Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Moraghan Training - Stevie G
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
I'm with Dean on this. I wouldn't be running any more than twice a week if I didn't feel I was getting rewards from racing in terms of decent times and decent positions. Races are why I run. The only reason I ever started running more than once a week was because I broke 40 minutes for 10K and wanted to see what would happen if I actually trained. I'm not winning world medals like Dean, but I can at least feel like a big shot in a village race and get to shake hands with the local Rotary Club president.
The motivation to keep going once I start getting slower might be a little stronger now, simply because running is part of my routine, and how I get to work, and I've made an awful lot of running friends through the club. But it does seem likely that there will come a point where the times I'm running are no longer acceptable to me and I stop and go and do lawn bowls or something instead. That's fine by me.
Same here though, I run because I enjoy it but I train and run more because I feel good racing and trying to improve and hit times is rewarding
The lad who won Southampton parkrun last week and smashed everyone out the park in 15:4x declared he ran for fun only and wasn't bothered about times.. He has ran 32:1x 10km and 71:xx HM - unsure how much you can get away with saying that's purely fun as that clearly takes some hard work over time.
I think I'd lean with AG about being age group competitive down the line. I'm fortunate to have age on my side and hopefully can see me running well (improving) for at least another 5 years and even then I'm still not 35.
5m tempo went well yesterday (27:53) . Should think I'm going for between 55:30-57 for the 10mile. Happy with that with only 3/4 sessions in the last two weeks and purely steady runs since July bar the IOW HM. It's more of a gauge to see how my aerobic fitness has improved and then go from there.
Dachs you in at Hampshire XC league this year?
God some deep stuff on here. Interesting mind.
SG - 'Precious Runners' I've got another term for them, but I won't share it with everyone
Been running and in a club for so long now, it's just a way of life - and I agree with Matt, there's always a teeny bit of vanity there - wanting to look slim and feel healthy. Also ego, who doesn't want to try and get one over your rival, or have the best time?
The social side is massive too. Not seen some of the Herne Hillers for a while, so will be good to sit down with a pint (or 2!) after the Surrey league tomorrow at Wimbledon Common.
Indeed I am Scotch. I shall be at Winchester tomorrow, though I'm not expecting to have a scorching race.
Will you be getting involved in some of the later races? I like it when the Southampton guys turn up with one white and one red arm-warmer. I always wonder if they buy them like that as club kit, or have to buy two pairs of different colours, and then share them between two guys. This is the kind of thing I think about whilst running around inevitably behind them.
There's a difference between good luck and family planning
Chances are they buy them as a pair and swap them
I'm not sure arm warmers should even be a thing!
It's the Ridgeway Run on Sunday. It's one of my favourite races, but last year I was injured, and the year before I had Abingdon the week after so gave it a miss. This year I didn't get it on the calendar in time and the Mrs is dragging us (and more importantly, the car!) over to her brother's instead. I've scanned the entry list for signs of a possible lift, but typically no one from anywhere near. Another example of life getting in the way! Grrr!
I did consider that, but it's 15 very hilly miles each way and a tough race! I know, I'm a wuss!
Dean's comment about the 15miles deffo rings true for me. We all love to run etc, but the long runs certainly feel a bit of a bind to me. One of the many reasons I wouldn't fancy a marathon.
In some ways though the whole of the running week is a mental game. I usually tell myself i'm glad it's not another day's run!
Right, today was my first track sesh in about 6 weeks. 10x400 at "5k pace" off 60.
When I did this a couple of week's after the collapse i was hitting ok paces, but breathing was unbelievably shocking on the intervals. Today was much better, although probably more laboured than peak mode. Although when you actually try and quantify it, it's a hard comparison.
Anyway, started too fast, 1,13, 2x1.14, 1x1.15, 3x1.16 and 3x1.17 all in.
Average just under 1.16 is plenty enough for the aim.
We're getting there gradually, this'll be the first week I can label "full" in 2+ months.
Good stuff SG - getting there then!!
Bus - I have done the Tring ridgeway run a few times - hilly but only 9 miles I think. very nice race.
I didn't set out with the aim to run 'so,so' for decades on end, it was to discover what I could do. Once I'd surprised myself with some of the results I didn't feel the need to go off and prove anything else since I actually like running and like Matt being fit and not a slob.
Noted SG's comment about the way I manage training and injuries/races. Well this summer was a total write off. Brought home to me when I discovered a list of every potential race from the start of May onwards.
Ran Staines and lost the rest.
Name down for the XC relays (somewhere) next weekend. There's optimism for you.
Good session SG.
I'd probably warm up with a couple of 200's (even 100's) just to get the pace right. 400m is a long way to overcook things, and loads of effort.
I tried doing 3 and 400's in the middle of my favourite 200's session but the fatigue/speed gradient appears so abruptly, that after one wrong 'long un' I lose interest.
🙂
This reminds me...a few pages back Dachs was cheekily dissing some chap he raced who was wearing those compression socks. We chuckled.
Dachs, you bloody wear those noncy arm warmers at times! The most ridiculous gear there is!
If you arm are so freaking cold, wear a long sleeved shirt
Ric, I usually overcooked the first rep of whatever I was doing, when I was in the flow of regular track stuff. So today had no chance of starting sensibly
I'd forgotten how you can very quickly go from, "I'm hanging on here", "how many more" type thoughts during, to "that was comfy" straight after. Always the way!
Good sesh SG - nice times. Looking at your description I'd put money on a virus being the root cause...
Simon - yeah I love the Ridgeway race. I did it every year from 2004 to 2011 inclusive, even reaching the dizzy heights of 3rd in 2011 when everyone else was having a day off
. Not sure I fancy riding 15 miles home after though!
Very true. Except a bumbag.....
It's true Dachs, handsome and a good runner, you sicken me.
I remember getting all manner of abuse from Bus, Crispy and others at the Wokingham half, just for turning up in a hooded top and pair of shorts! Get with it!
Although the bit i'll always remember was waiting with Phil for Bus to use the race toilets, and the growing sense of worry the longer time went on with no return, seeing the race start time tick down, and having done no warm up, and all the kit being in Bus's car.
Finally giving up, ages later, we then found Bus, about half a mile away, happily trotting out his warm up, having completely forgotten we were waiting!
Went fine in the end
It wasn't the fact that it was a hoody and shorts, but more that it looked like you'd stolen them off a tramp!
As for disappearing - just thought I'd get your adrenaline going to help you go faster
(oh, and didn't we meet by the car - where we'd agree to??)
and a final ps - last Ridgeway was 2012 not 2011, so 9 in all. A 10th would be nice!
That hoody was well in fashion....when I bought it in 2000!
I'm pretty sure both me and Phil didn't get the arrangement wrong
I might have, but Phil as we know is a stickler for detail!
Getting to Wokingham next year would be a nice result.
My Nike hoody's are much older. circa 1990!
🙂
Yeah, but when SG bought his in 2000 it was already 15 years old
Even Phil gets confused SG - he is 50 now, so Wokingham was just a sign of things to come I'm afraid
Wokingham was a race I opted (wimped) out of a couple of years back. I took one look at the weather and decided it was a tad 'not hot enough' and stayed home.
I've sort of scrubbed winter races now since something about cold air just locks my muscles up. Wearing more clothes doesn't seem to work either which is one reason my winter training paces grind into the mid 8's.
As for warm weather.Off to New Zealand in mid December. I'll be gone for a full month this time.
🙂
It's often pretty horrible weather for OWkingham.
LSR today - 14 hilly, muddy miles. Legs were shot and I nearly was too! A large pheasant shoot was taking place across a PROW. The gamekeeper tried to make me wait until the shoot finished, but, as I pointed out to him 1) I have a legal right to be able to pass unhindered along a footpath and, more pragmatically 2) it was cold, I was very damp and wearing just shorts and a vest - waiting until the hoorays had finished might have caused hypothermia! Rather alarmingly he had no way of telling them to stop shooting, so guns were going off over my head as I passed through! What with all the mud and gunshots I felt a bit like Mel Gibson in Gallipoli!!
Sounds a bit rough that Bus.
At what point were your legs shot?
There's a loaded question
.
🙂
You're fired! It wasn't a barrel of laughs though and I thought it might trigger some unfortunate consequences going off half-cocked like that....
All about levels. Midweek I did 13.1 in under 1:40 as an easy MLR. At Ealing half that would be about 750 from almost 5000 or 42nd out of 295 V50. Most people can't even run a half so doing one at lunch is considered exceptional by many and while it clearly isn't much on this thread, in the country at large it is.
The thing I find tough is being back in the general melé. Used to be up front and on the podium, and going from there to top 10 or top 20 isn't too hard, you are still out at the sharp end, but now I am back in the pack and lose to semi-talented youngsters.
I get a lot of this as I run in the West End of London and it is somewhat scenic so a lot of filming goes on. Every so often I get asked not to run down a public path and I ask for a closure notice and then carry on.
Yet more shooting problems then
Right, off to the cinema now to pay good money to listen to other people eat crisps, stupidly large portions of popcorn and play on their phones.
Why are films these days always so bloody long as well???
This approach to the whys and ways of running does throw up all sorts of different reasons for doing so. Competition, fitness, self esteem, life style. Mixture of all of them.
However, the activity is inherently risky.
Runners get stopped by injuries.
Competitors get stopped by their egos.
🙂
I'd say "fear" or at least weighing stuff up more, comes into it as well with age.
In 2002, I did the Wycombe half, and just casually signed up for Burnham Beeches. Same deal for Marlow that year too. I even remember casually standing hands in pockets on the Marlow start line yawning, thinking, yeah this'll be fine.
But back then, I was just a kid who didn't need to do anything more than just get round.
With previous performance, expectations are created, and it's hard sometimes to limit yourself to a lower plane than before.
However, having said that, I'm deffo claiming to be nearer to the "Injury" reason than the "ego" reason for now
Although I'm definitely feeling the breathing is a bit harder today than earlier in the week. But I expect it'll be a super tedious route back into racing.
Marlow half is in 3 weeks. I have my deferred entry from last year! Which funnily enough I weasled out of because I'd tripped and fallen on my ribs, and literally every breath was a real effort.
I can either have a go at it, and probably end in the 1hr 25-28 type arena (being a pretty hilly one), and completely ignore that my last half was a nightmare, and I'm not certain I should be racing at all yet, let alone a max distance/tough terrain job....
or, just not
Bus, my preference is 1) ask to defer again, 2) give place to a pal ...ie you 3) pootle round, 4) just lose the dough.
I'll ask about Number 1, in an email now...if they say it has to be 2/3, I'll offer you the place.
It's a well known fact competitors never get injuries
and runners never have an ego