Moraghan Training - Stevie G

i'm not that rubbish a runner Dachs 

I didn't mean it like that .  But you made it sound so shrouded in mystery, I thought it must be a very left-field one.

SG, low key Henley race! Must be the Henley Women's Operatic Society 5.2 mile fun run. The first open race I ever won. A surreal experience being chased by everyone else as against just following someone else.

Not a pot hunter though. I just run races I like. 

 Ric, I don't recall the words fun run, or phrase "women's operatic society" being attached when I came 2nd one year.

Great trophy for 2nd though!

Bizarre course, a kind of out and back job, but with a couple of gates to open!

About 10 people seemed to think that the real race was to get out of the park (100metres).

I also remember getting ticked off by some furious bloke who caught me "watering the plants", bizarrely telling me that "people live here"

Stevie G . wrote (see)

I also remember getting ticked off by some furious bloke who caught me "watering the plants", bizarrely telling me that "people live here"

perhaps you should have picked a more suitable country/roadside location rather than someone's front garden!

Johnas, it was a concealed bit of a field! It wasn't someone's garden at all, that's the whole point!

First Dachs telling me the only race I can hope to win is some women's race for life, and now Johnny you thinking I'm desecrating peoples' lawns!

Good to know the esteem I'm held in

The race I'm thinking about was a club favourite. All and sundry had tried to win it but had only managed second at best. There was always someone faster on the day.

The route starts by the Thames by the rowing area, goes out along some undulating lanes, doubles back along the river.

The year I won, I was spared the gates and also the usual speed merchants. The slowest winning time ever it seems at 29 mins something. I won what looks like a nude bloke on a plinth. I'd rather have had the booze for second place.

I can still recall the disbelief of a club mate when he asked how I'd got on.

Such is the lot of a serial loser.

As for the guy complaining SG, some would say "clearly sir you neither urinate or defecate", I can see why you're full of s..t!

Something else. Had a read up today about endorphins and running. Hmm.

Seems that the hormone so effective that it will block out all sorts of pain. But only up to a point. The upshot is that using pain and discomfort as a measure of training effort is way off the scale. Meaning that once you can feel a bit of discomfort, you're actually on the limit.

I assume it meant constructive training limits.

But what about the buzz of hammering yourself into the ground? well apparently that's the want of those who are endorphin deficient.

And then went on to explain how those who abuse alcohol and sex addicts display similar tendencies.

So, who on the thread has a tendency to hammer themselves in training and has admitted to have drunk a lot of alcohol? Just think what the girl friend has to contend with!

I like it Ric!  A win is a win, and i'm sure thee were a few decent runners in the field. You did well avoiding those gates though. Although the polite winner held one for me!

It was an odd series of bootleg pot hunts I participated in that year, ending with a range of 2nds and 3rds, always with some terrific runner showing up to win.

I remember losing to Fabian Downes by about 4mins over 10k at the gruelling offroad Burnham Beeches 10k, coming 2nd in a Santa Fun run (!!) to some guy with gold shoes who had about a 100metre lead after about 200metres. There was also the infamous Henley 10k where our own UG beat me.

A ridiculous race where they unleashed us in the 10k race, directly into the back of the half marathon runners who had set of 5mins before. Naturally, we hit a massive road block, and ended up having to hop through people.

I lost UG in the crowd after 600metres, and didn't have a clue where 3rd was the whole race.

I can still remember the sinking feeling when I realised there wasn't a clock at the end, and the boobs hadn't timed it! Typically it was a pb!

SG, ah the dual race event. The Bramley 10 and 20 mile is a great example.

I remember (oh God he's off again) where the starts were set apart but staggered, with the 10 mile start about 30 yards (or more) back from the 20 milers.

The problem was that there was a sharp left hander only 200 yards down the road and I could see the prospect of being blocked out by the hoards. The relatively few runners doing the 10 miles could see that as well.

But I soon had that sorted. "Look guys, that mass over there is going to take ages to get going, so when the gun goes, sprint like hell. It'll get us ahead of most of them by the bend". 

So we did, and we were. Sorted.

A club mate who ran 1:57 for the 20 miler couldn't fathom out when I had got past him (sub 57 I did that day). A good wind up about him needing glasses I had with that one.

Very windy today. 7.5 miles at lunch, out in close to 7. back nearer 8 for 7.5 average. It will be hell at Chichester 10k this Sunday SG if it holds like this.

Sounds encouraging Phil. Its been a while since a run report from your neck of the woods.

Doesn't bode well for the weekend. I'll be doing multiple laps around Dorney. Hoping for a completely flat calm day....

Thanks for that Phil, surely can't be any worse than either the last 2miles at GSR, last 3k at Southend 10k, and 3/4 of the k at Andy Reading 10k. Wow...this "windy race" disclaimer list is getting long

Good to hear a run report though Phil, and Dachs, that session you did the other day would have tuckered me for yonks! So good to get 8x1k n I think. Knowing you, all at 3kpace  or something

I've geniusly timed a late night last night (by my standards) with a 10miler due at 7am this morning.

Possibly the silliest scheduling since I did an 18miler at 7am on  Sunday after getting to sleep at 2am the Saturday 2 years ago.

However...sometimes you have to do what it takes to get it in, as afterwards, and indeed all of tomorrow are a rest.

Tricky cartching up after 1 night offline

Philip, good to hear you are getting back.

Good news about the staines and marlow dates wool.

Got to hotel yesterday to find the gym roof had collapsed, so couldnt use the running machine! hey ho, did a 9M along the A38 instead with3M, 2M, 1M at close to HMP, with 2mins jog rec between. most miles sub 6, but a couple just over thanks to the gale and it being dark!

5M easy this morning before the big cooked brekkie,,,! Now off for a LONG day of health and safety!

By the way, I'd like to apologise for my constant spelling errors these days.  Stupid phones.

Bus, bet that 3m HMP spell was a bind, and the 1m a delight! Dachs, don't worry son, we're not lingustic fascists on here!

10miler done and dusted, got to rush into work now!

11 miles for me early on.

Priority wasn't about pace. Too many variables for that: Dressed up, wind (later rain and hail), hills (500ft plus of climbs).

Just practised maintaining a useful stride frequency. After the first mile I made a decision to turn the run into an interval session on threshold. So after each mile, I stopped long enough to peer at the Garmin and think "well, how about that then!", before setting off again.

Average pace came out at 6:39's (moving pace 6:32).

Concentration started wandering at 8 to 9 miles so racing a HM may be pushing my luck. If conditions at Wokingham turn 'Marlow HM like' then I'll exercise my option and ditch.

Conditions could certainly make or break the next 2 weekends of racing.

Just have to draw on confidence of current shape, and give it the best you have on the day.

Bus will agree with that, when we did Andy Reading, 3/4km were pretty darn windy round an airfield.

I knew my target was slipping away, and I ridiculously came out 4 seconds slower than the pb. It was almost as if narrowly beating that was almost some kind of token gesture compared to what I should be hitting so didn't seem too important. Bizarre!

The only similar situation I can remember was being so keen on beating a rival at the Wycombe 10k, that once i'd broken him, I completely forgot there were others in the race and I could have taken 3rd and got my £10/15 prize. Whoops.

ps Ric, nice session, thought the average pace came out sharp! But obviously quality sessions do!

SG, pace was just an average of the miles run and after all, I did have a little rest between each one.

The mile pace varied anything between 7:25 and 6:15's. In fact; due to the level effort involved, the speed recorded of each mile matches the course profile neatly.

I was holding back most of the way, especially going downhill.

Noticed a few references to races that, 'are going to be my pb race'. Sounds like a bit of added pressure especially if it just isn't happening that day.

Ignoring the first outing over any of the standard distances. I cannot recall one instance when I made a race months away my PB attempt. Or any race a PB attempt. They just occurred during a good phase of training.

Much easier to train to an optimum level and then find a race at short notice.