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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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Luckily reasonably quick in and out. Thur morn drive up, Fri morning drive back down.
You're leaving me standing in the 2023 race count. I haven't even created my customary fb year album yet!
Jools - are you doing hard efforts every weekend? Might need to take it a bit easier to swiften the full recovery?
Gloves, 2 layers, long johns, the whole kaboodle on my 2mile slow warm up. "Strides" were an embarrassment to the word.
However, I got a 5mile tempo off at 6.20
6.18 start mile with the oddly slightly slippy despite being hard half mile of grass, then 3miles consistent 6.22-6.24, then a sprightly 6.13 to end.
Headfones refused to stay in after 1.2miles, so I got an exceptionally rare listen to my breathing on one of these for once!
The last mile didn't sound particularly "prime fitness", but i'll take a 6.13 without particularly gunning it.
Feels a decent step up on last week's 6.24.
Next steps are getting back to 6miles and a little quicker. Maybe a normal temperature / weather day might help in fairness!
But from a couple of days ago wondering how long this is going to take, it feels fairly positive again.
That's a decent session on a cold morning SG.
No long johns for me but I did get to try the tights in proper cold for the first time and my legs felt lovely and warm. They also did a reasonable job of cushioning my fall when I stacked it going round a tight bend on sheet ice! My arm did not get off as lightly so I am now sporting a bruise and cut the complete length of my forearm. My ankle is still niggling so will see if today's run made it same, better or worse before deciding on tomorrow.
My warm up had a couple of whole width of road/pavement ice bits, but the actual tempo route had easily identifiable slippy patches.
Really is a pony time of the year January isn't it
Good mileage SQ and 20 Reggie and good pace with it too. Hope the fugg goes soon Jules!
Although saying that - I thought I may have had something similar after my 105th placing at the Surrey league on Saturday. Just nothing in the quads on the muddy hills. To be fair it was the first really tough course of the season, but i should be able to cope with it better. Football? Just don't even go there!
Sundays run was quite tough, but was 14 at 7.05's isn't too bad I suppose. Then the 8.5 yesterday with the new Rocket X felt ok. Will see how it goes.
Sad news that a former coach of mine died yesterday -John Bicourt. Was a former 3000m hurdles UK record holder and was at the Montreal Olympics with our coach Tony. Heart attack whilst waiting for a procedure.
My general sort of feeling all year is getting too warm on runs, even in vests, but these last 2 have been long johns, gloves, thick layer, heavy socks! Only a couple of miles into that tempo did I get to enough heat to feel my hands
Oh well, 8 done today, 7.54. Back to the standard grassy steep bank/ploughed fields/woody little 1.5mile or so midway.
Couple of brief stops to get over a stile and let a dog play me and an owner a merry dance.
SQ- Yes really sad although i hadn't seen him for a bit. The Hoka Rocket X are great, I use them as my workhorse runs up to about 8 miles. I must be honest I only buy them as they are always on sale for £70.
Training over at Luton last night, 8 x 800 off 80. First 2.39, progressively faster and 2.27 for the last. Not too bad in the cold I suppose, but my body likes the cold air. Tried dropping the arms again and might have helped.
8 miles this morning.
Still no biscuits, sweets, chocolate or crisps since the 9th Jan 23. Quite pleased with myself and I actually think it's getting a bit easier to resist. Still no appreciate weight loss yet tho. Arse.
I may well have reacted too late to having a cutback week. After Wednesday’s tempo I had a sore hamstring, tried an easy recovery Thursday but that made it worse so next couple of days were just on the bike and 30 minutes on the elliptical. Hammy felt ok today so did a long slow 20 miler just to ease it back in 😂.
Hip is very sore now though, it’s where I landed on the ice earlier in the week. Hopefully tomorrow it will feel better, if not then the long run gamble may not have paid off 🤷🏻♂️.
Obviously it was very cold today -6 when I headed out but everyone seemed so polite, almost everyone said good morning or similar. Either the cold weather leads to a natural section of only the decent people being still prepared to get out or, those that do are just feeling so pleased with themselves it puts them in a good mood. Of course it could also have been all the icicles in my beard that made me look like a friendly snowman!
Reggie, funny you talk about friendliness. It was really noticeable in my couple of runs up in Nottingham how friendly people were. Again not sure if it was a "cold" thing, or just a further northern thing.
Swerved the hardest of the XC races today. We had a decent team, albeit had it all to do to overhaul Maidenhead who have literally called on anyone they could possibly could this season, which is fair play!
Long run instead and I'm seeing the numbers progress.
Last week was 13miles at 7.40, with the peak before that 7.35
Today was 15miles at 7.28, with more climbing.
So we're getting there slowly. No second session this week, but the travel, and actually slightly higher mileage this week probably counter any risk the "gain" was on freshness.
Pretty tidy tempo on the ice and whilst struggling with niggles, Reg. Especially when backed up with a 20. Definitely natural selection on the friendliness. You’ve got to be a keen souls to get out in such weather.
On discount is definitely my first shoe filter, SC. Will try Bondi next at circa £70. Nice reps.
Fantastic to see a kingfisher, PMJ. Two Christmas ago I had my son asleep in the buggy on the patio. Heard a weird bang outside and a kingfisher had flown into the bifold door. It must have been stunned and just sat there looking at the asleep toddler. Really stunning looking bird and amazing to see it for so long I disturbed.
Nice long run, SG. Nothing wrong with one session and a long run per week everyone once in a while. In fact as a conservative option it’s work in the long run I reckon.
I've been ticking over on the easy stuff due to a groin/hip niggle which has caused me some grief. It seems to be improving as i did 20m as 10 easy, 10 steady yday, which is first decent block of quicker stuff in a while. Hopefully i can crack on a bit now, although all the -5 temperature in the mornings are preventing any quicker stuff anyway.
Linda Franks 5M
Organised by my club, Almost Athletes, this is a super race: flat, fast and usually good conditions. In 2021 it was covid-moved from January to July for an absolute scorcher: 31C at the 7pm start time. Back to its usual Sunday 9am slot it was 36C colder on the drive there 🥶! That said, all my PBs from half down have been in single digit temperatures and with the very low wind forecast, conditions looked great as long as the course wasn’t too slippery.
Superbly organised with easy parking, friendly marshals and no faffing around with a lengthy briefing, AAs did the Glos road race series proud.
Enjoyed a warm up with Spoons and lots of hellos from club mates. Having run the race several times before, I was relaxed knowing I could wear a few layers in advance and ditch them very easily near the start.
0859 and of course a car comes; queue the annual groans. 0900 and we’re off! Marginal uphill for the opening 400m, but with the adrenaline and close proximity of other racers it is utterly unnoticeable. In about 15-20th and a gap forms ahead, leaving me in a good group of four including the top two ladies and a MV55 who usually just beats me.
5:51 through the first mile. Being in the group was great although I was on the edge. Took slightly more aggressive racing lines, although had to take not of one particularly slippery corner to avoid on lap two.
5:49 then a 5:55. Sub 30 was the ultimate aim having not been there since pre covid times 😱. Seemed to be finding just the right balance of effort to pace. Keep going!
Went through 4M market in 23:3x, so sub 30 is in barring a colossal blow up - always a possibility with my racing craft. 5:54 fourth mile. Dug out the sprint up with a quarter of a mile to go as the group inevitably splintered and pulled away. I was maintaining - how does everyone else save such a sprint finish?
Lovely hint of descent back to the finish line - a rare luxury in races. 5:54 final mile. 29:3x on the watch. 29:29 chip time and 19th overall. Result!
Really pumped to be back under 30 and a nice validation to the different stimulus of hill training.
Decent progress SG.
After 5 days off I returned to running of sorts yesterday with a sub 22 parkrun which left me wiped out & sore legged again.
Figured I might as well do a long run today too so did 24.7M in the Brecons so almost 2300 feet of climbing - all in the first 13 miles. It was super slow. I just about held 11 minute mile pace for the 9 miles back along the canal though I did have to stop 3 times for a breather & a sugar hit - marzipan makes for a great fuelling choice. Insane but some great moments.
Love that you kept it polite and stayed a couple of seconds outside my last one too
Sooner you than me, it's got to be as cold as it gets in England right now hasn't it?
Loads of layers and still never once warmed up on my 6 today.
Jools - beauty of a view but again, I would not fancy being miles from anywhere in this weather
What is it with those random piles of stones? Well, I ask that but there's one in the woods next to me too.
What sort of backpack is that by the way? Saw a 50k in summer i could well fancy. It doesn't have many "rules" of what you need, but a size of drink bottle, phone and foil sheet are 3, so it'd need some sort of pack to store them.
Reg - that's a good, sensible increase in mileage. Bad luck on the hamstring, but fair play on a slow 20 in those conditions! I can get that with not entering races. I've got 2 race entries, but after the pretty crappy run lately I'm wishing I'd not bothered. Still, they'll hopefully give a good training boost!
Jools - hopefully that long time on feet helps shift the remnants of covid for you.
SC - good job on sticking to the 'no junk'. Positive track work!
TR - hopefully that niggle clears up for you sharpish! Nice work on the 20.
SQ - good racing. Nice marker to put down at the start of the year!
Not much to report here. Felt battered after running in the heavy winds the Friday morning before last (13th), which sent my back into spasms, and left me off kilter on the run home, which put pressure on my left calf/achilles. Rather than be sensible and take a day or two off I tried to run easy on the Saturday and realised at the furthest point from home that that had been a bad idea. Ended up having to take a week off with constant back and achilles home treatment. Lesson learnt (hopefully; lol)!
Jools - Stunning scenery
SQ - Nice time and pics, feeling chilly just looking at them. Are the orange vests that Western Tempo club?
Reg - nice run, hip should ease up soon I would have thought
SG - People so seem a bit more friendly in he cold, although perhaps they are smiling at my Greggs bobble hat
So did the Houghton Hall parkrun, first back in 17.21, reasonably hard effort in the cold air. V50 record was 17.54, so nice to know it wasn't too fast in advance.
Got back to the track by the house and did 20 x 200 off 30. Had to go back and forwards as half of the track was too slippy.
Did about 15.5 yesterday with Mr Buckle, lovely weather. 8.5 this morning, managed to pick up some more NB Fuel Cell Propel V2 for £55 off their website, so all good.
Have entered the Mile race night at Lee Valley on 8/2, and will be doing the inter area indoors the day after the national xc in Feb too, plus the 3000m indoors in March. With another Battersea 5k in Feb and the 3000m thing in the indoor Karting track at Canary Wharf, the calendar is varied at least!
Doubt it’ll have helped TT but it was good for the soul. Steady return for you I hope: time for some solid consistency now.
That’s some Saturday workout Simon!
That lot certainly is varied Simon
Jools - well you can't be too poorly if you were running 24m in the Brecons, when my wife's long CV was bad she couldn't walk up the stairs comfortably.
TT - hope you're back at it soon. I still think you should target a lower mileage "normal" week and try to string weeks together, even if you could do more when you are having good weeks.
Still obviously darn cold, and today was possibly the first time I've ever done a session in full 2 layers, gloves and long johns! Last week was 1 layer and no gloves.
Another step on in the tempo, last week was 5miles at 6.20, this week 6miles at 6.21.
Not as consistent a range of splits as last week, with the middle 2 a chunk slower than the other 4, but all averaged out ok.
Back to 2 laps, and the crunchy grass half mile certainly felt harder the second time round.
The cold quiet weather has been great for running, but don't mind it warming up a bit tbh now.
Decent session tonight, 8 x 1k off 90. Started on 3.13 and whittled them down to 3.03 for the last one. Perhaps the healthy eating is starting to pay off? who knows but felt great.
SQ - 7.35 for 18isn't messing about. "Steady" is a relative phrase though. Moz on this thread used to use steady as the zone between MP and Easy, others often seem to use it as a "decent" effort, but assume your use is more not too hard, but not technically "easy" as such?
Half day post Wycombe's (freezing) game last night, allowed a nice lie in, and then leisurely started 8.5miler. Different route to the usual midweeker.
The original plan was couple of miles flat, up a very steep but say 1/3 mile hill, through a village and down a hill, then trawl back up an offroad version of that hill and do the reverse.
Once i'd scraped up that first hill I thought sod another hill later, so kept it to 2 flat loops instead.
7.40 and 30miles for the week so far.
Done until tomorrow, which is the WFO (is that an acronym now for office not home?) which always feels a little more fresh with different routes.