Morning everyone and welcome to week 3 of this month’s quest! How’s it gone for you?
It’s been a week for two halves here. Another longest run since October. That seems to be a weekly occurrence at the moment because the HM plan is ramping up the distance. 15k this time. Half with MrU who did his own longest run for ages (literally decades for him!) and the rest with Coach B. A great combination! There were some serious gremlins at the start for no good reason. Isn’t it weird when that happens? Luckily once I got going, they got bored and left me alone.
There have been some nice recovery runs-the Suckcess one is a lovely one on NRC and a mood boosting twenty minute run in the sunshine. Then the traditional half term cold struck and I’ve felt distinctly sub par. I ditched the speed run for a couple of long walks which I think was a good decision. The photo is from yesterday’s walk around the woods. Always like spotting a mushroom! Hopefully I’ll be back on track in a day or two. I’m not worried yet-I’m still counting myself as on track with the plan to get me back to HM distance. I think after this week’s run, I’m pretty confident I could do it now if I needed to with a bit of jeffing which is a great position to be in.
So what have you all been up to this week? I’m really looking forward to your updates!
It’s still not too late to join in with the quest if you’d like to. Here’s the post with how it all works…
Sometimes just getting out and running is enough of a goal in itself. As somebody who knows what they’re talking about just said on another thread…”as long as we continue to do the runs that give us pleasure then we are running right!” ❤️
Thanks for the encouragement for the HM plan. It is great to be back at the longer distances again. Having done it before and knowing I can do has made a big difference this time. This week feels like a bit of a write off with this stupid cold but hopefully will just be able to pick up once it’s gone. These things happen!
I hope the cold soon gets bored and leaves you to get on with life a bit like the running gremlins. Congratulations on your 15k run, it sounds like you had a great start to the week. My longest run ever was 13k and that must have been at least 18 months ago, I've been enjoying the 10ks and all still on the fence about trying to up my distance again. Part of me would love to be able to say I'd run 10 miles 😂Anyway back to the quest ...
** And yep I've ran my February 10k on Sunday and was really pleased as I left the house with no intention to run that far 👍😊✅
** I think I did at least 6 sessions of either YWA or Pilates, so I'm saying that's a ✅ I even did the scary sounding Planktastic Pilates session and I managed to do all the plank versions but then totally failed on the "roll ups"
** But it was a big fat fail on the physio exercises. No excuses ... I just didn't do them, which is stupid as I know they are the ones I should be doing ! ❌
The pesky cold is running riot at the moment. That’s the only running I’ve done in a few days. Hopefully it’ll head off soon.
Congratulations on your February 10k! You must be proud of that one coming up unexpectedly! Massive well done on all the yoga/Pilates/planks too. I still need to look up that terrifying planktastic one!
It’s surprisingly tricky to get physio done-I kept forgetting my wrist ones. You’re in good company with that miss.
Loads of things to celebrate. Hope next week is a great week to questing for you!
Sadly the Planktastic session was via my subscription on line class. I could do all the plank variations (some more briefly that others) but was a total failure at roll-ups 🥵
I often get stuck halfway up a roll up. Roll down, fine. Roll up? It’s an aspiration! I’ll look for something plank based online. I’m sure I’ll find something!
I’ve been a good pupil with my Physio exercises and lots of stretching 😇
However I’ve been a bit naughty 😈 this morning though as should have done W7R3 but I thought “what the heck” and went straight into W8R1 so 28 minutes. All these continuous runs have been done on the road (hills included) and although the knee is a bit grumbly I’ve taken it as slow as possible and all seems well.
Well done on your half training. Sounds like you’ve got it all under control 😊
I shall award you a gold star ⭐️ for keeping up with your physio exercises. That’s surprisingly hard. I had some for my wrists and I was terrible for forgetting.
The cold has put me on the sofa for a day or two with a streaming nose and headache. I’m slowly accumulating a wall of tissues around me! Never mind.
You’re not far off graduating again! It’s a shame there’s no option for a bigger badge or something to show your dedication in doing it again. I think if you’re repeating, it’s much less important to do every single run as long as you’re increasing at a sensible rate. Hopefully the final runs will be good ones for you too and you might even give yourself a little reward when you’re done? It’s always nice to have an excuse!
Beautiful photograph... ignore the jokes fromInstructor57 .. there really isn't mush room for things like that 🤣
Hope you are feeling a tad chipper too! Good to see you back on track HM wise!
Well... I cannot say I am a three times a week gal yet...
BUT...I DID manage the first 5K in a LONG time, on Sunday.... and I was very happy with breathing, pace and general feeling of well being. Next run tomorrow, fog permitting!
Yoga with Adriene, February, Align
Walking, ongoing. Hugh Peak Trail today.
I am trying to just keep everything moving, in general.
Trying to get the weight back on again, which I lost with Covid and just after... and to keep issues which are a tad, hassle -laden right now, in perspective.
As Adriene encouraged us to do in January challenge...I often whisper to myself.
Since you usually have good morels, I’ll forgive you the mushroom joke!
That 5k must have felt super sweet after the enforced break. Massively well done to you. Adriene has the best advice sometimes-you are strong and you are enough. Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves!
The high peak is beautiful. I miss living close to that area. A visit is overdue!
The cold has got worse today but I’m hopeful it won’t take too long to move along out. A day or two of rest isn’t a bad thing sometimes.
RED February is my quest for this month and I was delighted with Valentine’s Day as it ment I had reached the half way mark. Last year I did it and was certainly fitter by the end, this year I have to work it into my HM plan. It is not to difficult on what are my normal run days as I just carry on, but for what would be gym days or cycle days or even rest days it requires a bit of careful planning. On these days I go for a 2k run, just around the block from home. I have got quicker and now get in in under 15 mins, I want to see if I can get it down to under 14 mins before the month ends. 10 weeks to go to the HM, trying not to worry about that quest just yet.
Thanks! The mild sore throat turned into a fully fledged stinker of a cold today. Have been feeling a bit sorry for myself! Rest day(s) for now. Never mind! Hopefully it won’t be for long.
Your RED February quest will give you a great kick start to your HM. It sounds like you’re in a really good place at the moment with routine and your fitness. Long may that continue!
Well done on the 15km MissUnderstanding , you'll smash the HM at this rate!
My Quest is on track, ie to do 6 runs/23 or more km. Just over half way through the month and I'm on 4 runs and 14.27 km. Providing I don't forget my running gear when we go away for a few days tomorrow it's all looking very doable.
I've been aiming so low and missing for the last few months because of the bad weather etc. It'd be really nice to just achieve this. Now that the days are lengthening it's so much easier to be positive
Brilliant questing! It’s so nice to feel like you’re on track. Hopefully you’ll get some lovely tourist runs while you’re away-that’s one of my favourite things to do since starting running. I guess if you’re staying near a nice running shop, it might be worth forgetting a pair of leggings or two 😉
Totally agree about ten change in weather being such a positive thing. It’s so much easier to do everything when the sun is shining!
Have another great week. Good luck with experimenting with the speed run warm ups too. Really enjoyed that post of yours!
Thanks MissUnderstanding , nice idea about the leggings
I've been meaning to do the local Parkrun in East Brighton since we moved the boat here...June last year!! I don't think tomorrow's going to be the day either, the weather here is much gloomier than back home
It’s hard isn’t it! I always have such good intentions with going to patkrun but life always seems to get in the way! We’ve got fog today and the air is cold and heavy. There are worse places than indoors!
Lol! I’m not even gonna try do a mushroom or fungi joke! 🤣🤣🤣🍄🍄🍄
And your HM journey is awesome to follow! I’ll be on my 10k-plan-way soon, but my limit is 10k. At my speed, HM just takes too long.
My quests have been stable, so nothing new to report, just steadily moving forward:
So in short:
☑️ RUNNING: I’m doing the Keep on Running February list on NRC, but even though I have completed 4 runs, Coach Bennett hasn’t given me the promised badge yet! 😤😠 Will run another one tomorrow to see if I can force him to award me my promised NRC badge!
🔲 start NRC 10k plan (will do after I get me Feb badge! Do you hear that, Coach B!???)
☑️ ROWING: Continuing on my RowAlong 30x30 Journey and I am on day 10/30
🔲 or ☑️? ACTIVE10: My active rings tell me I’m doing ok, but that not-closed ring on 2nd Feb is now beginning to really annoy me! 😩🤣🤣
That odd one out ring would annoy me too! Hooray for March being around the corner. A whole new set of rings to complete! I’ve never investigated that feature of my phone. Maybe I should!
I’ve had the same thing happen with the NRC badge-it’s shown I’ve done four of the specified runs but still no badge. I wondered if you were aiming to complete the playlist badge when I saw you’d also done the suckcess run the other day too! Fingers crossed for the next run being the badge one…it’s surprising how much we can care about a little digital picture thing!!!
Great progress with the quest goals. Lovely you’re on such a good run after the injury couch stint.
Still plodding on here, cutting my coat according to my cloth. I've been baking a lot of bread today (four loaves: two white, one wholemeal+spelt and one spelt+white), so only got out after work and did a short run today to keep my RED streak going. And of course it rained.
Two loaves of bread unwrapped from foil, sitting on cutting boards. A butter tub to left.
😍😍😍 If you need testers, send some my way! Fresh baked bread is one of my absolute favourite things. I did a focaccia the other day. Super easy overnight recipe that needs no knead!
Glad the RED streak is still continuing. Who knows how long that will be? Maybe this will just be the start of a mega RED streak!
Given the way Royal Mail is performing at the moment, it'd be very stale by the time you'd get it. My fresh bread doesn't last more than a couple of days. The other two loaves (not pictured) were sliced up last night, put in freezer bags and frozen.
Ingredients: flour (500g), warm water (about 300ml), butter (20-25g), honey (tablespoon), tinned yeast (tablespoon), and salt (teaspoon).
The salt retards the yeast growth a bit and adds flavour. The fat improves the texture and also makes it last a little longer.
I mix and knead in large bowls, usually keeping the dough a little on the wet side. With really strong white flour, I knock it down more than once, and the alcohol fumes coming off the ferment can be quite something.
This time, for the first time, I put a baking tray of water in the oven too, to soften the crust.
Dissolve the honey with 100ml of boiling water and top up the jug with 200ml of cold water, then stir in the yeast. Put to one side.
Add the salt to the flour. Rub the fat into the flour.
The contents of the jug should now have a thick yeast foam. Stir it in then add most of the fluid to the flour. Use a butter knife to stir the mixture until it has clumped up. Knead. If there are still some dry bits, add more fluid until they're incorporated.
The ideal consistency for the dough is such that it's evenly smooth and only just sticky enough that it's not sticking to your hands but you can wipe it round the bowl and it can pick up all the bits that are stuck to the sides.
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place until it looks like it's going to escape the bowl. Knock down and knead gently. If it's very strong white flour (14% protein) let it prove again.
Grease tins, put dough in tins and firm it down. Cover tins and get the oven hot (Gas 7, 220°C, less for fan). When the dough has doubled in size in the tins it's ready to go in the oven. Usually about half an hour is enough.
I am doing OK in my quest to train for a 10k. I am using JuJu’s Magic Plan and have completed weeks 1 and 2. I did the first run of week 3 yesterday but will have to postpone the next run until after we come back from helping our younger son to move house at the weekend. Will probably do me good as my hip has been bothering me. It’s so much easier to run when the weather is nice is it it. Yesterday was very grey and I was running into the wind at the start, it just makes everything harder. Nice to look out for things beginning to flower though
Juju’s plan is great! That’s what I followed too. Wishing you loads of happy runs on it. It sounds like the rest is well timed. When my hip starts aching, I know it’s new running shoes time for me. It’s worth keeping an eye on and seeing a physio/other professional if it doesn’t settle. Fingers crossed it’s just a mild grumble!
Wind is a challenge isn’t it! I don’t know what it’s like with you but round here, it seems to constantly be in your face-even if you’re doing an out and back or circular run. That doesn’t seem like it should be possible!!!
Great photo and congrats on your 15k. I‘ve followed the NRC HM plan to 10 miles a couple of time. I enjoy the variety of it. I was planning on continuing to HM this year but have put it on hold until my running buddy is well enough to run again. It’s something we set out to do together.
My quest to 10k continues- slowly 🐢 🤦🏻♀️. I ran 6k after work on Monday which felt a lot more comfortable than my first 5k post Covid the week before 😁. Today I was planning on 7k but I just couldn’t manage it 🤷🏻♀️🥵. I’ve had a busy, stressful week at work and a bad nights sleep so I was tired. I was running into the wind most of the way round 💨 too. I was also wondering if my lack of energy is due to my new low carb diet. I’ll seek some extra advice from others on the forum. Anyway, whatever the reason I just hadn’t got the energy today so I stopped at 6k and walked the last 1k home, which was lovely with the emerging sunshine on my back 😊.
I’ll do a gentle 5k on Monday and try again for the 7k next week. I’m happy to build things slowly (again … and again!) and to be kind to myself.
The picture is the sunset on my run after work on a Monday. It’s great that the nights are drawing out and I can get out now at the end of the day. This gorgeous sunset over the urban sprawl was my reward as I ended my run 😊
What a gorgeous picture! Cheered me up no end. The mild cold has now relegated me to the sofa, hopefully for not too long.
Your quest is going so well! Those regular runs above 5k will soon have you at that 10k. Sorry about the tired one today. Sometimes they just go like that and it’s best to cut them shorter. Could it have been the stress and tiredness working its way out in the run? I don’t have a lot of experience with low carb diets but I remember a friend who tried one struggled with energy at first. She did later get used to it and loved it. As a veggie, low carb is really hard so it’s not something I’ve ever paid much attention to. Perhaps it’s worth experimenting with taking a snack with you on the longer runs (I usually have things with me over 10k) or eating a little more on long run days? I’m sure there’ll be people on here who have tried low carb running who can tell you what’s worked for them. My current fuel quest is to find things to replace the energy gels I’ve used (and hated!) on long runs. Dates are my current favourite. Not low carb sadly!
Really good luck to you with finding a solution that works for you. Hope it’s a less stressful week with better sleep too. ❤️
Well done on your HM plan you’re doing so well. 👏🏻 I really couldn’t think of getting another bug at the moment - after 6 weeks of the lurgy and sinus issues, then trying to get back up to 10k (my longest distance) then getting a calf strain 🙄 I’m currently at 5k distance albeit very slow (that’s fine). I’m heading out to Parkrun this morning so hopefully no twinges and it’s a new location for me with my club so that should keep it interesting. 😊 p.s. I love ‘shrooms too and this is a great fungi pic 😍
Thanks for a lovely reply! There are a few mushroom fanciers on here-I know a picture is appreciated. I’m getting a nice collection of photos now. The next step is identifying them!
It’s miserable when illness and injury seem to conspire against you. Really glad you’re on track again and back at 5k. I bet that felt good. Hope it was a lovely parkrun!
Hard park run - 3.5 laps with an incline - felt like vomiting but I’d eaten a good sized breakfast so that didn’t help 🤢🙈 but glad of no calf pain 👍🏻🤞🏻
Hmmm... wee bit limp here... was hoping this week would be the one where I get the extra run in, although the one run was rather nice, if short (went nosying for a fancy Bronze Age rock) Yoga's been a bit weird - not agreeing with me. Still pampering my hands and feet. Weight...er.
A silver lining of not doing the planned trip away next week (MrGMs ailments, not mine) is more time and energy to spare for runs and yoga and less eating so I am hoping to finish a bit stronger...
I really like your description-“a wee bit limp” is exactly how things are here with my stupid cold. Sending sympathy!
Running round a Bronze Age fort sounds fantastic. It’s great to be able to explore places like that. Hopefully next week will have some nice runs too.
I found yoga tricky at first and then it got better as I got more used to the movements and working the muscles I’d probably never used before! Whenever I pick it up, I find it very hard. If it’s not suiting you, the strength and flex forum might have some different suggestions?
I haven’t been ignoring you MissUnderstanding ; just trying to spend less time online. But I have been getting 3 runs a week in and have increased back to 10k distance this week.
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Marchtastic! It's Week 3 of the Quest!!! 🤩🌷🌼🐇
It’s Week 3 of the Quest check in time!
