Hi everybody - welcome to another lovely new week!!
I hope you're all having fun with your Quests so far - I have certainly been enjoying your posts! The quote I have used for this update comes from our VRB paulanoo, who has been trying (and succeeding!) to run non-stop up hills by keeping up her effort to "the next branch, the next stone, the next piece of dappled sunlight". How beautiful is that!!?? 😊😊😊
Have a wonderful week on your Quest everyone!! If you haven't joined in yet but would like to, please comment below - anyone can join at any time this month!!
What is the Quest?
The aim of the Quest is to help you find a focus or goal that you would like to achieve by the end of the Quest period.
I ask that you are a C25K Graduate before joining the Quest. The reason for this is that pre-graduation your week is very much structured according to the C25K programme, and I wouldn't want the Quest to interfere with that.
Most popular goals are:
★ To run three times a week
★ To slowly increase distance
★ To train for a specific race
★ To add Stretch and Strength exercises to your weekly routine
This is a personal challenge, so it's completely up to you! If you want to join, all you have to do is comment below with something like:
I would like to join the Quest, or, count me in! I want to ..............
Every week of November I will put up a new post and we can all chat about how we are doing. It’s awesome!!! 😃
At the end of the Quest, there will be a certificate for you to download and keep!!
Wishing you a happy, healthy, and totally awesome month with lots of running 💥
Millsie-J, Realfoodieclub, Oldfloss, Ju-Ju, and Roseabi xxx
Thank you Hidden for allowing me to use your beautiful words!
I continue to feel very chuffed with myself: Two strengths, two swims, and two runs including parkrun!!! 😜
Ah thanks abi. My quest is to run hills (plural) on my forest path. They are not huge but they are never ending. Last week’s hill quest was postponed as I ran a 10km road race instead. They said it was flat but I detected long, gradual hills (the sneaky kind). This week I will do a recovery 5km, intervals and a hilly run next Weekend. Let the sun shine ☀️
Hi all 👋 Another committed week for me ticking off my runs every other day 🤗 A 5k PB on Saturday and for the first time ever (!!) a 6k run this morning to shout about!! Feeling motivated, determined and happy 😬 Pushing past mental barriers is huge for me and something I avoid, so this is incredible!! Thank you for for providing this space to celebrate 🤗 Have a great week everyone x
“The next piece of dappled sunlight”... and here’s me hurdling puddles and potholes! Thanks paulanoo.
Re: the quest. I’m sticking to the plan, loving my runs at home in the country running across the island and also exploring my inner city ravine path run. Enjoying the buzz I get from a spin class. I always did train with weights, I recently bumped into a friend who I used to train with when I competed, and we are training together again. We are both older, not any wiser 😁, but sharing our training gives it a new and competitive edge.
no potholes in the forest Goforit but plenty of puddles. Well done on the weight training. I have booked a freebie class in the gym for Core strengthening. If I like it, i'll sign up for a month or two. Nice to have a real life gym/running buddy.
Last week was my scheduled recovery week due to being on call messing with my running plans. I had hoped to still run twice but my girlfriends took me out for a birthday supper and drinks which resulted in a 2 day migraine so only ran once. But back at it this week. Ran 6 k yesterday, will run 5k tonight or tomorrow and 11 k planned Friday. Not sure what crosstraining will be this week. Was out snowmobiling yesterday and Saturday and am feeling it in my shoulders/lower back and running through snow drifts have challenged the legs In a way they haven't been challenged in a while. So perhaps some core work and a spin on the elliptical is in order. We'll see what I feel like doing on those days.
Thanks Paula. Thankfully the migraine has passed, still feeling off but will need to get back on track this week. I feel my mood is low again after not running for a week, so need some good running endorphins going!
I had an incredibly mentally draining day at work yesterday and came home just beaten down so I put on my old road runners and hit the treadmill for a hill interval workout (it was too icy to risk an outdoor run). It was fantastic (Did I just call a treadmill workout fantastic?!? What the heck is happening to me 😆). I have found a few interesting treadmill workouts online with varying incline and speed that I can resort to when running outside just isn't going to happen. I never thought I'd look forward to a treadmill run 😂
Happily on track having knocked off target #2 of 3 for the month - 3 laps round Farlington Marshes nature reserve giving me 11k in 60' 18", so 12 secs inside my stretch target (5'30" pace) thanks to a last k in 5'12", of which the last 50m was like running through treacle . I think the surroundings may have been lovely ………
Which leaves me a fortnight to find an occasion to plod 14k and hit target #3, hopefully doing the first 8k or so with Dexy5 as a pacemaker. We've just done 7 together this morning, but the effects of a sociable weekend meant another 7 on my own was not an attractive proposition, compared to a coffee in the café on the beach ………
I've had hours of spreadsheet fun trying, not entirely successfully, to fit your "up to HM" 9 day cycle schedule into my regular weekly programme which features lots of fixed points - I'll stick a post on the relevant thread later today.
Did my bonkers elephant onesie parkrun on Saturday, so 5k ✅.
This morning I did a lovely run around the same park as parkrun for a change and mixed it up a bit. Did the long hill at the beginning to get it out of the way, then did several extra loops of our lake (flat - yesssss 👊) to add extra distance, so 7k ✅
Thursday is meant to be my treadmill day for my short run, but if the weather is nice I’ll most probably run outside and make the most of it. 😀
Also been doing planks and squats (ok) and lunges (shocking!) as well as yoga. 😇 💪
I've had a great week. Suddenly I have much more energy so maybe I took longer to bounce back after the shingles than I realised. A lot of it is probably down to having a plan. I do like a plan. Especially one I really want to follow. Thank you Abi! HM here I come, I'm excited again
My mileage is well on track for the 50 miles in November (especially after a glorious, unexpected 10 mile run at the weekend), I've been doing lots of strength and core exercises, and even went swiming too. I also did (some of) Abi's speed intervals which I found far more enjoyable than I thought I would - changing pace was fun and I look forward to hopefully being able to do a full set sometime soon
My November quest is going to plan so far with 3 runs last week.
My long run last week and this week was a more relaxed ‘see how long I want to run’ rather than setting the distance at the start. It depends on the running surface, the weather and how energetic I feel.
Happy running everyone and thank you for your support. 🏃♀️🏃♂️👏👏
I'll stick with my 3x cardio, 3x strength and 3x yoga sessions this week. Got slightly derailed last week with a spontaneous 2-day trip in the campervan to Ballater, so did more hiking and cardio than planned, including 8 miles of jogging / walking around the beautiful Loch Muick circuit So just 2 each strength and yoga sessions last week, but overall quite pleased with how it's going
Some big music events coming up this weekend which will take up a lot of time, so I'll try to front-load my training sessions into the weekdays! Good luck with your Quests everyone! xx
I am enjoying this Now!vember Quest very much too. This running every other day plan is easier to pull off than I thought it would be. No arguments in my head, its either a run day....or I ran yesterday😆...
Last week there were four runs. Mon,Wed, Fri and Sunday two were 5ks and two were around 3k. Not putting any pressure on pace or specific distance this month is refreshing. I have been sleeping better too probably due to not drinking this month ( thank you for the idea Millsie) and feeling fine about it. My stomach feels a bit flatter too.
Running tomorrow, and doing the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5k Challenge on Strava this week so hoping for a dry day on Thursday or Saturday, don't want to get my feathers wet😉....
Good luck to everyone with your goals this month😊xx
Hi roseabi. Still consolidating and pounding the treadmill 3 times a week. Still learning the hard way of course. Have learnt to double check the settings as there is a mahoosive difference between mph and kph 😂 racked the speed up and my legs were going at lightning speed .... 🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️.Trying to build stamina and hope to get back outside next weekend just to make sure I can still run outside..... can’t wait 😊 it’s like running in a sauna at the gym.
I was due to run my 3rd 10k race of the month yesterday but left it too late to book a place so did my running club's 5k race instead. It was nice to run with so many familiar faces. There was a fierce wind against us on the way out but it was much easier on the way back, and I got a PB by seven seconds of 28:37 so dead chuffed with that 😊
Have booked another 10k race for next Sunday, then I will have completed my November quest of three 10k races.
Have managed to do one lot of strength exercises over the last week and my usual post-run stretches but no yoga 🙁 Still finding it hard to motivate myself to do the non-running stuff. I intend to go to a yoga class this week, in fact I will go and book it now while I think if it, left to my own devices I will never get round to it!
Wow, congratulations for the pb, you're on fire! I wonder, is there another form of cross training you'd enjoy more? Just going for a walk is good, for example. It seems a pity to force yourself to do something you don't like - life is short!
Thanks roseabi! 😊 Once I get down to doing the strength exercises I don't mind them, it's the getting around to doing them I'm not good at! Running I am happy to do on my own but I find it hard to discipline myself to do other exercise on my own. Once I start the HM plan I will have set days for strength exercises and I might book in a regular yoga class too. Routine is good for me!
Have you tried Pilates Mutley or Reformer Pilates? I have to get my strength sessions organised. I am planning 2 sessions per week using Roseabi's exercises - maybe an hour per session. I just can't pluck up the courage to go to the gym
Yes I used to go to Pilates classes but I got bored after a while. I have found a really good yoga teacher now, went to quite a few classes over the summer, just need to get back into it again. She incorporates some good core strength moves into it which is good for me. I can't stand the gym, I only intend to go there to use the dreadmill if it gets icy 😱
November is just not my month! Another cold/throat bug so resting again. Frustrating as I only got back to form last week after the previous one a couple of weeks ago. Oh well, it happens. Be back at it after a rest!
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. I think the surroundings may have been lovely ……… 
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