Yes questers we're still here! Are we all still present and accounted for, the weather's took a chilly turn and it's a tad skittery underfoot, there's no medals issued for fancy pirouettes or somersaults.... SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE 👍🙂.
Hectic nights at work have scuppered my getting out but I've had two outings so all's ok (the no pressure strategy it's working).
So how's you lot and those questing goals holding up???
Remember you can still hop onboard at any time throughout the month 👍
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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.
I'm still plugging away at c25k, just done run 3 week4 today. So it's week 5 next, and the "Big One" that is run 3.😱 Bring it on!
I decided to do the physios suggested workout on non running days, so if I stick to 3 runs a week that should cover the recommended 3-4 times a week 🤞🤫
So my quest is the same, to carry on with these 2.
Oh - and I'd like to throw in the odd swim or two a week as well.🏊♀️
Love the fluffed-up robin! Sums up the chilly weather of late, but I especially like that look of steely determination in its beak.
It’s been a great week for me.🙌 It started with reaching my first 10 miles/16k - a beautiful early morning adventure, between marshes and river, watching the light strengthen as the sun came up. Still elated!! Midweek, I did a nice slow recovery run, 5k. The sunrise was just spectacular and misty duvets blanketed the park. It was a place I’ve not run in for a while. I used to call it my ‘destination park’ when I first ventured afield for my post-c25k consolidations; I could run there, once around and back. I was taking things gently but I also noticed how easy I found it. It’s not exactly a hill, but there is a long haul to get there and I did it without any puff. My third run was delayed a day because of high-pollution warnings although it was in all other respects fabulous, clear and sunny. Anyway, in today’s fog (the forecaster got the precise word by calling it ‘murky’), I did my speed session with NRC. Very enjoyable: after a warmup, 10x 2-minute intervals at my 5k pace. I doubt very much I could sustain the pace I did for 5k - which is presumably a ‘5k pace’ - but I amazed myself at the averages I managed during the session. My VO2max has reached a level it’s never known before. nowster needs to watch out!!! 😂 (OK, perhaps not.) Coach Blue encouraged me with ‘Gimme your 5k pace, baby-yyy!’ (he’s in LA), ‘Run with strength! Run with joy!’ (reminding me of GTFC ’s fab post on the Marathon forum yesterday) and ‘You’re incredible!’ Those words certainly did the trick!
This run now segues me back into the NRC HM plan, which I’d been questing towards. Having reached my target of 10 miles, I just need to decide if I should continue onwards to HM. It’s not too urgent a decision as (1) It’ll take me a fortnight to move through each week of the plan, (2) The plan hovers at 16k for a while and then backs-off on most of the long-run distances. I hadn’t realised that, because I’d only focused on the plan up to 10 miles.
I also did two yoga sessions: one strength oriented, the other breathing/meditation. And more of those tooth-brushing strength sessions.
Ah, That’s so lovely. Thank you, buzzards ! +You will get there! Enjoy the journey. 👍Running for just a few minutes was once a dream. It’s hard to believe how my ability has grown. Still have to pinch myself sometimes.
93km! You're really nailing RED January! I like the way you vary the distances. 👍
Oh dear, confession time Ian. I’m sorry 😣. Things have been a bit mixed this week, with no yoga 🧘🏼♀️ 😱 at all, but I HAVE restarted on The 10k Magic Plan, so I’m not sure where that leaves me….? Sorely lacking in the yoga department I suspect. I’m committed to the running plan as I have a 10k in March target to reach 🎯. Therefore I also need to get my bahookie in gear and get it on that yoga mat next week!!
in reply to
No confession needed Hidden you've been out and running, the yogas still there 👍
Hi Ian, still smashing my low achieving month 😂 My pre Christmas gloom has dissipated and I'm on track for getting back to 3 runs a week, not just one, hooray for achievable targets.I've now run 20.13 km of my 25.38 km target. If everything goes to plan I'll reach that by Wednesday.
I'm playing with the Nike Training Club workouts, doing them reasonably often on non running days
All being well I'm off to Russia again next weekend. The weather there is pretty similar to the UK at the moment, a few degrees above zero but the ground is sandy rather than clay so should be less messy than here. Also, I'll have plenty of time to contemplate next month's Challenge....
Hello Ian (and fellow questers). Hope you're well. Glad you managed to fit in 2 runs this week into your busy schedule. I like the photo of your plucky robin! I'm more or less on track again:1) yes- have completed week 3 of Amy's Garmin Coach 10k plan
2)yes - run 3 times a week - have actually run 4
3) yes - cross train twice a week - have done 2 YWA sessions and one strength training session
4) almost - run 2 parkruns and volunteer at 1 - offered to volunteer last week but wasn't needed in the end - does that still count?! Still on track to run 2 parkruns this month
5) yes - warm up longer than usual before each run in the cold weather
6) almost - run my easy runs 80% in HRZ 1 and 2. Have managed to keep in HRZ 1 & 2 on average 70% of the time. Am beginning to enjoy running at this lighter pace whilst building up my aerobic base. The important thing for me is that I still feel good after each run thanks to all those endorphins! Time doesn't matter to me right now. It might be a different story when I eventually do a parkrun and have to continue running at a slow pace to keep my heart rate down.
Can I ask how you manage to keep your runs in Zones 1 and 2? When I start off my HR almost immediately goes up to around 130 bpm which is already zone 4. This is at a pace of around 9-10 minutes per km. As soon as I speed up a bit it goes up around the 140 mark but it's not too difficult to keep it at around this level. When my HR is 130 I feel very relaxed, can chat, not much perceived effort. At 140 I'm still able to speak and am not breathless. It starts feeling difficult if it goes above 150 which I don't allow very often.I don't take what my Garmin tells me as gospel, and I know that the zones are an approximation but even a brisk walk will put me into zones 2 and 3, or 3 and 4 if I've just drunk a lot of coffee. Maybe I should ignore the numbers!!
It sounds like you (and GailXrunning ) need to adjust your max HR on your watch to match your HR after a 5k race or parkrun. That will then adjust the zones to something more realistic.
Prompted by Dexy5 I’ve gone back to the drawing board. I used several months of runs to research my MHR and adjusted my watch again. It was a difference of only 4 on the figure I’d calculated before (when I’d used the Norwegian /CERG method for determining MHR); the recalibrations weren’t that significant but were shifting the right direction. However, I noticed also had the option to use the HRR Heart Rate Reserve method (MHR minus Resting HR). I have a low RHR. This recalibration looks much, much better. Now I’d say the HR zones tally closely with my perception of efforts.
Sorry for the late reply @Oldbadknees. For some reason your message ended up in my spam folder. By the looks of things my HRZ 2 is slightly higher than yours. I calculated my HRZs using my heart rate reserve number. I rely on my garmin watch to announce what heart rate zones I am running in. If it shoots upto to HRZ 3 then I try and slow down by jogging even more slowly, taking very short steps, trying to breathe deeply in through my nose, out through my mouth. I try not to power my arms too much as that can make me speed up too. Some say that if you are unable to lower your heart rate by jogging slowly then you should resort to walking. I myself do feel comfortable in HRZ 3 but they don't recommend this. To build up your aerobic base they say you should spend 80% of your training doing easy runs in HRZ 1 and 2.
Thanks for this J22, I'm certain that Garmin's estimation of my HR zones is way out. Even an easy, normal walk will put me into zones 1 and 2, a brisk walk into 2 and 3. My zone 4 is supposedly 126-140 bpm but 130 bpm feels pretty effortless. If I go above 140 I know I'm working but I would have thought that this would feel closer to flat out. Above 150 it feels hard but I don't get breathless. I hit 170+ the other day going as fast as I could, thought I was going to burst, I'm happy to accept that that qualified as zone 5 😂
Maybe try calculating your heart rate zones using you heart rate reserve number and then reprogramming your garmin watch so(Heart rate reserve = maximum heart rate less resting heart rate)
Max heart rate less resting heart rate (HRR) x 50 + resting heart rate = low HRZ1
100
Max heart rate less resting heart rate (HRR) x 60 + resting heart rate = upper HRZ1
100
For example let's say your resting heart rate is 55 bpm and your maximum heart rate is 170 bpm (although if you've already reached 170 bpm it might be higher than this)
My quest is to run three times and managed it and feel after Christmas indulgence I’m back in the zone! I like to take my 5-year-old border colour on most runs but on Tuesday I did the fartlek run on NRC without her and I managed to complete it without walking result! Best run though was yesterday’s 10k along the frozen canal - first one for about a month! I took Lily with me - drove to a spot and then simply ran there and back on the canal - no need to stop for any reason, no excuses and Lilly off lead all the way! Very slow but after a busy hard work week it was just the fix I needed! Pic of Lilly next to a robin- just about make the bird out - on a walk earlier this week
Ooh another week complete; where does the time go? Last week I only managed 2 runs. The first, very damp and windy parkrun in Southsea, followed by breakfast and a spell of token sorting at home in the warm. Then a lovely easy pace 7k run with Coach Bennett NRC in the mist. I discovered this is my longest run since November and enjoyed the easy running pace interspersed with a few short bursts of fast running. This was meant to be followed by a run in the sun on Thursday but that got cancelled by an unexpected visit to the optician, where I had drops to dilate my pupils. That was it , no driving , no running. Back to the couch!
I managed 5 of my 7 sessions of Yoga with Adriene, by doing 2 on 1 day and I’m really enjoying them, even though challenging.
Too right lmc50. It turned out I’d had a silent migraine or a migraine aura, which I’d never even heard of before. A bit scary first time round but I’ve been reassured that it was probably due to overtiredness.
Definitely, from a bespectacled point of view our eyes take such a battering every day, they're constantly working and well we've gotta look after them 👍
Ha-ha: " no medals issued for fancy pirouettes or somersaults" -- that's a good one! Since I can't run due to my circumstances these days, I continue with what I CAN do--which amounts to muscle exercises. I have kept to my goals with regard to those thanks to the Quest and being responsible for reporting! The bird is lovely! What is it called?
Only managed the scheduled hill repeats of my plan this week - grandsprocket care took up a huge chunk of my time - but I have done a LOT of walking and did get out for a gentle Canicross run on Friday afternoon.
I have the same amount of grandsprocket care to do this week, but I’m going to miss a bootcamp session tomorrow and run home instead of walk.
An up and down week for me but I have made progress with my Quest which both pleases me and supports me in dealing with everything else.First and foremost to report - a run with my new headphones! Hooray, hooray! I was shocked when I got back to realise that it was two months since I'd last run - the longest gap I have had in 10 years. I was so pleased to achieve the run - I even thought for a while I might manage a second in the week. Had some running around to do for self-isolaters and my car locked me out. I was part togged up to run (bar a big jumper over the top and not yet changed into running shoes) and instead had to sit around outside whilst my son was got out of bed to walk to me with spare keys (our other car having been smashed up by a driver who fell foul of the snow last week) So I didn't run that day.
Anyway, it was glorious to be out running again, the bone conduction headphones fit the bill so I can still hear everything else. Right now it is good to have a podcast to listen to as I run. It wasn't a struggle to get the 30 minutes in.
The '30 types' dietary target over the week was met again. No bath or yoga yet, so I'll have to keep an eye on that now we are half way through the month.
Totally unsurprising but dispiriting news late on Friday evening after an anxious wait to the time that had been specified for me to receive it by, and then another anxious wait after that. Much unpleasant administrative work will now be required of me, the stress of being polite to people who do not deserve politeness and trying to accommodate them (ditto) I can see that I shall need to organise myself definite times to pursue my personal wellbeing or it will get squeezed out. The Quests are so useful!
Hectic is an understatement there GoogleMe , I glad the quest is helping 👍, and whoop whoop you found a run after a lay off that's a BIGGY well done you 👍👏👏👏👏👏🌟
I'm smashing every second day runs so far. 🏃♀️ Had a not so great run in the weekend, I wasn't even running fast. I blame skipping dinner a night before. With Jan Quest energy and a good dinner I shall have better runs this week 😤
Great stuff there R2Bears remember that meal, we need our running fuel, but, yep you're smashing it for sure 💪💪🌟👏
I have only run 1 time since mid December. The plan was to try and run 3 times a week again, but I haven't. Either I was feeling really not into running or I was just feeling bad. Tired from work or like this weekend and today: migraine happening. I guess my winter down is still going on... My quest is: trying to kick my ass on the treadmill and run!
in reply to
Ohhhhh Evy you're feeling it, it's that winter YAKKY-NESS it's horrid, go easy on the treadmill, perhaps a little Walk/Run sorta thing! You'll get that springtime mojo back !! Running hugs coming at ya
in reply to
I indeed am going to do a run / walk thingy, a bit like C25K but the Flemish edition, haha. But first my migraine has to take a holiday!
Hi,I’ve re-started C25K as was the plan. I’ve done 4 runs.
I’ve taken the dog each time as was the plan &apart from last time when every distraction possible for her was there, we’ve done quite well.keep forgetting to do the knee exercises though which isn’t good. Must remember them don’t want any more knee problems 🏃♀️🐕
Hi Imc50 and fellow questers 👋My quest to run 50k in Jan is plodding along nicely. I’ve just come back from a deliciously slow and steady 5 miler which began in the late sunny afternoon, continued through sunset and finished at dusk with the most beautiful big moon shining down 🙄😊. All in all it was such an enjoyable run 😊
That takes me to 30.78k so far with plenty of time left to get there by the end of the month 😊
Ohhhhhhhhhh that W word it's sooooo restricting Bev, it just gets in the way, but hey you're out there as still running, so that says to me you're still a quester 💪 go on gal keep those legs turning 👍
Late again 😂😂 I have still been running although persistent sub zero temperatures meaning slippery pavements have been causing motivational problems for me as early pre breakfast runs are my favourite time to be out. But I've forced my self out for pre lunch runs instead. YWA 🧘♀️ is going well apart from the odd knee twinge but I'm adaptive positions to ease the pressure. Plus her Sunday session" Reset" actually gave me the kick up the backside I needed to get my trainers on😂
Just remembered to check in. Everyone is dong so well despite the cold weather!I have been keeping up with my daily YWA (Or doing 2 to catch up when necessary) but have not done a Joe Wicks session this last week. Being a grandma is taking up much of my time, in the most delicious and enjoyable way.... busy knitting for him too, in between visits.
Not worrying because these are the best days and running will be there when I have more time.
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Jump into Summer Quest week 3 - Feel free to join 
May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favour - Quest Week 3
