First day of February and first day of Spring, in my Calendar anyway. After the recent storm a lot of rain has fallen and my back garden is starting to look like a swamp. Buds are on the trees and signs of new life are everywhere. 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.
We have been back in lock down for the past month and most of us will continue to be in some form of stricter lock down during February 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 February 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 get back to being able to do 1 x 10K 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 February.
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!
Very well done. Best of luck on your quest and with buying your seeds for the allotment. When we were in School it was Spring (February, March, April) , Summer (May, June, July), etc. So I have always tended to go by that. There are so many differing opinions online. My kids are also learning this as the seasons. Must be just an Ireland thing.
I used to listen to a program on RTE Radio One on a Sunday morning of mainly Irish Folk Music, the announcer always told his listeners that Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter in Ireland were a month earlier than when other places started these seasons, I tend to go with the Met Office seasons, Including Met Eireann The Irish Meteorological Service who starts their seasons a month later, however, just keep to what you were taught in school.
Hi Damien, good luck with your weight loss and running, you can do it. I’ve just completed a year of running 100+km a month so plan to continue that. I’m aiming for 1/2 marathon distance in a couple of months so need to knock out a few more 10 mile runs. Baby hugs will be with us 2 days a week so I’m guessing there may not be much energy left on those days for running, at least not until the days get longer, can’t do outside activities in the dark due to balance issues😂. We’ve our 2nd day of snow this winter but it’s melting very quickly so I’ll be off for the first run of February soon - 3 days less to reach my 100km this month so every run counts. Happy running everyone 🤗
Wow that is fantastic. 100K a month is hard to do. But to continue that for a year is fantastic. Very well done and good luck on your half marathon training.
Ok... My quest is to keep running and hopefully to finish the Virtual Runs NI Bridging The Cities challenge... It's 70 miles, from Albert Bridge to the Peace Bridge... 113km... I did 8km this morning, so that took me to 81km!
That is a lovely Idea, Bridging the cities, Belfast to Derry. Best of luck on your Quest. My last parkrun was my first parkrun in Northern Ireland. I was working in Belfast on the Friday night and ran the Queens parkrun the next morning. Looking forward to doing a few more parkruns in Northern Ireland when all this Covid is behind us.
I’m planning to do 100k again this month. We’re currently on a 5 day lockdown here in Perth so only 1 hours exercise allowed per day. 5.6km done 27 days to go! It’s also our hottest month but I like a challenge💪🏻
Hi Damien! 👋. I’m glad you have signs of spring in your part of the world. There are a few daffs starting to poke through, and a few squirrels zipping around the garden (stay OUT of my attic guys ➡️), otherwise it’s still as wintry as ever here. 🙄
My quest continues. Daily yoga and running most days - I’ve just completed RED January and intend to do a relaxed version of it during February too. By relaxed, I mean I’m not going to be a crazy woman and go out when it’s blowing a hooley this month! But I need to keep my miles up as I’m building back up to HM again with the HUHM/Virtual Bath Half coming up at the end of March. 13k done today, taking advantage of “no weather”!
Very well done Cheeky. Brilliant running all through January to complete the RED challenge. You were certainly a lot braver than me. I gave up on a few days, I was not facing that weather. Best of luck as well on your half marathon training. Super running as always.
Hi Damien 😊. Oh, I have been mulling these over since first reading and "liking" your post this morning. I think I've settled for something achievable rather than being over ambitious....
🏃🏼♀️ Now I am finally back up to 5k post-injury, my first run target is to consolidate that distance for the first half of this month.
🏃🏼♀️ My second run target is to get out 2-3 times a week.
🏃🏼♀️ My third is to gently increase my distance towards the end of the month.
🧘🏼♀️ My final quest target is to continue to do a regular, preferably daily, yoga practice with Adriene. The January Breath yoga has been wonderful.
Good luck with your running and weightloss goals too. I did Dry January which helped towards me losing 1.2 kgs, as well as helping me feel brighter and in a better mind set. It's not a lot to lose, but every little helps..... 😊
Very well done on shifting that 1.2 Kg. I lost 2.5 stone about 2 years ago and felt great afterwards. I don't want to creep back up there again. My birthday is in May so I'd like to have lost about 12 lbs by then. Just like running slow and steady wins the race. Best of luck on your quest with your running and yoga and delighted to hear that your back to 5K after your injury.
Hello Damien, Nice to meet you and thanks for hosting this. I’m not long out of my c25k CRs, so still a relatively newbie. On my CRs, I decided I’d like first to devote some time to exploring and developing mindful approaches, which became my January quests. I want to continue these into February. Looks a lot on paper, but they all complement and overlap: 1. Maintain my running practice, x2/3 pw; 2. Keep up my new warmup, balance work and drills, from the running workshops I did in January (have follow up session mid-February to check on progress); I’m specifically working on my arms and breathing; 3. Yoga/Pilates/similar, x2 classes pw, for strengthening and flexibility (have been doing these for years); 4. Continue with my (brand new) daily meditation practice.
Very well done. They are all great and will benefit you with you 5K Consolidation runs. I wish you every continued success with your Yoga, running and meditation.
For this months quest I aim to get back into running 3 times a week and include some strength training. Hopefully that will help with the painful hip which has kept me sidelined for the last 3 weeks. Oh and to stop lurking in the background and start posting some much needed positivity 😁
Great to have you on board. No need to be lurking here, it's the friendliest forum around and full of support. Look after that hip and best of luck on your quest. Listen to your body and don't run on a niggle. I have had sore hip, sore knees and sore back, best thing to do is take a break for a few days as you have done. Take it easy on your return to running and enjoy your quest.
Hi Damien and fellow runnersLovely daffodils, funny place to keep your shoes though 😂 Here in Yorkshire the daffs are barely through the soil although there are a few Snowdrops out now, but more snow forcast for tomorrow 🌨️
*Well this month quest will focus on being patient and taking it slowly. I've got to build my runs back up with run / walks following the advice of my physio.
*I'm also going to carry on with the daily Yoga having really enjoyed YWA through January.
*Finally I must keep up with strength exercises for knees, core and I really want to have the arm strength to do press ups😕 ( probably a vain hope but it's something new for this month)
No daffodils or snowdrops here yet. It has been cold, gloomy and very wet. My back garden is soaking. I can't wait to get out into the back garden again and give it a really good clean up after the winter. I have a cutting from my Grandmothers garden which is a lovely bunch of Bluebells. I love to see them popping up.My quest is similar to yours in a way. I'm trying to gently build up my running too. I got out last night and did 5K, which I ran, jogged and walked. I've lost so much fitness since lockdown. Best of luck on your Quest.
It's lovely having inherited plants, I've got a rather lovely Violet that a work colleague gave my Mum about 50 years ago, she gave me a small plant about 15 years ago now.
Hi Damien,. This is odd I normally only respond to your posts on not park run day..!
Anyway, I have been trying to work out what to do next running wise and your post means its time to commit.
After reading posts and responses by Katnip, Tailchaser and Cheekychipmunks yesterday my quest will be to run a short distance everyday during February . Hopefully, this will make me do something after work everyday to act as a clear cut off between work and home life!
Best of luck. Running everyday is tough. But you don't need to do 5K everyday. I tried to run and walk everyday through January, but I gave up just over half way in. The weather was bad, and I wussed out. So I am going to try it again this month, walk one day and run the next. Best of luck.
Thanks. Based on information a from Katnap I am only planning about a mile most days with around 5 k on my normal run days to start. This will keep weekly mileage about the same as it is now.Goodluck with your quest!
Fantastic news W7! You can run every day with no problem as long as you don’t push for PB’s or record distances every time! I’d never tried more than 2 consecutive days before, but sticking with slow runs of varying lengths kept my legs feeling fresh as daisies each day. The conditions were often shocking, but my legs never failed me.
Following on from last months Quest when I managed, by the skin of my teeth, to reach 10k, I want to bed that in with some more runs at that distance. I don't know if I'll manage one 10k a week - my longer runs have to wait for the weekend - but we will see.
My attempts at supplementing my running with some Yoga last month didn't get very far - but I want to have another go this month,
I reached Devon on my lunchtime walk today on LEJOG9 so my aim is to keep that ticking along nicely through February.
We had daffodils in flower before Christmas - but the snowdrops are at their best right now. Spring is on it's way - we just need a few dry days now - some hope!
I can't wait to get out into my garden and spend a day pottering around and cleaning up, weeding and preparing the little kids vegetable patch and planting some fresh tomato plants in the little green house. My garden is soaking and needs a few weeks of dry weather to dry out.Well done on getting to 10K again in January. I need to build myself back up to that distance. Well done too on getting to devon on LEJOG9. Best of luck on your quest.
I love my garden. I agree -we desperately need some dry weather to let things dry out a bit before we do any digging.Good luck with getting back to 10k - and you 5k pace of course 😁
Excellent quest idea's. I'll very much be in the same boat. I will also try to run and walk on alternative days. It will help with the overall fitness. I will be honest, I have lost so much fitness since lock down. It's been so hard to stay motivated. So this quest will also help me keep on track. I went out to do 5K yesterday evening and really struggled, I ended up running, jogging and walking my way around 5K. So each week I want to build and get back to 10K as well. Best of luck on your quest, I'll be running and struggling along with you.
My aim for February (my least favourite month) is to get out and run every other day with a 10K once a month, and on non-running days to go for a walk (with/without Bertie Dog). Working from home can make it very easy not move so far if I don't make myself. Need to up my distance to support my journey along LEJOG8 :-).
Okay! Here I am!Love the photograph, daffies are so cheerful!
I intend to do this! Keep me to it!
Your goals sound doable and I know you will succeed... Spring is on the way!
a) Get Week 1 Run 3 of Couch done... could you arrange for the weather to comply with that!
Mr OF will, still NOT let me out in torrential rain, snow or intense cold! So over protective since my October blip!
b) Continue with my weekly online ballet class ( Strength and Stamina work ) who would have thought it! Silver Swans it may be but it is not for the faint hearted!
c) Make sure I do my daily morning exercise routines, without letting anything get in the way of that!
So not anything massively spectacular in all of that, but all running related!
PS
Oh yes... Book my First Vaccination... got my invite today!!! xx
Can't do anything about the weather I'm afraid. I have the same struggles there and I am not going out in heavy rain either. No thank you. I do not mind getting caught out in the rain. But I am not going into it knowingly. Great goals and good luck with your Jab. I might be able to get one soon too as I work in Hospitals and may be considered for it over the next couple of weeks. I'll take it straight away if it is offered to me. Each Jab is another step closer to normality and potentially another life saved.
Hi,
I am joining the quest, if I may! And my goal for February is to keep running every other day (or at least 3 times a week) and to slowly increase my running time on my weekend runs. I will keep to 30 minutes during the week, but in my weekend run I am going to increase my time from 30 to 60 minutes. I did already start and following my own plan, I should / would like to reach 50 minutes of running at the end of February.
My goal this month is to run 35 miles. I’ve signed up to ‘ Race at Your Pace’ so I have a medal waiting for me at the end of it! I ran 50 last month for charity but it was pretty full-on so am giving myself more of a breather this month! I’m lacking more motivation this month so it’s good I’ve got something to work towards x
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🍏Summer Quest Week 2
