Moraghan Training - Stevie G

The Bus wrote (see)

Any lingering doubts as to the toughness of the race, check out the pics of the winner and Frankie crossing the line on the Striders web page - bear in mind that the winner is a 70 min man and Frankie, a 75 min man and both look in real pain despite being half a minute a mile down on those times!

i was a believer the minute i saw the flood on the video.  It looked obscene!

If the winner, Bus, was in 72 min shape on a dry course, then I reckon you would have been close to 80 mins.

Couldn't make head or tail of the split times I was getting. Its been such a long time since I operated so far from 6 min mile pace in a race that it took until 8 miles for me to work out I was even sub 6:30 per mile.

Dean, you would have done us all.

Good session today: 5 x 3mins (90sec rec) 5 x 2mins (1min rec) 5 x 1min (30sec rec) 5 x 30sec (30sec rec).

3 mins was circa 5:3x pace, 2mins was 5:2x pace, 1mins was 5:1x, 30 sec were the same as ones if not a tad faster. So all at 5k pace or below. NIce.

Cracking sessions by SG and Deano there. 2 x 3 miles  They are some long ass reps! Nice to have the last one as the most consistent too. Deano, it's always windy at your track! Great session though, I'd have to do a bit more than grit my teeth to knock those reps out!

You should try the track local to us. It's at the top of a steep hill, just next to a motorway. I'm not sure you could get a still day in that location!

Nice paces Dean. Having hit that exact pace for mere 600s, keeping that for a mile in wind, even with the longest recoveries in the history of the world is good

Ric, I think Bus would see a mere sub 1hr 20 as the minimum acheivement at a pb course. I think we're talking more 1:18:30 or under territory....maybe we'll see soon

Stevie, nice session, one of those I find interesting as I never run on time like that. I guess it's similar to those 5k emphasis type sessions where you get faster as the sesh goes on.

I think I preferred 2x 3miles averaging 5.52/5.53 over 5.20 pace for 7x600 on Friday! Just the length of the session always slightly alarms!

That's a very tough one Stevie - 15 x anything is going to be hard, but those are some cracking reps too.  Was this on a track?

Yeah on our 'track' or mud pit as it is in this weather. Everybody gets into groups and runs to feel which always seems to pan out to the right effort level. Felt good throughout today. Mentally it's easy as the reps get shorter, the 30 seconds are basically strides so no need to blast them. BUT, we've got another 8 x 1km on Thursday... this time off 1min recovery. Gulp...

Rather you than me Stevie

When's your next race with some PB potential?

Leeds Abbey Dash 10K - 18th of this month. Aiming at sub 36...

Good luck - with your current training times there's no reason why not!

At the risk of overkill, there's another youtube vid of Marlow - this one is brilliant (and not just cos it features me and Ric!)

RicF wrote (see)

Dean, you would have done us all.

Ha! not me, im a lightweight i run around puddles on a park run or xc,  I would still be standing by the flood trying to find a dry way round it so kudos to you chaps who overcame the conditions and still posted decent times.

SS - top session on some fast paces. Havent you got xc this weekend, its the birmingham league? if so a 8*1k session might empty the legs on a thursday.

SG - the recoveries are long.  My plan is to get these down to 90secs over the next few weeks but im racing 5 times in the next 6 weeks so im trying to get consistant reps but also protect myself to avoid leaving the good stuff on the track and not in a race. 

Oops - in the excitement I didn't post the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX6W79RpcW4&feature=relmfu

Dean - with your speed you'd have floated over the top anyway

Not racing the Manchester XC league this weekend. Saving myself for next week, but might go for either a hilly run or do a tempo or something on the track.

some good training going on here. good to hear Dachs back in action!

 stand out session from SS, effectively 5 x 900's, 5 x 600's, 5 x 300's & 5 x 150's wow.

Cant believe you prefer the HMP session to the intervals Stevie! good work though.

interesting blocking tactics, Im thinking I may need to enploy these tactics to keep Dean behind at XC on Saturday! I reckon I can stay in front for at least 300 yards! maybe I could push him in the mudpit where I lost my shoe last year.

dodgy mixed paced session round the local park tonight, not my cup of tea at all. need hill reps next week or the tougher XC courses are going to come as a bit of a shock.

SG, I meant Bus doing 80 mins at Marlow on a dry day if the winner could only manage 76 instead of 72. Just mucking about with comparisons

Dean, ha ha, don't believe that for one second, bearing in mind that Marlow; situated where it is, is still where those 'Southern Softies' operate.

I'm half Yorkshire myself so obviously that doesn't entirely apply to me.

Nice of you to say so Ric, but I think to get sub 1:20 at Marlow could only be a dream for me! It would mean taking 2 mins off my best time there. It's consistently more than 3 mins behind my flat half pb - so I would need a 1:16:xx to go sub 1:20 and if I ever get a 1:17:59 half  or less I'd consider it job done and take up tiddlywinks instead!

It must have been your southern half that needed all those extra layers on Sunday then Ric

As far as blocking is concerned, a sprint to beat the queue at a stile then taking a breather as you climb over is a recognised tactic for us older guys in fell running! I've used the same on single track sections of local races! Much more acceptable than cutting up on corners and elbowing in a road race though! Your recent efforts on the bike and those Mudplugger type races you've won recently Seb will get you through those XC hills.

Fair does Dean, if you can keep the pace yet cut the recoveries over a few weeks, then that turns out to be excellent training.

Ric, ahh sub 1hr 20 would be a really good result on that course. Like Bus says, you'd need a good cushion elsewhere to get under that. Makes the mind boggle when you think back to the sub 1hr 15 winning results by other chaps. 1hr 12 on that course must be insane, especially as they'd be running on their own, rather than in a gang at a big event.

Bus, i checked that puddle vid! To think that I saw all the runners in thicker tops and coats and thought, "bet they regret that now".

I also saw a vid on your link of my old club. How many of them were wearing shades at the wycombe 10k/half last July! It was blimmin overcast for goodness sake! Posers!

Indeed. I was being a total wuss on Sunday as against being only a slight one.

For some reason I thought I'd blow up and end up walking miles so just being safe.

I once hit the wall 4 miles from the finish of the Coombe Gibbet to Overton race.

It was rain and sleet. The only occasion I feared for my life. 

The fact that the furthest I've run in one go is only 12 miles since January had some bearing on the decision.

how come you just wheeled yourself in for Marlow then Ric? A flat pb course like CP is one thing, but a gruelling tough Half at Marlow?

Must admit, I was almost tempted to leave my plastic bag on at the start as it was so chilly! There were sections when I couldn't feel my toes and I even left the gloves on until Rotten Row!

It does make you think though, what would happen if you did pull something - wouldn't take long for hypothermia to creep in when you're soaking wet and its that cold.

Your recovery is all the more impressive Ric given your longest distance this year.