Whether you're a rebel with a cause or you want to be the fat cat, The Quest is strong in this month!
The Empire have been enforcing restrictions on us all for a long time now... so make sure you operate within the rules local to you and continue to use your avatar names and images. Get those Jabbas when the opportunities are presented to you. This is how we will defeat The (covid) Empire!
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. We are always looking for more people to train and make use of The Quest!
Let us know how your plans are doing so far this month. 🐱🐾
Some popular goals are:
★ To run three times a week
★ To slowly increase distance
★ To train for a specific race / battle
★ To add Stretch and Strength exercises to your weekly routine
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 TailChaser 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:
One thing I have already learned this week as I start hill training, is to warm up before you do any work outs. You’d think I’d know by now...A lovely hill training workout from Runners World: runnersworld.com/uk/trainin...
I was too enthusiastic to get going and the dumbbell lunges told my hamstring off yesterday so I’ve had to take it easier.
Hi Obeone ! A miserable 2k this morning before my calf tightened up. But, a few 30 second pulls of my toes towards my knee with the aid of a towel wrapped around my foot really eases it off; so it can’t be much. Might have to go down the sock/sleeve route as suggested by Dexy5 ; not a lady to be ignored 🙂
You're a couple of days early (and one day late). 🤪
This month's goals (from the first of May post).
* 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.
Tight quads seem to have eased. The possible "adductor" problem on the right is still there. Not sore, just "there". I'm keeping the runs light until it feels normal again.
* 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.
I'm staying with resting every second day for the moment.
* 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.
Not there yet. Ideally I'd like to be back at 10km in a week or so.
* Get to 100km again. I've done it the last few months. I almost got to 100miles last month. Again, low priority.
Not sure if I'll reach this one. Being fit to run is more important than hitting any target.
* Do more of other exercises to try to balance things out: work on the core and the minor leg muscles.
Check. Must do more of them and more regularly.
* Get ready for the resumption of parkrun next month, and the Manchester 10k which is on July 4th.
Still optimistic for this. I scouted out and walked the local 5k parkrun route at the weekend. It's not too challenging. I do harder climbs on my "easy" run.
As planned, I ran my 8K this morning, which took me back to the starting point of my virtual tour of Lanzarote and keeps me on track for the 10K at the end of the month (although I have just realised that we may be running in the first week of June - the dates run from Saturday 29th for the half-term week)
My legs have felt fatigued this week, but I forgive them as they’ve been working hard and doing more hills AND intervals (not during the same run) than usual. Still, I intend to do my (not) PR on Friday rather than Saturday (cheers again weather 💨 💦) and I’ll be popping some cheery intervals in. They’re definitely helping, much as I don’t like to admit it!
I enjoyed a quick 3k dash this morning before babysitting my grandson, and I’m gradually shaving time off the first hill on the common. Seeing results helps with motivation doesn’t it?
I dodged an IC visit by the skin of my big toe last week. Stubbing my toe on the patio kicking a football in Crocs after hurting the same toe doing a HIIT session barefoot (numpty alert) would do it! 🤦♀️ But I lucked out and all’s fine and lessons are learned. 😇
My running objective is to continue rehabbing my hamstring, which is tight and keeps grizzling at me, but is gradually improving. I managed an exceedingly slow 4x(8 minutes run, 2 minutes walk) today, having done 3 blocks of the same on the 4 previous runs. I will do that a couple more times and then try to increase the duration of the blocks, without worrying at all about pace. I’d like to be able to enjoy parkrun when it starts without feeling I am holding the tail walkers up!
Pool and gym work is helping. It’s good to be able to go in somewhere with a machine for every muscle, rather than trying to work specific muscles with resistance bands, kettlebells etc at home. It’s amazing how much your body will co-opt other muscles to ‘help’ if you allow it. The hamstring machine at the gym forces you to use your hamstring, you can’t cheat with your glutes. And swimming in the pool is both a good way to help bring up my fitness without risking further injury and also get as much movement and flexibility as I can. I am looking forward to aqua and waterworks classes restarting.
So it’s 2 runs, 2 gym sessions and 2 swims per week for now.
Quest is going well although I only started yesterday as been laid up with side effects from the AZ vaccine for a week (nothing terrible, just nausea & fatigue) so I’ve taken it gently.
Yesterday was an 3K easy run - heart rate was all over the place but I expected that.
Today was the same 3K run but in reverse (the route that is, not me running backwards 😆) which was so much better - heart rate back to some normality and just over a minute quicker than yesterday. It felt good to be out.
It is the first time in my short time of running that I have run on consecutive days but keeping it short and walking the really hilly bits seemed to work well.🏃🏼♀️
Am planning the next runs for Friday and Sunday. No distance or route as yet - I think I will just go with the flow which I often do and see places that I’ve never been to before. You never know, the trail shoes may make their first outing!
No worries! It isn't exactly a week and the AZ jab does seem to get more reactions. I got a bit of fatigue from my AZ but with all the naps I take, you'd never know! 🤣
Not addressed my specific targets this week, but kept busy. On Monday, a gentle 11k with Dexy5 in 85'25" was unexpectedly extended to include 5k solo in 27'23", plus 100m to make up the 10 miles in 1 hr 53'29" - first time I've gone that far since the 2019 GSR. Hosted (not) parkrun tourism on Wednesday, when David_G joined the usual Southsea crew for 5k and breakfast. And a couple of trips to the gym for much needed upper body work also included spells on the dreadmill at my warp speed (sorry, wrong series I know) of 13 kph (5'24"/k) - maintained for 500m on Tuesday and 1k today. I'll be adding stretching distance at that speed to my quest next month.
We're thinking we might do some more hills tomorrow, so it really might be ...
I completed a nice slow 11k on Bank Holiday Monday in the company of UTS. Our route wasn’t too busy, as I guess people have found other things to do now. A slight chill in the breeze but nice and dry. Hopefully a 12 k next week.
Yesterday was a first for a long time - a (not) parkrun meet up with a new face, where 4 of us ran at the same pace together. We were accompanied by another runner who sped up a bit when I overtook him. 😂😂
Today I did an exercise session of exercises for Achilles , calves, and glutes . That should help with tomorrow’s hill session!
My quest was to support my friend with C25K this month. We ran for the first time today and actually ran for 30 mins. She had completed C25K a while back and had actually completed it again a couple of months ago but was struggling with the motivation to run alone. So we went nice and slowly and managed 3.78k in 30 mins. Not too shabby for a first run. She was tiring by the end but did really well. I felt a bit smug to be honest as I’m 15 years older than her and I cruised around chatting all the way 😂😂We’re going to repeat the route on Monday and Thursday next week until she feels able to increase the distance bit by bit to reach that 5k. I really enjoyed it as I’ve always run alone so it was really nice to run with a friend 😊. She said her friend was interested in joining us too . We could end up with a running group! 😂😂
Odd sort of start to the Quest considering how I've done the previous couple of months with similar goals... two days with no walking or running. However, although some was due to weather, most was due to doing 3 walks in one day which is definitely A Bit Too Much for me, and the second of those two days, it did at least push me to another yoga session. Overall, I'm happy with how I'm doing in the spirit of my Quests.
Somehow I totally missed last week’s post 🤷🏻♀️😬🤦🏻♀️ ...so here are my goals and how I did last week...all in one!
Building on from March...
1) Run 2 or 3 times a week...with varied routes and distances...aim to achieve a sub 40 minutes 5k. Run the Vitality 10K at the end of May.
2) on non run days walk outside *every* day...
3)10k steps daily
4) daily yoga practice
5) good bedtime habits
6) timely posting of runs, and logging on S&F and COGH 😂
So...since 1st May...
1) ✅ Ran 5k x 2...on 2 different routes. Both had sub 9 minute splits and were my 2 fastest.
2) ✅ ranging from 1km to 4km...including an obsessive 11pm to achieve 3) and today in the rain ☔️
3) 4) 5)...had a really ‘meh’ day on Wednesday...reached 8.5k and then faffed about on social media all evening...couldn’t even be a*sed to do a 7min bedtime yoga (my ‘go to’ when late)...and was an hour late going to bed...
Hurray, I have run. First time for about six weeks so happy spring lamb here!🐑The YWA has been happening daily as has the P.E with Joe Wicks sessions on weekdays.
I just popped c25k Wk5 R3 on for my first run out so that Laura would be with me. Managed to run continuously for a little over the 20 mins so feel that I have made a start (8 days into the month...but who's checking😉)
Feeling fit and happy. Grandson one month old today and doing really well!
I've been sort of avoiding these forums as I've been on the IC for a while, but I'm hoping things will pick up from now 🤞I got the nod to try running from the physio last week, so Sunday saw me doing as I was been told and testing my right leg with 1min running followed by 5 minutes walking.I'm going to be sensible and realistic so my quest will be led by my physio so...
*do my physio exercises twice a day
* run twice a week as instructed by her (hopefully increasing running times each session)
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