at Fleet HM.
Had promised to walk and mind my daughter's GSD for the afternoon, so had to add a 10k walk to the mix! That felt as hard as the run
You need to bottle these feelings and remember while we all work hard to get them again
Although do you really want to go and race up hills so steep that 10min miling is a decent lick, like Bus?! Or is it just the scenery part of what he does you like?
Anyway. Maidenhead 10. One of these good atmosphere, clubby local events.
I always think this one works best if you haven't done it for a year or 2, as you get to re-remember bits, and enjoy them.
With the pandemic having wiped the last 2 years out, that was a given this year.
Due to those 2 years of either no, or very partial coverage of the well loved events, I earmarked 2022 as a mixture of doing the high quality fast courses, the old local favourites, and for once purposely attempting to take part in the club's championship. Having to be honest, evaded it in my Dasher days, as I didn't want to get sucked back into the Marlow days, of having to do races someone else set, and turning up when not feeling spot on etc.
The weather has turned a little bit, but I was hearted to see the estimates on temp on the bbc for Maidenhead to be 11-14, during the race, so not too bad.
I was probably ignoring that is probably Maidenhead town, not where this bit of Maidenhead is, especially the exposed bits on course, but I could at least be comforted by it not being 22-24 like the 2019 edition!!
Lovely 20 or so min drive in, like Pete says oodles of easy parking, and just the nunber to pick up.
I wonder why races don't adopt what Silverstone 10k did. Have unallocated numbers, and simply have 5 or 6 queues, pick up at any queue, and they allocate/scan you one on the day.
Saves people having to intricately pack and order every number, and then have to take a while digging out the exact number for ever runner!
But anyway, about 45mins to the start, 1mile warm up and chats done, and time to line up.
The front end has definitely been thicker over the years, but no problem.
Noticed a few Dasher teammates, one hilariously blagging he'd be doing 65, when no way in hell would he be, runner of his quality, even on low mileage
I'd gone through 10miles at Wokingham half in around 59.25, so the ideal result would be sub 59. Didn't know how it'd pan out, but I wanted to at least beat my last 2 10miler which were around 5930, back in autumn 2018 and here at Maidenhead in April 2019.
For anyone who doesn't know this course, it's quite an odd first third.
You have about a mile around the business park, then out onto the road to a roundabout.
Round the roundabout, seeing everyone behind you, BACK into the business park for another loop, and then BACK onto the same road, not quite as far as the roundabout again
The route then gets more interesting, with a road through a field with views, before snaking a long route round the outskirts of the business park, before eventually going over a bridge, through a field, and then back on the route back into the business park, and a half lap of it to finish.
Surfaces are generally very smooth, apart from a bit of rough stuff after you first head off from the road at about 3.5miles and then mile 9 is a little less than smooth as you climb a little, then have a rutted path through a field, before the lovely smooth last mile.
I must admit I was a little unsure what exactly I was reporting at the time.as the first 2miles came up before my watch, and then i was pissing about taking manual splits, and often ending up with 2 seconds or once, 0 seconds for manual splits
Add in the watch sometimes wrongly showing me at 6min miling despite averaging under, I just largely went on feel to be fair - albeit knowing I was comfortably on target for sub 60 at least!
The roundabout bit is always a bit disconcerting. You see precisely where everyone behind you is, and have to stop wondering about estimates of how far behind!
The "65min" guy is clearly well above that as he's surely only about 10-15secs behind and another club mate is not far behind him - well above where he'd normally be, and alas the over keen start cost him later!!
Loads of clubmates bark words of encouragement, and it is a bit relentless trying to pant out returns and thumbs up
Past Theresa May at 3.5miles - as Maidenhead MP, or originally that, she has an affinity with the area, and always marshals at the same point. Actually clocked her this time, rather than only realising on the video/pics after like last time!!
Here's the 2019 pic!
I'd been getting slightly irritated at hearing 100s of "Come on Simon" cheers from the crowd, to the little fella running just near me. I know the name, and I tell myself I should be ahead, but either way I either need to get ahead, or behind, to not hear that for much longer
6.01 4th mile, which isn't a disaster but makes me think, hang on, for a second.
I look now, and it is a 32 feet climb, and for a flat race there are a few of these sort of slight ups and downs.
This mile takes you through a bit of a sweeping landscape, and on past another field or 2.
Mile 5, 5.56, and I roughly do the maths that I'm at about 2935 or so for half way.
Dodgy maths tells me matching that second half takes me to quicker than the 10m point in Wokingham at least.
But who does the second half of a 10 quicker I think? Especially when everyone knows mile 9 is a bit of a slower one than all other miles. Plus the warmth of the day may have gone up a notch by then.
On we go.
Mile 6 is a lovely country lane, with a decent 46 or so feet down. That's gets things back the right way with a 5.45 mile.
I've got on a guy who is putting a decent pace in by now, and sit on him for a few miles. Ideal guy - decent pace, and wards off any ideas of dropping the gear for an easier day out.
I don't think any club mates are too close behind today, but you never can be too sure.
Mile 7 takes you on the side of an A road, keeping over to the pavement, still maintaining a decent lick with matey for a 5.51.
He's dropping a little now, as we mess about on a pavement section.
Passing the odd random just out for a solo run, and oddly an old woman with a race number on. Same as at 4miles too.
I realise now a few must have been given special dispensation to start early or something!
The beauty of a 10 versus a HM is by this sort of zone you can think firmly about seeing it out, rather than just being slightly beyond half way.
Mile 8 is all about thinking about how much of a climb mile 9 is and just trying to remember why it's got the slow down effect.
I go past a Maidenhead runner who is quite a good runner, but suffering in the warmth here.
Mile 8 out at 5.55.
Turn off into this fabled "slow" mile 9, and it's best described as being the sort of incline and footing you wouldn't give a second thought to on a solo training run, but 8+ miles into a race you feel.
Trudged over the slight bridge climb, and then a left hand turn out eventually, then I remembered a bit I'd totally forgotten, 300m or so through a slightly windy field, on rutted surface. Ahh, yes, this partially explains it!
Overtook a local pal from Maidenhead who was clearly suffering by then due to a fast start.
6.13 for that mile!
However, not to worry, the glory mile is at us.
Really fantastic to be back on super smooth road, and I've got a decent number ahead. Get ahead of 1 or 2, and then it's about half a mile into the business park.
Mr Foster is at hand for the 5th time to encourage me to pick runners off, but I must admit I'm happy just to come in nice and smoothly by now.
A marshal clocks 3 of us and says oooh there's a race on here, to zero response from any of us
A guy I undertake farts loudly, and I joke with him that shows the effort he's putting in
I then find it necessary to say something about how there's always 1 last bend, and go wide round it to see the finish.
I see one of Pete's mates ahead, but think I could take him, but is it worth it.
But then I suddenly clock that I can get sub 59 if I work hard here.
I start barking about "sub 59 is on here" to zero response from the 2 near me, so just decide to monster on.
Pete's mate is coming back hard, and I'm on his shoulder "sub 59 is on", to a dismissive look, so I storm in, and think I've done it.
Lovely! 5.33 last mile
I then stop my watch, having forgotten to, and because it says 59.03 I suddenly have a doubt, as I don't think there was a race clock for some reason!!
However, long story short, and slight concern that the "Live" race results had everyone as "started" but no actual results for a good 10mins post race, and eventually confirmed as
58:57
Lovely job. 23rd, 1st home from the club and beat a few usually faster guys.
That was bang on across all points.
I've done 11 10milers, and 7 here at Maidenhead, and that's my quickest of them.
The 3 I've done quicker have been at Cabbage Patch and Great South Run in October events.
I think both are quicker, but bar the "humid" and unseasonably warm year at GSR in 2018 I think you normally get a lower temp too, although I didn't particularly feel hampered by the warm like some did today.
However, I'm really pleased with the year's work and autumn 2021 before that.
Strong 5mile,10k, 10mile and HM, the full set of those really.
Got a club champs 5k in, a few parkruns, and the relay recently too. Lovely set of work.
Loads of chats with clubmates and local pals alike.
One highlight was a pal's 4 year old kid who I clocked wearing a Datchet Dashers branded t shirt
1 mile cool down lap, and then realised I best stop savouring it all and get home, as Wycombe had a 3pm game.
Great win there, making for a pretty superb day really
Good performance from SG and PeteM, course sounds good too, quite interesting. Great times though and even I would smile at Theresa May now, says a lot about the current PM.
So typing from Poole tonight at the old dears, bit tired tbh. Commute was knackering Wednesday and did 4 x (600,400,300,200) off 60 secs with 2.30 secs between sets over our tarmac track yesterday and that was really tough. Was quite warm and the surface is quite unforgiving.
Did 6 today, Poole parkrun tomorrow as it’s their 500th and hoping dragging Ollie to a sub 20.
On the subject of getting old, my first V50 race will be this one, fast 5k point to point finishing in Newport Pagnell. Drinking afterwards if anyone fancies it, a very loose 50th birthday party!
https://bigcowsports.com/events/newport-pagnell-carnival-5k/
Good work at Maidenhead Pete and Ian - well done on the 1st V60 Pete and nicely done to romp home with sub 59 SG!
It's been a very long time since I have done Maidenhead, butthat out and back bit at the start, though it has varied a little, always strikes me. I distinctly recall Phil Wicks leading the field by a long way heading back towards us with his tongue lolloping out like a dog!
I'm going to be spending much of the next 24 hours dot watching on the live tracker, having seen the gf (still sounds weird!) start her 108M kayak race on live cam from Devizes. Bloody bonkers - I can't even imagine how it will feel trying to lift the kayak out of the river after 77 portages through the locks!
Good going at Maidenhead SG/Pete, was a great day for it, I did briefly consider it but I think it would have been one race too many in the spring campaign. Good to see you both back in good form.
V50 SC! Your times are good a v45 so I'd be interested to see if there are many if any at your level in that age-group.
Thought I'd take advantage of yesterday's weather so did a long ride with a club mate up and around Oxford and back. Perfect weather and no dramas, once we got back I was on 95 miles so thought I'd round it up to 100 miles with a local loop but then thought I should really round it up to the nearest race distance so extended the loop to cover 112 miles. Did a 5k after too just to see where the legs are with an Ironman on the horizon and they weren't too bad, considering.
Long run this morning 17.5 miles, no pressure on time, just an easy one that came out at 7:40 pace.
plenty of annoyingly fast V50’s out there Reg…
Great scenery for Bus’ race not so enamoured with the Maidenhead 10 🤣
As Phil mentioned I did Brighton marathon last Sunday so best write something up.
Finished work Friday & headed to my mate’s in Brighton. Got there about 7pm & his OH plied me with solid carbs whilst he tried to lead me astray with liquid kind. With no pressure to achieve a time I was easily persuaded 🤣
Ended up heading into town necking pints of cider whilst watching Chelsea, an original ‘76 punk band & rolling in at 1am. I’d already offered to scan barcodes after running at East Brighton parkrun & having assured them I’d be in in 21 mins I was the only one rostered. 😬
Up early Saturday I cycled the 2 miles down to parkrun nursing a stinking hangover. 3 laps round some playing fields. I assumed it’d be flat. It was anything but - all grass & 5.1K by my watch. Ran it overly hard to ensure I wasn’t causing a bottleneck at the finish. Still only managed 4th in 21:31. Far from perfect marathon prep. Had to then stand around for almost an hour til the tail walkers had finished before uploading then scooting off to the Expo to collect my Race number & kit bag. Nice & easy, no queuing & picked up a couple of free gels too. Back to my mate’s for more carb loading but shied away from the booze this time 🤣 Then had to bike my kit bag back down to the Beach Village ready to collect after the race. PitA as it was due to be chilly 🥶 1st thing Sunday. Early night.
Race Day: up early, overnight muesli downed with a coffee Kefir drink. Dynamic stretching & foam rolling for 30 minutes as I was very stiff, then a cup of coffee & a chocolate brownie before a brisk 2M walk to the start in Preston Park.
Thought this was a bit shambolic - no real indication of where to go so jumped a few barriers & got to the correct pen with minutes to spare. Some welcome last minute loos here though 😃. Realised the 3:15 pacers were both in the same wave but the pen behind me. Figured I’d go out at a similar pace to Manchester & see how it felt. First half mile involves a serious hill (90’) almost immediately & I got to the top with the 3:15 pacers but I was on 7:45 pace. Opened the legs on the DH to clock 7:19 for 1M. You then drop gently back down to the sea & I was watching HR to keep a lid on it. Pace averaged 7:13 for 2M before we turned & ran up the Lewes Rd. Another nasty little climb at 6K got the HR up whilst the pace went South. Picked it back up on the descent to Kemptown. Another sharp climb & then down to the main road out to Ovingdean. More gentle undulations & a sharpish climb to the turnaround at 8.5M. Clocked TR on a couple of the out & back’s, slightly (800m?) ahead. Was feeling good so pushed on back to the Pier. Halfway in 1:35:23 so slightly behind Manchester probably due to the hills. It was sunny & pretty warm in town. Once we hit the coast the Southerly breeze was cooling at least even if it was making it slightly harder work too.
Through Hove it was beginning to hurt but I pressed on. Pace was 7:2x now rather than 7:1x. Out to the power station & I was caught by the 3:15 pace train around 20M but reassured that they had about 2 minutes in the bank. Unfortunately try as I might my legs had had almost enough & I couldn’t stick with them. By 23M I was struggling to keep the pace at 8:xx but I did even managed 8:08 for the final mile to finish in 3:19:30.
Lovely long run on the fells today trying to avoid the crowds! Just over 12M and 3400ft, but with maybe 2M of that on tarmac as I'm staying in Waterhead, so had to run through Ambleside for this route. The last mile back was after an enormous pasty too!
So, 43M and almost 12,000 ft of running ascent this week, plus a couple of ks walking, but slightly annoying, this is 5ft short of my most ascent in one week!
GF finished her kayaking epic just before 8 this morning, having paddled for 22 hours and 38 mins! It was weird (and compulsive!) watching the tracker at various stages overnight, as once she'd hit Reading and got onto the Thames, all of the checkpoints right through to Teddington were familiar places. I think I got about 3 hours sleep last night, plus a couple of hours dozing! She's joining me by train tomorrow, so will be interesting to see if she has any energy for running!
Would you say these are flat out? Comparing favourably to pbs/best marathons, or do you take an edge off to get multiples in?
11 for me, although I'd gone out for 10. Some years back I used to work off a recovery run or 2 the day after a race and day off after, but it'd not feel right not getting a decent double digiter in on a Sunday, so this seemed a sensible compromise.
Wycombe away game tomorrow, so probably a single 6/7 early doors, and then have Tuesday off work, so can do another double digit there. Will do some sort of sesh Thur or Fri as Wednesday I'm in the office for once.
It feels like a great time in running at the moment - races going well personally, the whole scene seems to be totally revitalised after a difficult couple of years, and the biggest issue is trying to fit in the massive set of races that are available! Heady times!
I've got 3 races in 8 days up soon in May, which isn't ideal, but I think it'll work, as the A race is the first one, the Thursday one is a glorified training sesh, pairs relay 5x1km at Pete's club, and the Sunday is a nice flat 10k.
I'm a little tempted to put a race in on May bank hol too, which should be enough distance to the Sunday race being 6 days before...
Loads of choices.
10ks at either Vitality, Shinfield or Chalgrove, or a 5miler at Pednor.
The latter 3 are all staggered out, so I dare say a maniac like yourself Jools would consider doing all 3
9.30, 12 and 7.45
Why on earth a 10k race in May would think 12pm is a clever time to start a race I do not know.
Running is a rollercoaster for sure and 2022 has seen mine riding the crest of a dip. DNS stubbington 10k in Jan due to hammy/glute issues, finished the wind battered Goodwood 10k on feb, couldnt face going back for the 1/2 the following weekend in another gale, and then sacked off Brighton at 1/2 way last week in order to live to fight another day. Shouldnt have turned up to Brighton, tested neg for CV but if i havnt had that it was somerhing similar. Re-grouping for a GFA attempt at Kempton at end of May. Onwards and upwards.
Banking races gets the confidence up, which is something a few of us have gently tried to impress on a local pal who is hell bent on sub 3 for a marathon.
Despite him having not raced for 2 years, not being much under that at half way for a HM, being highly injury affected, and having pulled out of his last 2 signed up for marathons.
Getting to the start line, and getting round should be the measures of success for him really.
As getting hung up on an impossible goal for a long distance race is a guaranteed recipe for disappointment.
He is a moderate athlete who had a break-through year, so Maidenhead Half in 2017, 1:42, in 2018 in 1:41 and then in 2019 in 1:28. He has an active job and has a bit of natural speed so just inside 20 minutes for 5k and got a string of half marathons under this belt in a row and improved across the series and got his half marathon into line with the shorter distances.
So, say about 70% WAVA in 2019 at the age of 48 and he wants to go sub-3 in 2022 at the age of 51. That is 78% WAVA and the equivalent half is a 1:26. If he had run 1:26 earlier this year and was saying that he could do sub-3 off the back of that as his first marathon I'd still say he was being overly ambitious: it takes a lot to convert a 1:26 to a sub-3 and it is not the sort of thing that you do off almost no training: if he was like SG and had a history of running 14 to 15 miles every weekend for years then 6 months marathon training would be the icing on the cake but this guy has no cake to start with!
He is somewhat dillusional: he posts his "training" on social media so the last post was 3.24 miles at 8:07 pace so that is 3:32 for a full at that pace: how does he think he can run faster for longer? He also has this odd habit of pausing his Garmin, so he has an extra 2.5 minutes elapsed on top of that running time. I don't know if that is deliberate or not and it appears to coincide with road junctions but again it is misleading himself.
To cap it all, he also has a coach (Rodger Hughes who tried to coach Sam Amend for many years) who seems to be encouraging this foolishness.
Get a number back on
As an example, Shinfield was last run in 2019 and if I look at names I recognise in powerof10 then I don't see Shinfield.
Licence No: 2022-43307
As Pete says, RB has the full list, and almost everything is licensed, whereas PO10 seems to list very very few events before the day.
The Berks seems to have an array of different distance races, and ship out tonnes of medals for all age ranges!
Whereas Bucks seems to have an archaic site, and maximise at 2 events a year, with nothing left on the agenda for 2022, bar some kids track stuff. And there's no age ranges either.
Probably a good thing so I don't get caught up chasing bootleg standard pots, but it does leap out that in a 5k, 20mins was the senior silver medal, and not even a 3rd runner for a bronze!!