27 energy filled Hackney GoodGymers ran 6k to attempt to help Gillett Square Kids play project. After a Key drama, we turned our attention to getting fit with a top fitness session in De Beauvoir Square.

We started the evening on chip watch as Ros teased us mortals with feats never before seen at GoodGym Hackney. Eating triple fried chips at 6:55 is an unconventional preparation for the session but she backed up the big iron stomach talk by holding the food down and dominating the physical session, fair play!!

We welcomed some amazing new faces to the fold and had a DBS ID check done to get going helping vulnerable and isolated older people in Hackney! If you fancy going on Missions and/or Coach runs bring your ID and proof of address along next week!

We celebrated the achievements of our brilliant runners who had completed Berlin Marathon, Cardiff Half marathon and Hackney Marshes Parkrun in the last couple of weeks! Lots of amazing performances and so inspiring for the rest of us as we dream about our next running challenges!!

So the task didn't go to plan!! We ran the 2k (with slight detour) to Gillett square to begin the task of cleaning the oversized outdoor play equipment but the key holder was nowhere to be found! I can only apologise for this, the session was confirmed on Monday so not sure yet what went wrong. Instead of waddling home with our tail between our legs we decided to go dominate an extended fitness session on our favourite De Beauvoir Square track!! So we ran down there and split into small teams of 3 for a mass continuous relay! 7 minutes of scorching running action saw us run half a lap (150 metres) before tagging our team mate who sped off around the track! The laps tricked but and the pace remained high and serious effort from everyone was put in! As reward we had a 3 minute rest as I am nice like that before smashing out another 7 minute block of continuous relays!

As Peter had maybe gone a little too hard on the sprints we broke the running up with some physical preparation exercises! 4 groups completed minute efforts in Lunges, squats, press ups and plank holds. With our muscles throbbing there was just enough time to finish off the evening with pairs tag race where, in pairs, we ran around the track at 80% when we met our pair we turned and gave it Full Beans to beat them back to the start! Three rotations of this finished off a quality running fitness workout! A 10 minute jog back to base and static stretch-out rounded off a top evening!

Thank you guys for your hard work and huge efforts well done, hope you slept well!

Next week (have already been confirming task) we are off to a new task to create a Well Being Garden in a residential facility for people with mental illness. We have lots to do, so would be great to have you along! Sign up here and if you have one bring a head torch/bike light along with you!

We have a double dose of actities this Thursday! First the start of Fitness 4 All Camden where I will be taking a 4 week block of Running Fitness sessions just behind Kings cross station in Granary Square. Please sign up here. Also on Thursday is the monthly GoodGym social drinks, this month they are in Islington, check out all the info here.

Have a good week and look forward to seeing you all next time.

Smooth circuits

Joel

With the sun came the run, and so 25 fabulous people met up at Vivo Gym for a run back to St Pauls Community Allotments.

We had a little jog on the spot to warm up, did our introductions, and off we went! With the sun comes more people out and about on the streets of Bristol, and so we encountered a few noisy people who wanted to cheer us on our way.

We swiftly made it to the allotments where we met up with Pete who is the 'Empowerment Officer' - in other words, he's the guy who makes stuff happen! We helped him with this by grabbing loads of tools and clearing up a path all the way through the allotment area, including a vast amount of weeding, a great deal of bramble and bush chopping, and the removal of a large amount of junk that has accumulated over the years.

A handy skip just outside of the allotments was the destination for this junk; at some point one of the GoodGym gang must have come across the worst smell in the world and put it in to the skip. I can still smell it now. I'll still be able to smell it next week. But it's gone from the allotments, which is a GOOD thing indeed.

It was hard to tear ourselves away from the allotments as there was so much to do so we spent an extra 10 minutes or so there. Hopefully people who live in the houses that back on to the allotments will start to use them to grow their own fruit and veg, and our help has gone a long way to making that a possibility.

We ran back and didn't do the little 10 minute circuit that I'd lined up! What I shame, I hear you all say. Oh well, we can do it next week.

Well done gang, fabulous work!!!