17 runners helped Compton Square Gardens with some gardening in the storm!

Welcome along to Kaite and Marianne whose first time it was yesterday - lovely to have you along!

In the news this week:

1. It's the GG Monthly Social next Thursday (7th June) in central London - it's going be awesome come along!
2. Well done to Kike who did a Sprint Triathlon on Sunday and to Alex who did Hackney Half Marathon last weekennd!

This week we were meeting at the Arc Centre and it was fitting as the storms were building..... After we warmed up Linda Robson (from Loose Women) cheered us on and we were away - we headed north via the New River Route for a mile run before our arrival at Compton Square Gardens outside the Union Chapel.

Compton Square Gardens is a beautiful set of public gardens in the centre of Islington, Juliet and a group of volunteers help maintain it more and more as the funding from the local council has been cut. Juliet told us that our task for the evening was to remove a certain weed with blue flowers that is running havoc in the gardens!

It's about to get exciting!

As the thunder and lightning started we split into three groups went two by two across the two gardens to dig, pull and fork out all of those pesky weeds we could find. The rain got heavier and different groups had better cover than others. With the wheelbarrows getting constantly full of weeds and thrown on a huge pile over we were soon done.

Everyone worked really hard over 30 minutes but got absolutely soaked haha!

We ran the most direct route back to base, stretched out and ate some biscuits - yum!

Sign up for next week here we will be helping Waterside Adventure Playground and Age UK - we'll be meeting back at the Arsenal Hub.

PB out.

Swapping Monday blues for running shoes, a Goodgym perfect 10 help an angelic book shop sparkle again!

Undeterred by the election of the absurd and not swooned by the bright light of a supermoon, members new and bold gathered at GG Brent local, The Queensbury. We welcomed 2 new members again to the fold this week - Amy and Hannah and were pleased by the return of Helena even after last weeks Queens Park mile attacks! Special shouts go out to both Eliza and Deborah for making it without their usual running mates - There's no 'I' in team!

Completing the crew we had (She ain't got no belly) Coach Ellie! Making up the rest of our terrific team of track-tastic trudgers: (Next week's coach) Clairey-Bell, (Can't tame me) Amy, (Getting leaner) Samina, (Every one's a-fan-a) Hannah, and the rose among the thorns Enrique (that's me : )

Hot to trot but sweaty we were not, as our destination was just a short skip away. We had arrived at our Beginning, and we vowed to make it Glorious!!Greeted by the the welcoming 'Hi there' of our favourite JEEP 'dri-ver' some of the team tooled up with sponges and things, others charmed a lend of a ladder as two nipped into a Sainsbury's loo, to fill a blue bucket and one of those green recycling bins with water, to wash away some sins.

'Wax on, wax off' type upper body efforts cleaned the Sign and window - "watch out below, oops, there's water on yo!" (unlucky Samina! and everyone else who got splashed!) Working so concertedly, we managed to remove, quite sweetly, some unsightly graffiti.

Having heard the good news it' time we were off to climb the mountain. Following Ellie as she ran, grinning with her cunning plan - Hill Training - AAAHHH MAN! (Did someone say squats - apparently we chose this?)

Pointers on technique said like words of encouragement lead to a fast and steady start for the group, then a shaky turn had us realise that calories are what hills burn! A self imposed beasting drill on a damp North London Hill. The collective sigh of relief upon arriving back at the bottom after Hill folly three was red in the face for all to see.

Speaking of bottoms. . . Even after the the trio of triumphant trips to the tip, any GG Brent meet wouldn't be done without the monkey on all our backs (sides) SQUATS!!!

Delirious by this point we squat. We squat and hold, we squat and thrust, oh god we even (balancing pretty well considering) bounce in to and out of alternate squat lunges!!!???

Back to base to celebrate Andrea having just achieved a distinction in her Masters!!!

Monday's really are good!

Kinda sad it ended - We're all broken. . . and just a little mended : )

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE

13 Goodgymers, Dropped 200 leaflets for 2 worthy causes on a wintery but wonderful Monday night in Brent.

Greeted by the awesome sight of not one, not two, but three new faces and a whole bunch of awesome oldies too, I was over the moon to be back from hols and straight back into the warm embrace of the one and only GoodGym Brent.

With welcomes and housekeeping underway, the team were introduced to the task for the night - The Bi-Monthly track session and leaflet drop. This week I was delighted to welcome Tania's contribution for the Brent Social counselling services, an opportunity for low income and out of work local people to be supported in achieving positive mental health, through talk therapy in the borough of Brent.

With no time to waste the team were off, speeding down the road and engaging with all the community along the way. Newbie Rebekah was the woman with the effective 'wink' and used these Eye-rresistible (sorry) charms to drop the most out of the whole team.

After the one mile dash to Willesden Track the team didn't rest on their laurels and got stuck straight into the the most Hard-Core strength and abs session known to mankind. Strength work started with: *Walking lunges *Piggy back runs *Squat sequence Quickly followed by walking held planks and scissor kicks for..... well as long as I could do it so that was a looonnnnggggggg time!!! HA HA

Mixing in with the strength work the team bashed out a series of speedy 100m sprints followed by 200's and recovery runs. It's safe to say they gave it a Good-Gym run for their money (again sorry, it seems my holiday away has been plenty of time to come up with the cheesiest of all cheer puns)

After sweat there was the stretch and one last dash home to freedom. Despite the cold and teasing drops of wintery rain, there was only good vibes and good times had by all, what a way to get back in the game!!

Another successful dose of community goodness and athletic throw down to boot. There's only one place to fuel body and soul and that's ramping it up with West London's finest - GG Brent.

Until next time.....

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE