We really got into the swing of things tonight.... pic.twitter.com/B1JU5F8F5z

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) June 12, 2018

What a night!!! "Young men" and young women gathered....22 of them at the Guildhall tonight.

After some fancy running drills and LOTS of laughter alongside , we ran along the river to the YMCA Hawker Centre who are a buzzing family centre in Kingston offering children's activities, soft play, group exercise classes, a great gym and much more. YMCA is a global charity and provides support and accommodation for those vulnerable in our community as well as offering so many activities and education for youth and families.

And they are off! Great night tonight #Kingston pic.twitter.com/FzWitNcO4I

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) June 12, 2018

Our task at the Hawker Centre was to wash their gym windows, staff members Richard, Zoe and Memory were incredibly welcoming and had laid out buckets of water, cloths and sponges for us. We all grabbed tools and got to work recieving some interesting looks from the fitness crowd in the gym as we practiced our plyometric jumps to reach the top of the window pane....no pane no gain eh! As advised by Mark we were working anterior deltoid, pec major, quadriceps and ...I can't spell it so I will just write "Calves" (there were others too). So really, was the gym inside or outside tonight?

Because of "many hands making light work" some of us also did some weeding. We battled some evil looking plants in order to get the flower bed clear and make room for the summer flowers to bloom.

Richard and Zoe were delighted we came, stating they normally clean the windows by "waiting for rain" . They also gave us a sneak preview of a future task which just looks like AMAZING fun! (soft play area is all I am saying!)

As we ran back along the river a few talked about how in such a short time of Goodgym Kingston being set up they are already starting to feel the benefits. These ranged from feeling fitter, more toned but more than this was the feeling of mindsulness from engaging in a task and then also the social aspect of enjoying a good run with a great group.

It was a grear task and a great group doing good...as Toby stated..."we smashed those windows!" (is this the pun to finish?)

In news this week we celebrated some runners taking part in recent races as well as mentioning the Richmond Run Fest in September, places go fast so sign up quick, you can do that here.

Welcome to new runners Laura and Jacob , great to see those back for a second run with us - from memory - Anita, Kate, Fionn, Andrew, Nicky, Xander, Amy. Apologies if I have missed anyone.

Bored sitting in on a Tuesday night, watching the same thing on the TV? Why not come and have some fun and run with us!
Tuesdays 6.45pm, at the Guildhall, Kingston#running #volunteering #goodgym #kingston #doinggood #goodfun #makeadifference pic.twitter.com/b1FyqNamZW

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) June 12, 2018

Week 3 for Kingston and we were 11 strong, most of us a different bunch of us from last week so here's hoping we all get together soon!

Tonight we had a real treat, task owner Michelle ran with us AND took part in the task! Such a trooper Michelle. Our task tonight was weeding for Mencap, based at the** Searchlight Community Centre** in Kingston. It was about a 5km all round trip and once at Mencap Michelle told us how they are working towards doing more and more for those with learning disabilities in the community, but also about how they rent the centre out to other worthy charities.

Still rain free after todays heavy downpour, we pulled on our gardening gloves and were secretly thankful for the fresh, wet, easy to pull through soil. Although Lesley was still keen to try her hand with the spade, i am certain it made all the difference. We managed to fill 4 bags and 2 buckets of weeds and waste being careful not to touch the hedge and holly as we worked.

While we were trainer deep in soil a few of us reminisced about how we passed old stomping grounds during the run, from time spent at Kingston University to feeling a sense of nostalgia gardening with parents. It was definitely a "back to our roots night as we hoiked up another weed.

After talks of half marathons, GG Olympics, 5km PB's and podcasts we packed up our tools and headed back to the Guildhall. Chi carried on his GG olympics training by doing a few laps of Kingsmeadow before joining us, throwing in some Strava Segments on the way....keep going Chi!!

A great group doing some really good stuff tonight, thanks again Michelle for joining us.

Welcome to Fionn and Andrew on your first run and well done to Jo on her 99 run! Thank you for putting your mark on Kingston, all the best for number 100!

Start thinking about whether you would like to be part of the Goodgym Kingston taskforce, you can get involved through tweeting about runs, backmarking , writing this report and many more. Get in touch with Mark for more info.