DOING GOOD

Nine GoodGym'ers ran (two walked) to St Giles Church to do good & little did we know as we approached the Church that we'd be involved in a 200 year old discovery...

Well, the evening had started off a little different as we decided who was most suitable to be at the front of the run pack (narrowed down by injury & lack of tech & settling on the wonderful Noami, who handled it perfectly) & then the runners were left with a warm-up fitness drill as Helen & I headed up the walk & set off to the task with a 9 minute head start!

Helen & I crossed to the Church just as the runners appeared, Ashley overtaking us on the final stretch of pavement! And following the head to head battle of Walkers v Runners, it was time to be shown to our task at St Giles Church.

Joined by David & Norma - from a local history group - we went around the back of the impressive building and stood looking at quite a large ivy bush, to be told a memorial was somewhere inside & our task was to uncover it....

Something to get stuck into - perfect!

And we were off. The GG'ers were sawing off branches of the bush and in no time at all both ton bags were absolutely full. New piles were made around the memorial as we kept hacking away.

Slowly & surely, the first glimpses of the memorial appeared and with it, a date!

1827

The memorial could well be nearly 200 years old! We asked Norma when this memorial was last seen & the church reckons somewhere around 1980 when they no longer had funding for gardening and the memorial had become overgrown with the ivy bush.

"I think a head might roll out!" was exclaimed...

Bit by bit, more of the memorial became exposed but the ivy bush - now at the centre and a mass of roots - was still hanging on firmly. We further cut & prised away branches in search of the golden nugget on the memorial - the cross.

Unfortunately as we neared closer to the cross, the ivy having grown around & through it, as we removed the last section of ivy, the cross left the memorial with it, still encased in layers of roots & leaves, decades old.

And with that a two hundred year old memorial was exposed again for the first time in nearly forty years! A little repair & tidying needed to bring it back to its former glory, but a job well done for the GG clan.

And to clarify... St Giles Church weren't at all 'cross' about the incident!

WHILST GETTING FIT

With such a physical task of sawing & cutting back an ivy bush, it was a good job the runners warmed up with a circuit first, eh!? One minute of elevated push-ups, one minute of walking lunges & one minute of plank walk outs... repeated three times. No wonder the walkers beat them to the task :)

As well as a mean circuit & physical task, 8km was covered to get to & from the task. It's fair to say that we were all ready for dinner come home time!

THANK YOUS

Thanks to everyone for an evening of mystery-busting fun & again, for getting stuck in with an awesome task. Special thanks to Naomi & Ashley for joint front-leading & doing an ace job of it! And of course, a warm welcome to our latest recruit Barbora!

Big Loves

DOING GOOD

There's a theme for Tuesday weather at the moment & yet again, despite the miserable conditions eight runners - one pretending to be a cyclist, two newbies (a warm welcome to Karen & Sarah & a runner with perfectly un-holy pants - braved the cold to do good whilst getting fit.

Due to the heavy rains of the past few days our original task at Glebe Gardens Allotments was unfortunately canceled due to flooding, but fear not! Where this a GoodGym, there is always good to be done!

Our friends at the Age UK Centre on Chad Park were keen as always to welcome us with open arms & had a little tidy-up job for us to do.

After - of course - the chaps enjoyed a hot coco & a sit down.

Due to the rain, leaves & debris had been carried across the pavement & car park which meant that an elderly person accessing the centre had slipped - the first incident here in years.

We got to work, sweeping, brushing & tidying the paths removing as much of the slimly leaves as we could & hopefully making the path safer again.

Speaking of incidents... armed with her old nemesis "broomy-broom", Rachael fell victim of the brushes cruel tricks once again. Her pants were now marked as holy.

But luckily her leg (& in particular, her main artery) were unscathed, although we did hear a bit more about it...

As always with Age UK, a task completed & a pair of holy pants is never the end of the story.

WHILST GETTING FIT

Tuesday at Age UK means only one thing now - BOX STICKS CLASS!

After we swept that path good & clear, it was time to burn off the hot chocolate and to box & sticks(?) our way into the evening to some classic rock anthems.

With flashing lights, pumping fists & epic tunes, it was as close to a real party as we'd all been for a long time!

Heart rates elevated & inner rock chicks released, it was time to head back to base. Even the hail splattering down on us couldn't dampen our spirits after another successful Tuesday Group Run.

THANK YOUS

Big thanks to Emma for leading the run whilst I doddled along on my bike & of course to the best back markers, Pete & Holy Pants Rachael. Well done to all of you for braving the elements & being the winter faces of GG Derby!

UP NEXT

A brand spanking new task next week - our favorite! We're at St Giles Church tidying up a memorial. Come along to do good & get fit with a longer run of 8km total.

Big Loves x

DOING GOOD

In the afternoon as the wind bellowed and the rain came down heavy, we did each ponder whether anyone else would be at the Jurys Inn at 6:15pm... It needn't have even crossed our minds!

Fifteen hardy GG'ers were there by the time the clock struck six thirty & we were outside braving the cold, doing our thang!

Once we'd made ourselves feel sufficiently silly, it was time to do good.

We were back on ivy removal duties at the Broadway Baptist Church. With one fence (almost) cleared at our previous task there a couple of weeks ago, we moved onto another section of fencing at the side of the church. With Emma optimistically exclaiming that it would take "15 minutes!" it was now a race against the clock!

Ashley wasn't quite satisfied with leaving the previous fence with those pesky straggles of ivy, so he went back to work on the previous section, joined on the grass by Noami & Mark, who cleared up & bagged hedge cuttings.

The rest of the group cracked on with the new area of ivy removal, working methodically cutting, pulling & bagging. A few excuses were thrown around as we neared & eventually surpassed the 15 minute timer optimistically set... "the ivy knew we were coming"... "it was tougher than the last lot"... "it was older".... & the best one "let's blame the taskforce!"

15 minutes or not (who's counting? But for fact-taking sake it was 30 minutes of hard labour!) the team did a cracking job, removing most of the ivy & making a huge difference to the church grounds.

As the rain got heavier & the GG'ers colder, it was time for a group snap in front of our handy work & a run back to base.

Wait... Something is missing. Oh, Ashley's still working solo on his section of fencing!

WHILST GETTING FIT

Two run leaders on last nights task, meant double the fun. Emma led the group to our good deed, tackling the steady incline & Helen led the group back to the safety of the Jurys Inn, enjoying the long downhill stretch... bliss!

As well as our 4km total run, the team got a tasty leg workout at the Jurys using the resistance bands to practice all of the silly walk techniques - including everyones favorite duck waddle - firing up those important running muscles.

THANK YOUS

Big thanks to our lead runners & to all of you for coming out on a dismal evening to spread some GG cheer. A welcome to brand new runner Carly who along with Ellen (on her second run with us!) definitely win the prize for biggest chunk of ivy removed! A welcome back to Ellie as well who braved her third run with the Derby clan!

GO TEAM!

UP NEXT

Next week our good deed takes us to the Glebe Gardens Allotments where we'll no doubt get a little grubby again. Come & enjoy some fresh evening air over a nice accessible distance of 5km total!

Big Loves

GETTING MUDDY

18 brave runners refused to stay off the trails, despite the threatening bellows of Dennis the Menace yesterday afternoon. The weather may not have been kind to us, but once in the fields, splashing through the mud, we had a brilliant time. Among those runners, three GoodGymers - Dani, Rachael & Tracy, taking a break from the road & testing out the dirt routes.

There's something natural & freeing about running through such atrocious conditions; rain peppering the body, mud splashing up legs, wading through knee deep puddles, climbing over fallen trees & of course, laughing with fellow dirt lovers.

It wasn't all hard work; after the run was over & feet cleaned & dried (kinda), it was time to enjoy snacks & then a runners' yoga class. Ran, fed & stretched, this grubby bunch looked sleepy & content by the end of the first "Run Dem Trails" event.

If you'd like to be involved in the next one, we're going to be based at Ashbourne Town Hall on the 21st March for a similar set up... minus Dennis we hope!

Big Loves x

DOING GOOD

One cold frosty night, ten runners huddled in the warmth of the Jurys Inn, dreaming of a hot chocolate (or maybe a beer) before it was time to brave the elements & step outside. As if this cold exposure wasn't enough, these poor souls were then given a circuit to complete; press-ups, squats & hoover planks all in front of the Jurys large glass front! They may have felt foolish, but their warming muscles thanked them.

And then it was time for their mission.

Katherine led the group out to Darley Park, stopping just before Cardiac Hill for Walk Leader (& injured runner) Dani & Sam to regroup. Once together, kit was divvied out, runners in pairs & the mission was a GO.

We 'plogged' our way up Cardiac Hill, to the top car park, finding quite a bit of litter - mostly of the alcoholic variety - behind the Wildlife Gardens, before heading to the Tearooms, across the playing area & over the lovely new path besides the river.

Chatting, jogging & litter picking, spirits were kept high despite a few numb fingers!

Four bags of litter collected, a lonely knight photographed & a broken umbrella rescued - mission success! Now the running was about to get serious.

WHILST GETTING FIT

The run out to Darley Park & the plog that followed meant that the group covered approximately two miles in a steady pace. Unfortunately, we were a little cold, so it was time to warm things up. We regrouped by the bridge & marked out (using lights & Sam) a lap that we guessed was about 200m, with a downhill section, a flat & short, sharp climb. Perfect.

Parlouf time!

Set into pairs, the runners took turns to tackle the lap (aiming for a solid effort of about 70%), completing three laps per runner, six as a pair.

Sweaty & heart rates elevated, it was time for Katherine to lead the runners back to the Jurys, snap our group photo & say our goodbyes.

UP NEXT

We're back at the delightful Broadway Baptist Church next week. There will be a walk group & a run group so all abilities are welcome to join in the good-deediness!

Big Loves x

DOING GOOD

We had the pleasure on last nights group run of heading to one of Derby's wonderful green spaces for a litter pick (AKA treasure hunt) on a local Parkrun route.

In the gloom of the evening, donning headtorches & carrying our trusty portable lights we hit the trails, starting at the one & only climb of the Parkrun circuit. In the darkness, the hill - which usually fills the Parkrunners with dread, especially on the 2nd & final lap - somehow seemed less intense. We breeeezed up it, litter-pickers in hand.

As we 'plogged' our way around the route, as well as admiring how clean & litter free Markeaton is, we noticed things about the Parkrun route that when racing over the course, runners often miss; the wooden steps offering different routes through the woods & the large lake glimmering in the street lights.

After completing one full lap & returning back to the main car park, we had a final hunt there, collecting discarded parking tickets & sweet wrappers. It's impressive how clean Markeaton Park is & excluding a few bottles of the alcoholic variety left lying around & some lost property (which we placed safely in the carpark), the park was almost litter-free - well done Derby Parks & Parkrun!

WHILST GETTING FIT

And before our plog, a warm-up, which isn't complete without making ourselves look absolutely silly outside the Jurys Inn & yesterday was no exception. Half of us squatted our butts low whilst the other half used the railing as a supported press-up zone.

Warmed up & feeling daft, it was time to run! The run out to Markeaton was a just over 2km, with another 2km steady 'plog' around the park before regrouping... And what is a large, empty carpark good for? Actually don't answer that!

Speed work, of course!

Getting into pairs, with a route laid out & illuminated, the first runners were off, putting in best efforts, evidenced in the photos of the 'blurs'! Once back, their partners sprinted around the track, putting in their best efforts too.

After 3 laps per runner, with hearts thumping & sweaty brows, it was time for a steady downhill run back to the Jurys Inn... perfect!

UP NEXT

A short run next week, well for the GG Derby clan anyway! We're heading to Darley Abbey to support the Broadway Baptist Church with a garden tidy-up, with a total mileage of 4km.*

• Maybe. I'm always a bit off!

Many thanks for another cracking group run & Big Loves x

DOING GOOD

Another fabulous group run to the Age UK Centre on Chad Park this week; 11 GG'ers braving the cold to do good & get fit, just how we like it. And no visit to the centre is complete without a mini Box-Sticks taster to warm us up. Once again, we found this exercise class in equal measures hilarious, cringe-worthy & down-right good fun as we smashed our sticks together & jived to the tunes!

After supporting the Age UK centre with their lunch club very recently on our Sunday special group run, we were excited to head back on a Tuesday evening & give the garden a tidy-up. We were tasked with neatening the place to make it look even better for the centre's busy events schedule; we moved sandbags, swept away leaves & weeded the flower borders. As always, one man enjoyed a brew & took a break from the graft.

And a smashing job done, even if we do say so ourselves! Luckily, other people think so too; the lovely Diane from the centre has said that the staff & volunteers there are so pleased with GG's hard work, that they've officially adopted us as their helpers!

As well as a task well done & some fun enjoyed at the music-boxing-inspired exercise class, there were some interesting conversations floating around this week... from how dust is really just dead skin cells (gross), that Buddleias originate from Nepal & were brought to Europe by explorers & the dangers of damn crew socks. All normal, Tuesday GG chat. There's always something to learn & something to share at GoodGym Derby... but mostly just dust AKA dead skin cells. Hehe.

WHILST GETTING FIT

A pleasant 7km total run for each GoodGymer, meaning that we covered a combined distance of 77km last night, which goes straight towards the January Challenge miles, where GoodGym as a whole is hoping to hit a whopping 100,000km by the end of the month! Move over January blues! Psst... Remember that your training runs also count towards this too, so let's keep up the great work & keep connecting to Strava.

If only Derby got points in the Challenge for enthusiasm, we'd be up in the top spot based on the efforts at last nights Box-Sticks class. Grins all round (minus the odd traumatized expression), with Emma bouncing around like a kangeroo & Danny's "riding a horse" impression. Stella work GG Derby!

COMING UP NEXT

Next week we're on a treasure hunt (litter-pick) around the Markeaton Parkrun route. And if you'd like more of the Age UK gang, we're supporting their February lunch club as a community mission next month... we're coming baaacccckkk!

THANK YOUS

Big thanks to Ashley for backmarking last night, who arrived very sleepy & left looking much brighter, the power of running! And thanks to all of you for being such lovely, helpful human beings - you da best!

Let's finish with a classic from yesterday....

"Your sex is on fiiirrrreeee"

Big Loves x