Moraghan Training - Stevie G

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  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    Nice racing SC, great time and strong last KM.

    Nice work on the track race SQ, I am another that would like to do a track race at some point, I suspect it's nearly 30 years since my last one, it would be quite satisfying to beat the 17 year old me in an 800m!

    Lots of volume planned for this week, not all running now obviously but I did do an easy 13 yesterday and plan an 18 end of the week with some bits and pieces in the middle. Did the club chain gang last night and managed to ride away from the group for the first time doing the second half all solo. Big cramp near the end though!
  • I had one of those odd "where did that come from?" moments on Saturday. Some friends moved from Wycombe down to near Bideford, Devon, where we holidayed for 10+ years with our small kids. We moved further into Cornwall as they wanted bigger waves but it seemed a good excuse to go back and revisit a few old haunts. One of our friends is a parkrunner so did Bideford parkrun on Saturday morning: she is VW60 and extremely unassuming about it and ran a low 26 minutes for a WAVA close to 73%. I ran 21:37 for WAVA 71.7% and was flat out at the end! That was, however, a big step up from my previous season best of 22:53 so I was happy. Pace was flat: 7:00, 7:01 and 7:02 for the 3 miles and then 6:05 for the finish push to get under 7 average. 

    Not sure what to do now: at 22:53 I was sort of planning to do a few more at 22.xx and try and get down to 22 but now I guess I need to shoot at 21. The course definitely helped: pancake flat in a park next to a river and only about a hundred runners so no congestion. Need to start getting back on th degree track and hoping nobody asks for a pass. 

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2022
    You've got plenty of quality in you Phil to certainly get back competitive in your age group.

    Think you might have got slightly down at the times going a little down, eased off a bit, and then they naturally eased off a bit after that.
    However, it's clear you have a bit of that race bug back, and that's great. Get a couple of proper road races in :)
    Somewhere you won't know anyone like this recent one isn't a bad idea. 


  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    Congratulations on a massive SB PMJ. A quick glance through the results shows plenty of older folk running quick times down there - inspirational.
    2nd in the local 5K series tonight so of course it was windy again!
    Fresher than last month but with a lumpy 13.3 Monday & 2x5K yesterday + cycle commutes I wasn't exactly rested.
    Arrived early & parked up then went for a 4K progressive warm-up. First K my legs felt dreadful with aches & twinges all over however by the time I turned round at 2K they'd settled & I was feeling less like an aged cripple.
    Change of shoes, toilet trip & a few desultory strides before heading down to the start.
    Aim was 19:15 for a SB.
    Went out with everyone else this time. Took a moment to get going but by the time we turned the 1st bend after 200m I was feeling good. Went through the 1st 0.5M in 3:01 & the next in 3:00. I was beginning to dream of breaking 19 again. The next was slightly slower at 3:04. I went through half-way in 9:24 so should've held it together but the next 0.5M was 3:11, then 3:09 & 3:10. Managed to rally for the finish & the 0.11M was sub 6 pace to finish with 19:13.
    18:xx will have to wait til next month.
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Good work Jools - that return to sub 19 isn't far off!

    Philip - really good to see you back hitting the pace again! As SG says, that will give the motivation to continue hitting them again!

    My legs felt like lead last night, and various aches and pains! Not helped by a long SUP on Monday, which had a series of locks at either end near MArsworth. I lost a bot of focus on the last couple, through tiredness and rushing to get back to the car park before the ticket ran out and managed to strain my back and lift hip heaving the board out of the water from a kneeling position - hey ho, it'll pass, but making things a little uncomfortable!

    The new GF asked me a while back if I fancied doing an organised paddling event in July. Little pootle on the Avon with a picnic she said. She then broke it to me on Saturday as we were on the Great Ouse that this pootle is 18 miles!  That's around 6-7 hours effort on a SUP, depending how the river is flowing!!!! Hence the need to get some longer paddles in before then or it will be an absolute car crash!  Monday's was 7.5M....
  • SCoombes2SCoombes2 ✭✭✭
    Good luck Sailor Bus!

    Great PR PMJ - Love those out of nowhere runs. Long may the improvement continue. Likewise Jools - but I think you may need to rest up before and be sensible for a change!

    Eastern Masters first meeting last night at MK, Non scoring 3,000m first, nice controlled 9.54, really happy on how I felt during the last lap etc. Think I did 61 for the 400 then a leg in the 4 x 100m. Interesting night!
  • PhilipMJonesPhilipMJones ✭✭✭
    edited May 2022
    I said I needed to get a track session in so duly headed down to the track today for 6x800m with 400m jog recovery. I guess that is the session I tend to do most often and it ties in pretty well with 5k training (be that road 5k, parkrun or a track 5,000m) as you get 4,800m of effort.

    Happy with the reps in the 3:25/3:26 mix: it seems odd that it is hard to do a session at 6:50 pace and then run a full 5k at 7:00 pace but the magic of the day seems to make a lot of difference. Used to do the same session at 2:50 per rep.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Race day magic is something almost every runner I've ever met agrees on, especially keenos who write on forums :)

  • SorequadsSorequads ✭✭✭
    My back is in pain at the thought of that, Bus. Good luck!

    A very fast jack of all distances there, SC. 

    Race day magic most definitely a thing. Not sure I could run 10s quicker than 5k pace per 400, PMJ. You’ll crack 21 soon I’d say.

    jools that is a very impressive turnout after your justifiably tired couple of weeks. You’ll catch me soon. 

    Couple of recovery 5Mers yesterday and some heavy weights. Planned on 2 x 2M tempo round the perfect racecourse loop this afternoon. Ludicrously, it was being used for horse racing, so headed off on a random loop into some paths and playing fields. 6:30s for the first 13 mins and then lost the will and my direction in the second and it petered out into 7s in the end. Never mind, trying to pack in too much to close. 

    Due to race Berkeley 10k on Monday night. Still places if anyone fancies a trip for a fast course. Jools?
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    edited May 2022
    Very tempted to do Berkeley SQ
    I’ll ponder on it. I’ve got 3 hrs to decide 😆
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Didn't even consider it SQ...had to ignore Silverstone 10k Monday and first of the summer series on Tuesday as it's already a 3 in 8 days spell :D 

    The one I need to make at some stage is the Ardingly 5k pb race. Saw the results from Tuesday and a couple I know took 30secs off their recents, which were already reduced from the previous time!

    Madness. It's not short or downhill or anything, just good depth of quality and I think seeded races.

    4&4 for me today, for once the latter being post work to run with a pal.
    SAT OFF.

    Morning 4 was plenty after a late night watching Wycombe win their playoff semi leg 1 :)
  • SCoombes2SCoombes2 ✭✭✭
    Ah yes, saw that SG - Kicked them off the park i heard ;) Annoyingly if MK Dons don't go up, Watford want their decent manager, which would be annoying. I think they are better away, so you might have done the hard work already! 3 in 8 days? What's the issue here?

    SQ - The temerity of those horses ;)  Good session PMJ.

    Track last night, decent warm up to try and get the legs loose after Wed night's races. Session was 12 x 400, three sets of 4, with the recoveries diminishing in each set - 60,45,30. 2 mins between sets. Then 6 x 200. Pretty hard session, averaged 68's for the 400's and 36's for the 200's apart rom the obvious light-hearted 'race' on the last one. Nearly killed myself trying to beat our 16 year old female superstar! (You have to do these things..)

    Just a 5k this morning, LBAC club dinner tonight, long run tomorrow and a track session before the youth league at Bedford on Sunday.

    Good weekend all....
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    Sorequads said:
    Verdict?
    Wasn't feeling it last night & can't say I regret not entering.
    Want to do a longish run this weekend & I'm busy Saturday so it'll have to be Sunday
    Have a good race SQ
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    These are proper races Simon, not stuff that's over in 2-5mins you can do loads of in a day :D 

    MK were the ones with a man sent off I should point out. Dirty challenge and then he lay on the floor hoping to hoodwink the ref.
    As if MK aren't reviled enough in the world of football as it is.

    Jools - stick to the 70 races you have booked this year already :D  
  • The Bus said:
     That's around 6-7 hours effort on a SUP, depending how the river is flowing!!!! Hence the need to get some longer paddles in before then or it will be an absolute car crash!  
    I kept on thinking this was odd as Bus has quite short legs, so why would he need a longer paddle? Then, as I was watching the same said SUP boarders on the Thames at lunchtime I realised he needs longer duration paddles. 
  • SCoombes2SCoombes2 ✭✭✭
    Stevie G said:
    These are proper races Simon, not stuff that's over in 2-5mins you can do loads of in a day :D 

    MK were the ones with a man sent off I should point out. Dirty challenge and then he lay on the floor hoping to hoodwink the ref.
    As if MK aren't reviled enough in the world of football as it is.

    Jools - stick to the 70 races you have booked this year already :D  
    They're the best ones - over quickly. Re:MK Dons. Yep, did it the wrong way and no problem with AFCW fans being livid. But I quickly got sick of the self righteous indignation from 'the football world'. Especially from fans of clubs owned by an assortment of dodgy owners etc..There's not many squeaky clean clubs! 

    Plus the Franchise floodgates never opened like everyone was worried about. Probably because of all the grief MK Dons fans get ;)
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Ha! Thought I might see someone I know today Philip, but didn’t spot you! Where did you see us??

    Incidentally, for some odd reason, Amanda seems to think I have long legs! All relative I suppose and possibly they are (for a hobbit!)
  • The Bus said:
    Ha! Thought I might see someone I know today Philip, but didn’t spot you! Where did you see us??

    I didn't see you in specific, just SUP in general. I run a lot from Little Marlow to Cookham and that is where www.paddleboarduk.co.uk are based so a lot of people being very tentative. 
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Ah, I see - makes sense :smile:
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    Have no idea what the above means, so let's quickly bang out a report before I have to get off to Milton Keynes for the semi final second leg with Wycombe :)

    Marlow 5miler then. An old favourite over the years, with today being my 12th time racing it! 
    First one in 2003 and much missed over the 2 springs lost to the pandemic.

    A club championship, seemingly as always, so a good stack of 40+ Dashers down there.

    With one of our guys having done the Thames 100miler yesterday, and with many of us popping along to cheer him on at places, (I managed to catch him just, at the Spade Oak road down to the Thames, Gossmore Park and Higginson Park). That meant a decent club atmosphere was in the air already.

    Woke up feeling really tired, usual dreadful pre race sleep, but beyond that like if you hadn't slept at all. Hearing some cat yelping at about 11.30pm was one memory :)
    I reminded myself I'd done a good HM, 10K,10M and 5.5m relay this year, so a mere 5 would be fine :)

    8.05 or so off, nicely into Marlow by about 8.20. I don't mind a race trip, but sometimes it's nice to have a super quick trip.
    Usual early bird parking was all coned off annoyingly, for some Party in the Park type thing, but plenty of free parking not far on. (Yes I'm too tight to pay £2 when you can park for free not far on ;) )

    Thought because I was a little further out this year, I'd get in all the gear, and not come back. This plan was slightly burgled when I realised they were dishing t shirts out BEFORE the race if you'd ticked a certain box. Makes more sense to collect after I thought, but must be an ensure the right sizes available type job.

    Not too difficult a mission back to the car, ditched it, got some pins, and then took about 10mins to get these rectangular pieces of some random material through the old school chip holes.

    Genuinely can't remember a race with a chip you have to fasten on yourself for years now - the much easier back of the number seems far easier.
    Runthrough have it as a little sticker too.

    Loads of Dashers milling around, and the start is always a little fraught as it quickly dawns on you that you can't get round one side to the start very easily. 
    However, quickly re-assured that you can enter the grid easily the other side.

    A bit of the usual disclaimers and pre race nervy jibber jabber. A few of my faster clubmates are there, but no A listers. That is until Mr Lee rolls in 2mins before the start. Competing for 2nd home from the club then, even with him at 80-90% then!

    Race starters seem a bit casual as it's already 9.30am, but we wander over 4 blue mats, and we're off... barrrrrrrrrrbbp goes the gun.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    You need to get out decently in a 5miler, and with the adrenaline, and narrow ish path out of the park, it always ends up being on the keener side of things.

    I know I'm on a decent run of form, and the ideal result today will certainly be in the 28xx, but we'll find out where exactly.

    Out of the park, with the slight incline, then a further slight incline up the town centre road to the roundabout.
    I've definitely started keenly, I clock a 5.15 or so on the watch at one point, but I'm expecting Mr Lee to go past at some stage, but we'll see how far I can hold him.

    Right at the roundabout, on a few hundred metres, then a right turn down a road. All the way to a crossroads, right at the pub, and it's a 5.28 first mile.
    (Will use the strava mile splits having come out at 5.06 and taking 6 splits myself with a weird 13seconds random one outside of them!)

    Tasty start then, and expected a mile 2 drop off. That mile takes you out towards Gossmore Park, looping into Riverpark drive (I think, I should know..but that's close enough!), right hand turn then back towards the pub for a 5.37 mile 2.

    Mile 3 is always the slowest, as it's a bit of a messy bit past an industrial estate, turn and then gradual climb up to the Fire Station, around where you'd drive into Marlow.

    Mr Lee has gone past at 2.5miles, which I thought was a decent effort to hold him to, but it's all about keeping a decent pace, pursuing my own time, and making sure no other Dashers, or to be fair, anyone else goes past.

    I look forward to the 3mile marker, which comes up at 5.48 as after a couple of hundred metres it's the little downhill leg to make up for that climb.
    A Wycombe Phoenix guy who was ahead of me doing the Marlow 7, when he did the HM in November is ahead, but can tell he's dropping a bit. It has gone very warm indeed very quickly.

    There's a guy in an orange vest, and him ahead, and we dart down the road.
    A straight, then turn, then straight, and I always remember the 4mile marker being way out of place, but this year it's properly where it should be.

    I was briefly disturbed by a "go on Dashers" shout that felt a bit too late for it to be to me, so i'm wondering if someone else is close behind. I realise they'd be at least 10secs behind and will have to be finishing with a big mile to make it up here.

    Through that in 5.42 and I start splitting the race into quarter miles now.
    I'm past both the two chaps ahead, who have dropped a gear.

    But suddenly someone hurtles past. It's a Burnham V50 who was a min behind at Maidy 10.

    Slight shock, but I sit on him. He hasn't made enough of a break for it, so is instead perfect material to cling to for the next mile, and see what happens.

    Round a bend, the seemingly never ending route back to the road that leads to the park, and I realise that my body will not allow me not to monster the run in.

    Waited until we were in the park, then went.  Very brief thought of...is this too soon, but went with it, enjoyed the "wow" I heard from someone who seemed impressed by the run in pace, and over the line with a 5.39 last mile.


    Final result, 12th, and 28:30, which Pete had amazingly told me to go and get in the pre race messaging we'd shared :)


    Would have been nice to be first home from the club, as it'd have also meant getting the V40 2nd prize, but I'd have taken that time before hand for certain.

    Did 28:35 at Hatfield in November, so this is clearly faster anyway, but It'd be interesting to do that course, which I think is a bit faster, in a cooler month, in similar form.

    Either way, lovely day out, nice course, and a few decent pics taken as always. Now off to the MK game.

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Good work SG - that’s a cracking time! The report made me pretty nostalgic too!


  • SorequadsSorequads ✭✭✭
    edited May 2022

    Always good for the atmosphere before and after to have lots of club mates at a race, SG. I do enjoy a 5M – a great distance to really smack yourself. Perfect to have someone to hang on to in the last mile – rarely is that the case as it all gets a bit messy. Good time and nice report. How was the football? I am too out of touch to know!

    Jools – fair enough. A Monday race does curtail weekend plans, running and drinking.

    Two ill children resulted in little sleep for a few days. A few very early buggy runs to try to give everyone some respite, and also a parkbuggyrun on Saturday in a shade under 28 minutes. Only ever run these easy, although that becomes ‘easy’ on the summer course pushing the buggy up the grassy hills.

    Berkeley 10k tonight.


  • TippTopTippTop ✭✭✭
    PMJ - great stuff on the unexpected 5km improvement. Always nice when that happens!

    SG - very nice 5m. Well done. So your 1m rep average a while back basically worked out as 5m race pace. I'm intending to start similar reps at similar efforts from this week (I've been lazy since Manchester).

    Jooligan - well done on the SB. sub-19 next time hopefully.

    Been a bit out of sorts for the last few days - combo of the race/diy/heavy lifting, so after an aborted track session Wednesday I've pretty much just pootled around since. Still managed 66m which I guess show progress of sorts when a 'bad' week is more than what was a very good week at the start of the year.
  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    edited May 2022
    Well done SG, good to hear Mystic Pete is up to his old tricks! Good day all round for you with Wycombe getting through.
    Good multi distance racing from SC but I think I speak for us all when I say we'd like tales of some more field events :)

    Looks like good progress from Phil and Jools. Nothing like a marathon every weekend to help your Parkrun times!

    Hope the children are feeling better SQ and GL for the 10k. 

    Oh and not to forget Bus and your canoodling with the new missus. 

    My planned 20 hours this week was a bit ambitious but I did manage 18 hours including Monday's race, Tuesdays chain gang and then a time trial on Thursday. The latter was 21:47 (27.5 mph) on the slightly slower drift road course. That was only good enough for 5th= though with some strong riders ahead. First place was a 22 yo semi-pro weighing 55kg! He rode 20:28. Second was 21:20 and he rode 19:15 on good Friday on the A404 course and 3rd was 21:34 who also did the A404 event but in 20:06. I'd like to do a sub 20 minute so being 13 seconds behind a guy who's just done 20:06, means I am potentially only 20 seconds away on that course.

    Also did an 80 mile ride on Saturday with a 10k brick run and a truly awful run on Sunday that was 14.75 miles, I'd hoped for 16-18 miles but I just didn't have the energy for it. 10k of swimming in the week too. Feeling sleepy today.
  • SorequadsSorequads ✭✭✭
    Blimey, Reg. I need a lie down just having read about your week. Not surprised you were a little tired for yesterday's long run  :D
  • The Bus said:
    Good work SG - that’s a cracking time! The report made me pretty nostalgic too!


    Just had a look back and I turned out at that race in 2012, 13, 14 and 15 so a decent run. 2013 was Team MTSG.

    Solid race from you SG: pity the vet prizes didn't align for you: no V40s in the top 9 and then along come 3 in a row, just like buses!  
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    That's a heck of a shift for the week Reg!

    Phil - amazing to think that Team MTSG was so long ago, almost a decade. We tried another year didn't we? But got squeezed out. Think you were ill that day too.

    I was surprised there were 2 V40 prizes, but at least I know I couldn't have done more on the day myself, that's always the perfect feeling with results.

    Any word for a comeback race for you? Plenty of races a little away from the local stuff if you prefer not to race old rivals etc.


    TT - Nice when the maths of training works so well like that isn't it! 
    Would be interesting to see if putting a bit faster in on the track helped things along or whether I've stumbled a cross a much better approach with the road/park/pavement approach instead.

    And very interesting to see your casual week still hitting mid 60s!

    Will boob around a bit next 2 days, maybe a single 8 or 9 Wed, and then it's the 5x1km relays on Thursday. Bit of fun, good training and also racks another race up!
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