Moraghan Training - Stevie G

I'm not aiming to keep these 67-71 weeks going, it's just to get me going. I want to be hitting 60-65 but nailing 2 sessions a week. This week I felt the sessions were more survival then confidence building!

UG hit 100+ miles last week. That man is a legend!

Included a 37/38mile long run as well!

Training for an ultra though....but in this weather, he's made of steel!!

Some good sessions, depsite the weather. Our club run today was only 9.5 miles, but took almost 2 hours due to going down some dead-end trails in the snow. I'm run most of the trails before, but had no clue where I was. Cracking turn out too.

Drinking-wise I was dry last year up to Wokingham, then really didn't get back in to drinking until after the IM, when I crossed the finish line had a load of food then opened the large bottle of Leffe I'd brought for the occasion. Cue being pissed for the night and the next day at the post race drink up.

It was hard enough to get out for the early sessions, without having a pint in the system.

This year I was going to go dry for Jan too, but I have failed. First time in a few years, but then I'm bak to not drinking much at all, even when away with work (last week in Marseille I had 2 halves of lager!).

Iron, no easing in after a drinking ban with Leffe? That can deal with the most hardened drinker! Belgium beers don't suffer fools!

Must admit, I do like a Leffe when I'm on holiday! I find a Leffe Brun about as close to a proper beer as you can get....

Stevie - glad to hear it's all under control and I can't think of a better reason to extend a run than you are enjoying it! Sorry, not trying to be the forum mother hen!!

I'd like to get a few more 60+ weeks in, but just find juggling family, work and the extra commitment a bit too much most of the time. It's not so much the actual training time, but the being wiped out when there's things to be done that takes the toll!

Some seriously impressive training from UG there!

Bus, I need mother hens in my life! I have them at work, now I have a running mother hen! Keeps me on the straight and narrow!

I'm so lucky to 'just' have work to juggle. If I had a significant other it becomes very complicated, and with kids...! Nightmare. As you say, it's not the time on your feet it's the bit after. Yesterday after my long run I literally did nothing!

Some good runs chaps considering the conditions. There is something about getting up and at 'em in these conditions. I had a good quality hills & tempo session on Saturday morning - decided to use the local park which has a suitable hill but had totally overlooked it'd be busy with sledgers. Still, got the session in so happy with that. Yesterday managed an 18 miler on the roads in a complete blizzard with a couple of clubmates. Pace went out the window but managed 8.30 average to top off a 68 mile week. Not bad considering.

RE: Beer. This is my weak point. I don't drink during the week but Friday & Saturday is where I reward my week's training with a decent beer bought online. We're not talking Carling pish but a good quality beer from either our Belgian or American friends or one of the many new fantastic breweries in the UK such as Kernel, Marble, Camden, Beavertown etc.

Johnas, your post started great, then seemed to fade away into some corporate marketing spiel

To the tune of Doe a Deer in the voice of Homer Simpson:

Dough, the stuff that buys the beer

Ray, the guy that sells the beer

Me, the guy that drinks the beer

Far, the distance to my beer

So, I'll have another beer

Lah, la la, la, la la beer

Tea? No thanks, I'm drinking beer

and that takes me back to...

Doh!! Empty glass.....!

Sorry SG. The day job kicking in.

another 10m snow and hilly trot dispatched today. Ave pace 7.30.  Bored of this now! although same course/distance as yesterday and exactly the same time to the second for both runs.  That gentlemen is consistancy.

Johnas, glad to hear your a connoisseur of good beers. Or larger that has actually been 'largered'. Brooklyn beer is one of my faves at the moment.

Nike has added the extra 4 miles to my run so OCD twitching can relax now. Off for 8 miles in a bit, only made OK by the fact I have a new pair of Lunarglides to wear. They don't feel anything like my old pair which had done 600 miles.

Today was a bit of a chore, couple of 1.5mile walks, and a 5mile lunch run.

Tomorrow's run at least should be easier on the mind. 16mins 10k effort, 4mins recovery, 4x2mins at 3k effort, with 2.30 recoveries.

Once that 10k effort is done, it should be quite a nice session

Running fine at the mo, in good form, but just have a slight feel that something isn't spot on in a different bit of the hip/glute. Can run hard fine, but just feels slightly off. Didn't feel it in the Tadley race, but then you don't really in races, there's other stuff to think about!

Bus, you're rapping skills are almost as good as that chap in my vid the other day

Dean, not surprised you're bored of the snow...2x10m in 2 days running must test anyone's staying power!

ps Bus, you runnable Wed have a 10miler that would be lovely if you could share any part of!

hoping the roads near work are better than where i live so i can get a tempo in tomorrow, failing that i will take to the treadmill again.

For the beer conversation i just found out that Rolling Rock has started selling in the UK again.  THE beer of my teenage years. I appreciate to you belgium beer lovers Rolling rock is watery pish but i loved it and intend to hunt some down.  For balance i also like Hoegaarden, Erdinger weissbeer,  Kroenenbourg Blanc and Peroni red label which have a bit more "flavour". 

Just sipping on a McEwans Champion at the moment. 7.3% of pure flavour (but 1 bottle is plenty!)

SG - Wednesday might be a goer.What did you have in mind?  I was intending to work at home and had planned to do my LSR Wednesday, but it depends partly on how I get to work and back tomorrow! The plan to do a LSR on wednesday is so I can get another 15+ LSR midweek next week and still have a good 10 days clear before Wokingham.

nice one Bus! will drop you a pm with details...

10 miles @ 8:30 average pace. Mostly in soft snow on the golf course apart from a 400m stretch of road where I went through the gears all the way down into the low 5's at which point I ran out of road.

I suppose the test of whether or not all this battling the elements has had any added value is to guess one's condition now, compared to before the white stuff arrived.

If nursing a collection of unsual aches and pains, I'd say unlikely.

Probably better to have stuck with the beer.

Talking of drink, has anyone seen the new Lucozade Sport advert?

Shows a collection of athletes ( a description that stretches credibility) on treadmills running to exhaustion. They're doing maybe 12 minute miling and a clock on the wall shows the last one still upright has lasted 91 minutes!

FM! my old man could do better than that and he's been dead two years.

Yes, I'm aware that the guys in the advert could certainly go faster, my dig is at the advert makers who seem that what they are showing is representitive of runners.

Should have swopped the guys for ones with a BMI of 35 plus. That would have been reality as regards their product.

what shoes are you wearing to be able to hit low 5s on the road Ric, but still grip on the snow?

My walsh XCs are fine for all surfaces, but you probably wouldn't want to spend too much time on roads in them day to day. Probably doesn't help the joints!

Us runners really earn our corn this time of year. Bit of patience, and it'll soon be back to little vests and occasionally glorious (for us, not passers by) shirt off fare

Not a speck of snow on that particular road SG. It leads uphill to a school at the top so was covered in salt. Gives you a clue how I hit such a speed, I was on the way down.

Mind you, I felt like I could run through a brick wall the way I was going. All the bike work is having the desired effect.

Forgot. The shoes. Fellcross, the one's I wore at the Metros TVXC.