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Moraghan Training - Stevie G
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A dress rehearsal sounds like a good idea. I'm glad I don't need to worry about carrying gels though.
As far as the reps go, as long as the effort was in the right place the paces don't really matter.
SC - cheers. I'd completely forgotten about opentrack. I hadn't realised how late some of the races are! Interesting with the Propel v4. I must go find a comparative review for them. Nice reps as always. Bonus with the laptop.
SG - yep, I'm always like that with Yateley (amongst others). Like you I think I'd probably manage a 17:high at the moment so he'd have beaten me if I'd toed the line last Friday (though to give him credit, when I said that to him he said he'd rather wait and beat me for the first time when I feel ok).
10/6 easy double yesterday. 6m earlier with 1m of diagonals, and a brisk last mile thrown in. Going to attempt to join in the group session tonight at track and see if I can manage to not throw my toys out of the pram this week.
Has anybody seen about Zane Robertson (one of the twins who went to live in Kenya at 17), who holds a lot of the Kiwi national records, getting busted for EPO and receiving an 8 year ban? I saw them briefly in a bar out there when I was there (almost 9 years ago now!!!) and they came across as quite abrasive, and from comments made after they left, didn't appear to be well liked.
He has gone straight in with the likes of Dennis Mitchell ("it was the wife's birthday so I figured she deserved a treat") as having one of the most daft excuses for doping ever - he produced (falsified) records stating that he went in for a COVID jab and that they thought he wanted to be treated for covid and gave him EPO.........
I gave as much as I had on the day, just probably slightly rusty after so many months without a race
Always surprised you tend to ease in the first rep. I dare say a lot of us do the opposite - too quick then it settles!
Reggie - always going to feel a bit of a shock first time back into the track stuff. Am sure those will fly down the paces soon
But my 4 mile pb is 24;20, so I shouldn't have to bust too much juice to beat that!
One of these series races, that are often hard to pinpoint a date to do - when it's a single race it concentrates the mind as it's then or never!
Jools - if you're about, we'll have to link up a date
8 year ban for doping is quite severe isn't it? Were there other factors at play?
The idea of not bothering has been in my mind and I am not convinced that you can actually benefit from energy fuelling if you’re running for ‘only’ 2.5 hours. This is influenced by my triathlon experience. In an Olympic triathlon which is roughly the same duration I take on pretty much no fuel and even in a half Ironman I’ll take probably just 1-2 bottles of energy drink on the bike and nothing on the run.
My plan is only to carry 2 gels though and maybe have one just before the start.
I ask as for logistical reasons I will do my long run from work (worcester) to home (Cheltenham). Due south. Guess which way the wind is blowing?
Recovery 7.7 with strides this morning. I may have got a bit carried away with the strides and tweaked my hamstring slightly. I started off nice and sensible with 3 x 100m @ 5:20/5:30 pace and a 600m @ 5:13 pace or 1:57 which more like it. However the last two were 4:56 & 4:20 which was probably unnecessary, hopefully it's more of a cramping than a small tear or fraying,
Take it easy on that hamstring!!
SQ - I'd aim for even effort and try not to strain against the wind to avoid pulling anything. Better to run too easily than too hard in those conditions. But at a guess 50-60s per mile.
ZR's retirement was indeed questionable timing. It's definitely up there with the craziest excuses I've heard.
Great training btw.
Done track last night. It was scheduled as 3km @ 5km pace, 2km @ 5km pace + 4 x 200m. I targeted current 10km pace (which turned out about 5m effort on tired legs) for the long reps. Figured 88s a lap, so 10:56 + 7:18 was a solid workout just inside target. Strode out the 200s, rather than hard, in 37, 37, 37, 36. Got a reality check as 2 of the guys in the group I had been in before my run of sickness, etc, started back in late November, lapped me before the end of their 2km rep.
On the plus side I hacked up more of the self-induced gunk of my chest, so hopefully that's almost completely clear now.
6m easy with a backpack this morning. Tired, but starting to feel much stronger which I'll take for now. It'll be interesting to see how much pace I can regain in 1 month.
Interesting about fuelling - I've only done 5 miles without any food inside me!
I was going to do 16, but with the weather and the fact that I have a 3/15/8 coming up indoors on Sunday, thought I'd rein it in a bit. Probably 90 secs recovery so tried to stay under 70's which I did for 10 of them.
8m easy home yesterday. 7m easy this morning - I hit a headwind a 2m that was going to be there the whole way into work, so figured I'd do a session this afternoon instead of this morning. Little did I know it was going to turn bibilical!!!! Got absolutely soaked, and cut through by the wind during the first 3m so when I tried the first two pickups (1min and 2mins) I felt so tight I just opted to run at a decent clip instead. Ended up with 12m+ with the last 8m at a brisk (cMP+50-60s) pace. Knocking up some decent volume this week!
18.5 this morning as I wanted to get the long one done. Just ran it all easy but the hammy sensation from earlier in the week returned. It’s more of an intermittent tightness or cramping feeling so one to watch. 70 for the week so far plus whatever I add tomorrow. I’ll cut it back next week with lfotm and Reading half over a long weekend for me using up holiday.
Reg - lucky you. I've copped some wind and rain blastings over the last few days!
Yesterday was a 'Hills+Stuff' session. 3m 'fast' (6:14), 3min rec, 6 x 60s uphills (90s float between), 1m 'fast' (6:11). Threw in another 6m very easy to make a 17m day.
Today was just a 7m as I didn't want to chase miles (sounds daft saying that with big mileage, but I was tempted by a 10m/7m double which would have given me 120 for the week).
The 7m left me on 110m, and was run as 3 easy, 1.25m @ 5m-10k effort, 3m easy. The effort was on the same section as last Saturday where at 5km effort (or possibly a bit inside), I ran 7:09. Today for 5m-10k effort it was 7:10. Lots of work to do, but at least I'm improving.
Had a quick flick back through Strava, and my last 100m week was over 6 years ago, and my last week that was more than this was almost 8.5 years ago! I'd forgotten how barren some of the intervening years were!
Shame it has taken until so long into the campaign for me to be able to string a couple of good weeks together (91m last week), as back in November before I hit my run of problems I'd reckoned I was sitting about 5:55 marathon shape. All I can do is kick on from where I'm at I guess.
Nice to see a hills and stuff session, TT, especially on a big day. And 110M for the week wow😯. Excuse me not remembering - are your plans London and then another autumn marathon? You are setting yourself up very nicely.
Hope you get some good weather for LFOTM and Reading, Reg. Assume your photo wasn’t an ice bath which seem to be all the rage but backed up by little science? How is the hammy?
Looking forward to reports from SC and SG?
Probably peak week of training in the lead to Manchester: 81M including Tuesday’s 13M Kenyan hill session, long on Thursday and 12M including parkrun and a few short hills on Saturday.
Thursday was another level. I’d asked the question on here about time difference for a headwind mile, and I think TT was about right. I averaged 8:14 for the 22M Worcester - Cheltenham commute for maybe 7:25 effort. But mentally and physically is was relentless: to never escape the wind or rain in your face, to never get a ‘freebie’ of a quicker and easier mile was absolutely brutal. Definitely felt like the potential trudge of the final few miles of a marathon - so all good training I guess.
TT 110mile week!?
What is happening here
Fleet HM
Didn't feel ready for a half in Feb, as that covid and return felt like it delayed things a bit. I'd done Bramley 20 as a steady effort instead, and for something different.
So I took Pete's tip on Fleet, a month later, being a race I'd never even considered before for whatever reason.
Didn't particularly feel confident, but at least I'd got last week's race in to blow the lack of races, nerves off. And after a string of 15miles I didn't want to waste that without at least recording a spring HM.
I felt strangely calm in the week, when some HM's I can feel the stressy warmth building all week.
Although I did feel a slight occasional cough the day or 2 before. Not like covid I don't think, just like a clear throat job. Or when you finish a run and are doing some stretching on the floor and cough a bit. One of those. Nothing to make me consider pulling out of this.
50min drive, nice park - but miserable rainy day.
Cannot tell you how little I fancied it when I got out of the car
That was probably the worst of it, as maybe a bit of drizzle after that, but pretty much cleared up.
Race village was on some massive field, and you can imagine how boggy that was with the rain and 1,000s of runners churning it up.
Had a 3 way choice on shoes, and had put 5miles into my Alphas on Friday in case I fancied them, but judged running a HM in a different feel of shoe would be daft.
The Next1s, have big holes in the tops, so did wonder about what if it rained, would I end up with shoes much heavier as I went with water on board
So put my first miles into Next2s - they say don't race in untested shoes, but thought Next 1 v Next 2 wouldn't be that much odds - and pretty much how it turned out.
There was no sign of what this would be when I was pitstopping plenty of time before the race.
Until I emerged back into a totally empty field at 9.55, race due at 10.
Panic averted when the army volunteers said the start was only 200m along a path.
Phew...so much time I even nipped in for 1more safety check!
9.57, and emerge onto the road.... look left.
HECK...there's about 200 rows of people to wade through.
How big is this race again!?
Not to worry, SG has a few times weasled to the front of the grid very late doors, like at Cabbage Patch 10 in October.
But the grid is moving...moving up to the start line I hope.
Wrong...the bloody race is starting, early. When does a race start early for goodness sake
I do check with some random and he laughs, so I'm utterly boxed in and we're off.
(ED - I remember when these race reports actually got to the running in fewer than 2 pages)
Glad I'd not arranged with Wool to pace him or run together or any of that, as I'm bloody miles back, like Bramley, but unintentionally! He'd have been wondering where the heck I was.
Started the watch, and nipped in and out of people manically before a 5.50 split at mile 1 - which would definitely have been more effort than a 5.50 straight line
I vow to put the proper steady effort in befitting my current level, and try and dress it up as could be interesting romping past people for miles.
Afterwards I note Strava has my split as 6.00, and my chip 7seconds slower than my watch time, so I must have actually missed the proper start line and been walking for a bit unknowing!
Anyway, we're off onto the course, and basically, the whole thing is a mix of country lanes, subtle ups and downs.
I'd vaguely looked at the map, and 6miles is the furthest "out", a couple of miles across and then one of those dreaded out and backs, down to 10miles to a pub, another sort of out and back then the run in.
In the first mile or 2 of overtaking boxed in madness, I noticed about 100 or so army / gurkha young guys, all in matching t shirts. Took a lot of winding in and out of those lads.
Overook my pal from Bramley 20, resisting the temptation to give myself an easier time pace wise.
After then pretty much a case of ticking the miles off, wondering what pace I was actually doing, some at 6.00 one at 6.13, this sort of stuff, occasionally seeing 6.35 when trees or something must have been blocking, and generally looking forward to finishing.
I was overtaking people until about 6miles and then it settled a bit.
The problem with overtaking people so easily is it's hard to compute against the "right" level of race effort. Your brain says you must be going at the right effort as you're monstering past, but you might not actually be - I felt this in those distanced races at times a few years ago.
Saw my clubmate Wool at the 8 or so mile out and back. Assumed the time difference was fairly short and I'd probably make up the rest in the last 5.
But didn't. Probably one because he's top of his own game right now and if anything romps up to finish a HM, and half because I was doing what probably most do, slow down a bit near the end.
Did see a 6.20 mile in there.
One of the gurkha lads was doing my head in on the turnaround, insisting on slapping hands with every single one of his mates coming the other way
A lady who I thought might be 50s was suddenly ahead at one point, saying she didn't like this change to the course. Found the breath to say I didn't like it starting earlier than billed! And was glad to see her off. I've been beaten by enough super vet ladies recently...(including one from last week again!).
Some random showed up on my shoulder at 11 or so, saying I didn't fancy doing my own club's 20 today then...erm no mate...then he just disappeared as quickly behind as he'd emerged!
Mile 13 seemed to go on for ages, especially the 3/4m down a straight road.
A guy who sounded like he was combusting was right behind, so I was glad when he got ahead...take your noise with you pal
Bit of a romp in unnecessarily for the last 100m for a
1:20:48
Wool got a pb in 1.20.42 on his 50th bday - brilliant.
I actually took 1.20.41 as my watch split, but as per earlier I think I can only have mistaken where the start line was, or maybe it was that thing where they have 2 timing mats at the start and I'd started it on the second one in error in all the mass of bodies!
Could "probably" have done a bit faster today. Am sure that starting shenanigans was worth somewhere between 1 second and xx seconds, but it is what it is. Would have been much more of an arse last year when I put a strong HM in at Wokey.
Not a vintage SG HM, but oddly supposedly a better result on paper than the 36.45 10k last week. Not sure I buy that in fairness, I think it's heavily biased towards longer distances on those calcs...
However, positive of a 30th HM, always good to finish a HM anyway, only my 4th since 2015 (!), and glad I at least gave it what I had on the day, when I could easily have rucked it off after that confusion and mad 1st mile.
Probably need to recapture "that" racing feel a bit more too - just that notch harder, but that'll probably come from more races and confidence. If you only race when in top shape you can find half a year or so slips by or you simply don't race.
I'm definitely a fair step down from last year's superb Feb to Sep run, but as it's comparing to 1 year ago, not 10 years ago, hopefully I can move back to that sort of level as the year progresses
SG - having the race village on grass must have been a pain for both runners and volunteers! Sounds like a solid run out; well done. I'm the same with needing races to tune in mentally.
SQ - It's definitely not an ice bath, it's a hot tub! It's a nice place to be after a long run, unlike an ice bath, I imagine. Good week for you by the sounds of it. My hammy isn't too bad, generally it's been ok for the first hour or so and then gets a bit tight. Not sure about whether I will risk a 5k on it yet though.
Nice report SG, I've done the Fleet 10k but not the HM. Nice that Pete finally convinced someone to do it :-). I am a little surprised you're not a little closer to last year's times given some of the tempo sessions you've done. No doubt it will come though.
Just a recovery 9.5 from me yesterday only notable by the fact that at 121 average, my heart rate was as low as I can ever remember seeing it for a run. Pace was 8:10 so slow but not stupidly so. Hopefully the mantra of having to train fast to run fast is not completely true.
6.09 yesterday and I've done a 6.11 6mile tempo. 6m hmp I consider quite a brutal sesh I wouldn't ever try yet looking at those numbers I've done it!
At least 10k pace last week was 5.55 which is 16 seconds quicker than the tempo.
But I suppose its very easy in a hm that's got no fixed aim bar racking one up just to drift a little.
A guy who did 70mins for hm yesterday apparently does a lot of his stuff 830 and slower, so it's the age old how easy is easy question.
I'm off to hobble some 8s out now for a nice 3!
SQ - That's a brutal commute - better than my 13 miles in 4 bits!
Reg - Forecast for LFOTM is awful. Gale force bastard wind. Weather really starting to get on my tits. I need to get down to the HHH presentation in the evening anyway so I have to go to London. Plus the Southern relays Sunday so may not go eyeballs out, I'll see.
Yesterday was a laugh. So joint races with Eastern Vets and Vets AC (London) at Lee Valley.
3000m - thought i'd go for the 10 min jog, 4 min tempo (3 laps of track in 78's) and then strides warm up, as it was quite early in the morning. Seemed to work as felt quite strong from the start and got past a Dulwich guy after about 4 laps and pushed on. The wife was timing, 3.05, 3.04 and then tried to push the last K and covered it in 3.02 for 9.11. EMAC indoor champs record and gets me 4th all time M50 UK 3,000 indoors.
(Perspective here - yesterday morning my mate Tony O'Brien won the V50 3,000 indoors in Torun in 8.52! One of the Irish guys who ran in Dublin did 9.11 and was 7th!)
1500 was 2 hours later -again a bit of a time trial. I think the first 400 was 68, and 'proper' bell at 3.10. Got over the line for 4.20 for 1st place. V50 All time goes up to 4.16, so the plan is to try for that.
800 was a laugh as I was in lane 6 - so up the hill, down the slope on the far side quicker than you want to! I was in the 35+ race so a group of 5 shot off like loonies. I managed to catch one and ended up with 2.12 and the EMAC win and another champs best. Young man's game the 800 - but good training.
So decent afternoon all in.
9 miles today, 4 with the lad later. Luton tomorrow, then bit and bobs until LFOTM.
Reg - that's very positive with your heart-rate! Regarding training pace, Deek was reputed to have claimed he consistently 'under-trained' (despite doing upwards of 130mpw) because most of his stuff was relaxed running and he rarely went hard in training. It's very typical of the Aussie approach. The Squires stuff I like was similar. Lydiard had some more uptempo running throughout too, but again, relatively, the pace was controlled and rarely hard.
SG - what's your usual gap between 10k and HM?
20m earlier. 10 very easy, 10 easy (8:07/7:30). Good time on feet, no frills run.
SQ - tough way to run 22m, I feel for you being a coastal runner.
SG - good going at Fleet. It's a busy race, guess as its got a big catchment area and is a few weeks before the Autumn marathons. It was lumpier than I thought it'd be. But i had a crap day when i did it, so felt all the lumps.
Simon - top racing again, good to get your name up the rankings again. Agreed on the windy weather......some nutters even have a coastal marathon planned for this weekend.
I was in the 130ths for gun, so probably could have been 10 or so places higher on chip maybe? Think the standard was higher this year as I thought only about 50 were sub 80 last year? May be wrong.
TT - 11second difference last year, 14 this.
Maybe the 3seconds a mile is simply down to the starting position (Wool mailed me saying you really did start a long way back
I think it was like in those distanced races in 2021 or so, you're overtaking people, so "feel" like you're at the right lick, but might be just off it.
Great work on a morning 20.
I matched your very easy pace in 2 x 3mile dribbles. Can't say it felt "that" easy in fairness, but loosened me up a little.
Weighing up whether to do the old school Moz TUE OFF, or an easy run through it.
Will have Sat off, pre Sunday's shortish race (long leg, but 4.5miles), so without a long run as such, perhaps don't want to lose too much mileage with 2 days off.
I've done a few 15s pre work in the old "in office" days, but 22 is something else. Took a fair bit of refuelling to feel alive, so a 22 must be that x something!
SC Good way to rack up races doing shorties aint it! Must take some planning to have hours in between races. Warming up and down each time. What to fuel with each time etc.
Those Watford 3ks were a bit of a nightmare for some of that just with a single race lasting less than 10mins!
TT - That's the way to start a new week after 110 miles the week before, just a casual 23 miles! You going to bank one more big week or go a little more high risk and do a short taper?
14 for me yesterday and 6 this morning and probably another easy 6 this afternoon. If I sack off LFOTM then I'll probably do one more 80+ mile week this week and then start to taper and hopefully start to settle the niggles over the last three weeks.
Reg - 2 more big weeks hopefully. My last long run is usually 11-13 days out, and taper is minimal (usually high 80s 2 weeks out, and high 70s including the race). At the moment I'm thinking past London and just trying to feel strong again. For the next marathon what I'm doing now will basically be my base period, with a small drop in miles across my marathon prep period.
You've managed your niggles quite well. Almost there!
I stuck a little 3m recovery jog in yesterday evening to loosen up after an afternoon of being sat down in meetings. 7m very easy earlier, with another 6 or 7m at a similar effort to come later.