Moraghan Training - Stevie G

Phil, i'll pencil it in for the excuse box instead then

SH, i didn't watch the last internationals, but will probably start watching tonights. Should be plenty of goals.

I'll turn off, if it's 6-0 and chumps like Milner are getting a run out.

Cheers Deano! That has to be in my top 3 worst running pics ever. I look practically bald! All my snaps from that race are shocking. Pretty standard.

CRacking tempo there SG. I've got my eye on one of those type runs next week. Was thinking of 2miles HMP then 2 tempo but in the middle of 2 WU and 2 easy at the end.

sounds a decent starting point SS.

Then if that goes well, you could pretty much do what i did a few weeks back, and make it slightly harder, by doing 2mile reps, with the first mile HMP, then second Tempo, so you have to lift pace when not exactly strolling.

Yep, very good progressive pace SG.

Doesn't sund good about that section of CP Philip. They've still got a week to wacker-plate it or sort it out somehow hopefully.

Another day off for me. Planned, thanks goodness as my foot is still sore. It's a similar pain to the metatarsalgia  that's bitten me a couple of times this year, except I can't seem to pin-point the exact joint, and it was painful lying in bed last night as well as standing on it. Not intense - the sort of pain I'd try in run through, but slightly annoying none the less. Just ahve to see how it goes.....

Bus, what I found helped was sticking my foot in a bucket, like a 'mini ice bath' so to speak. I did that for a week or two and it sorted it's self out. Also used my spindle thing to roll under my foot. Bought some very soft trainers (nIke Lunarglide 4) and never had a twinge from it since.

Cheers Stevie. I've been icing it, and rolling - haven't got a week though, as I'm racing on Sunday! It's not as painful as the proper metatarsalgia, so I suspect just mild bruising. I like the idea of sticking my foot in a bucket though!

Andy, i think he must have got bored with consistently posting times every week between 18:40 and 18:45. He's even started telling other dreamers that Rio is too soon. But 2020 is still on apparently

Bus, when i went to a few physios, they never seemed too fussed with the metarsalgia compared to the hip and glute.

However, the NHS physio (which I rate better than the private ones, due to the simple fact they need to give you a long term solution rather than stopgaps), gave me a nifty little bit of strengthening, i can't say for certain stopped the metatarsalgia, but i only remembered today it used to ache and doesn't really now.

It was basically single leg knee bends, keeping the knee straight as you go low down. 3 of those. Mine must have been a bit caused by having a bit too much bend in my left leg movement. However, that seems to help both the hip and the foot!

he started at about 22mins, quickly got it sub 19, and naively thought that level of improvement would continue well down the scale.

There's always a few wannabes who emerge, quote ridiculous targets and never get anywhere near them.

Someone called me that once...but the slight difference is that I don't recall ever setting an unrealistic goal. Heck, I barely ever quote realistic goals on the thread

I've attempted races with injury problems and for several reasons I deem them pointless. First of all, the training must have been compromised in the lead up, second that because of the pain, your body has chucked out a load of stuff that thickens the blood up and will slow you down no matter how much you 'tough' it out, third, that a race doesn't help the injury, just makes it worse and finally the race result is just rubbish. I ran the Maidenhead 10 on a niggle. All the above apply. It was the last time for this sort of thing.

Second speed session since Aldershot tommorow. The last one I did was supposed to be a kind of tempo effort simply to remind my legs to go faster than seven min miling. 8 x approx 400m. After 12 days of not going near a sub 7, I was surprised to average sub 5:20's. According to the Garmin trace I was sub 5 on several occasions. This could cause problems with judging the starting pace of CP. If I take off as I feel like, it will be half a mile before I suspect I'm pushing the pace too much, and a mile before I discover that I am. 

Wycombe Rye parkrun for me this morning. Yesterday's run compromised the speed as legs were tired but by the time you throw in a warm up and cool down it took me to 50.7 for the week so over 50 for the first time since June and marks the end of the first month back.

Basic plan is to get back over three months so this first month was about building up the length and number of runs to get up to 50 in a week. Next month will be between 40 and 50 each week so really just stabilising on where I have got back to without pushing it too hard and then the third month will be back to full training.

Should mean I am back in time for the third XC of the year but will do the first two, only won't expect anything great and the shame is they are Datchet and Sandhurst which should be the rivalry for the year.

An easy 4 today, my legs will love me for this instead of my 18-19 mile Saturday hike. Sounds strange but my body isn't yearning to go long so this little week off for a race is a nice blessing. Most long runs I feel my body is actually urging me to do them.

Flintshire 10k tomorrow, looks a well organised event (chip timing etc). RR to follow tomorrow. No expectations time wise as it's got a long hill, and it being a 2 lapper will have to be tackled twice. Aiming to go out at 5:55 min/mile pace. 

In theory Phil it shouldn't really be a contest,as if you put Datchet and Sandhurst's best runners in an order, we'd probably only have 1 of the top 6.

However, when you mix in squad depth, the women's side of things, and the fact noone ever fields their best team every race, it becomes more even.

Cripes, if Reading fielded their top team it would certainly be a battle for 2nd team! The women's side is normally embarrasing as it is, as it's often 3 Reading ladies out of the top 4....

Stevie, good luck with the race. A race is always a nice break from a long solo run isn't it. Knowing it counts for something, will feel easier, even at a much faster pace due to race day magic, and that real satisfaction afterwards.

Headding torwards a busy racing schedule myself pre Christmas, should be good fun.

Andy the D, out of curiosity, have you had an accident since the middle of last month? or run a marathon, which is much the same thing.