If there was a soggy run badge, this week's team would be awarded it and then some. Only the brave (or the bonkers!) turned up this week for an outdoor task in the pouring rain.

We are desperate for Spring to begin here in Liverpool with even some of our most dedicated regulars in hibernation last night (no shame, I probably wouldn't have run if I didn't have to!!!) sick to the teeth of running through stormy weather. Happily a team of 7 runners did appear through the clouds to bring a little sunshine into my Monday evening. Three of the lads even had bare legs and one had bare arms; they are the toughest of the tough!!!

Our task was to promote the cultural activities at the Liverpool Irish Centre, posting flyers through letter boxes in nearby streets. This was made extra difficult with the bad weather and also the huge size of the leaflets given to us! So we started the night by folding the leaflets and wrapping them in bin liners. We then did a gentle warm-up still inside our Hope Street Hotel base.

Once we hit the road, the team made quick work of the 2.5km run. Soon they were busy leafleting up and down a long terraced street. And within 10 minutes, the 125+ leaflets had been delivered.

Shout out to Baptiste and Molly who are busy fighting student elections yet still joined us for a soggy fun. Good luck El Presidente - you've got our vote!

Given that it was still raining, I let the team off a fitness session and instead gave them some good form tips to think about on the run back to base. With our lovely upright postures and avoiding heel-striking, plus the downhill slope back, we made it to Hope Street in no time.

Seriously well done tonight team, you are absolute stars! Fingers crossed for nice weather next week but even so, it is a short run and an indoor task so get signing up here. And for extra Brownie points, please join the Community Mission on Saturday evening here.

Stay warm!

Fourteen Goodgym runners did some brilliant work to help a local Foodbank.

North Liverpool Foodbank works closely with the local community to help those most in need. Jo and her son do some great work and it was a pleasure to be able to help them out.

Through a myriad of traffic lights, we wound our way North past the largest Lambanana in town! We were greeted by Jo and split into 3 groups, sorting, weighing and moving on hundreds of cans of beans. Spread the word, don’t donate beans, I think they might have enough!!

Kudos to our new runners Alice, Zoe and Andy who did some great work and fit right in! Well done to Aidan who covered plenty of the heavy lifting working with Jo to weigh the crates.

With the floor empty of crates and a huge amount of work done, we bid Jo farewell and wound our way back up through the streets, past the beautiful smells of Bold Street and Sophie sorted us with a warm down to see us right.

Well done each of you, it’s lovely to have helped this great charity

After the wild days of the January Challenge (smashed it, well done team) a super 17 showed up for the first Group Run of February.

Running through wild winds, rain and hail, these super heroes attracted more than a few seconds glances as we headed right through the city centre. We made good time and were greeted warmly by Warehouse Manager Jo and her boys with a stack of crates ready for sorting. The Foodbank received loads of extra donations in December and our task was to help sort the items. Each item was sorted into boxes according to its best before date and type.

After a few minutes of getting used to where each food type was located, the team speeded through a stack of crates, with another pile added with just ten minutes to go. With our backs to the clock, all of the crates were sorted before the time came to head back to base. Brilliant work team!

Big shout out to newbies Farnaz, Georgia and Lucy who all got really stuck in at the task and easily kept pace too. We'd love to see you again soon.

After the task there wasn't much time for a fitness session, but we used the warehouse car park to get everyone's heart beats nice and high with a 3-minute game of tig. But before the 3 minutes were up, the amazing IT team of Baptiste, Will and Effie managed to tig everyone!

The return journey was made extra exciting by traffic lights, hills and hail. But everyone dug deep and we made it back to base a little after 8pm. Well done team!

Next week we're in the city centre once again, sorting donations at Scope. Don't forget to sign-up here.

PS. Holiday alert! If you'd like to join the Liverpool X Cardiff Welsh Weekender make sure you sign-up here PLUS complete the booking form and pay the deposit by Wednesday 12 February. If you'd like to contribute to the Friendship Fund you can do so here, and if you'd benefit from some financial support have a quiet word with me in confidence.

On the final Group Run of a very long month, 19 unstoppable GoodGymers ran over 5km to lend a hand at a brilliant community learning centre.

In the last days of the January Challenge it appears that being a smaller branch has finally caught up with; by shear weight of numbers, we've lost our podium position. But as a ratio of good deeds to participants, we are far and away top of the pops (8.75 stats fans!) demonstrating the incredible dedication, heart and soul of the GoodGym Liverpool crew. I applaud each and every one of you, especially those of you who have gone above and beyond any expectations and clocked tens upon tens of good deeds these last 27 days. Incredible!

This week's Group Run took us just under 3km up hill to Kensington Community Learning Centre, a brilliant project we've helped on a number of occasions. We were warmly greeted by Suz with jugs of squash and a tray of biscuits. Then we were soon put to work across various areas of the centre. Most of the graft involved lifting and shifting, be it cardboard boxes or heavy bits of furniture. Other members of the team were proactive in tidying leaflets, washing up and hovering.

Shout out to newbie Sophie W. who easily kept pace and lent some muscle to the task. We'd love to have you run with us again soon.

Big kudos to Jo who hit the big 5-0 at the weekend, joining the black t-shirt crew in something close to record time.

And a massive shout out to our Pauline who looks set to top the national GoodGym heroes board during the January Challenge. As I write she's clocked an incredible 56 good deeds this month but I suspect by Friday the total will be much higher! What an inspiration you are to us all Pauline.

Once everything was sorted at the task, as we posed for our group photos, Suz pulled out a box of KCLC pens and handed them around the group as a small reward for their work.

The run back was mostly downhill (woohoo!) but it started raining almost as soon as we set off (boo!). Great work once again team, especially given how tired many of you are after such a big month of GoodGyming.

Coming up this week there are loads of Community Missions and a celebratory social. See you then :)