Yikes! It’s week 3 already! How did that happen? How are you getting on with your Quests?
I had a 10K race on Sunday. Lots of people dressed up as elves and Santas and Mrs Clauses. It was such great fun and there was a lovely festive atmosphere. I couldn’t find my tinsel and bells and so was dressed as an ordinary runner but I made myself a promise to make an effort next year and dress up 🎅🧚♂️ Well, I’ve got a year to plan it so there’s no excuse.
Life is getting a bit manic. I haven’t put the tree up and just finished writing my cards yesterday, I still have presents to wrap, our social life is mad and I’m trying to squeeze in my runs. But you know what? It’ll all get done come what may. How are you finding things at the minute? Is this month crazy for you? Are you sticking to your Quest? Let us know in the comments.
For anyone who hasn’t yet joined the Quest don’t forget you can join at any time, we’d love to see you here. I wanted to attach the first two weeks’ Quests posts for your information but I’m having a problem with technology today and for some reason I can’t’ do it. But if you do a search you’ll find them.
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. You can join at any point during that time.
We ask that you are a C25K graduate before joining the Quest. The reason for this is that pre-graduation your weeks are pretty much structured according to the C25K programme, and we wouldn’t want the Quest to interfere with that.
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
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 I will put up a new post and we can all chat about how we are doing.
Keep the stardust sparkling and let’s give a final push before the end of the month ✨✨💫💫🌟🌟
Written by
Irishprincess
Graduate10
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Hiya,
Well, I have only put up the tree on Sunday, so you're not late-late yet. Here in Belgium it's common to put the tree up only after the 6th of December. On the 6th of December kids get presents from Sinterklaas (no, it's not Santa Claus) and you can't put up your tree before he has come. I was away on holiday last week, so I put it up after I came back.
As for my quest, I ran 3 times last week as I had promised myself. Now I aim - as always - to run minimum 2 times a week, preferably 3 times a week. But I have to admit that my mood for running has disappeared. Don't know where it went to. Maybe it's the weather. I don't mind cold weather, but it's the grey sky that is really getting me down. It seems to be perpetually dusky and that really gets on my nerves.
Anyway... I better get myself mentally prepared for a run after work today!
Thanks for the reminder about cards, I really need to post a couple, something I’m rubbish at. So that’s my quest this week along with staying Covid free, and on the running front, to get out and run at least twice more before Christmas, I’ve only got one more day off so that will be a challenge, Have fun questing everyone
No tree up yet at home although our church looks lovely. No presents wrapped either for the five boys 😳 We’ve got a big Carol service to organise at church this weekend so hopefully after that!
Running is going well though. Just 34.96km left to run to make it to my next town on my run down under journey. Did my last long run for the year today. Will have to be short ones to finish off.
Happy Happy Christmas everyone ❤️🏃♀️🏃🏻♂️
Pic taken today on my long run.
No snow here to make it festive 😎
"More of the same" continues. The weather last week really did not encourage me to get out and run. I got out about half the number of days that I'd planned.
However, the enforced rest days meant I unintentionally did PBs for 2 miles, 5km, 10km and the local parkrun.
My aim for the rest of the month is to take easier runs, but get the mileage back up to what I'd planned originally. And take more walks, too. All whilst avoiding injury.
Well my quest has been to attack more hills which has gone fairly well up until now, and I guess that’s my ongoing quest at the mo, as well as keeping up with those 3 runs a week. I’ve also been doing a lot more stretching which seems to be having a positive effect.
I have my booster this coming Friday pm, so am hoping to get a long run in before that while I can too. I’ve just started a course of antibiotics due to a tooth infection, so I’m also hoping they don’t affect my running too much as I read somewhere antibiotics can bring you down a bit. We shall see! I need to have the tooth taken out by the hospital at the beginning of Jan so I’m going to assume I won’t feel like running much for a few days after that.
Anyway, I aim to do a Christmas Day run by hook or by crook - the streets will be lovely and quiet, hopefully the weather will be nice too. I have a nice bit of time off over the festive period, so it will be just lovely not to have to get up at 5am to run in the dark! Happy days 😊.
Hope you’re finding a bit of you time in amongst all the Christmas madness. All the best IP! 🎄
Hills are so good for us! Well done for keeping it up 👍 But boo to the tooth infection. Not really what you need at any time but especially at Christmas ☹️
Natural yogurt or any fermented food is really good for the tummy if you're on antibiotics and can settle things down a bit. I hope you're feeling ok with them.
I love my stretching and can feel my body say "thank you" every time I do it and I love when a physio gives me a gold star when they examine me as they can tell the stretchers and non-stretchers 😇
Enjoy your long run Frenc and the build up to the 25th 🎄
Thank you so much! Yes hills are indeed good for us, especially when you’re coming down the other side 🤣. A gold star 🌟 from the physio sounds pretty fab to me - that could be one of my next quests, although even a silver or bronze would be pretty welcome too. All the best 😊😊😊.
Hi there IP and fellow questers Like you I cannot believe it's week 3 already
😦Your run sounds like a lot of fun with everyone dressed up. 🎄🎅❄️
Part of my quest was to run with the Xmas spirit which I've been struggling with a bit. The endless grey damp days and the latest pandemic news had been getting me down a bit too be honest. Anyway tomorrow I'm off for a short run and plan to deliver local Xmas cards as I go so hopefully that'll help.
Anyway apart from the Xmas bit my quest is going well. Physio exercises done every day except the day I actually went to my physio appointment✅
Two runs done, the second was 8k which I was really pleased about as I'd really like to get another 10k in before Xmas or at least before the end of the year.✅
The final bit of my quest (to have a go on my son's treadmill) hopefully will happen in the next couple of weeks while my son's off work.
Wow! You’ve done brilliantly with your goals 👍 well done!
I know what you mean about the pandemic news, I rarely listen to it now and just read the main headlines.
The shortest day is in a few days and I see from the garden that new shoots are already popping up so there’s much activity going on that we can’t see. A bit like us runners 😂
How lovely to run and deliver your cards. I love that idea 😍
For my part - to run around 169K as I did last month - it seems fine.
Having failed to clock a PB last Wednesday, I recorded two on the Friday, though as before the road was blocked by construction work which probably cost me 30 seconds or so. As I like slow gradual improvement this is a good thing as I believe there may be more in the tank! 😁
Hi @Irishprincess hope you're well and that you manage to put your tree up soon. I haven't done ours yet. Will get it done by this weekend. My quests are still off track I'm afraid. - NO - run at least twice a week. I only managed one run. I just don't have any energy at the moment
- YES - still on track to complete all runs of Ju Ju's magic distance plan. Just have 3 runs left to do and 16 days to do them in !
- NO - cross train at least twice a week. I haven't done any cross training. Just no energy.
- YES - warm up longer than usual to help prevent cold weather injuries
- Yes - run 2 park runs. Still on track. Although went to my local parkrun this Saturday and it got cancelled at the last minute. I still have 2 more Saturdays though until the end of the month
- NO - get 7+hours sleep a night. Only managed this for 5 nights.
I finish work this Friday for the Christmas holidays and don't go back until the 4th January so I'm hoping to be able to do more running and cross training as I will have plenty of rest time.
You've done really well and achieved so much! I love your sleep goal as my sleep patterns are always a bit erratic and sleep is so important when we run.
I'm starting on the tree today but I put up the lights outside yesterday so another tick off the list 🙂
Enjoy your time off work and good luck with the rest of your Quest 🍀
Hi IP and fellow questers 👋I’ve done lots of random things for Christmas but need to sit down and actually take stock of which presents I’ve bought and which cards I’ve sent. The tree is up 🌲 Work is crazy 😜 Christmas in school + rising COVID numbers makes things busy, stressful and complicated. You never quite know what’s going to happen each day. Crazy 😜.
My quest is to work through the bingo card. It has been very motivating 🏃♀️. I attempted a 1k PB on my Monday 6k run. I waited for the downhill straight and went for it! And I did it - 1k in 7’02’’. I think 7’14’’ was my previous fastest 😁
I’ve also completed a naked run. I forgot that I was supposed to guess when I’d got to 5k 😂 so when I remembered I looked at my watch and I was at 4.98k. Not bad!
I’m planning a 10k either tomorrow or Friday depending on work and the weather. So all in all things are going well 👍🏻
Just come back from completing a 10k. I should be working from home with a rare paperwork day but I couldn’t resist 🤦🏻♀️ I’m starting now and will carry on into the evening to make up the time- honest 😂I also chose a route with a real uphill climb to tick of the hill run box (89m elevation 🥵) So 2 more boxes ticked. I hope it isn’t cheating doubling up on the boxes. I only get chance to run twice a week usually so it would take me until Easter to finish it otherwise 😂
Booster jab tomorrow morning so I didn’t want to leave my run until then just incase 🥴🤢🤧
Well with all the travel etc I'm afraid my good resolutions have sort of gone out of the window. I've only run once this week and twice last week. Had my booster today so may just take it easy tomorrow and then do Parkrun on Saturday. To beat my total running from last month I'd need to do about another 27km. Just about possible, with the way things are going with the virus running will probably be the only option open by the end of the week.Please don't remind me about cards, trees etc, I haven't done anything, don't even know which of my offspring will be coming home or for how long. Luckily I have plenty of beans on toast and as a couple of them are now vegetarian we're sure to have a lovely Christmas 😂
We can only do what we can do especially at this time of year. Getting out for a run at all is a big tick as far as I’m concerned, so we’ll done for getting out 🙂
I think for many of us, plans are a bit in the air, but beans on toast for Christmas sound perfect! A big mug of ta and I’m coming to yours 😍
Hello questers and IP. Got the tree up but still need to write cards and wrap presents. COVID put me back this year, I usually like to be more organised. Keeping up with the runs and yoga - just signed up for adriene's January yoga challenge. Skiing holiday looking in doubt as supposed to be going to France but am determined that it won't put me off track and I keep my running mojo. It started as a means to get fit for a holiday but has given me so much more and I want to keep going. Good luck to those of you planning a Christmas day run, I'll be eating and drinking way too much for that 🍰. I will manage a walk though to walk off some of that eating. Booster on Sunday so will get run done in the morning just in case I feel a bit crap. Good luck all and have a fab Christmas 🎄
Yes, indeed how on earth are we here at the 3rd week? Well, I am still being gentle with myself which as it happens has involved no runs, no yoga and no nice deep bath as yet (I need to clear the dead leaves that have fallen in from all the houseplants on the windowsill)Got all cards bar local done and those may involve me in some exercise to deliver, and submitted yet another tedious but anxiety ridden bit of paperwork in respect of my son's education, on time (the local authority are not capable of doing that even though their legally mandated deadlines are much more generous than those granted to parents) Also did the right thing and got some iffy symptoms checked out, with happy news (and all handled very quickly and kindly by the NHS) So go me!
Greetings! I hope everyone is keeping safe and questing smoothly through December.
My quest ground to a halt this past week: I’ve been fighting off some sort of infection - sore throat, tight chest, tired - all very mild versions of these symptoms but put me bang in suspicious territory, especially after having experienced a return-from-work train journey from hell. (It would have been a nightmare super-spreader of flu and colds in pre-covid times.) Despite negative lateral flows, I was selected by the Zoe research for a PCR. Anyway, all is fine test-wise and (not the same thing) I’m feeling much better in myself. Today, I was well and truly ready to run. No obstructive gremlin would have stood a chance such was my level of enthusiasm. Just a gentle half hour. It felt so great to do that after a week+ absence. I was running in the freezing mist, which was magical, and put in a few celebratory strides at the end. Overall, I thought that I was a bit short of breath but Garmin (which I find curiously entertaining and take with a pinch of salt) suggests I’m in ‘good performance condition’. Haha! I’m just super pleased to be back in my running kit and I’m already looking forward to my next outing.
So, more patience is needed with my quest. I’ll not have rebuilt my distances and segued back into my Nrc training plan for Xmas, as originally hoped. No worries. Que será, será! I think I’ll recalibrate my ambitions and just enjoy some off-plan unstructured fun until ready to reclaim my 13k and take on the next steps.
Kept up my knee-strengthening exercises throughout.
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