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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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I like the ones who have a cam that shows courses as they go, but clearly the big problem is the faster a runner, the less likely they are going to be able to hold a cam up themselves, or want to have one on a hat or something!
I liked a guy called Baze187, Aylesbury based. Fairly relaxed pace runner, but he'd have a proper cap cam, and you'd get to see courses.
Particularly interesting being located there, as he'd do loads of the local races, as well as big ones too.
He was particularly active in the coúple of years before the pandemic, but hasn't done much since, so not sure if he's lost the mojo, is injured or something else.
Jools - good turnout as usual - think that was the only race?
National Road relays Saturday - I was on a short leg which was 3,17 miles, we think 70 odd metres over 5k. Anyone who has been there knows it's a bit of a test.
Solid first leg, 18th - then one of our younger kids decides to run the 2nd fastest short leg of 15.19 to take us to 5th!! Panic stations - but 3rd leg takes us back to 18th and then it's me.
Really tough start to the leg - short sharp down, then a long downwards drag to a stream and then a right turn and a up drag of about 200m. At the top of this it's a 270 degree turn, downhill for another 200, turn left up a slight rise, then a left turn to go up yet another hill - but this is the main one. This is about 300m long, and in usual style i'm desperate to get to the top and feeling it already. Anyway, watch says 5.25 for the first mile. Then it's easier for a bit - slight downhill to the crossing bit where you can see the returning runners going down the hill, then a slight rise to the Jubillee stone where us lucky short leg runners go right and down a long hill for at least 2/3 mile. The Takumi Sen8's definitely helping cushion the quads a bit. Watch says 5.37 for mile 2. On past the lake and there's a couple of little rises which I basically cannot handle now, nearly spent. Then there's a little downhill to the right turn up the hill for the 200m to the finish. Come over the line in 16.59, so sub 17 accomplished.
Various takes on what it equates to for a normal flatter 5k, ranging from take 30 secs off to take a minute off! I'll go with 30, solid enough around the mid 16's.
We ended up 25th in the end, good day out as ever.
Just 11.5 yesterday, 9 this morning and probably do 5m tonight.
Which year did you do Snod, PMJ? And general thoughts? Easily the best marathon I have done for its epic scale, mental weather, views and camaraderie. About 15-20 mins slower than a fast road course I’d say.
Haha love the forward roll, Reg. Very Bond-esque in my imagination. The extra month should work well for you.
Re Ben Felton - agreed that sub 2:40 seems far too soft. Although I think that has been the target fora. Long time and as you say he has got a lot faster with all the miles.
Phily Bowden my current favourite YouTuber.
Good day at the relays, SC.
Week of jogging complete with an early buggy yesterday morning to see the lambs and cows. Cold start (2C), but a nice a slow 9M in the sun. Lots of birdsong.
Met a friend for a hill run at lunchtime today. Went up from our village (stupidly big now for a village, really) so a very tough climb in the first third. Got to the relative flat on the top of the Cotswold escarpment, but my lord was the headwind strong. So basically had a tempo HR for the first 6M or so, not ideal. Anyway, enjoyed the tailwind, flattish then downhill latter stages. Great to be back on the trails and the lovely surfaces and panoramic views of the hill. Route planning was a little weak, with a planned easy 10M turning into 11.25M with 1200ft ascent and a serious HR for a good wedge of it. Might feel that tomorrow!
From memory, so not sure how accurate I am here, but I think the Masters course doesn't go quite as far down as the 12 stage course?
The long leg is a bit of a beast, for as well as all that down, then climb in the first mile, you have that soulless trudge another mile on from that turn, up to a cone (!), about turn, and back the same again. And even the finish mile has a couple of grinding little climbs.
I do hate these sort of cone turns in races. Wokingham had one, and you just have to eyeball everyone in front and behind!
That's some monster climbing. Sooner you than me.
I actually won the shot put, albeit I was the B string and it wasn't much beyond 10 metres, I think about the same as Simon's javelin though
I did 3:04:5x in 2016, Phil and it took a hell of an effort. So mightily impressed with your time on a social. Agreed that last descent (and the preceding ascent) is savage.
More evidence for the multi sport talent, Reg. When is the decathlon?!
SG - I think they might use the smaller loop at the start for the masters. One year they just went up the hill, that was sooo much easier..
Reg - Bath half is a good course but they make the quicker runners go outside the slower ones on the second lap which adds on extra distance.
SQ - I seemed to spend large chunks of the race pointing at potholes to those behind me. I'm not the best at paying attention in races so put my foot down one or two.
Snap with the decathlon. I tried pole vault once as a kid. They tried to teach us indoors with the mat pushed up against the wall. Having recently cleared the mat whilst doing high jump practice (team-mate moved my mark), and landed on my head, the idea of face planting into a wall was not appealing in the slightest!
29m last week, including some short hilly runs back in Ireland. Legs feel decent but will keep it easy again this week and look to rebuild volume.
The British Masters Decathlon championships are 22/23 August. I have been thinking of things to do to mark hitting 50, still 3.5 years off and my initial thoughts were to do 50 of something, probably a 50 mile run but doing a decathlon would be a cool one. The winner of V45 in 2019 actually had the highest age graded score of 6,200 odd with the following performances. I think I would be competitive in the throws, a bit below in the jumps and sprints but would boss the 1,500
Running knee first into one of those vaulting horse things is another painful memory.
No wonder it was pretty much football after that, until first dabbling with half marathon at 21, then through the mid 20s slowly moving totally over to running.
400H - 74 secs
SP - 6.80 ish. 7m was the magic mark I couldn't break. Technically the easiest one to do I think.
JT - 14m. Really pathetic
Hammer - 13.06m
3000mSC - 10.43. Whilst crippling me and nearly making me miss the Olympic test event.
As I remind people - I'm a runner, not an athlete
No Luton tonight as coach has Covid - might do that 2 x 8 min tempo with 10 x 400 in the middle.
There is a definite trick to knowing the rules: a lot of jumps allow you to specify an opening height and then after that they follow the league standards: so if you specify 1.0 metres as your opening height then you can clear that and don't have to clear the league opening height which may be 1.5 metres.
But all these chucking stuff and jumping events can't feel as satisfying as just running can they?
And unless you're into parkour, jumping about isn't really doable anywhere or time like running.
Although throwing stuff works anywhere I suppose.
Hard session last night - pyramid with 60 secs recoveries - 1 min,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1. Usually just go up to 5 but I was in a masochistic mood. Especially wearing the Saucony A8's which are throwback racer...basically slippers. Somehow I did 33.08 in them at one of the BUPA 10,000 races. Legs aching on my London commute today...
Been dipping in and out recently, but not had much to post! The rarity of doing a race last night though probably deserves a quick post!
I'm staying in Ambleside for a couple of weeks currently and managed, via the wonders of FB, to get a race number for Loughrigg last night. Like all good evening fell races, it used to be EOD and without any technology, but that's a debate for elsewhere....Anyway, after a bit of paddle boarding in the morning and taking it easy, having done a fair bit of climbing in the 3 days before, I bimbled through the afternoon mainly drinking tea, waiting to get ready for the 7pm start. No parking issues to report, as I ran the mile from the apartment to the start in Rothay Park as a warmup.
Its changed from the days of "cag and whistle" being the kit requirement shouted at us by the RO a few years ago, to a kit check of full waterproofs, hat and gloves, followed by collection of your electronic dibber and race number.
So, pinned on a number for only the second time since before lockdown on a lovely, mild spring evening, slightly nervous as this is my first (real) fell race for 3 years and I last did this race 8 years ago! Its a 4M, 1100ft out and back to the trig point on Loughrigg Fell, flagged the whole way so there are no navigation issues, though plenty of route choice!
So, a bit more warming up and several stops to pee out all that tea, then a stroll to the start line, picking out a few well known faces from the fell-running world, including the RO, Paul Tierney, a former holder of the Wainwrights record, and Ben Abdelnoor, the old RO who shouted the "cag and a whistle" line years ago! So, with a quick briefing from Paul, the seemingly large field was off at 7pm on the dot.
I'd lined myself up with a clear line to a tarmac path where the field converge, a few rows back, not knowing how I would do. The start was a cavalry charge though, and my legs would just not go fast enough to get anywhere before we hit the first bottleneck - a hump back bridge. No worries, plenty of time to make up ground. The next 3rd of a mile is up a very steep tarmac road, and it was sobering to see just how many runners were snaking ahead of me. My legs had woken up by then though, and I started working my way through the field.
The, through the fell gate and onto a gravel track, still climbing for about a half mile on a gravel path, before turning onto proper fell territory, with route choice a factor - rocky paths, peat bogs and grass - but the flagged line was promised to be about the best.....
I don't remember being overtaken on the next climb, but overtook plenty of folk and was feeling good, although definitely at lactic threshold! There are then a couple of slight downhills, where more nimble northern folk passed me again, before more steep climbing. A 1/4 of a mile from the summit a young lad, who looked about 15, came flying towards us - first place Charlie Allmond, quite a way in the lead and clearly a potential bright future in the sport! His speed was phenomenal to see - he finished the 4M race nearly 10 minutes ahead of me!!! I just can't comprehend how people can cover that sort of rough terrain at the speed he was going!
Anyway, back to the last climb and I was still shuffling past the odd runner and then to the cairn at the top, quickly fumbling to get my dibber ready, then packed back in a pocket before starting the descent, which at first is like going over a cliff, to keep a line away from those still ascending. In my head I am descending like a mountain goat and feel good, but in reality I'm a soft southern wuss and being overtaken on all sides! At one point, I do what the RO said and keep to the flagged line, only to find myself thigh deep in a peat bog! (why do holiday apartments always have white towels? No amount of scrubbing in the shower can get rid of Lakeland peat!!!) No harm done, and I managed to extricate myself very quickly. Eventually we got back to the gravel track, and all my training on similar track in Wendover Woods helped here as no one overtook me from this point on - mind you, that could also have been that by then I was in the bottom half of the field anyway!!! We then hit the quad mashing, steep tarmac section, where I had a bit of to and froing on the hairpin bends with a couple of guys, but held them off and pulled ahead as we hit the last section back into the park, working hard to keep them held back, almost to the classic Bus vomit point, but not quite, before crossing the line and dibbing my dibber in 37:07.
Afterwards I had a long chat with fell racing legend Darren Fishwick, who has run more races than anyone on the planet and writes up hilarious race reports both on FB and in the FRA magazine. I first met him years ago on the FRA navigation course. HIs dog, Nellie, who he had for 16 years from a pup died recently, so he wasn't on his best form, but still good to chat.
So, some 4 minutes down on my best time here and a paltry 86th out of 171 - possibly my worst ever race result. Despite thinking I'd climbed well, I was only 67th fastest on the ascent, and a downright miserable 114th on the descent!!! Hey ho, crap numbers, but sometimes a race is measured on how it felt, not how it was measured, and despite the numbers, I really enjoyed it and still have a big grin on my face!!!
Good to see you back into some racing, and hopefully all feeling injury free enough to look forward to a few turn outs on road and locally soon?
I looked at the elevations and splits on your run, and the last 2miles look similar elevations, but massively different in time. But no doubt well explained by your summary!
Good race from bus even if the report is just a copy and paste of bits and pieces from a template he has with
- fast uphill
- slow downhill
- dogs
- flat caps
- legends
- sheep
Seems we got dogs this time but not sheep. But seriously, good to see you out and racing again and any time spent running in the Lakes is truly a blessing.Seeing bus' race was 4 miles I just checked my powerof10 for my last 4 mile race as SG was knocking on about how long ago his last was and I last raced 4 miles in 2016 so SG's 2008 does take the biscuit.
The pacing team returned to Black Park parkrun at the start of April. For a few years I used to regularly turn up and run around with a 20-minute marker held aloft (those who know me know I don't use my arms to run so holder a marker is easy) but that target is out of sight at the moment.
I had a spell off with injury in the summer of 2021 and my first parkruns after that were slow and it took me until mid-December to get under 25 minutes and by March I was regularly just inside 24 minutes. For pacing I decided to have a go to see if I could pace 25 (which was technically too fast, should be a few minutes slower than full out) and a few Dasher friends appeared and we ran around together chatting all the way and 25 felt really easy and controlled.
The following week I was back at Wycombe Rye and ran 22:53, so the best part of a minute faster than the last outing there and it felt much better. Still a way to go to get to a respectable time but that was WAVA 67% and if I get down to 22 minutes then that is over WAVA 70% and I can live with that.
It may be time to actually do some specific training and not just run in the hills for the joy of it.
And I can confirm, that no sheep were harmed in the making of my report :-)
Splits are easily explained SG - 2M and 1000ft up, followed by 2M and 100oft down!
What was sobering, was I checked out my pace on the steepest part of the tarmac section to see 5:53 - the same pace I ran the whole Great South Run in, and 23 secs per mile slower than the fastest descent time over the whole thing!!!!
Good result on the Rye Philip too - definitely some pace coming back. Oh, and I went paddle boarding this morning and can confirm, I was wearing a flat cap
Phil - had to check where the 4mile was, but being in New York, that doesn't give most of us an option for an alternative to the Rose Inn.
I also clocked some of your 10milers and remembered the po10 comment about never taking more than 60 for 10. Impressive record, one you kept until 2013 (although you still have it on your po10 profile write up
It wasn't until my 6th 10miler I even got under 60 for the first time.
Nice to look back at how long this thread has been going. We've had the 12 year anniversary recently
Well done to everyone who has kept it going for so long, through all sorts of ups, downs and regular & occasional posters disappearing.
Let's keep it going for a while longer