Moraghan Training - Stevie G

SG - i do enjoy the fast sprint sessions.

Although my form as a kid was up and down (mostly because i used to play jr league football the morning of a race ) i specialised in 800s and 1500s. So i used to train fast.  My plan at the moment is to concentrate on the track this summer and run a few short events like an 800 and see if i can get close to a decent time.  Problem is 800 training is hard and trying to avoid injury.

we have a lad at our club who has a 14.40 5k but cant sprint a 400, in fact i am probably quicker than him over 400 but he can keep that pace up for ever.

Classic scenario of thinking I had 2 people to take to a race, and now potentially either! Sod's law to a tee!!

Hope you get better soon tho Phil, 2013 must turn out better than the 2nd half of last year, which was a bit of a write off for you.

Bus, you need to be healed now!

Dachs, Tadley is probably the most ridiculous of the XCs for facilities near the event. You're a mile away from the carpark for starters, and then the race starts on a narrow path.

There's not really any flat clear areas to change on, so the teams basically end up changing on a hill, amongst loads of bramble bushes!

Dean, anyone who lurks on this thread casually might wonder how a (near?)40year old can come in a couple of years back, and smash a stack of us lot into oblivion.

Therefore, it's good for them to hear that you were not only a (pro?) hockey player for years, but also were in fact a MG specialist as a kid, representing england at some kids level or something too?

Factor that all in and it's clear the "running for 2 years" thing is a bit of a red herring.

I feel like those chaps in the Simpsons who were out grifted by Homer Simpson saying " we were beaten by the best".

Sorry SG - I blame that mud you dragged me through . Not completely ruled out yet though.

Thanks for the info ICITH.

As you say dachs, if we don't meet up Sunday, the we will at Wokingham.

Philip - missed your post earlier. Sorry to hear about your illness. On the plus side at least you should get it out the way early on and get back into getting back ASAP!

Bus, not worth risking anything, especially not just for my sake! But if you do come, obviously you'll be a guest for my boys! That'd be a good challenge for you, see how many of our lot you can beat. You'd certainly find a lot of options to have a race with!

 SG i should also come clean then and say i was also county for basketball and volleyball too.    

But i had been retired from hockey for 5yrs before having this midlidfe crisis to want to start running.  But i agree there will be some advantages i have from the past that the majority 40yrs olds just starting running maybe wont have. 

Dean seems to very much be the renaissance man of Stoke-on-Trent, if such a thing can be imagined.

In the context of the above, I'm starting to regret spending the entirety of my 20s and early 30s doing no exercise whatsoever.

There you have it lurkers, any comparisons are null and void. And we'll ignore the retirement.

To win, Dean has to still be setting pbs 10years on from the day of his first race.

Now that's a challenge

ps Dachs, before you start, we're using that relation of yours' 31min 10k as a disclaimer for your emergence

Yeah Dachs, me too but think of all the wear and tear on the joints we saved!

Not many is the answer SG!

The Bus wrote (see)

Not many is the answer SG!

I didn't mean to paint our team as that amazing Bus!

First guy home is real quality, but after that you're into the likes of me, no talent but try hard

to be fair Dachs...if you can tie your own laces you get called "The professor" in Stoke. 

SG - you're on! Im not going to run another 5m race until im 49 to keep that PB sweet.

Stevie G . wrote (see)

ps Dachs, before you start, we're using that relation of yours' 31min 10k as a disclaimer for your emergence

Ah, my uncle.  Plus he beat Steve Ovett in a junior race once, albeit he was older.  If I'm going to be judged by his standards, I'm doomed to failure.  I suppose you're about to tell me I should also count the 5 years of club running between 13 and 18 as well...

True Bus.  10 years plus of inactivity should be built into every training schedule to avoid injury.

SG, looks like Sandhurst are going to win the XC league again, so you're not exactly a bunch of complete stiffs.

Dachs wrote (see)

SG, looks like Sandhurst are going to win the XC league again, so you're not exactly a bunch of complete stiffs.

Its a numbers game though. Sandhursct flood the field with so many middle packers that they push almost every other runner down. Next year it will be called the SXC league.

The last 2 races we've been penalised for at least 1 man and 1 woman.

Life's not fair eh Iron.

Like I found, if you can't beat them, join them. There also has to be a biggest club in a series. And there's 2 or 3 other clubs who have mighty turnouts.

Your lot need to pull your finger out and get that race of yours on next year!

Having said that, membership expires end of March, so again I'll weigh up my current arrangement, as the XC club are 40miles away!

Probably 3 options really.

1. Stay where i am, and if I want to do a summer 5k race deal with the fact it's as a guest and you get taken out of results, or
2. Join up with a local club, and bin the XC team.
3. Stay with the XC lot 1st claim, but see if any local team in the 5k series offer a reduced 2nd claim membership (like my old lot did), but massively understand that it's just for the 5k series, and not other road races after last year's saga

Any thoughts? Basically there were 3 reasons for racing with the XC lot

1)access to XC races
2)run for the best team in the league
3)be pushed to work harder by better runners in the squad

The latter probably isn't as important anymore. And in reality point 3 doesn't happen, as you work hard whoever you're against.

I guess the priorities now are

1)access to XC and 5k leagues
2)affiliation discount

Don't need a club to go to weekly or anything, although it would be nice to do more local non series races and have teammates there!

 Just a bit of a waffly muse if anything, not quite sure what the best approach is....

SG, Dashers are £15 + £10 affiliation and you get XC and summer 5k and you really get to run for the best team in the league: look at HX: Dashers men scored 69 versus Sandhusrt 96.

Stevie G . wrote (see)

Your lot need to pull your finger out and get that race of yours on next year!

Watch this space SG. We may even get to put a team out as well as run an XC.

You could run for Coasters too SG.

Phil, true, Datchet are a powerhouse. And it would cover the 5k. They are an intriuging option. Throws open the chance of being part of a victorious 4some at random local races too.

I'm just wondering how i'd cover the switch to my lot's biggest rivals, as Datchet are only a bit closer to home! I guess it'd be the 5k series aspect that could explain it.

Iron, again, problem with your boys would be going back to the situation which I started from, first scorer (presumably?!) in a small club, but without the local attachment.

I did a bit of checking on the 5k series lot. And 2 of those clubs offer "social/2nd claim" membership for £6/10. And no need for EA affiliation as only a closed series.

If I could pick up a vest on the cheap would be a low impact job.

hour swimming, then 30 minutes stroke analysis !

I see your point SG about Coasters. I like the look of the 5k series....I need to explore 2nd (or 3rd claim now) options.

Iron, I believe you can have infinite 2nd claim clubs. But like I discovered they can have quite limited use. You can't ever count in a team score for your 2nd claim mob.

The one use seems to be the ability to race as an individual in closed series events.

I used to do all of the summer 5ks, and they tended to go like this
(this was the order for about 15 years, but last year when i didn't race any, they messed with it)

• Wargrave, first event, undulating road, everyone up for it, big field
• Burnham, undulating road, 2 fairly steep bits, often improve on Wargave
• Maidenhead, flat, but MT, grass, dodgy paths, twisty, always the quickest course, that always brings suscipicion of short course (my pb here from 2010, but made it to PO10)
• Wycombe, on my doorstep, 2 laps of a grassy park, starting to beg for the end of the series by now. Mentally demoralising, running so often near here anyway!
• Datchet, another sapping 2 lap grassy course, sometimes long course,  so pleased when finished, and the best after race venue for some chit chat. Feels great when done!

Conclusion, 5 fun events...none are fast courses, all are undulating road, or MT flat jobs.
There's a 6th event my old club Marlow put on, but I always marshalled it. Apparently is the fastest one, as although 2km on grass, the other 3km are faster road.

If I can work out the best way to get involved, and can stay niggle free until the summer, I fancy doing a couple this year, certainly Marlow which I've never done.