Moraghan Training - Stevie G

15miler completed today in the rain! Mentally gruelling as much as physically. To be honest only noticed that slight tightness feeling starting at about 14miles, whereas a few weeks ago this was at around 9miles, so hopefully that's a sign of growing strength...especially after last night's 10miler with 40mins at good pace.

One question, my club have our annual "Chairman's Challenge" next saturday which this year is driving out to Chertsey, and running back to Marlow over 6 legs, in 25.5miles!

The schedule has me to do 14miles at easy (7.24 to 7:55)

Am I ok to do at least 18,possibly the full 25.5 miles, as the pace will guaranteed be slower, as one of the aims is we run as a group. In fact last year I was getting frustrated as a couple of oldies insisted on doing the full 20 (less distance last year to celebrate our 20th club bday) which slowed the pace hugely.

This year should be a bit faster in more well fitting groups, but definitely will be below the slowest easy pace.

Next week was meant to be a reduced week, but I'm hoping slower miles but longer distance will equate the same effect? Let me know your thoughts. I don't have to commit to anything until the day itself.

Good news with regards to the tightness - certainly a positive sign of adaption.  I'd like to get to a point where 15 milers are comfortable all the way.

If you fancy doing that next saturday then go ahead.  Just for shits and giggles we'll say you have to earn it by PB'ing on tuesday.  No pressure though.....!

Only one change I'd like to make if you do it.  Make friday's run 5 miles with 5 * 75m strides and make that the only run of the day.  Obviously Sunday now becomes the day off instead of saturday.

5mile easy today with 4x100m strides. Always an odd feeling the day after a rest day, but as always the run goes easily.

Will cut the friday schedule as you suggest, and then judge on saturday how much I run, will definitely aim for about 18 at least though. I think the schedule had the sun as the day off anyway.

Will do my best tomorrow...some say it's the hardest of the 5ks in our local little series, but then I managed to do it 14secs quicker than any of the others last year, so who knows.

What it does have over some of the others is some nice little down bits and being completely on road. The ups are fairly short, although the last 100metres being up a little bank is always a teasing end!

looking foward to it now.

Burnham 5k race today, Unofficially another pb...by  1second again!!

17:21 is what I have, splits of 3:03, (7:02 for next 2k), 3:31, 3:46

(realise these come to 22 not 21...but they're rounded and was deffo 21 on the line!)

To explain a few things....  the first k has a downhill bias, and the last k has a reasonable incline, hence such big contrasts, I didn't just smash the first k and struggle the last one

I was neck and neck with the winner for a good 2.5/ 3k, hence missing doing the split for the 2nd k!

However, I knew I was working hard for that, and he went into overdrive on a downhill, which was also when I fell into 4th, behind a 34min 10k man, and a guy who's popped up in all of my last 5 races, we share the spoils, and he edged me out today. 1st was perhaps 20-25sec ahead, and the other 2 perhaps 5 and 10 secs ahead?

So basically 4th, out of the usual 250-300 so all good. The last of the all road 5ks, but the other 3 are all 100% flat. The next one at the end of June is probably the fastest one, outside my own  club's 5k, which I could pressure to do, but I won't as that would be another race to the schedule

So far so good...5 races under the Moraghan regime and 5 pbs so far! And 6 pbs in my last 6 races, best run ever

I'll fill my boots!

Should be fine though as the schedule has thursday and sunday as rest days!

Thursday will probably be tough to rest on, but sunday I'm guessing will be a cinch!

And then we can get cracking back on the training!

Ta chief. The ironic thing is that none of the 5k series are really pb courses...so in a few months I guess I should look for a proper flat road course.

Saturday promises to be good...potentially 25.5miles, in the heat albeit it at slow as sin pace . I'm expecting it will once and for all blow all crazy thoughts of ever doing a marathon out of my head!

It'll be good to get amongst my clubmates again...as they probably think I've gone all big time on them with my online coach, warm ups and strides

when we set off at 12mins a mile on saturday i'll try and remember that!

Although I did marvel at the amount of people before the race yesterday doing their warm ups quicker than me, even though they ended up racing 5mins + slower over 5k!

Another pb for you! Well done SG. So if all goes to plan are you looking at a comfortable sub 17 at Maidenhead? Seems to be the quickest one?

Moraghan, with regards to long runs within marathon training, what pace should these be done at? Qualifying for a GFA at  London is 3:10 but i would like to be closer to sub 3. Last two 20 milers were both at 7:41/m, they werent planed to be this pace but were done by heart rate and keeping it in the easy zone. 152bpm and 148bmp. any advice would be very welcome  

Thanks Mee Meep, I was going to say hello on Tuesday, but never got the chance due to a warm up,  warm down and numerous club people to deal with!

Never sure which is the quickest, as Maidenhead has a lot of grass which sucks the pace away a little.

Last year I over performed at Burnham, and did 17:23 and then did 17:37 at Maidenhead when I thought it might beat the Burnham time.This year I'm faster and only beat the Burnham time of last year by 2 secs! That shows if you get in a race with someone you can take more off!

4 weeks of training until then, with only a multi terrain 5k on the 13th to get in the way.

I'm getting more discisplined though, managed to rest both yesterday evening and all of today as per the schedule....I must admit I'm absolutely gagging for a run though

mee meep wrote (see)

Moraghan, with regards to long runs within marathon training, what pace should these be done at? Qualifying for a GFA at  London is 3:10 but i would like to be closer to sub 3. Last two 20 milers were both at 7:41/m, they werent planed to be this pace but were done by heart rate and keeping it in the easy zone. 152bpm and 148bmp. any advice would be very welcome  

Early on in a marathon schedule I would concentrate on extending distance at easy pace - and easy pace is derived from a recent race performance and is nothing to do with what you'd like to run.

Once you've done a couple of 20+ runs at easy paces and handled them okay I would start adding some variety in your long runs with some extended quality.  Just as an example, something like:

-  23m easy

-  18m inc. 3 * 3m @ MP with 1m easy in between

-  20m w / 18m @ MP +30 seconds

-  18m easy on cutback week.

Take care of the distance and goal duration first then start including some quicker running as part of your long runs.

Stevie G www.miles4miles.co.uk wrote (see)

I'm getting more discisplined though, managed to rest both yesterday evening and all of today as per the schedule....I must admit I'm absolutely gagging for a run though

What are you thinking, up to 70 a week at first, or 75?

Sounds good either way, I'd say the only reaction I've had is this week feeling sluggish through lack of running!

sounds good. Let me report back in one piece from tomorrow's 1/2 day magical mystery run and then I should hopefully be ready to roar into next week's schedule!

for now i'm off on a 5miler with strides!

finally got the results from tue...winner did 16:54, 2nd 17:10, and 3rd 2 seconds ahead of me in 17:19.

Impossible to take someone in the last 200m on this one as the incline is too steep at 5k pace

However, if the winner can keep slowing from 5k to 5k and I can keep 1sec pbing could be close by race 5!

5th was in 17:37

Nice 5miler today...

and tomorrow for the long club event back from Chertsey to Marlow!

Cheers for that Moraghan. I feel like they need spicing up a little, all long runs have been well inside the easy pace range so may give the 3 @mp x 3 a go tomorrow.

I do have one more question Moraghan, according to mcmillan calculators my marathon pace at the moment is 7:02/m but my target is 6:52/m will the extra 10 seconds a mile quicker make much of a difference? In other words should i run at current or target?