Morning all and welcome to this week’s quest post! How’s your week gone? Feeling like a prize racehorse or a beach donkey who has been out in the sun too long? Are those goals coming together or has it been a quiet one for you? I’ve had a cold and have been feeling a bit sorry for myself. It’s amazing how quickly you can go from feeling like you’re making loads of progress to totally off track. Objectively, it’s not even that bad. I’ve run three times and covered eleven miles in total. I’ve done a load of yoga. The rest has probably done me good.
So…how to shake off the “I’m so behind and all my hard work has fallen out of my legs!!!” mood? Somehow from somewhere deep inside myself, I will try and find some patience. I’m not going to be straight back to feeling like I’m flying, but it will come. I’ll be aiming for adaptable consistency. That’ll be keeping up with the three runs a week but at a more chilled pace and shorter. I’ll swap that for a walk or swim (or sofa time!) if I need to. The plan can pause and I’ll see where I am next week. This has happened before, and it’ll happen again. The main thing is not to let it be too much of a downer. Acknowledge, accept, adapt Oldfloss ?
So how’s your week been? Ups, downs, highs, lows, celebrations and moans are all welcome here!
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.
You need to be a C25K Graduate before joining the Quest. The reason for this is that pre-graduation your week is very much structured according to the C25K programme, and I wouldn't want the Quest to interfere with that.
Most popular goals are:
★ To run three times a week
★ To slowly increase distance
★ To train for a specific race
★ To add strength and flex 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 would like to...”
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MissUnderstanding
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From being the last to reply I've elevated to the first! So, I've checked my progress for the last 7 days and I'm well ahead.🏃♀️ 4 runs completed including an intervals session, 5k & 8k. Today's 5k was tough, I made the rookie error of starting too fast and paid the price. Note to self, learn from that.
💪2 strength sessions and 1 pilates
🚴 4 rides total 65k.
🚶oh and on non run days, I'm out first thing for a short 20 minute walk to grab my dose of morning light.
I'm really pleased and it's great to be out enjoying some nicer weather. I plan to carry on in this vein.
Since I started running before breakfast, I've yet to suss out exactly what snack to eat prior to a longer run. This week it was nuts and some prunes, but didn't feel as if the legs had the energy to extend 8k to 10k. I'll have to up the calories next time.
Congrats on making it here first. I’m a bit slow getting back to you after you were so quick off the mark. Apologies!
Love those photos! Sunny weather makes such a difference. Great set of runs. I keep thinking at some point I’ll be experienced enough that I won’t go off like a rocket at the start of supposedly easy runs , but no! I’m glad I’m not the only one.
Eating before (and during!) runs is such a trial and error game. I find toast, a banana, fruit and seed oatcakes, a bagel etc works well for me and I like dates if I’m fuelling on a longer run (more than about 12k). I’m sure you’ll find what works. Good luck and have fun experimenting!
Hi MissUnderstanding , thank you for hosting this month. I have missed a couple lately and last week due to workload and persistent headache. Only got one run in last week. Totally relate to the need to be flexible and kind to yourself 🙂
Anyway, feeling better now and starting a new challenge! Been looking forward to this one for a while!
So, my Quest for this week is:
Week 1 of NRC 10k plan 😀
Plus the two NTC workouts.
And keep the Recovery app Achilles Recovery workout going.
Latter has been keeping a little twinge in my right Achilles at bay lately.
Medium term goal over the 8 weeks of the app is to get back to a sub-hour 10k. My PB is 59:03 from December 2023, and will try to better that by a little.
I plan to follow the recovery and intervals runs quite closely, but we (wife and I) have been pressing on with our longer runs towards 10 then 13 miles.
We have the HU virtuals this month! 🏃♂️🏃♀️
Longer term goal for both of us is to achieve a marathon! Yes, we've admitted it, we want to go for the big one!
And the longer runs will of course support 10k training anyway.
Great update! Really glad your Achilles is settling. Sorry you’ve been busy and under the weather too…sending aympathy (from my sofa under the duvet and surrounded by tissues!!). The runs will tick back up again. I was listening to a Coach B podcast yesterday and he was talking about how recovering from illness air injury basically counts as a workout in itself so it’s sensible to let the runs pause or become shorter and more gentle. We’ll get there!
Great goals. I really enjoyed the NRC 10k plan. Some of it I found a bit repetitive so I swapped the guided easy for just a podcast and ran the suggested length. Just having a plan is a great motivator. Good luck to you! See you on the start line for the HU10!
Hi MissUnderstanding , sorry for the delay replying. Hope you are feeling much better now! Yes, when you think about it illness and injury still tax the body, just in different ways, and need their own recovery.
So just getting to the end of the first week of 10k now and really enjoying the guided runs. I did "Best Run" or something like that this morning, just 20 minutes, but chock full of great guidance. Long run tomorrow, but I shall go a bit more than the guided 2.5miles
Sorry I missed this! Notifications have been a bit hit and miss. I’ve been up and down-ran 6km yesterday which was ok. Have been on a long walk today with a bit of jogging when I was a bit late home for lunch! Energy is still a bit flat and I’m hoping a week of easy runs will get me back on track. Sounds like you’re doing great! Enjoy the programme and the extra long long runs!
Thanks so much MissUnderstanding that means so much. Yes I have put myself on the Pom Pom list for sure😂. I’ve swapped my rest day from tomorrow to today and tomorrow I’ll be going out instead. Tried my running gear on this morning. Nothing brand new so I’ll be comfortable hopefully. I’m starting to get excited and looking forward to it. Hopefully it won’t be too hot like last year😬🥵.🤣🤣xx
A mixed but beautifully patterned and capacious bag here with the Quest.
I have slipped up already on the daily yoga goal because I completely and utterly forgot about it whilst we were away for the weekend... and frankly, I am taking that as a win! But now I am home and time to crack on.
Thought I might have a run whilst away... and then found I had packed everything to do so except for my shoes. Oops! Mind you, I am not at all averse to running in my sandals... but we did so much walking I felt that was enough. As a result of all the walking, I gained another Active 10 app badge... just not the Perfect Week one! And I had fitted in a run in the wood I want to keep an eye on before I went.
Before going away I had a nice weight drop towards my modest goal for the month and although I made free with all the lovely possibilities (Grasmere gingerbread ice cream.....mmmmmmm) perhaps all the activity did balance things out as although it has gone up again, it doesn't feel like back to square one.
I find the daily yoga challenges hard because of life (!!!) and I really don’t like the feeling of being behind. There was a great podcast I listened to about motivation and routine (I’ll try and find it) which talked about giving yourself a pass on days when it’s too tricky so you don’t feel like you’re off track or behind-you’ve consciously decided to use a get out of jail free card and that’s absolutely fine. Then, you end up doing most of the days in a month rather than getting a few days in and giving up because you felt like a failure. I found that really resonated with me.
Grassmere gingerbread ice cream sounds absolutely delicious! All that walking sounds wonderful too. It might not have been the quest you’d planned but it sounds like you’ve got loads of good things to celebrate!
Many years ago I did a remote pilot of the Expert Patient Programme. Mostly egg-sucking lessons for Grannies (at the very best) but yes, the one useful thing I took away from that to interpret 'daily' as meaning success was something like 5 or 6 out of 7 days (NB does not apply to medication 😂)
Hello. Here I am and thank you so much for this.. Good to know we are not alone when life and issues upend us.
I had an odd week, but, like you, got the runs in and had a lovely, relaxed, albeit gentle, 5K on Sunday, covering about 8 miles last week, in all.
Those three As. Worth holding onto and also, positivity, not negativity! So;
Yoga... ongoing, but not as well as I hoped, with lots of catch up days...
Runs. Yes... three times and each one enjoyable... even the one I really needed, to free my mind from anger, stress and general, upset, Nature worked her magic.
T'ai Chi. Class is excellent for mind and body and much more of a workout than may be supposed.
Workouts... plenty.. shed building and today dismantling... ! Wednesday through to today, except Saturday! Saturday, torrential rain stopped play.. and Mr OF was a tad tired after his Covid booster shot! I was grateful for a rest!
So.
I need to work on the yoga a tad more and I am going to focus on some mindful exercise this week too, I need to keep my mind in tune with my body!
Glad your cold is getting better and happy questing everyone!
You’ve got loads to celebrate from last week, even if it felt like a strange one. Sometimes until we sit down and objectively list all the things we’ve actually done, it feels like we haven’t done anything! Loads of great stuff ticked off for you!
My yoga/pilates type class often starts with a tai chi warm up and it’s a real workout! Especially anything with slightly squatting legs-they’ve always got a good burn on after just a couple of minutes. I can absolutely see how a full class is a great way to exercise. Go you!
Hope you feel better soon MissUnderstanding , things were going so well for you last month.
As for me, well, I am running just not as much as I'd hoped. Life sort of intervened in a good way (or I decided to stay in bed lol). I've run 3 times in 8 days so that's sort of 3 in a week, but only around 3km each time. Interestingly though I seem to have speeded up, my pace for the last two runs was 8'10 for each which is pretty quick for me. I put this down to the terrain having improved an awful lot since the winter rains have dried up.
As for covering the Marathon distance this month, doesn't look likely. I've only covered 9.16km and I'm off on my travels again on Saturday. Maybe I'll revise the goal downwards to HM distance.
Anyway, despite all this inability to keep to my goals I'd like to report that I'm feeling very positive about my minor achievements and that nice Mr Garmin has my age down as 18 years younger than my birth certificate says so maybe I'm doing something right here after all
Thank you! I’m still feeling grotty. Throat is really sore and have zero energy. Hopefully it’ll shift-I’ve got runs to do!! I think I’ll switch to the 10k for the HU10 rather than push for 10 miles. Sensible isn’t my natural happy place but I will find it within myself to do the right thing!
Some great things to celebrate for you-it’s always nice when pace is unexpectedly quicker. Feeling positive is massively underrated and a happy garmin? The rarest of all beasts! Congratulations on being so young!!
Whatever your goal becomes, I hope it’s something useful and motivating be not a stick to beat yourself with-that’s my test of whether I’ve set something helpful or not! Have a great week!
Hope you feel better soon, best thing is to give in to the lethargy, sleep a lot, eat soup and let your defences fight off the lurgy. The runs will wait, won't they? Really understand the frustration though.
Soup and ice cream all the way! I’m constantly on the point of coughing at the moment. Garmin is interpreting this as high stress! I knew it would find a way to knock me down!!! Still, the sun is shining and I’m feeling a bit less totally wiped out so I suppose that’s progress! Thanks so much for the good wishes ❤️
Tuesday gym, and first time I've been to a gym in over 30 years and loved it did all the weights, cycling and a 10 minute run from the nike app, got a pb at the 1k and 1mile . 5.13 1k and 8,21 for the mile and felt so comfortable that I was shocked ,also its first time on a treadmill.
Today rest day.
DEFINITELY more than happy and will continue to follow the nike app marathon training
Great set of runs. That pattern of short, long and speed is a really nice one. Treadmills can be such a useful piece of kit. Glad you had fun! Have a great week of questing!
Thanks as ever for hosting MissU! Love that sign.. 🤣 I am feeling a little frustrated at putting life on hold waiting for my op & putting up with side effects of meds. I see everyone else’s lovely exciting plans & want to join in. I am especially sad to miss the HU10k next week! Rant over!!! Now to look at what I can do!! Run 3x week for short distances. Continue with exercise class every week. Persist with Pilates 🧘♀️and of course walk every day! When I have bad days…acknowledge, accept, adapt Oldfloss Thanks for the reminders MissU!
That sign always makes me giggle. I know the horses round here are clever but I didn’t know they could read signs! 🤣 It also comes at a nice point in the run. Well, technically an awful one because it’s almost all the way up a long and grinding hill, but I know once I see it, I’m nearly at the top and it’s downhill all the way back.
Sorry you’ve had some health issues. That limbo feeling is hard. Hoping that it’s not too long you’re on hold and you’ll be moving forward soon. Those goals of yours will be a great focus to work on. I think Coach B has the best saying in your situation with the HU10. When you can’t run the run you want, run the run you can. There’ll be pom poms waving whatever you end up doing, even if that’s no run at all. ❤️
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