A whopping 33 runners showed up to GoodGym this evening! This was the second largest turnout we have every had at GoodGym Cardiff and the Vale and this is most certainly a reflection of the passion there is amongst GoodGym volunteers to make Cardiff a better place to live.

There were new faces tonight at GoodGym, and I don’t mean Santa Adam and Elf Ben. I’m talking about 4 new runners who have never been on a GoodGym run before - A HUGE welcome to Hannah, Liam, Rachel and Laura! It was so fantastic to have you come along tonight. Your enthusiasm was motivating, and it’d be lovely to run with you again :) Marie brought Liam and Rachel along to GoodGym... Guess what that means!?! She earns herself two red laces! #LifesGoals Hannah T also brought Laura to GoodGym, that means Hannah has also earned herself a red lace too #LifesGoals - With Hannah and Marie earning red laces, they are 'living the best life!'

A Christmasy themed warm up, thanks to Lucy

Some of our traditional GoodGym games were changed to fit in with Christmas. Lucy helped provide the quick renaming of the games to make them Christmas themed; To warm up this week we played ‘Stuck in the snow’ and ‘Jingle Bells.’

How do these games work you ask? Well, Jingle Bells is better known as Fish and Chips at Goodgym, and contrary to its name you actually burn more calories than you consume. Runners run in a space and when Santa Ben shouts out “JINGLE BELLS” runners find a partner and say either “Jingle” or “bells” to one another. If they say the same then they have to do 10 star jumps, however if they say different then they have to do 10 press-ups. I know what you are thinking... this will be one to play at home with the family this Chirstmas, we encourage you to give it a go... post about it and tag us if you do!

Stuck in the snow is like stuck in the mud… If you don’t know this game then come along to GoodGym, request it and we’ll play it! In summary, it’s like tag!

Worthy of a mention - 100 Good deed champions

It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, “be the change you want to see in the world”. When I think of these words, I think of GoodGym runners who volunteer their time every week to help out in the community. Aimee and Ellen are the epitome of this phrase this week. They both reached 100 good deeds which means they have combined their running with doing good in the community 100 times. Well done both of you - Not all heroes wear capes... instead you both get to to wear the rainbow wings! These wings are proven (not sure by whom) to increase your running speed. NB. At the end of the run Aimee said she was flying on her run tonight!

It’s time to run to Samye

After a very informative safety briefing that reminded runners not to trip over curbs and to check both ways before crossing roads, it was time to begin the journey to the Samye Foundation. We split into three groups this evening;

• Ben led the speedy runners, a group backmarked by Ellen
• Mikey led the sexy runners, a group backmarked by Fiona
• Lucy led the walking , talking group!

After an exciting journey through town, past the Reindeers outside Cardiff Castle and up Cowbridge road, we had arrived!...

Hello everyone and welcome to the Samye Foundation

Arriving at the Samye Foundation first were the speedy runners. It wasn't long after that when the sexy runners arrived (wow they look GOOD!) and then the walking group... After having squash to rehydrate, Lorraine told everyone about the Samye Foundation and what they do there;

The Mindfulness and Well-Being Centre, part of Samye Foundation Wales, exists to provide mindfulness courses in the community as well as access to complementary therapies, psychotherapy and counselling. Our charity targets diverse markets such as corporate business, health and higher education providers, voluntary and community sector, local community groups and private individuals.

Inspired by what goes on at the Samye Mindfulness and wellbeing centre everyone was keen to get involved and provide a helping hand. With an unprecedented number of runners tonight, Lorraine was having to think outside the box of more tasks to do to make the most of the runners. So what tasks did we do? ;

• A therapy room needed painting; 7 runners got stuck into this.
• An upstairs door needed an undercoat; 4 runners work together to get this done - They really a'door'red this task!
• 2 runners potted plants. - There was planty to do.
• 2 runners painted the dado rail in the front room of the building on the left-hand side. - Look at the photos, didn't dado a good job?
• 11 runners worked as a team to empty and sort the shed at the back of the Samye Foundation. - Shed responsibilities makes light work!
• 4 runners got stuck into weeding. - Weedly enough they weedly enjoyed themselves!
• 2 runners got into the loft and organised belongings brought up in the shed so that they could be stored neatly in the loft - These runners had lofts of fun!

After 30 minutes, time was up! The shed had been sorted, plants were now potted, the upstairs door had an undercoat, the dado rail was painted, and the therapy room was almost finished! Wow, it is even tiring saying all that!

After helping we had a group photo. We made sure Aimee and Sue were both down from the loft before taking the photo. If there are any blurry faces, then those are the culprits who moved when the photo was being taken.

Lorraine then invited us next door into the lounge for homemade pizzas… mmmm delicious! The Samye Foundation really go above and beyond to make us feel welcome, ensuring that we have enough energy to run back after helping out too.

Have the merriest of Christmas’ Yin and Lorraine

It was now time to run back. There are no more plans to run to the Samye Foundation before Christmas, so we wished Yin and Lorraine a very Merry Christmas.

We then headed back as one group to Big Moose Cafe. Whilst running past Cardiff castle Ben said to everyone, "When Santa asked his wife what the weather was like outside, she pointed out the window and said there is some Reindeer." A member of the public began laughing and said that was quite an awful joke! In all honesty, I completely agree - I do love the 'dad jokes'!

Next week I promise a very special run to end 2018

The task organisers have said fancy dress would be wonderful! I will also be planning a selection of Christmas games, including 'Avoid Mr Grinch' and 'Don't get caught by the Christmas Tree.' Last year we also did an on the spot, unplanned, rendition of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - What are we going to have next week I wonder?!?

THE WINNER OF THE RUNPUNSTILTSKIN AWARD

Holding the RunPunStiltSkin award in high regard, a big mention has to go to Lucy. who is this week’s winner! You are just amazing and you can have the award for the whole week. Show it to your friends and your family but keep it safe!

If you aren't able to run with GoodGym next week then have the merriest of Christmasses!

This evening 19 runners met for GoodGym, eager and excited to be combining their running with doing good in the community

Runners all gathered at Yr Hen Llyfrgell for one final time (we will be changing our meeting point from next week, so make sure you follow the GoodGym Facebook Page to be kept up to date). We were also joined this evening by someone who had never run with GoodGym before, WELCOME SOPHIE! It's always nice to see new faces running with us.

This week we were helping out two tasks, the Cardiff Foodbank and Womens Connect First

Team 1: Running to Cardiff Foodbank we had, Sophie, Emma, Emma, Stuart, Aimee, Charlotte, Andie, Keira, Rosie, Jess and Mikey, led by Ben Team 2: Running to Women Connect First we had, Martin, Welsh Dave, Adam, Gweni, Lydia and Lucy, led by Darren (or Razzle Dazzle as he likes to be known).

Both teams set off in opposite directions at a rate of knots, waving to one another as they parted ways! The run there for each team was quick, with good running form on display.

Arriving at the tasks

Share welcomed everyone to Cardiff Foodbank. She told them a little bit about the Foodbank and about what they do to help the community.

At the Women Connect First allotment runners were greeted by Menaka, she told them a bit about the charity and about the task the runners would be doing that evening.

At the Foodbank runners were cracking on with the task, armed with hammers they were breaking pallet after pallet. Stuart said "It's hammertime" and proceeded to dance! Mikey was in his element, taking the opportunity to use a sledgehammer to break pallets. Sophie looked like a pro, smashing the pallets with all her strength - the pallets didn't stand a chance! Emma was also fierce, using all her upper body strength - she made the task look easy! Everyone was releasing their frustration in this task.

Whilst at the allotment, Lucy and Adam were filling wheelbarrows with compost which they then proceeded to wheel down to the plantation beds. Adam ate a watermelon! Yes, it's true! Martin, Lydia, Dave and Gweni were all weeding the plantation beds. Everyone then joined forces and moved dried up grass which was piled up a few weeks earlier into wheelbarrows and moved into onto the new compost heap. With Darren doing a countdown, the challenge was on to completely move one of the piles. Wheely good work everyone!

Now it's time to run back!

After having 35 minutes of volunteering fun it was time to head back. Share thanked runners for their efforts at the Foodbank and Menaka thanked all of the runners at the allotment - It really was a successful evening and we wish we could do it all again. ONLY 7 sleeps until the GoodGym run next week folks!

Everyone then headed to the Glassworks for drinkypoos!

Click here to sign up to next weeks run - We need you there!

On the 30th June our mission was complete... We hiked Mount Snowdon.

This evening 14 GoodGym runners ran to help out at the YMCA retail store on Colchester Avenue.

14 runners showed up at GoodGym tonight, excited to get the mileage under their belts and enjoy a GoodGym run when it isn't raining! Didn't we have a nice bank holiday weekend too? 3 days of scorching weather is often unheard of in Wales! Anyway, everyone turned up promptly between 6.15pm and 6.30pm with their beautiful GoodGym t-shirts on display - everyone looked so fine and dandy! At 6.30pm everyone went outside to warm up. Jogging, lunging and high knees... Nice dynamic exercises to prepare for exercise! No new faces this week, but it was good to see Emyr, Louise and Rhian again who haven't run with us for a while... keep coming back y'all!

Feeling warm we were ready to role

We decided to run as a group to the YMCA, being mindful of our running form on the way there. Lifting up our knees, holding our head up to make sure we maximize oxygen intake, trying to land on the mid-foot or front of our foot rather than heel striking, keeping our arms at a 90 degree angles and trying to relax our breathing.

Our run to the YMCA involved crossing a number of roads. This broke up the run which allowed us to catch our breath. We also seized the opportunity to do some squat jumps - by popular request!

Welcome to the YMCA

We were greeted with a warm welcome by Matt who works at the YMCA. Unfortunately he wasn't singing like the Village People when they sung the YMCA but he may surprise us in the future and serenade us as we enter. Matt told us all about the YMCA and then gave us our tasks for the evening which included hanging clothes, sweeping outside the shop and hoovering the store:

• 10 runners hung up clothes (Lowri, Louise, Rhian, Emma, Mikey, Emyr, Aimee, Andie, Su)
• 3 Runners swept outside (Darren, Ellen and Martin)
• 1 Runner hoovered the shop (Lucy)

Everyone got stuck straight in. Darren began posing and dancing with the broom. Martin was running around the car park pretending he was on a broom that could make him fly and Ellen tried her best to keep them both in line.

After 10 minutes of good deeding, Mikey began thinking he was Count Dracula (excited about Bucharest - I think!) and Martin tried his hand at being a ventriloquist... Martin, it was a very... original impression!

Andie and Lowri took the opportunity to have a look around the shop, their eyes wide open to potential bargains!

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Riddle of the run

No run would be the same without a riddle, so here it is;

I AM A SEED, THREE LETTERS IN THE NAME. TAKE AWAY TWO AND I SOUND QUITE THE SAME. WHAT AM I?

Think you know? Comment below!

Click here for the answer

After 30 minutes of hanging, sweeping, hoovering, and the best blooming banter in town, we were finished! Matt was amazed by our efforts. He thank us and bid us a safe run back...

We all then begun running back to Yr Hen Lyfrgell at top speed. Louise tested out gravity on the run back and quickly realised that Earth's gravity is still as powerful as ever! Fortunately though Louise was okay and she assures me that she will be back at GoodGym next week or the week after.

Click here to sign up to next weeks run - Do it now :)!

Tonight 17 fantabulous runners trotted off to the Samye Foundation Centre to help their ongoing renovation of 3 flats above the centre. We welcome one new face - hello Sophie! - one returning face - welcome back Andie! - and say goodbye to one departing face - adieu Tom at least for a little while - it was fun while it lasted!

Twist and Shout

So the group was headed up by a new leader tonight - little ol' me - with welcome assistance from Ben and Darren. Our warm up included an added twist: a side-stepping, hip-flexing, sashay movement which everyone appeared to like bar one runner who shall not be named (Sue), who promptly shouted she did not like it one bit! So we headed off towards the Samye, and on the way took advantage of the lighter evening to do some fittening work. Darren led us on a great timed out-and-back run up along the Taff, with runners pushing themselves a bit more than normal to go out as far as possible in 7 minutes, then turning around and heading back to the starting point. It will be interesting to see how far we get to next time.

Stuff of legends!

Once at the Samye, we were welcomed by Lorraine who was as jolly as ever, telling us of her exciting trip to Nepal recently. Then we got stuck in. The description of the task included 'moving stuff' and boy did we move a lot of 'stuff'!. Fridges were going upstairs, boxes were going downstairs, and on the way we passed microwaves, wall panels, curtain poles and carpet tiles going goodness knows where! Aimee, Lucy and Sophie stuck into painting the walls of the front flat, adorning themselves with the very flattering bin bags as usual - I swear that we use these so much, that GoodGym should come out with its own line of bin bag painting smocks! In the back room, Amy, Alice and Ewan got stuck into sorting out some old curtains to be recycled into further decor for the rooms. Still others put some elbow grease - or was it Danish oil? - into the new wooden kitchen counter tops! Although it was busy and crowded and noisy with 17 runners plus staff on site, we got a LOT done and it was really rewarding to see how the flats are shaping up over time, and how we've contributed to them. Legends - every one of you!

Did someone say Avocado?

What GoodGym Cardiff run would not end in food? Lorraine and her team very kindly made up sarnies with avocado in them, which went down a treat. After saying goodbye, we headed straight back to the start to warm down, hear the latest news of upcoming events, and part our separate ways. For some of us, this was to the usual watering hole for "Two-drink Tuesday" (non-alcoholic drinks included), and to enjoy some vegan cookies and Welsh cakes in celebration of me hitting my 50th good deed recently. I've enjoyed every one of them! (even though I may not have appeared to at the end of January).

Special thanks to Aimee for her gorgeous cookies, Lucy for the special badge, Ben and Darren for the support tonight, and to everyone else for being so kind and complimentary on my run leading. x