Welcome to week 2 of the Quest! How’s it gone for you?
This week has been quite a nice one for me. I’ve been experimenting with some different kinds of runs again now I’m totally back to normal after the fall. “Sprintervals” on NRC was a hideous ball of fun. Nothing like belting along a lane to make you feel utterly elated and nothing like discovering your app thinks you did it more slowly than you walk to bring on the irrational rage. After a toddler style mini tantrum about what was the point in even doing it if it wasn’t on my stats, I had strong words with myself and reminded myself that regardless of what my phone thought, my legs had in fact done the run!! Anyone else occasionally fall into tech obsession? I’m much better now than during c25k but it sometimes comes back!
My official Quest is to keep up with my HM plan ready for April’s race day. That’s a sort of tick. I missed the long run through life circumstances but have a week in hand so I’m considering last week a much needed cut back week. Faster run-definitely tick! As for spending quality time with Coach B? One of my favourites came around. “Breaking down barriers” is a fantastic recovery (easy, conversational paced) run thinking about how we view successes and failures as we attempt to push past our barriers. I’d highly recommend it if you a NRC user. Stretching has happened, yoga not yet so that’s one I’ll really try for next week.
Hope it’s been a good week for you all. Looking forward to hearing your updates!
It’s not too late to join in with the quest if you’d like to. Here’s the post with how it all works…
Just got back from a week away having accidentally left the suitcase with my running gear at home. Woke up feeling full of beans but one look out of the window put paid to that - couldn't even see the river which is only 100 yards away plus sub zero temperature, not a good combination given I'm still not quite over my cold.Once the weather clears I've got a lot of catching up to do!
Oh my goodness! Events certainly conspired to keep you away from the runs this week. Maybe some enforced extra recovery time will have been good? Really hope this week is a more straightforward one for you!!
Nothing wrong with a bit of downtime but it's starting to get a bit annoying! On the upside though, I had to buy 10 new pairs of pants and 4 tshirts (can't wait to wear some clean ones 😂)
Well done on the HM plan, nothing like quality time with Coach B is there? Have you seen his blog? Latest is coach3s23a.substack.com/p/i...
I think there's a choice of reading or listening if you haven't already had enough of his dulcet tones
You don't need to apologise for anything MissUnderstanding, lovely photo of the snowdrops, I saw the first snowdrops of spring when I was out on Sunday on a 9K walk. Well done on your Quest to run your HM in April, good luck,
This morning I ran my 139th (not) parkrun in the best(not) parkrun time since October last year of 33.54, I was hoping to get a sub 35 minute 5K but getting a sub 34 one made my day. 😊 🏃🏾
Congratulations on that (not)parkrun. Absolutely super time-I bet you were grinning for miles! Great you’ve spotted snowdrops too. They’re such lovely flowers.
Gorgeous photo. We've a few appearing in our garden and hanging onto the glimmer that Spring is edging nearer.
My quest is going well. Up to W6R2 (yesterday) on the dreadmill. Aiming to transition to the roads but I need to find somewhere flat as the hills are the issue with my knee. I could go to the local running track but it fills me with boredom running in circles 🤪 so may have to rethink W6R3 location...
I've worked hard on my strengthening exercises that the physio has prescribed -should have been seeing him tomorrow but had to reschedule till March as work has got busy.
I've also done some more rowing (I know that wasn't on my quest last week but I've been dipping in occasionally which has been fun to do).
Sounds like an excellent week of questing! Treadmills definitely have their benefits but I can understand why you’re wanting to get outside. Your description of going round and round in circles on the track made me smile-I’m sure that’s how I’d feel about it too! Good luck with finding a suitable location. We’ve got loads of hills round here and if I want flat, I’ve got to drive to the canal or an old railway track. It feels a bit wrong getting in a car to go running but sometimes that’s what you’ve got to do. I’m sure those physio exercises will be doing you the world of good. Nice to get a bit of rowing in too! That’s one thing I miss from my gym membership.
Like MissU, I have to drive to run anywhere flat. Lockdown forced me to run along the main road…undulating would be a kind word to use 😂 I was also forced to tackle some local hills if I didn’t want to keep running out and back…almost as bad as track running I think 😉
We moved during lockdown 2020 to a house that is on top of a hill 😩 - so going from my lovely semi-flat routes and a short drive to the coast to hills everywhere and a much longer drive to the coast 😐 (I must admit I never considered all of this when we moved house!)
One day I might learn to love them but at the moment they are my enemy 😂
My goodness. That’s a graph and a half! You have my sympathies! I’ve had similar this morning. Didn’t plan m properly and ended up with 4km of unrelenting ascent halfway through my long run. I’d have kicked myself if my legs had it in them!!! All power to you for making it round that run!
It’s tough! Hopefully you’ll find some routes that give you a bit of respite, or at least some hills that are nicer to run up than others. I’ve now got a couple I actually enjoy running up but still a few that I don’t particularly look forward to approaching!
Having completed RED January I wondered if (unlike last year) I could continue on and see how far I can keep it going.
So I've been running a mixture of distances. I'd finished January (ie. last Tuesday) with a Half Marathon distance, so kept things light for the days that followed: Wed 2.25km, Thu 2 miles, Fri 2.25km, Sat parkrun, Sun 2.25km.
And this week I've been extending a little: Monday 5km, Tuesday 10km.
I've no set plan, apart from parkruns on Saturday mornings and possibly a long run on the Sunday if time permits. My only target is to run for a minimum of ten minutes each day.
And the snowdrops are showing here too (see photo on yesterday's run write-up).
I enjoyed your RED January and it’s great you’ve decided it was enjoyable enough to carry on. Looking forward to the run reports as ever! Glad you’ve also seen snowdrops. They’re one of my favourite flowers. Your photo is lovely!
Ten minute runs are underrated and so it not having a plan and just running for the love of it! Enjoy your month of questing!
Lovely photo, with a crisp blue sky in the background too!
Totally agree on the tech obsession. I always have to remind myself that what counts is the real effort, not the numbers on the watch. I've been listening to a lot of Coach Bennett as well it seems!
My quest is going well, 3x a week, 4 - 6K, nothing too serious, just happily hugging along waiting for spring when I hope to use the longer daylight hours to set some more ambitious goals.
Until then however I'm working on the basis of "winter miles, summer smiles".
It was such a beautiful day. Those are my favourite kinds of days-cold and bright (as long as there’s no ice!).
Great week of questing for you-running regularly is such a great place to be. I’m absolutely stealing your “winter miles, summer smiles” motto! I LOVE that! ❤️
How lovely to see snowdrops, I haven't seen real ones yet this year, I suspect the wild garlic in the garden has smothered them, I keep digging it out and it keeps growing back. That mini temper tantrum is so satisfying though isn't it?
My quest this week is do something after work, Willow gets the lecture as I go out the door in the morning, be encouraging, it takes something to walk in the door from a busy day and straight out again for a walk or shopping. Managed it so far this week, walk Monday shopping Tuesday, Wednesday day off 😃
I'm sure there's snowdrops in lots of places locally, I need a run or walk round the streets, did a longer than usual dog walk last night and tired this morning, I've got a surprise extra day off today, text from boss yesterday evening said if I'll do that I can have Thursday and Sunday off, most puzzled I am but happy. Counting down the days to every day being a day off lol
Hi MissUnderstanding, a great post and a great reference to tech. It can be frustrating but I wonder whether it's one of the motivators that actually keeps us engaging and maybe even gets people into the running thing in the first place. Strava certainly got me going as it's a wonderful way of 'diarying' what you do and then the recording of the metrics draws you in to consider how you are going. And without the C25K app and Jo Whiley .....Strava started with accumulating distance through walks, then distance and time on bikes, planning routes and challenges, and now post stroke running for me. And with the advent of the smartwatch calling out my kilometres, I find it a real help in making decisions especially on unplanned runs. I could run a standard route without it, but if I'm seeking improvement, without it I'd need a partner/coach with me.
So today, like you I did my first interval run with a focus on speed, because ....... Earlier this week I completed my February quest with my first 10k run. Unplanned for the day , but I knew I felt good going out. My tracking alert was set and my wife advised I might be a bit longer than .... I achieved two objectives: to run under 90 minutes, and to achieve even splits finishing as strongly as I started.
I reckon social media and the associated tech has helped my motivation no end. I'm not sure I would or could have achieved this milestone without it. So now consolidate and a quest for just a tad more speed.
Congratulations again on that 10k! It’s such a milestone. Don’t forget about all the runs that led up to it though-it’s your dedication to running over a long time that’s got you there. Something to be very proud of.
Interval and even pace are a big challenge for me. I’m still pretty new to those sort of runs and the thing I find hardest is not going off like a rocket at the start and totally burning out by the end! Great job!
Forgot about tech! I think you’re absolutely right-it can be really motivating for some people. I guess part of it is how you use it and whether you beat yourself up with the information it give you or you feel down comparing yourself to others. I know myself well enough that if I was on Strava following my wonderful friend who is an experienced runner, I’d feel bad that I wasn’t running 5k in a much quicker time, or I was only logging half her weekly mileage. I would feel nervous about posting slow runs, even though I’d intended then to be slow and chilled when I set out! Even now, I’ve got to work hard not to check my watch to see how fast I’m going and speed up on runs where I’m actually aiming to be taking it steadily! On speed runs, I love it though and it really does help me to see progress.
I know many, many people love all the tech and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I just find I’ve got to be a bit careful with how much attention I pay to it so I don’t lose the joy of running. It’s brilliant that we’re all different and there are so many great ways to run and kit to help us if we want it!
Absolutely! But just starting out on this running journey my data says I'm still getting younger!😂I think I shared an observation that a runner finished 2nd in our local Parkrun and went through muttering rubbish. Not the spirit of parkrun at all, I muttered a run's a run!
Last week, on my tourist parkrun, a guy in the 80 -84 age range went through in close to 25 minutes! He was a 250+ veteran and his PB was better still, OF COURSE!
I'm not sure what my personal best time might be, I'm still getting younger, 36 something would be great but I'm content with anytime I get, it's a run not a race.
When I run , I pass many older people out walking sometimes with dogs, some with a stick, some sprightly, one lady uses a Zimmer and it's uphill. There may come a time when I cannot run, but hopefully I've extended the time I can walk. And of course as OF I believe pointed out, there is Active10.
There may be something in the personality of the glass half empty, that craves the negative feedback of data to beat themselves up and setting unrealistic targets. Who knows! Berne might have called it 'wooden leg'.
As you say, look somewhere else for inspiration or to measure yourself by.
This week the best feedback I got from my 10k achievement was from a guy I follow (initially because he cycled a route in Scotland on my bucket list before my stroke) who is tracking his days on Strava from starting running at the beginning of lockdown. He works full time, travels the country for work, runs up to 200kms a week training, 10 before his volunteer PR duty, and is training for his second 200mileUltra The Wild Horse. He started his journey with the ambition of running a marathon. Now he's nuts but I think he knows it, but he also spends time encouraging people including me! He with IannodaTruffe has been my inspiration, not because I want to be in their shoes, but because I want to be the best I can be, all things considered.
It is definitely very challenging for some people, I have many things going for me, not least being retired. But on this health journey it is all about simple achievable placing of one foot in front of the other, and I'm sure for some that is literal, and could have been me (the blue light met it's 18 minute target just) , might still be me, but not if I can help it.
For me a simple message to anyone on a Health Platform. Better to gauge and measure how well you are in spite of,😁 not how unwell you are🥵, all things considered.
I loved your title and the photo 😊Oh tech problems are really annoying so I be totally get your mini tantrum. During January my watch kept dying part way through a run, it must have happened at least 5 times. Not sure if it was partly because I was using it more to track my yoga practice or it was something to do with the cold weather or a combination.... Anyway I'm glad to hear you are fully fit and back on track, you've probably told us already but where is your race in April?
My quest has been good this first week -
* Two lots of physio exercises done
*YWA daily so far plus 2 Pilates classes. I'm really enjoying the yoga now I've got into the routine of heading too my mat after the morning dog walk. Next week's Pilates class is called Planktastic?! Hopefully all the yoga will have helped 🤞
* No 10k run as yet but there's still lots of February left to get that one done
Argh, watch dying sounds like a right pain. It’s one thing to decide to do a tech free run but quite another to have it forced upon you! I hope you had words and it sorted itself out!!!
The half I’m doing is April 2nd in the Forest of Dean. I’m really excited about it. Because it’s trail, the pressure (from me on myself!) is off to beat my Bath time and I’ve heard it’s a really lovely event. I like having a focus in the diary and I’m really enjoying training again. It’s so nice this time knowing I’ve done the distance before and one way or another, I’ll make it round. Today will be a nice, chilled out short run and hopefully long run day tomorrow.
I love your titles! Quest-wise I’m doing ok, but there is room for improvement! 🤣🤣🤣
So in short:
☑️ RUNNING: finished come-back plan
🔲 start NRC 10k plan (will do after a few more runs)
☑️ ROWING: Started my revisit of RowAlong 30x30 and I am on day 6/30
🔲 ACTIVE10: I have increased the days I walk but am nowhere near what other people walk. And I still want to walk more. But my active rings tell me I’m doing ok. (See pic) I just missed my step goal (red) on one of the days. But I did do a workout on that day (green dots).
Fantastic! I haven’t see rings like that before-is it an Apple Watch thing? Very smart!
I was surprised that when I started running my average steps went down. Apparently it’s a thing that runners move less than non runners when they’re not running (that sounds like a tongue twister or a logic problem!). I was walking miles every day during lockdown and usually did over 15000 steps a day. I’m much less than that now unless it’s a long run day.
Great week of questing. I feel you deserve to be able to start that 10k plan after putting together all the links for it! Hopefully it won’t be too long before you’re able to start. You’ve always been great at being sensible and not rushing things so I’m sure you’ll be really well prepared when the time is right,
It’s an Apple IPhone thing, which does not have as many colourful rings as the Applewatch. But it’ll do.
Yes, as long as I am running and rowing regularly, I’m struggling to find time and energy to squeeze in another walk to the length required in most step goals . So I’m actually really relieved to read that this is a normal thing.
I’m still rubbish on steps…especially as recorded on phone!
For example yesterday, I reached 10,071 steps on Fitbit…❤️app recorded 6,102…so 🤷🏻♀️
I hate it when I get a notification telling me I’ve nearly completed “my ring”…but I have no idea how to…and it doesn’t talk to my Fitbit, so my home workouts aren’t counted…or my walks actually…just realised it only talks to NRC 🤷🏻♀️
how annoying! Yeah, but if you have Fitbit working, that’s probably enough.
I do tend to waste time fiddling with the tech a lot. It’s not a good thing, although I have now Apple Fitness talking to Runkeeper talking to Conqueror talking to Strava talking to Rower App. 💬💬💬💬💬
Apart from yoga sessions, every other workout get’s automatically uploaded to the right apps.
Not late-perfectly timed! I’m so glad that you’re back out with Coach B again, even if that does mean I have to share him! He has such wise words for all of us at every stage of our running journey. I’m taking him out for an easy run at some point today.
This spring seems like a real revival for us ailing admins with me, you and Instructor57 all returning from illness and injury. It has lifted my mood no end!
Love seeing the bulbs pop up at this time of year. I’ve got a few in my garden along with irises and crocus 😊
I ran my first post covid run on Monday. I managed to get out after work to run a 5k in the last rays of the sun before sunset. I finished just as the pink of the sunset tinged the clouds. It was just glorious.
The run was fine. It was hard work at the beginning, mainly due to my calves and Achilles heals feeling achy, but they were fine when I loosened up and my breathing was fine. So all good 👍🏻. I haven’t been out since as I’ve been working extra hours and days again this week to make up the time I had off sick. Thankfully today I’m now quits. Phew!
So once again, my quest continues to get back to 10k by the end of the month 🤞🤞
Really glad you’re back out there again! That first run back is often a toughie. I love that sun setting time of day for a run-you picked a great time to go! You’ve got that under your belt now-hopefully over the next ones you’ll feel you’re back in your stride. Take it steady and be ready to take extra rest days if you find you need them. Happy questing right back at you! 🏃♀️❤️🏃♀️
Good morning MU. Apologies for the late quest plan. So here is my quest.
It’s Snow different than any other one I’ve done….sorry about the Snow drop pun😂😂.
I intend to carry on running as much as I can, 3 to 5 days a week ( hopefully without any unforeseen issues) .Increase my distance . And just enjoy everything about this fabulous forum!✅😂😂😂
Keep up the great work you guys do👏👏👏👏
oh yes! almost forgot…..start seriously training for 10k taking place in May.
Hi Lottie . It’s the Hereford running festival called Run Hereford organised by St Michael’s Hospice Hereford. They have a HM ,10k, 5K. The year before Lockdown there was also a Marathon in the mix too.😂😂
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February Quest - 3rd Week on the Quest
DAZZLING DECEMBER QUEST WEEK 2!!! 🌟✨💫🌟