The May Quest Week 5: Greetings and welcome... - Bridge to 10K

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The May Quest Week 5

nowsterGraduate10•

3 years ago•16 Replies

Greetings and welcome, fellow runners. This is the final week of the May Quest.

Ne’er cast a clout ’til May be out.

Hopefully things continue to go to plan. If you’d like a reminder, here are the previous weeks’ posts:

Week 1: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

Week 2: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

Week 3: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

Week 4: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

You can no longer reply to the previous weeks’ posts.

Latecomers are welcome even at this very late stage. If you’re just joining us, here’s what it’s all about.

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.

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.

A very busy week for me with no overarching plan. A 10km that got shortened to 6.7km on Sunday morning due to a sudden “urgency”. For mainly weather reasons all my weekday runs were done after work: 10km Monday, 2 miles Tuesday, 10km Wednesday and 5km on Thursday. A walk on Friday morning and parkrun yesterday. In amongst all of that has been preparation work for the concert performances on Friday and Saturday evenings. And then dismantling everything after. I’ll shortly be going out for my long run.

And then the chaos begins again. On Monday evening my sister and her husband will arrive, ahead of us going to see Queen (the group) perform in their two years delayed possibly final tour. Got to get everything ready. Also I’ve been instructed to take brother-in-law on a long walk on Tuesday (and maybe Wednesday) morning. He might regret that.

How’s it been going for you? Has what you planned been achievable, did you plan to do too much, or has chaos reigned free?

Tell us all in a reply to this post.

And would you please give a big cheer to cheekychipmunks who will be leading the June Quest.

Happy running!

nowster and the Bridge to 10K Team

Written by

nowster

Graduate10

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16 Replies

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CBDBGraduate103 years ago

Busy week for you, both work-wise and family/socials, it seems!

And I’m in awe seeing you managing to run daily.

Heavy week for me at work, as well, so I have managed to squeeze in only one run yesterday! (but I do top running up with almost daily indoor rows)

So how are my quests young?

Running: continue in my Zombie, Run C25k journey. Aim to complete it by June, and I'm on track. I did week 7 run 2 yesterday, and that run felt strong!

S&F: I finished the 30-day James Dunne challenge and have integrated his running drills into my runs. I assume both linger recovery between runs and the James Dunne exercises make my runs feel stronger than usual.

Rowing: on week 5, row 2 of an 8-week 10k plan, so I have passed the Bon Jovi point! (halfway)

Nordic Walking: I have now had my second and last advanced Nordic Walking training. And I do like it, but it is certainly a whole-body workout!

So all on track.

It was really great to have the quest hosted by yourself! Thank you!

And I am looking forward to questing with @cheekychipmunks!

nowsterGraduate10• in reply toCBDB3 years ago

The trick to running daily (once you've been regularly running for many months) is to vary the distances a lot. Just ten minutes can be enough some days. And I've decided I'm too tired for a long run today. I'm now planning a walk instead.

GailXrunning3 years ago

You are fitting such a lot into your week… and hosting our Quest. (Double thanks for keeping us accountable!) No wonder you posted one of your runs two days late.

I hope everyone is doing well. Here we are, the end of May already. It’s gone by so fast. The little meadow in our park has, over the course of the month, grown from lawn length to thigh-high… and in the past week alone from a solitary poppy to a full display.

I ran 3 times this week. The first was 4.5k and incorporated drills that made it into a modest tempo/interval session. This was also my final step of the James Dunne 30-Day Challenge (another of my May quests). The second run was a 10k, the second of the month. I’m still feeling the effects of the lay-off on IC: my fitness isn’t what it was in February. On the plus, the Challenge had taught me a few helpful techniques, and overall I enjoyed the outing. The injury area copes well with running, I just felt a mild ache deep in my ankle the day following. Today was run number 3: a very easy recovery of 4.7k. According to Garmin, I was still recovering from the 10k, so I really slowed (so much that M was way, way ahead - a rarity) and (another rarity) I kept my HR in zone 2. Now I think I grasp how ‘easy’ an easy run needs to be. By using JD’s tips again, I made this joggle feel uplifting rather than plodding. Success!

Poppies in wild flower meadow

FreecloudGraduate103 years ago

I was a bit stiff and sore after last Saturday's half marathon so didn't really want to do long runs. I read WillowandSolas post about intervals and thought that was exactly what I was looking for, so I did the first speed run and the next speed run from nrc on Wednesday and Friday, followed by an easy 4k run on Wednesday and a 5k on Friday.

I then had 2 nights of very poor sleep due to stupid things keeping me awake. I was awake this morning before 6, half trying to sleep whilst also debating to give up and get my Sunday run out of the way. I decided to get up did all the usual stuff and got ready to go out for a 10k as I have 2 10k run events and a 10 miler coming up soon. I won't can them races and would rather call them running events that I like taking part in...

I probably should have done an easy run but I'd done a good few of them recently so decided to try for a pb even though I was fairly wrecked due to the lack of sleep. I put on nrc 10k race guide, set watch for 10k distance and did a bit of a jog and walk up the hill, pressed all the buttons and started off. I did want to stop a few times but kept in telling myself that I'd regret it. I was also spurred on by the coach (Bennett I think) and was actually shouting to myself giving me encouragement when he said to do so. I was regularly checking my watch to make sure I was on track trying to speed up when I fell behind, which happened a good few times running uphill.

I knew that I would run out of decent roads towards the end so decided to run around the local track for the last 2k, which was a bad move as it's a gravel track and I found it to be quite slippery. I tried to speed up to compensate, but I was too tired and got out of there after one small lap deciding to run toward the main road and into the housing estate. I'm not really comfortable with local people seeing me run but decided I had no other option if I wanted to finish and achieve my target. However, I had also lost a fair bit of time and had nothing left in the tank to go faster and immediately slowed and pressed stop in my watch when it vibrated for 10k. I still had a small bit to run according to nrc as it kept on pausing and continuing the run whilst in my pocket somehow, which I found annoying. I did check the phone once to see if the screen was on which it wasn't. Anyway, I walked for that bit until I heard the all to American congrats spiel and then sat on a small wall at a bridge going over the Grange river to rest for a bit before doing a small walk back home.

To conclude (yay you say), I managed a pb of 51:48 in Strava, but strangely Garmin didn't agree, I checked later and it recorded that I had previously run a 51.48 on the 27th of March earlier in the year. I'm sure I kept on stopping to rest that day pausing my watch as I did so.

I think I'll do 2 intervals during the week before the local Maugherow 10k on Saturday.

nowsterGraduate10• in reply toFreecloud3 years ago

Well done! You're getting fast. (Faster than me, at least.)

I did a couple of walks this morning as I was totally shattered from the three days of madness.

FreecloudGraduate10• in reply tonowster3 years ago

Oh, as for being faster than you probably. But I seriously doubt it if we were in equal footwear. Of course we would need time to get used to eachothers type, but if you wore the new fangled Nike % (I don't have these btw) they would feel so springy for you that you think you would be "Able to leap into the air an eighth of a mile in a single bound, hurdle a twenty story building with ease, race a high powered bullet to its target!" 😂

nowsterGraduate10• in reply toFreecloud3 years ago

...but only if I can change in a phone booth. 🦸

FreecloudGraduate10• in reply tonowster3 years ago

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's the nowster!!

Btw, what symbol would you have at the front of your costume? Would it be a bell?

nowsterGraduate10• in reply toFreecloud3 years ago

Whatever are you talking about? 🤣

The artwork of the Nowster Bell.

FreecloudGraduate10• in reply tonowster3 years ago

🤣🤣🤣 Ding Dong!!

CBDBGraduate10• in reply toFreecloud3 years ago

🤣🤣🤣 (just listening in and giggling)

FreecloudGraduate103 years ago

Is say you were knackered, you had a fair bit on!

YesletsgoAdministratorGraduate103 years ago

You sound busy, nowster all that stuff and the running!My Quest has been overall pretty good this month.

Although I only did 2 runs last week I somehow managed to do 14 runs this month, so I think that more or less ticks the 'run 3 times a week' box.

I'm still on the beetroot, once or twice a day, no ill effects and I seem to have a whole lot more energy. I've taken to having a shot of beetroot juice morning and/or evening rather than having to wolf down beetroot salad with every meal, it's a bit more convenient. I got a PB at Parkrun on 21st May and my second best time last Saturday so maybe it actually is having a positive effect.

The doing a strength/yoga/core workout once a week hasn't happened. I only did one workout all month. Oops. Something for next month maybe.

The 60km this month is done and dusted, I actually managed 61.89 km in total so I'm quite please about that one.

And finally, the 10km run...well, I achieved 90% of that today with a 9km. I'm so nearly there just gotta push a little bit harder

Here's to next month

CBDBGraduate10• in reply toYesletsgo3 years ago

Here’s to beetroots! ( we have it at least once a week but must up my intake! Summer is a great time for eating these fresh, cool earthy things with juice, I think! )

SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate3 years ago

What a busy life! my quest as usual is to keep running and increasing distance

OldflossAdministratorGraduate103 years ago

I'm running...not as much as I have previously. Plenty of strength and stamina work... and Yoga as and when ! But I am relaxed, trying a few new ideas and enjoying every step. I am okay with that.

cheekychipmunks We are all here and raring to go x