This my first time to host the monthly Quest, thanks to Mummycav for hosting the October Quests. First day of November and first day of Winter. After the recent storm a lot of the leaves have fallen from the trees and it is starting to look a little more like winter now. We really have to push ourselves out the door over this coming month. Cooler weather and rain will be tough but we can do this. I enjoy running in this weather, well, most of the time. I sometimes dread leaving the warmth of the cosy house, but I love the feeling of coming back in the door after that run, having a warm shower and a guilt free day or evening. I have a couple of personal quests which I want to set myself over this month.
I have been back in lock down for the past 2 weeks, some in Scotland and Wales have been under restrictions too, and most of us will be in some form of stricter lock down during November which will be very tough. For our health and for our sanity we need to get out. We need to exercise and thankfully we will be able to do this.
My quest for November is to get out there, get out that door at least 3 times per week. I want to continue to work on my 5K pace and continue to do 1 x10K per week. I also want to shed some of the extra little bit of weight which has crept on me over the last few months. I need to get rid of about 10 lbs to 12 lbs. So starting today I'm watching my intake of the right food.
I know many of you will have taken part in the Quest before, but for those who are newly arrived on the Bridge Forum, the next bit is just for you....!
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.
This Quest will run all the way through November.
You can join at any point during that time.
Some popular goals are:
• To run three times a week
• To slowly increase distance - maybe you are following ju-ju-'s Magic Plan?
• To add Stretch and Strength exercises to your weekly routine
• To improve pace
• To try out some new running routes
It's completely up to you - set yourself an achievable goal and have fun with it!
I’m back on the Quest again!! I’m determined,if not to find my mojo then to borrow someone else’s, to get out there like you at least 3 times a week. I also want to get back to running continuously. I’m managing 5ks most of the time but having to Jeff 5:1 everytime. My uncomfortable side (due to kidney cyst) is not helping as it feels like permanent stitch but I’m not going to let it beat me!!!! And I’d really like to run at least 1 10k this month if not 2.
Also to get back to my daily Pilates which keeps me mobile( I’ve let that slip a bit lately with one thing and another and as we are back in lockdown NO FLIPPING EXCUSE NOW!!
You will do it. Same happened to me. Not through injury, but just lack of mojo. I went from running a 27 minute 5K to struggling to do a 33 minute 5K without any walking break. But I'm back working again. I've told myself, just like you that I need to get out that door 3 times per week and give it a good go. You'll do it.
Hello Damienair and thanks for hosting the quest this month. Yes our world has been turned upside down again and a romantic mini break next week is no more. Running Buddy Breakfasts after (not) parkrun will be on hold, but we are safe and well so that’s the main thing.
So my quest
Run a 10k My Poppy run with UpTheStanley , while Oldgirlruns (In our social bubble) will run 5k To raise funds for the RBL.
Run at least one (not) parkrun a week. Our run may still happen at the same time as others, if not the same place, and may include post run breakfast over zoom.
Set up an exercise regime to replace the cancelled Pilates classes.
Our world here in Ireland never really got going properly. The pubs opened for 2 weeks and were shut again. Everything is shut now except for Supermarkets and Takeaways. We are 2 weeks into a 6 week lock down. But even a month ago you couldn't sit in a Cafe. But numbers are still pretty low, deaths are low thankfully and ICU beds are well under control. I don't care about the restrictions once the Government is taking the advice of the Medical Professionals which they are.
Best wishes for your 10K Poppy Run, your 5K training runs and I look forward to joining you every Saturday for our weekly (not)parkruns. Best of luck on your Quest.
I've always gone with Spring which starts in February, Summer which starts in May, Autumn which starts in August and Winter which starts in November. That is what I was thought in School and my kids are learning the same. Don't pay any attention to the Met Office, they can't even get a forecast right.
I guess it depends where you live but it’s definitely autumn down on the south Coast and the colours are particularly lovely this year. Sweet chestnuts are in abundance.
My November Quest is very simple: get out and run.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, France is now in lockdown until at least 1st December, so I can only go out to exercise once a day, for a maximum of one hour, within 1k radius of home. Long runs are therefore impossible, and even shorter ones require creative route planning.
Since I'll be running shorter distances I'm going to try to get out more often, work and weather permitting. I've just got in from a 4k and will be delighted if I can run 60k over the month.
Wishing everyone all the best for their November Quests - stay safe and healthy, and keep on running!
Happy running. I'm in Ireland and we are also in lock down until the 1st of December. Only essential retail is open. Everyone working from home, but we have a 5K radius from our home to exercise in so I can get in 10K legally. Best wishes over the next month. There is an App which shows what a 1K radius over your home looks like. You might be surprised that you might find a route which might work for you over the next month. Stay safe.
Thanks damienair , I appreciate and reciprocate your good wishes
You're quite right about 1k radius maps, though only one actually acknowledges where I live! And even that ignores roads that definitely exist, I've no idea why.
Our hilly back-of-beyond location, normally a joy, is a bit of a drawback right now as there aren't many roads or proper forest tracks, and currently there are cows in the fields I could otherwise cut through.
Creativity calls, and I've already invented two bizarre new routes, so watch this space!
So my first quest is to find ways how to keep running through the rainy, windy and dark season. (It’s my first running winter season and after reading on here all about the runners having fun in the rain yesterday, I went out to join in the wet fun, but it stopped raining. 😳😡). So this quest will include finding winter routes, clothing, etc.
Second quest: I need to play around with nutrition, minerals and water intake to try to get to a point where my longer runs (now between 5 and 6k) don’t result in a day of exhaustion and headaches. I get these ca half of the time (only 5k+ runs) but no rhyme or reason why.
Third quest: I’m thinking of slowly going up to 10k but I need to find a gentle plan that can take me up there very slowly. So my quest is rather to find or develop that plan, including its routes.
Best wishes to you on your quest. I find that hydration for longer runs works best the day before. On your non running rest days drink loads of water and fluids. About 3-4 litres if you can. It will set you up for the next day when you run. I got to 10K originally by doing 5K x 3 times per week. I picked 1 of these runs as my long run and each week added 500 meters onto it. I gradually got to 10K, it was a nice easy way of adding distance over 2-3 months. Best of luck.
Ahh wonderful to see you’re Quest Master this month Damien! 👏
Ok here’s mine. To continue my 20km per week, including (Not) PR, a 10k and (nooooo I’m going to say it ....... ) intervals 😱😩😩😩😱
It’ll be harder with lockdown from Thursday as the common is now a squelchfest and most of it won’t be runnable. Hopefully we’re allowed to drive somewhere then I’ll have more options. 🤞
Well done Cheeky. I am in lock down for the past 2 weeks again and there were further restrictions before that. Although Nicola and I joke that we have kids so have been officially in lock down for the past 11 years.
Yes any grassy patches are sludgy now. My usual 5K and 7K route is along a path and cycle lane, so easy to stay running on over winter, street lights too. You'll find a new route I'm sure. Best wishes.
Having achieved 10k last month, I am planning to start gently building up distance again, next target being 10 miles. I've tentatively started a garmin HM plan (there wasn't a 10 mile one) so will have to see how that goes - at the moment it seems to be starting off with less total distance than I was doing last week which surprised me, but it is supposed to be responsive so I expect it will increase from there.
I'm working through James Dunne's Master your running technique which gives a different area to work on each week, and this week I have added a few short strength workouts (10-15 mins a day) which I am hoping to keep up.
Sadly it looks like my running club won't be happening during November but I feel very lucky that we should at least able to keep running on our own.
Finally I'm hoping to continue to progress with the EndtoEnd Lejog: I managed 130 miles in October bringing me to 212miles on LeJog5, so would like to continue at that rate to get to 350 miles by the end of November.
Wow. Well done on all your running and getting to 10k in October. I also plan on getting to 10 miles. My Sister and I sometimes enter longer races together. Last year we did a 10K night run in Dublin which was amazing and we also did a 13K mountain race last November. We ran side by side. She has entered into a Virtual 10 mile run at the end of January. I'm going to join her. So I too am on a 10 mile Quest. Best of luck on your quest.
My quest this month is to keep running at least twice a week. That’s manageable with work and to start the timed version of Ju Ju’s magic plan again now my ankle seems to be back to normal. I’m just looking forward to getting out there regularly if I’m honest 🏃♀️
My quest this month is similar to last month in that I aim to run at least twice a week. I aim to start increasing my distance slightly with a goal of 10 miles, hopefully by the end of the month. I'm not going to stress about it and if I don't get there then I am not too bothered. I'm not in a rush to achieve this distance and have to listen to how my body feels. I hopefully have a visit to the chiropractor next week (depends on what happens with lockdown) so may have to ease up for a few days.
I aim to continue working towards my LEJOG 4 goal. I aim to achieve my 400 mile postcard by the end of next week. I'm really enjoying the challenge and a friend of mine has just started LEJOG 7. I hope we can have a few socially distanced walks together.
My yoga classes start again online next week. We have had a 2 week break due to half term. I struggled before the break but I am determined to practice at least once a week. Hopefully I will be able to practice more often. I just need to find more hours in the day.
Best of luck on your quest. I am on a similar quest to get to 10 miles. I am aiming to do a 10 mile run with my Sister at the end of January. Something to train for.
It seems the first challenge is to run at night. But to get the badge you have to post on the parkrun uk or brookes Facebook page, so I don't think I will bother
Hello! My November quest is to keep sane by running at least twice a week. I usually have 2 rest days so don't always manage 3 runs. My other quest is to try to enjoy, or at least do something new, with my shorter runs. I only really enjoy long runs, so I will experiment more!
Please can I join the quest- thanks for hosting 😊. My main aim is to run twice a week Saturday and Monday (my day off). If I manage 50k in November and December then I could hit 500 miles for the whole year!! Love running in the cooler weather. Happy questing everyone 👍
Thanks for hosting this month Damien. My quest this month is to continue to run three times a week, to embrace wet weather running, to try and improve my 5k time (hopefully not getting injured like last time I tried speeding up) and a non running one which is to cycle at least three times a week. I too would love to lose some weight. I am sure I will if I starve myself 😂 but with the lockdowns and being unable to see my grandchildren and children I need some comfort in my life to get me through these difficult times. Weight loss hopefully will come with increased running.
I'd like to join the quest but I have to confess that the last time I joined one I totally forgot to post during the month 😂. So my first aim will be to remember to post on here each week 😊
But seriously I managed my first 10k last week and a bit like when you've completed C25k it's easy to feel a bit lost without a goal. So here goes -
*carry on running twice a week with one run being 8 - 10k. I feel I need to consolidate this distance for a while.
*to restart some core strength and HIIT training. I've started before but haven't yet managed to make it a real habit. I'm also hoping this will reduce my chances of injuries.
*run some different routes, now we are all going to be back in lockdown together these will have to be local to me but I've got a few ideas.
There I've written it now so hopefully it'll help to keep me on track.
It is time to commit back to running again so please count me in Damien! I received my new watch last week and have been enjoying all the features and trying it out. I have joined the November 50mile running challenge and 300 000 step challenge so those, along with getting out at least 3 times a week running will be in order. I haven't ran 80km in a month in a long time and I'm exploring HR running so it might be a stretch, but I'm going to go for it.
My quest:
* run 50 miles (80.5 km)
* 300 000 steps
* run at least 3 times weekly focusing on HR zones.
I had a good but rather tiring October, and my Quest for November is therefore to be less tired by the end of it. But I will probably still try to knock off a respectable (not) parkrun each week - starting tomorrow, which will be the last chance for a while for the Southsea crew to follow the run with a companionable breakfast.
Hello damienair & everyone else ... I'm gonna finish magic plan time version and get to 60 mins (first 55 mins tomorrow) then I'm gonna consolidate my 5ks for a few weeks before starting the distance magic plan by Christmas🤞. Happy running all 😄
My November quest is 50miles again all at a low heart rate. I had a break from MAF training last week with some 30/30 Jeffing which still kept the heart rate fairly low but above my maf number so may switch to this.
We’re heading towards our Summer here in Australia so it’s going to start getting hot which will be a challenge with keeping the heart rate low.
With the return of lockdown in England, my biggest concern is retaining hip mobility. I have a long standing problem with my right adductor caused by having one leg longer than the other. It didn’t bother me until the last decade or so but has become an increasing problem. I heavily depend on regular swimming and Aqua classes to put my hip through a range of movement I can’t get out of the water. Our swimming pools were closed for 4 months earlier in the year, and during that period I regressed to the point where I couldn’t run 5k without a lot of walking, couldn’t put my socks on without propping my feet on a stool, and couldn’t stand up for long periods. 3 months of being able to get back in the water and a lot of work has sorted it out and I am delighted to be physically back where I was in early March. So I am absolutely devastated to find the pools closing again. This time, I am determined to go in the sea. I live by the sea but avoided it last time because I hate going in the sea. I hate what salt does to my already dry skin. I hate walking on pebbles (we don’t have sand here). But I think it’s the lesser of the two evils given I have a wetsuit (admittedly one designed for dinghy sailors not swimmers), I have dinghy boots to protect my feet from the stones, and I have a dry robe. So my quest is to go in the sea once a week during November to stretch, even if I find it too cold to do much swimming. This of course is weather dependent as the autumn water temperature is ok but the whole experience needs a dry, sunny day with little wind and flat seas. And I want my local friends and fellow blog users Dexy5 , UpTheStanley and Oldgirlruns to hold me to this.
I started off November really well with today running my first 10 miles so my overarching quest for the upcoming month is consistency and to not get injured!! More exactly:
- To make my easy runs (2x a week) 7 or 8k
- to motivate myself to run in the drizzle, and in the evenings
- to eat properly! i.e. eating enough, and of proper food
- (maybe) to reach the HM distance? I'm not sure on this so I'll see how I feel but it does seem in reach after today
Having hit 108 miles for October, running for the Scottish Association for Mental Health, I'm taking a couple of days off before starting on my #Movember challenge, where I'm aiming to do 125km over the month. If I do that, I'll also complete my John o' Groats to Land's End distance challenge for 2020 a whole month early, meaning I'll have to find something else to motivate me in December...
October was not a successful Quest for me - not listing some of my usually achieved goals may have been part of the reason I didn't even achieve those and even the achieved goal backfired on me!
So I am going to return mostly to the tried and trusted... goals I have achieved in the past, goals that elude me but accountability will help with.
1) 20km total distance goal
2) Yoga 'more often than not' (so 16+ out of the 30 days)
3) 10+ 15 minute tidying/sorting sessions (these can be great for fitness, lots of going up and down stairs)
4) Get the right bike/saddle on the turbo and use it!
Thanks for hosting. I hope to go back to 5 km x 3 but perhaps improve my time a little. I'd like to get under 45 mins. Maybe on one of the runs I could repeat the 10km I did!! I've also been walking 15 miles on Sundays throughout October and want to finish the St Oswalds Way path. I'm about halfway way now.
Hi there, what a great idea - I would love to join you all. This would be my first Quest and for me, my goals would be:
- keep going out 3 times per week (rain/shine/wind.....)
- get back up to doing another 10K
- perhaps lose a little weight (not lost any through running though have toned up)
- might even look at Dry November (through the new Lockdown!! - I know, but can't go out and having a wine/gin or two at home is too easy - that sound bad?!))
I'm on a very similar quest for November. Run 3 x times per week, do a couple of 10K's and lose some weight. The weight unfortunately is not easy to lose. I lost 2.5 stone last year. I have gained about 12 lbs this year. It is food for me. I have to really watch what I eat and stay away from bread. I am on a blitz to shed the weight.
Well done on your total weight loss , great achievement - you’ll do it again! I dusted off my breadmaker in April and now remember why I put it away a couple of years ago - it’s the smell that does it 😋
Thanks for doing this Quest and all the best to you too.
After the high of completing the Magic Plan (ok - minus one 5k run, I'll do it this week, promise) my first 10k, my first ever race in the Vitality Virtual London 10,0000 combined with my first ever fundraising effort I'm determined not to lose my running mojo. I'm aiming to continue running at least twice a week through the shorter days. One run will be a longer run.
And now we are heading into lockdown again my brief return to my first love of swimming, (in between runs of course 😁) , will be on hold again so I want to replace this with some strength and flex cross training.
Oh - and like Jiveblue below I want to do (not)parkruns, but I'm not sure if this will be on a weekend as I can only do a longer run on Saturdays/Sundays.
Well done. Some people incorporate (not)parkrun into their long runs. So it your say doing 7K, just remember your time for the first 5K and that's it. Best of luck on your quest.
Like lots of others, I'm hoping that committing to my goals here will mean I feel obliged to achieve! So my aspiration is to
- carry on running 3 times a week, with the weekend run being 8-10km.
- start doing (not)Parkruns and try to improve on my unofficial 5k PB of 34mins
- walk/run at least 100 miles this month so I can get 2 LEJOG digital postcards
and maybe, possibly, if I really have to... try out some sort of exercise on non-running days. Even writing this one down feels like tackling Everest as I'm really not very motivated to do exercise and can't imagine setting aside time (and finding a space) to do a set of alien movements. But I suppose I could give it a go!
Not a great start to my Quest damienair , but I haven’t run since Saturday as I’ve come down with a 🤧 (nothing worse!) Probably due to getting soaked to the last stitch a few times recently. So I’m taking this week off and will just walk the dog to keep my LEJOG4 miles up. I wanted to fess up on here! Back questing next week .....
Only seeing this now. I've been busy with work this week. Hope you are feeling much better Cheeky. A few days off and some rest will do you good. You'll no doubt bounce back stronger.
Hi! I finished my October quest (to run 10k) with mere hours to spare and I hadn't thought any further along. I think my main quest for November will be to try and really enjoy every run and make friends with cold, damp running. I got off to such a good start - I wasn't supposed to run yesterday but the weather and light were so fantastic I couldn't help myself and just popped out for a quick 5k! I don't want to extend my runs so for now, I'll also be focusing on consolidating runs between 5 and 10k and getting a bit quicker on my short runs. I feel like this quest is a bit fuzzy around the edges so I'll work on sharpening it up over the next couple of weeks Happy running everyone!
Started C25k to help give me structure to my week on retirement. Graduated last month and have been consolidating with 30 minute runs...ok... jogs 😬🐌...
So my goals are:
*Carry on jogging three times a week
*Start ju-ju-‘s Distance Magic Plan...somewhere in this achieve an actual 5k...without counting the warmup/cooldown walking 😂
*Do a short workout (maybe Plank) on my non run days
Your very welcome. So sorry in my delay replying to you. Bust week this week. That is a good goal. I did exactly that last year. You'll do it, I'm sure. Just get out there, and best of luck. Welcome again to the Bridge to 10K and to the Quest.
Hope you enjoy being November Quest-master damienair
I managed 60 mins a few weeks back and have been steadily increasing my time so by the end of this quest, I aim to achieve 10k - I hope I can do this under 90 mins although I suspect only just 😉
Yes I know - I’m taking slow and steady to the extreme but I do keep going 🏃♀️👍💪
I also plan to re-visit my “Tai Chi for over 50’s” DVD - need to get into a routine for this so it becomes a habit again - not sure why I stopped as I loved it earlier in the year 🤔
All the very best to my fellow questers - hope you are successful with your own aims this month ❤️
Hi damienair. I haven't posted for ages, but I have continued running 2 or 3 times per week. I tend to do 5K twice per week, then once a week I might do the Speed podcast. I think for this quest I'll aim to run three times a week, and by the end of the month try and do a run that's a bit longer., maybe 35 mins.
Very well done. Just running as you are 3 times per week is fantastic. Getting out the door sometimes especially in poorer weather can be the hardest part. Best of luck.
Hi Damien. I missed this last week so I’m playing catch up now. I’ve already started work on my goals for this month; they are ......
😊 to get Mymojo back by trying new things on each run - new running apps, different routes, listen to podcasts or new playlists.
😊 research running in zones so that I move out of zone 5 where I seem to be for most of my run. This is already improving after I put my own stats into the HR zones and changed it to %HRR instead of the default settings for both.
Good luck to you and everyone else with their goals too. Happy running 😊
Very well done. I'm the same. Trying to get my Mojo back. During this time with lock down and COVID-19 it is difficult. We just need to keep getting out there.
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for the Southsea crew to follow the run with a companionable breakfast.
Happy running everyone! 
💥🏃♂️🏃🏻♀️ The April Quest Week 2 🏃🏻♀️🏃♂️💥
