I don’t think it was an emergency that made roseabi ask Katnap and I to host the May Quest but we were very happy to be asked, particularly as we were taking over the reins from the very wonderful Dexy5 and cheekychipmunks . Hopefully we can be as inspirational as they have been.
May can be a wonderful running time of year: warm enough to finally put those winter leggings away but not so warm that you have to get up super early to beat the heat of the day. Everything is still fresh and new but with an added confidence – a bit like many of you runners graduating from the C25k forum 😊.
In England and the rest of the UK we still have a lot of restrictions out there but where would we be without this running? Personally, I know I would have been a nightmare without it this past year and Katnap and I are probably the fittest we have ever been. He makes a fine pacemaker. Speaking of which, this should be the last month when we don’t have an event to go to 🤞. As I’m typing, parkrun are tweeting their lists of events that have had the 👍 from their landowners with a view to restarting on 5th June. I’m *really* looking forward to reading on here about all the new runners experiencing their first parkrun!
Apart from parkruns, we’re looking forward to a 10km booked with Shake-and-run , Sandie1961 and cheekychipmunks in June. This will be our first ‘proper booked race that’s not a parkrun (but of course parkrun isn’t a race!)’ since October 2019 😱. But before that, I need to write a training plan for the Half Marathon we have booked for July. It’s ‘undulating’ (that’s run event director speak for ‘hilly’) and it’s likely to be hot or at least muggy.
So, 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.
The Quest takes one calendar month but you can join at any point during that time.
Some 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
Mine's a bit more complicated but as an example, it's is to acclimatise to running in the heat (as long as we get some), which will hopefully happen naturally and start to train myself to run longer distances with bigger hills involved (which probably won’t happen so naturally!).
So as you can see it is a personal challenge and 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 Katnap or I will put up a new post and we can all chat about how we are doing.
NEED SOME INSPIRATION?
⭐ Here's Iannodatruffe's post about what to do next after graduating Couch to 5K:
I don't often feel I have much to contribute because I normally just go for a run and don't usually have any specific targets. But this month I have a couple, apart from the obvious of logging a walk and/or run every day for COGH.
I am expecting to finish my virtual runs around the coast of Lanzarote this week.
We are also signed up for the Vitality 10K during the last week of May. It will be Geoff's first official 10K but he shouldn't have a problem. I am confident that my usual method of adding an extra kilometre to one run a week leading up to it will work for me again.
Yes, and we have our first camping trip booked - hooray!We are only going to York for a few nights but really looking forward to it. While we are there we will check out the best route (height restrictions!) from the campsite and parking facilities for one or both of the York parkruns ready for a return visit.
I’ve just finished reading Eat & Run and I thought if those amazing runners can do 100 miles in one race! I can try and do it in a month 🏃♀️❤️ 3 down 97 to go!
Woohoo fantastic hosts! Thanks for taking over TailChaser and Katnap , you’ll be as awesome at hosting as you both are at running! 🏃♀️🏃💥
My quest for May is to continue with my JogRunSprint sessions once a week. I’d like to set a new Common PB if possible. Even though we’re set rather more free, I’ve grown very accustomed to my trails and don’t feel drawn back to the streets of Bristol just yet. In any case, it’s all so dry now that I don’t even need trail shoes up there. 😀
Looking forward to Cheltenham very much indeed! And before that Parkrun! 👏👏👏
Thank you! We’re looking forward to it too!! I know what you mean about getting accustomed to our routes during this time cheeky. They’ve given us some good memories and how you did those two HMs I’ll never know!
* Don't get injured. There are a few niggles which might derail me this month: a groin sensation on the right and a tight quads on the left. They may be linked.
* Find a balance between running and resting. I have been doing two or three days of runs because I've been enjoying it. I need to remember that rest days are equally important.
* Resume the long runs when I feel it's right to do so. Get back to 10 miles if I can, and at a stretch get to the HM. This is now low priority.
* Get to 100km again. I've done it the last few months. I almost got to 100miles last month. Again, low priority.
* Do more of other exercises to try to balance things out: work on the core and the minor leg muscles.
* Get ready for the resumption of parkrun next month, and the Manchester 10k which is on July 4th.
Good luck! Have you been looking at your running cadence?I do find it a challenge to run slowly with increased cadence but it's been said it can help reduce injury.
When I get tired on a longer run I also fall back to around the 160-165 spm. It still feels like a big conscious effort to bring it up to 180 spm and that's after 6 months of working at it. I'm sure you'll get there nowster
Hi nowster, I am wondering if you are getting any help regarding your cadence, I use a metromone app to pace my spm cadence, everyone has a different cadence so you have to experiment to what suits you.Over the last few weeks I have set my metromone app between 165 and 173 steps/beats/cadence a minute, last Wednesday for my 9K run I set the app at 165, my 5K split time was around 36 minutes, on Friday 23rd April for a 5K run I set my app at 170 spm and my time was 35.04, today and on Saturday 17th April I set my app at 173spm and my time for both those runs were exactly the same 34.23, if you do wish to use any app for your spm, that metronome app may help you.
You two will be purrfect hosts, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy hosting as much as cheekychipmunks and I have. You have so much experience of the long distances too.
I am still in mourning for the loss of our grand meet up in May for the Vitality 10k.
I have offered my services as volunteer when junior parkrun returns to Portsmouth, but no so sign of it yet, which doesn’t fill me with confidence about the return of 5k parkrun in June. But I have written to the council and my councillors to say how important it is.....
My May quest:
1. Having run (and walked) the hills this week, I have decided that I should do at least 2 hilly runs this month to build up endurance and stamina.
2. I will continue to run 1 (not) parkrun a week. This will include a meet with local running buddies.
3. I will run 1 long run a week to extend distance again.
4. I will revisit my old physio exercises as I’m sure they will help with all my runs.
Yes it will be the hardest because I’m always finding something more ‘important’ to do instead. I am brilliant at exercising when on the IC, but not when I’m recovered and running. I need to plan this in to my day, just like going to the gym. There you go - I’ve said it.
I’m trying not to think about the Vitality Dexy. I’ve put it on the mental back burner. It will happen at some point I’m sure 🙏
I think no.1 is a great idea. Hills may seem daunting but they do amazing things to your all round running ability if done regularly. They build both muscle and mental strength, lung capacity and, as you say, endurance.
Now my grandson has safely made his way into the world, I can relax and concentrate on some me time again.
SO...this month I will get back to my running again, trying for twice a week🤞
starting maybe back at Wk 5 of c25k to get back in the swing.
I am doing the Joe Wicks P.E. HIIT classes from last year on weekdays and a daily Yoga with Adriene practice for S and F.
I would love to run a 5k by the end of May.
Bit of a blip as hurt my left foot last night, so currently RICING it. Very annoyed at myself as I just stood up on it not realising it was asleep and OW did it hurt!
Brilliant! We like Joe and we like YWA. Fingers crossed you recover well enough to meet your quest goals. But remember this isn't bingo! You don't need to get a full house 🤣
Congratulations you two. You’ll be awesome. We’re away in our shiny new van for 3 weeks of May so not sure how much running I will manage as we’re touring, but I am hoping to run at Durness (most north westerly point of the British Isles) because we’re there for 2 nights and maybe on the Isle of Skye!
Count me in please TC and thank you and Katnap for being our kind hosts this month! Having failed miserably with my questing this month I’m going to stick with my targets and see how I get on, so:
Carry on with the physio’s exercises;
Build up the running to try and get to 5k again; and, of course
Re-doing April’s quest, which I didn’t quite manage. Run minimum of once per week, (hopefully more, but don’t want any pressure right now), and do planks every day I don’t run. Didn’t manage the planks in April due to... ...lots of stuff. Life really. Having another go 🤗
30 seconds regular, 15 seconds right side, 15 seconds left side, another 30 seconds regular. The whole process takes 2 mins. What’s so difficult? One month doing it every day would make such a difference. I kept forgetting...
Welcome the Caring Cat Quest hosts! Looking forward to seeing everyone's May goals!Mine are simple...
Finish Week 9 Run 2 and 3 ( Sill taking it steadily and listening to my body).
Continue my ongoing routine of stamina and strength work.
But... after I finish Week 9 of C25K ( again).. I shall be taking a bit of a running break. I need to get a bit more weight on and continue building up muscle tone.
So; I shall be walking a bit more and cycling a bit more and running less.
A very sensible well thought out quest Floss. Backing off running when needed isn’t one of my strong points, so I admire your control. It’s Spring.... and it might even feel that way once these cold winds and downpours blow through. Nice to have you with us 🙂
I am tempted to choose getting to the end of May without picking up another niggle! First two weeks will be limited to 3x3k runs per week as advised by my physio and then rebuild from there 🤞. After that, start on an HM training plan for the Great North Run in September; going to be tight but I think that there is just about time. I ran a 10 k in April so this isn’t a cold start. Need to use the force I think!!🙂
The Force will be with you. Always! 🤣 Niggles come and go. Long walks are still time on your feet and gently build your stamina and endurance. You won't be the only one walking during the GNR!
My challenge for this month is to cautiously prepare for the return of Parkrun. I really can’t wait to start running with others again. In the meantime I recently joined a small group of runners who meet regularly on Tuesday evening. The group is called Run Talk Run and it’s a very relaxed jog and chat with others. There are groups all over the U.K. There’s a Walk Talk Walk too. The app is called MyCrew.
Good luck with your preparation for those upcoming events with katnap. I am signed up for the Brighton Marathon weekend but I’m sticking with the 10km as I just can’t face the training and time needed for a FM. Good luck everyone with your quests. 👍
I hope I am able to join the quest this month? For me it will be ‘Motivational May’. Thank you both for hosting.
I graduated C25K December 2019 and B210K May 2020. I’ve been trying to get out 3 times a week and I had a good ‘go-to’ route that was reasonably flat. Fast forward to December 2020 and we moved house. We now live on a hill so have had to embrace the ‘hills’ if I want to get home!! It has certainly been a challenge…🤪
So my quest this month is to:
1. Carry on with some low heart rate running that I had been trialling since the end of March - I am not working to any specific plan but keeping slow has meant I can attack the hills without loosing any steam and stop me from getting injured. I’ve also been experimenting with shoes as the hills weren’t working for my Brooks Ghosts.☹️
2. Possibly build in a 4th day of running - so was thinking of doing a couple of short 2-3km runs, 1 x 5k and a longer run of 7km or over at the weekend.
3. Explore some new trails. Up until recently, 99% of my runs had been on country roads. We have loads of trails right on our doorstep and have discovered a couple recently which have been lovely.
Good luck 🍀 everyone on their quests & safe running.
Congrats on getting your house move done in December.
Don't be too hard on your Ghosts. If they're over a year old the level of cushioning will be reduced and of course the tread will be worn. That said, I use any excuse to try another brand and design 🤣! Are you considering trail running shoes?
Ghosts aren’t very old. Purchased last October but have barely done any mileage in them. They worked quite well for my flat routes but not so good on the hills and my knees started to suffer. So i’ve been trying out Hoka Clifton and seem to be getting on better with those. I do have a pair of Saucony Peregrine trail shoes which I bought at the same time as my Ghosts but they are still in the box and yet to see the light of day 🙄😂
Some people love their Hokas and won't use anything else! Peregrines are popular as they're effective on multiple surfaces. Show us some piccies of them then get them muddy! 🐾🐾
I'd like to join the quest - particulary since its being run by cats 🐈 ♥ 😀. I have been working back up to 10k and my goal this month is to run the virtual Edinburgh Marathon Festival 10k on 29th May. So quests are:
1. Run twice a week (serious mojo probs at the mo so trying to be realistic. .)
2. Start some regular strength training
3. Run 10k!!
Oh, and get off my backside every day so I can crack on with LeJoG.
Now just over 420 miles so way behind target. But its still doable if I could crank myself up. Work has been all-consuming so I'm hoping that a good break in the summer will sort me out!
Hi TailChaser and Katnap 👋👋Thanks for hosting the quest this month 😊
April was a great month which saw me run 100k during the month and achieving my first 10k. This month a friend has asked me to run the C25K program with her so I’m putting my own goals on hold this month in order to support her with hers. I’ll keep checking in though to see how others are getting along.
Just read your bio. Go you! Regular exercise and increasing your long run distance will have a positive impact on your 5k speed without training for it specifically.
Do that 5k with your daughter regardless of your scan results. That's a brilliant goal to look forward to at the end the quest.
Count me in! I want to clock 50km - 75km! This month is going to be BUSY (workwise) so .... this feels feasible if I run 3-4 times a week! 🏃🏽🏃🏼♀️🏃♂️🏃🏿🏃🏽♀️
16.1k isn't much further from 15k, but 10 miles is a good milestone after graduating from 10k!
If you're thinking about moving on towards the HM distance, consider joining the Marathon Running and Race Support forum. You can ask for a 10 miles badge to mark your achievement!
After graduating at the end of March I said that I'd take a week off before starting my consolidation due to a painful hip and groin (plus I needed some new, bigger shoes). The shoes were easy to sort, but 10 days off of running wasn't enough - two consolidation runs and I had to admit that I would need to take longer off. I did so, and have built up again with some walk-runs, some 20 min runs and I've managed 2 x 30 min runs this week. Hip still gets a bit achey if I overdo it so I'm going to be careful this month and only go out when it feels ok. I've just moved house though and I'm excited to try out new routes though! So my aims are:
1) To run 30 min runs every 2-4 days, depending on how my hip feels.
2) To run for the enjoyment, and to try out some new routes.
3) To continue the strengthening exercises I've been doing for a while - it's too easy to let it drop off when the pain eases!
Amused to find cats leading the Questing this month since it's Google and the cats at Schloss GM who use up energy I could be using for Questing with their irresponsible rear end behaviours!
This month I am aiming to:
1) Continue my walk or run every day, with a planned (instead of rationalising) tweak of 'on average'. Firstly to help me prioritise other things when it is the right thing to do without feeling I am spoiling my personal goals, but I also reckon this will help encourage more running in the mix (eg a run by myself during the day and a walk with MrGM in the evening, which will provide 'cover' for any days that get missed)
2) At least 1x 5km run towards the MedalMad Take the Adventure 20km which offers individual Wind in the Willows character medals for each 5k
3) A yoga goal. Right now I am not entirely sure what the best would be (I often choose a 'more days than not' goal, but I'd like to make more use of my paid subscription so it might be good to choose something like 'at least one class a week'... an emergent goal.
I had a good month under the previous incumbents (!) so don't want to be too greedy this time around. So I'll settle for trying to increase my range at various paces, targets 6k at 5'00"/k (up from 5k) and 12k at 5'30"/k (up from 10k). I managed 7.5k at 5'00" last spring and 16k at 5'30" for the 2019 Great South, so hopefully both do-able.
Thanks for taking this on - Dexy5 's RSI from typing last month's responses is beginning to ease off I think .... 🙄😜😀
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💥🏃♂️🏃🏻♀️ The April Quest Week 3 🏃🏻♀️🏃♂️💥
