5 goodgymers braved the new year cold

New year, new January challenge! After Rich said he was too unwell to lead I dragged my fragments of spine down eager to get some kms and good deeds towards the Jan challenge!

Andy was giddy when it started snowing, alas stopping about 30 seconds later. Fay couldn't resist grabbing extra pickers and bin bag rings I think in the hope some more GGers would show up!

We headed out to where Joel had assured us there would be litter but it was thin on the ground. It was great to have Martin back after his amazing sounding trip to South America and hear more about that.

As we meandered down to the edge of town we discussed the price of steak and Sallyann proclaimed sea bass the better dish. We are all eager to try guinea pig now though - apparently very rich and gamey.

See you Saturday - if the water in the park subsides!

Another 5 good deeds knocked off the tally! Great work!

7 Hearty GoodGymers braved the cold and set out into the night to pick up some litter behind the B&M car park.

Myself, Richard, Jane and Russell met at the old factory gym and discussed how we are hibernating a bit too much this winter and that we should maybe do a bit more. Richard spoke about his new job coming up and we celebrated him reaching his 50th Good Deed on Sunday while volunteering for Farleigh Hospice Santa Run. Congratulations Richard clap clap clap.

Collecting the litter pickers and bags from the gym we set off to meet Fay, Sallyann and Jess at the car park to bolster our litter picking group. with lots of chatting going on we filled 5 bags in no time and decided it was time to get back and warm up. After posing for a group photo we discussed this weekends coming events and who was taking (and not taking) part in them...

We bid goodbye to Fay and Sallyann who walked in. And to Jess and Jane who ran back to their respective homes. Richard, Russell and I jogged back through the city centre to the gym to put the pickers back.

Thanks for coming guys, you've made a little bit of Chelmsford that little bit nicer.

Next week Angela will be leading a leafleting run on Wednesday and then David will be leading a leaf clearing the week after. And then that will be it before we break for Christmas.

In January we will be doing our annual GoodGym January Challenge so if you can, we'll need every one of you to help us reach our targets.

Don't forget "If you move, log it on strava" and make sure you join GoodGym Chelmsford strava group. and do at least one good deed.. 😉

until then...

Run Happy

Rich

As everyone knows, we meet at 6:30 on a Wednesday, right Rob? The silly goose turned up at 6:00! So after the rest of us arrived at the right time (apart from Laurie who was a minute late) we said hello, laughed at me for accidentally blocking Laurie's new credit card, and prepared the pickers. The walkers headed off led by Fay while we discussed our recent achievements. Kate showed off her new red GG tshirt, Andy saved lives by giving blood this week, and Rob had been to a Peter Pan afternoon tea. That obviously explains the photos.

We ran a medium-ish route at a good pace to meet up with the rest of the posse and get picking. Sallyann enjoyed her wine and yoga based holiday and also casually dropped into conversation she has a super famous cousin?!?! We've never seen Kings Road so clean, apart from after we've been through of course, so did a longer ambling walk. We didn't pick up the toilet we found, Kate doesn't need one for her house renovation, but we did have to shout at the bag boys to tell them to hurry up.

Fay reminisced about walking down the street in her PE kit while Andy commented that the amount of Stella litter by the school could be a cause for concern.

We are going to investigate an afternoon tea social, although fierce debate raged about sweet versus savoury ratio. Watch this space. We have loads coming up, the reverse advent calendar foodbank, xmas social at Banana Tree, pub quiz on November 3rd, parkrun volunteer and next week a halloween run led by the amazing Angela!

Last week’s poem about suspicious lemonade seemed to go down well. Which is good, because this week’s litter pick found even more stuff dumped in the bushes, including several bottles of hedgerow homebrew.

Jane was back with us for another run and looking forward to a delicious, uninterrupted weekend without Rich. Because it takes all sorts to build a world, he was looking forward to going home via a plant-based Whopper.

Robert went for his trademark jazzy shorts and socks again but it wasn’t warm, so David led us out and we warmed up on the run. Destination B&M, via a roundabout route to find Laurie and Sallyann who’d walked to the river. We sent Rich up the path to check if they were there and somehow resisted the temptation to hide before he came back.

So. Much. Litter. The usual piles of McDonalds, disposable vapes and energy drinks, but there were also some vintage finds tonight. Heidi and Joe had to go halves with litter pickers to grab a huge can of GOLD WHIP gas. It was empty but there were no empty balloons around, so maybe Chelmsford’s nitrous lovers take their laughing gas straight from the can?

That wasn’t enough of a find for Andy, who came around the corner exclaiming “I’ve found a washing machine!” Bit big for a bin bag… Happily, it was only a bit of a washing machine, which had clearly been there a while judging by the amount of ivy that tied it to a tree. With some delicate kicking and Andy yanking the other end, it was freed and bagged.

We’d only managed to clear a short stretch of the car park by the time we had to leave. Everyone agreed it was the most litter we’d ever found in a pick (we ran out of bags!) and thankfully, the two dumped shopping baskets we found became bins for the heavier stuff.

Five bags and five-and-a-bit kms later, job done. Thanks everyone for coming, and see you on Saturday for parkrun. Apparently it’s Chelmsford’s birthday, so try fancy dress!

Joe Wilkinson once went viral for a hilarious poem about visiting a train station toilet. So here’s one about what happens when you discover someone couldn’t reach it quickly enough. Maybe this will get us more members?

There once was a bottle of “juice” With a lid that looked pretty loose The contents? Suspicious… And far from delicious So into the bin it went to minimise ooze.

A short lesson there on why it pays to be careful what – and where – you litter pick. Bad weather and busy members meant there were only two of us signed up at the start of the week, but a dry(ish) day and the chance to be a third wheel for Rich and Andy’s post-run burger date meant there were six of us turned out ready for litter picking.

Robert was back after finishing the Vitality 10k in London last weekend and using this as an extended cooldown. Joe was thinking the other way and had prepped for the evening by giving blood. “Time off work, a lie down and free crisps and squash – it’s a miracle more people don’t do it!”

Once we’d waved Leanne off on her walk to the task, the rest of us followed Rich, who was run leading. And immediately ran off away from where we were headed. It seemed weird at first, but a longer first run means a casual jog home, which Jess and Joe later agreed is the best approach.

It was a hit and miss night for Wombling in the viaduct car parks – some areas were pretty spotless, others filled with cigarette butts, broken glass and a bottle of something that might have come out of a human but definitely wasn’t Pennine Valley clear spring water.

The theatre’s been revamped recently but it was all just fields around there when Andy was growing up, so we listened to his memories of Geoff Hurst in Chelmsford and loved him recreating the famous pose. We loved it even more when he found out the statue we were under was actually of Marconi. Sometimes Andy, the truth Hursts.

A short run back (see, it pays to run long and early!) and we were back at base. Headtorches and hi-viz from next week on – or see you on Saturday morning if you’re coming to parkrun. 😊

Joe

A fine weathered day led to a great turnout at GG! Leanne saw us all waiting and thought 'nah, those lot look too charming and fun' so went to join the walking crowd taking Laurie and the litter picking equipment with her. Martin arrived with his trombocinos which we all obviously identified on sight, and DJ Andy recreated his favourite 00's popstar moment. I gave the runners the choice of three distances and we settled on the middle one, Rich leading us out with such aplomb that Paul wondered when since his last task that we had started to hit it so hard! We paused our Endeavour at the Endeavour for comedy's sake.

The race was on against the sunset clock and we all worried about Ben when he took a tumble trying to do a heel click! Fortunately he was fine, must be something to do with the socks which Rob would be proud of.

We met up with the others and spied the womblers had already picked six bags! Still we have keen eyesight and a will to do good. As Heidi, Kate and I debated what art was (Banksy doesn't, GoodGym run report photos do) we got to work. As we got closer to the river and the new bridge, which looks lovely, we split into two groups. Drinks on Jess as she found £50 and Sallyann had already had those drinks with a pile of smirnoff bottles. Fay complained about having to take photos of the Hokey Cokey boat, but then leaped at the chance to photo me by a 'Fat earth dave.com' sign....funny that.

As twilight descended, Russell led us back to base for a 7km overall run - 1/3 of a great north run (entries now open!). Next week is painting the town red with our shirts and painting some benches so sign up!