Moraghan Training - Stevie G

Physio last night, fairly promising outcome.  He was able to virtually rule out a stress fracture, and instead is very confident that it's an inflammation of the tibialis anterior tendon (the one that runs down the front of the shin and joins the bone at the foot of the ankle, where the pain is).  Possibly caused by over-tight shoelaces, but exacerbated by my gait (feet splayed slightly outwards).

So, got a lower leg massage (ouch!) and ultrasound, and now have a few more days' rest, stretching of the muscle and also stretch/strengthen the calves to help improve the gait, and a course of anti-inflammatories.  And then try to run at the weekend.

With any luck, I could be back into it soon, although big PBs are probably not going to come until next year now.  Can't really complain, I've been spoiled on that front this year.

That sounds a pretty good outcome indeed. Every so often these alarms come along, outside of the day to day usual stuff, and it's easy to forget these the next time you havea  good race.

Gosport mini thread meet up is on 

today's runs reminded me that the full strengthening programme on glutes, hamstrings et al is needed, and not the reduced version.

The time after getting pb is a bit like when you've scored a goal in footy...you're at your most vulnerable .

Just seen my new training paces...although they have a range, top end fo tempo is now 5.42, originally 5.50, and half marathon pace ends at 5.55, rather than starts at it (5.50-5.55).

Tasty times ahead hopefully.

I was only thinking today how your paces must be a bit scary now!

Did 14 miles up and down dale today, 8:45 average says it all, really struggled... all the way round!

Blinding paces!

5:42/mile is 3:32/km. My 400m pace is 3:40/km (not far off 5:50/mi).

It's that good news bads news thing isn't it. Yes, the new ground, but no...the faster training needed 

I had felt the last few weeks that something was afoot, as 2miles at 5.50 tempo felt relatively fine, whereas I distinctly remember a time the year before where it was an utterly blitzing effort.

Iron, all relative buddy. I look at DT2's paces and think what on earth, and someone will read this and think the same on your pace. Always someone faster, but the bit we all forget, is that there's a hell of a lot slower

Yep - Dt2's 14 mile tempo at 5:40 pace WTF!!

Dachs - icing will help reduce the inflammation too - I'd try Stevie's trick with the bucket! Good news that its not a stress fracture.

Weird day today. After two days off with the lurgy, thought I'd feel fresh this morning. Started off OK, but by the end of the session I felt like crap and was beginning to regret running.

Had no choice but to run again tonight (to get home!), felt a bit better cold wise and then ran like the wind! Felt really strong. Quite bizarre all round as I was running though the muddy woods in the dark with a headtorch, but had to take my top off as it was so warm and muggy!

Ironcat - as per your question, I run one interval session a week (though not on a track unfortunately). Typically 6-8 x 800m, 6-10 x 400m or a combination. occasionally 4x 1M or SG's fave Half marathon sesh of 3 x 2M

The image of you running through some dark woods with no shirt on with a head torch on, is perhaps the most bizarre one ever on this thread

Iron, sorry, completely missed your morning post, it snuck onto the end of the last pace.

Often once a week, but sometimes if it's long ish reps ie a mile upwards, they can be done on the road just as well.

Ric, I like it, setting Stevie See a lil challenge there .

A chap from my old club had a pb of 1:16:50. It'd be nice to see that off at some stage. I'm not sure how well measured a couple of his other pbs were as they sounded well out of sync, but the half was 100% reliable.

SG, A realistic challenge for Ss I believe. I used to be wary of the half marathon on account of the distance until one day I stood on the start line and realised I'd spent a whole summer running 16/17 milers every weekend. 13 miles! that's nothing and just blasted it, taking 4 minutes off my personal best in the process. For whats it worth, I did 59:12 to break the hour for 10 miles for the first time at the Cabbage Patch and then did 76:33 for the Gosport Half a few weeks later. So with 2 minutes in hand I make that a half for you in 74.....you have the pace, just hang it out a bit longer.

Whoa there Ric! Not many people can do a half quicker than their own 10mile pace, within 4weeks!

One of 2 things must have happened in those 4 weeks. One you got the CP race on a not top form day, whereas Gosport you were top form.

Or, you didn't know what you were capable of at CP, and got a confidence boost for Gosport that you took forward with vigour.

Anyway, less about Gosport for now. Need to give GSR due respect first!

SG- to hit a 75 you need to hit the 10m in the same time (bar a second) that you raced the 10m at the weekend.

Its easy to set targets for others.  But while we are at how about aiming to hit something with a 76 in it, then if that pace feels good at the half way stage you can get on it and go for bigger rewards. But if it feels tough you are still on for a healthy PB.

Good times ahead either way IMO

Most of us have our 10 mile PB slower than the 10 mile split for a HM. If you can mirror or close to that time on Sunday, it's not inconceivable you could split that in your HM. Who know's running is a funny game.

Anyway now we've given SG lots of hard targets and splits (comes with the thread Daddy teritory!), I best just mention that I very much doubt I'd do sub 59 for 10 miles Ric!

Course you would Stevie! Just a case of finding the right 10 miler!

Ric-  that's a very impressive progression from that CP to Gosport! Not sure that's something that would be repeated too often though...

After CP last year, I felt full of running and thought it would be a simple case of just 3.1 more miles at a relatively easy 6 MM pace to get a 1:17:xx at my next flat half - never worked out that way though! Mind you, Gosport a couple of weeks after might have been worth a punt...

SG - best time to run topless in the woods as there's no one about to scare!

Hi Guys, yes the progression does look unfeasible apart from the momentum factor. I'd spent the summer of that year training in a structured form for the first time and the Cabbage Patch was one of the first races I'd run for weeks. I think it just blew some cobwebs away despite it being a personal best. One year before, my best half was 83:47, then in the following June at the GNR (that long ago) I did 80:20 passing 10 miles in 61 mins. The Cabbage Patch wasn't what you would call a 'peak effort' but between that and Gosport I pretty much blasted the training speeds and was lucky to get to that race before injuring myself. To indicate my racing mind set that day my opening miles went 5:28, 5:37, 5:48, 5:57, 5:25, 5:54. Just blow up and recover as I went. 

5.57, 5.24, 5.54. Any chance some of the mile markers were a bit wrong?

I remember after the Wycombe 10k this year quoting the splits I'd taken, and it looked mental. With hindsight, i realised that the markers were a fair bit out, and they'd been more even than I'd realised.

Definitely feeling in peak form personally, with the slight nag that the hamstring/glute is always a bit tight, re-inforced by the massage woman at CP's verdict. May have to look at a proper sports massage, a deep one. Bus, Phil? Had anyone locally? (so to speak!)

Let's just reign all the crazy talk in for Gosport  1hr 14 talk is plain mental, 1hr 15 is a bit silly, McMillan reckons a low 1hr 16, but we'll get through GSR first eh!

Come on now SG, the thread needs someone to run 1:15 at Gosport.  Doesn't look like it's going to be me, so you need to step in.

SG, more a case of following the crowd. As happens when you run behind a group, as they slowed down, I slowed down with them. I was wondering why I felt so easy when the 5:57 arrived. I realised what had happened and just put the boot in, blew up a mile down the road and spent the rest of the event feeling like I did last Sunday. Not the first time I've messed up following others, I've a five mile race in the book with mile 3 at six minutes plus, top and tailed by a brace of sub 5:30's.

 That made me laugh Dachs.

If I may refer you to my last 2 halves, 1:17:59, 1:17:53, so 6seconds off seems about right...right?

Ric, that can happen with groups for sure. At CP, I think I did it perfectly in the first half, using groups/individuals, but ditching them when I could feel that they were trying to use me, rather than the other way round.

Second half got a bit more drawn out, but sometimes it's fine to run to your own effort, especially later on when you've banked the majority of what you need.

It would definitely be a big ask to take nearly 3 mins off!

There was a local sports masseuse I used in Homer Green, but she now works out of Chalfont St Giles - I'll see if I can find her contact details.

Just attempted to fill the running shaped gap in my life by going swimming for the first time in about 20 years (excluding taking kids to fun pools etc).  Bloody hell, that's hard work!  It would help if I hadn't developed some kind of fear of putting my head underwater. Got cramp in my leg on the last length - of all the things to cramp up when doing a different sport, I would have thought my legs would be OK...