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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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No bleedin' sense of principle you lot - I'm with Philip and Mrs Dachs on this one!
Ric - blimey!!!
Yes, as Pete mentioned, I may well be mad. By the way Pete, well done on your HM at Wokingham.
As things stand, my current training pattern involves only four runs per week, which are: Threshold, Hills, track & long run. In between are other stuff; which in many cases doesn't involve going outside. Too damn cold at the moment.
I'm making progress off this so only need to tweak each component in turn to achieve the objective. The long run is up to 15 miles as it is.
Colin Steptoe (2:37 marathon at age 57) mentioned to me that his weekly long run was 20 miles. Had been for ages. Now that's a pretty decent baseline for a marathon I'd say.
🙂
Anyway - anyone doing the national tomorrow? I am, but can see another southern performance on the cards. Knee should be ok, but feel flat and heavy.
Got a bad feeling about this tbh....
I've had someone walk in to my car whilst I waited at a junction. Their phone was obviously the priority.
I've learnt that out here cars and scooters will generally stop or avoid you even though visibly it is a free for all on the roads.
My last notes here before I leave Taiwan are on the subject of running tracks. With the roads 'interesting' to run on there is a glut of running tracks. Each school has a 200m or 400m track.
Most towns have at-least 1 400m track available 24/7 for free. The school tracks can be used out of hours free of charge, along with most of the other sporting facilities like basketball courts.
I visited Taipei and from the top of the Taipei 101 I counted no less than 6 tracks in the immediate vicinity. This is in the capital of the most densely populated countries in the world. The city I was staying in had an outdoor velodrome in good repair. I didn't see anyone use it in the time I was there. I saw one 50m outdoor pool in Taipei.
9miles today, planned to run to the lake and back with a few circuits of it. Navigational issues meant I ended up in 18 peaks mountain park again so a few up and overs then a lap of the hotel to make the distance.
Waiting for the flight to Hong-Kong then off to London.
SG - You really are in better shape than you think! Causal sub 7m/m on regular runs isn't a sign of unfitness, granted top end will be lacking but you've got a base to work with. I am sure a marathon would suit
And they wonder why sport suffers in the UK IC! Seems much more difficult to get use of good facilities without having pricey memberships or travelling. The general set ups with clubs and stuff doesn't seem to compare with the likes of the USA, all I see on Facebook and stuff is meet after meet.. I have always said if I won the lottery I'd invest and I'd be looking at stuff like televising events like the national, relays etc, promoting a UK series of road / trail / XC races on a regular basis over a range of distances, the poxy one on run Britain just doesn't seem to do anything.
Seems like a good trip though IC
Hopefully you run well SC. It Would be a shame to under perform twice because of illness
I've been really sick this week too, and suffering bad with the piles and bleeding. However I think when I was resting because of the foot last week my body thanked me despite feeling unwell, then a few runs this week just knocked it out of me and the bug has come full force. Can't do much now anyway before surgery on Wednesday and the time off being forced. Will only leave me about 4 weeks before Southampton 10km (after the 2 weeks off) which means I'd have done maybe 50 miles in the last two weeks and nothing in the next two, will be a case of rebuilding and hopefully be ok for end of May without worrying what I do there
Been looking at more of a long term plan coming down to start working on my 3/5km times and working up. I kinda realised I won't get quicker unless I focus on the faster stuff, my 5km PB pace is 5:0x pace and I really don't think I could do 1 mile sub 5 at the moment. Do feel I have a better base to work with. Will get involved with the RR10 summer XC series starting in April / May too.
Maybe a few miles later today and hopefully better for a decent run on the weekend. Daughters birthday Sunday (4th) Training for junior parkrun starts then
Also it clearly explains why Taiwan win so many medals at the Olympics.
Is it just me that is feeling slightly blinded by the advertising on this forum page at the moment?
SE - Hope the surgery doesn't set you back too much, annoying condition to have eh! Just come back steadily and see what happens. With me, it's the non stop snot that is doing my head in..nowhere near as bad as it was and I suppose we all have a bit when we run in the cold weather..
IC - Not surprised about the amount of free tracks, it's usually the same outside the UK, exactly the same with decent swimming pools (I think Perth in WA has 5 50m pools!)
Scott - all the very best mate. You do seem to get the shitty end of the stick.
SC - good luck, post snot!
2:37 at 57! Colin is made of different stuff than most people! I did once beat him by a whisker at the Waddesdon 5k (he'd been long-term injured and it was my best performance on that route - I'll still take it though
)
Scott, you do well to run at all in my book.
It's my age, but if I was as ill as you are, the last thing I'd be doing is trying to put a training system in place.
To train properly you have first to be healthy. Fact.
Bus, I was at a race a few years back when C.S revealed some injury had stopped him running. I don't think he's done much since. It's the same with his club mate Paul Gregory. He was another really fast veteran who's lost a lot of time to injury.
🙂
It's over 30c in Perth most of the time, of course they have lots of swimming pools.
The pubs there are shite though.
Did get out for 6 today after sitting with the HRM on before hand and it was giving me some better numbers confirming this bug has shifted.
Scott, you are indeed the most stoical member of this thread. When healthy, I cannot imagine you yielding to another runner of similar ability due to mere pain and fatigue.
Believe me on this. They're gonna lose.
.
🙂
Excited for the Nationals tomorrow! I see Jonny D is running, senior race debut?? Could be interesting!!
Just blasted out music for me as well, may have to look at some ad blocking software.
I seem to have Adblock Plus from somewhere. I suspect my lad downloaded it.
Repeat speed session today. Usual 2 mile wu/wd. Session being made up of 400/800/400/800/800m. Recovery around a minute after the 4's and 1:30 after the 8's.
The average pace has improved somewhat. Feb 10th - 6:08 min mls.
Feb 12th - 5:59. Feb 20th - 5:50. Today - 5:42.
🙂
Rapid improvement Ric; you're going to be a force in the V50 world again soon!
Odd weekend running wise for me;Well below par with 19'28 at Reading parkun yesterday on a flat course with a reasonable surface but then pulled out a 38'06 at our club 10k today which was my fastest ever on their course. Can't really square those two but maybe needed the first faster pace run since W'ham to get in the groove again.
Been feeling a bit rough this week myself. A sore throat midweek turned into a chesty cough, snotty nose by Friday/sat so that put paid to my plans of doing a fell race on sat. Decided to do a recce of the county fell champs course on sat morning instead. 6 miles with 1300ft of elevation which was all in the first 3 miles.
Despite feeling like shit I decided to have a bit of a tempo run later that day. 5 miles in 28.06 so not too bad.
Hopefully joining in with a track session in Cambridge on Tuesday as I finally got a reply. I'm prob in the same boat as you Scott. Really don't think I could run a sub 5 min mile at the min.
Pete. It's really down to strength with me. When fit I can knock out 200 strides per minute.
The stronger I am, the faster I go.
Lots of runners are naturally way stronger than I am. They get speed simply by being fit.
🙂
Whatever you're doing Ric its working well 6'08 to 5'42 av mile pace in 3 weeks is some going! If you could hold anywhere close to that 5'42 for your 10k you'll have a hugely impressive v50 time and WAVA.
Matt, 5 in 28 when ill and after a 6 miles hill (mountain) run is simply incredible
10.20am club 10k so a bit later but can't believe that makes much difference to me as my 10k pb was an 8am start!
Good stuff Matt, Pete and Scott
Poor race report as usual - very tough course, think it was a bit tougher than people thought - it's the sticky mud that's the killer, unlike wet mud it sticks to your spikes. Started off steadily, although my knee hurting during the warm up wasn't a good sign!
As usual it faded once we got going (or the adrenaline kicked in..). Felt awful first lap, must have been in the 400's at that point, but started to slowly make my way through the field and come past some usual foes..this was in the drier bits, as soon as I hit the mud..wooaahh, big slow up. My stamina levels have gone down massively in the last 6 weeks.
do about 2/3 of lap 2 with PP, bit of too ing and fro ing until I manage to move ahead in the last lap. Up the tortuous finish funnel and ended up 313th. Looking at other results, I should really be up around 250/260 - but the training for these type of races just isn't here.
Knee not great yesterday, bit better today, but walking not running to work. Need to get it sorted asap.
Pete, even as recently as 2014 I had a five mile race where the Garmin indicated I was nailing a similar pace. A wonderful feeling; until the five mile split bleeped and I noticed the finish line was damn near out of sight. Bugger!
It's the squats with weights behind the improvement. In two weeks I've gone from only being able to do around 20 reps to a ton plus at a time.
Too many runners concentrate on trying to run faster by simply trying to run faster, when the real issue is lack of power and strength.
Simon, it's still an ok result. I haven't run a National in more than a decade. Just looking down the results I see a name I could once beat anytime I liked, and he finished 124th!
Ok, so he's only just 20 years old, so he may have got a bit quicker over the past few years but there you go.
🙂
A quick one for those that are part of TVXC - do your club pay for your entry or do you cough up yourself?
Ta.
club pays; recently changed and it cost everyone an extra fiver on annual subs
Obviously in some pain and discomfort but currently can't feel anything waist down due to having the local anaesthetic after, was under for about 90 mins (general for the op)
Medication + painkillers for 6 weeks with a sachet supplement drink twice a day for a month.
Full recovery they said could be 6 weeks to one year. Also 2 weeks was a little optimistic for getting back to work doc said.
Feel like I could go for a run though which is a good sign (until painkillers wear off) but walking like a duck right now
Hope everyone else is well!!
Good news, Scott. Hope the recovery goes well.
Club pays.
13.1 at lunchtime as a pace test for the 1:40 pace group at Milton Keynes on Sunday. I'm pacing with meep meep. Came out 1:40 on the nose but wind was a big factor today, 47 minutes for miles 2 to 7 and then 45 8 to 13.
Yes good news from me also Scott. I assume the comment about running was a joke.
Just back in from a consultation myself. The medics have given me the (all clear for now) on the lump on my pancreas. Seems all I'll need for a while is an annual (free of charge) MRI scan.
Next week however as part of some 'old man screening' system, I've got to have some interference with my own arse end.
Nice!
Tomorrow. A hill session.
Better!
🙂
Nice indeed Ric! Good news though and must be a relief...
Scott - all the best for a speedy recovery mate and fingers crossed for the 6 weeks end of the recovery spectrum!
Windy indeed Philip - had to spend half hour after running home propping what's left of my back fence back up! Bizarre, as we are in a dip and surrounded by trees and bushes so fairly sheltered - must have been a very fierce blast of wind!
On the plus side, did a double xc today and this morning actually came out quite speedy for once. Doesn't sound much, but 7.55 on the route I've been averaging nearer 9:30 on, albeit the ground was a wee bit firmer than recent weeks.
Good news Scott, and best of luck for recovery.
Get your money's worth from the NHS Ric.
Wasn't as windy or wet as predicted this morning and the sun made an appearance for my easy 10miler. Rain started shortly after I got home. Drive to Wales was interesting as I hit the sleet at Newbury and this continued until past Swindon.
7mi with middle 5 at HMP effort tomorrow morning. This will be along the Taff trail.