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

On a beautiful warm summers evening 23 amazing GoodGymers ran 4K to the FoodGrowers Group on the Rhodes Estate to transport and lay over a tonne of mulch/compost as well as water the life back into 48 fruit trees on Queensbridge Road.

The evening started with a huge welcome to our new GoodGymers and some GoodGym tourists tasting the Team Hackney flavour for the first time!! 👏🏾👏🏽👏🏻👏🏿 The big announcement of the week was the new Parkrun/GoodGym partnership which will launch on the 10th of September at and after MileEnd Parkrun. If you fancy a timed 5k then a dose of GoodGym Goodness sign up here as an added incentive I hear the trainer for the GoodDeed is amazing!!😀😉

We took off to get our muscles activated and joints mobilised on a quick pulse raiser to the council buildings where we burst into a dynamic warm up and a series of balance developing and muscle strengthening lower body exercises including a dose of some Plyometric fun as we bounced our way to success. After this headed of on the the rest of the 2k run to The Rhodes Estate in Dalston to meet Amy. With a little panic when I couldn't find her all was good again so to celebrate we burst into some relay action to keep up the tempo!! A few sprints, some skips and a trail of walking lunges had up ready for some carrying action!

Splitting into 2 groups we had the waterers and the mulchers! Not to mention the diggers. Forming a slick action line to dug the soil into bags, boxes and wheelbarrows before speedily carrying/pushing them about 150 meters to the fruit trees on Queensbridge road! While the waterers did there thing filling wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow with water and expertly watering the trees. With a super sprint finish we managed to water and mulch 48 fruit trees to the exact tune of 1.5 tonnes of mulch and 150 gallons of water!! Great job team ⚡️⚡️💪🏽💪🏾💪🏼💪🏻🔥🔥.

As we were running a little late we had a shorter than normal options for the first race back to base so we ran a staggered race with the runners wishing to run a faster starting later and later then chasing the pack down with every stride!! Needless to say it was an epic battle all the way back with 2 disappointing exceptions, Nico and Rich the super speedsters decided to take a short cut to ensure victory was there's. We have seen this behaviour from Rich before but leading is Nico astray to is highly disappointing!! Lucky you don't don't educate the people of the future (oh my wait)).

A series of static stretches and ballet pirouette finished off a great session!

Next week we are off to Gillett Square to help maintain their amazing kids adventure play equipment!! Be amazing if you could come along sign up here.

A huge good luck to everyone running their goal running performances this weekend know we have a few Super speedy parkruns and a debut 10k over the weekend!! If you fancy joining the GoodGym race team to get money off race entries and an amazing Race Team Vest take a look and sign up here.

An early heads up that we will unfortunately be saying goodbye to Kirsty in a few weeks as she moves up North for a new and amazing new job😢😢 in tradition we will be heading out for drinks and food to say goodbye on the 20th of September. Be great if you could come along to our combined monthly social and leaving drinks/eat after the group run.

Have a top week,

Technically Smooth

Joel

More to follow

18 fleet of foot GoodGymers ran 5k to Gillett Square to flyer and poster to promote the amazing Rio in Dalston festival.

On a warm evening in Hackney we set off to work our energetic magic! It was lovely to have along a few GoodGym newbies!! Hope you enjoyed your evening and we see you for many more Hackney Fun Filled Group runs. We smashed out a top dynamic activation warm up on London fields followed by getting our skip on! This helped to hone our running techniques and condition our bodies for the ever important stretch shortening cycle. Fast feet, high skips saw as bound out of the park ready for action! Being slightly weighed down at the back of the pack a brilliant last minute lead running duo of Patrick and Peter guided the squad the 2k to Gillet Square where we met Marc from Hackney Roots who is the primary organiser of the festival.

While we were slightly mesmerised by the amazing world record holding hoola hoop action that was taking place in the square! Check out this page for the world record. After splitting up into teams we set off pestering the local area and flyering the local residential properties.

Flyering and postering techniques were on point and in no time we had delivered and put up over a hundred posters and 250 flyers!! Talking of timeing it maybe wasn't our strongest area of expertise this week!

We the first group of runners back we decided to split the run back to base into distances. So the first group lead brilliantly by Patrick ran a longer 4K loop back taking in a few extra of Hackney's sites. The direct running crew ran back and had a fortunate meeting with our wandering Coach Run Rep. Before the heavy bag duo brought the team home.

Next week we are off to Hackney Downs and the HUG garden to create some beautiful animal sculptures!! sign up here.

I am also running a great GoodGym running fitness session on Thursday evening in Islington for this that want to increase the fitness! sign up here.

Saturday sees a special Starter session in Gillett Square as we get ready for the children's obstacle race by setting up the course! If you fancy coming along and or bringing along a friend who fancies trying out GoodGym with a bit less running sign up here.

See you all very soon

Silky Smooth

Joel

16 melting GoodGymers ran 6k to paint the main meeting room of the Hackney Caribbean Eldery Organisation in Stoke Newington.

On the hottest day of the year we knew we were in for a treat when James the new trainer for GoodGym Redbridge joined us to help lead the crew on the evenings group run. A top introduction speak check and we were off! Lead my magnificent task force member Clare we weaved our way through the Hackney back streets to Stoke Newington on a 3k run. We were all happy to make it to the task before we melted in the 30 plus degree evening sun, we met Natasha who set us on or way to mixing a variety of magnolia paint to make the now patented GoodGym White. A big stir and a frenzy of masking taping we go cracking with cutting in and dominating with the wonky rollers! Being a few paint brushes down we were able to switch in and out of jobs filling holes and sanding walls. We were also rather good at spilling paint! James proved his handy skills by removing the paint from chairs and the carpet with the delicate application of white spirit. With a last minute paint brush and roller reinforcement we had a epic sprint finish to get all the walls a good first coat of paint before our return in 2 weeks.

James and Clare lead the first group back to base while the perfectionist crew applied the finishing touches. A series of expert stretches awaited the group on the return to base and a fabulous Outro from James rounded off a top but very warm Group run.

Then it was time for the monthly social and brilliant to see 12 of the crew head over to the local for a very much needed refuel and as always top notch conversation.

Thank you to Cecilia for the Pun this week!

I will be away next week but have arranged a high quality replacement in Paul GoodGym Camden trainer and Hackney resident. You will be visiting the HUG garden and the unmistakable Myra to start preparations for a big festival on Hackney Downs at the end of August. Lots of digging and watering to lay the foundations for some amazing animal sculptures we will be creating in the coming weeks! Sign up here.

Best of luck to James with the brand new GoodGym Redbridge! If you fancy a bit off GG action on a Monday Evening Wanstead will be the place to be so get along and say hello repping Team Hackney

Have abreast couple of weeks, keep running and sunning

Smooth striding

Joel