17 awesome runners ran to help move bricks at Ballast Quay Garden!

We had 4 new runners join us yesterday, all from AMOS sport business school and all from France! Welcome guys! Or should I say, BIENVENUE! J'espère que vous vous êtes bien amusé!

After a quick warm up and drills we set off on our little run to the garden. Diane was inside on the phone to Sainsbury's who had failed to deliver her groceries but seeing our eager faces cheered her right up!

Our main task for the evening was to move the pile of bricks from the corner of the garden to the back where they will be used to build a little wall eventually.

It was decided that a chain gang would be the most efficient way to move said bricks so everyone formed one long line and began to pass the bricks from one pair of hands to the next. Arguably the most important job was at the end of the chain where Andy and Pieter would re-stack the bricks in an equally neat pile... no pressure!

After just 5 minutes, the fun levels were soaring. "Are we nearly done yet?" and "how many bricks are left?" were a great indication to how much you were all loving life! It was going to be a longer evening than I thought.......

Anyway we were chipping away at the pile slowly but surely. The further down the pile we got, the more bugs each one had on it. We carefully re-homed a few families of woodlice plus a couple of spiders too, now they can enjoy the lovely London view :)

After half an hour, the 10 brick countdown began, and before we knew it, we were done!!!! SUCCESS. No weak links in this chain.. not even Natalie, former Weakest Link contestant.

We took a photo by our new tower/stack and headed to the boat for a few leg exercises. Some step ups, squat jumps and single leg squats to get those glutes and quads burning was just what we needed on such a cold drizzly evening. But with the Cutty Sark looking so wonderful in the background you can't help but smile.

Message from Diane

I received this email from Diane this morning... "Sarah, thank you so much for the brick ziggurat now in the garden. It is so beautiful, I may not build the wall the bricks were supposed to be for. I'll just put a plaque on it 'Good Runners Feb 2020'. I'm so sorry I was not about much. Sainsbury's got the better of me. The big guns always win. Please come again, you transform my garden. Best Diane"

How lovely is that. Really well done everyone, hopefully you'll have that warm fuzzy feeling about you all day :)

Just a quick one... Here are the details for volunteering at the Hackney Half water station that I mentioned last night. There are 3 spots left and you get a free race entry out of it as well as a fun day out cheering and supporting your fellow GoodGym runners!

See you next week at St Marks church!