A new task for us this evening with six GoodGymers supporting Abbey People's Swish clothes swap event.

Earlier in the day, Harriet was helping to set up the event, putting up clothes rails, sorting and hanging the clothes and setting up the social space. And of course making time for some dog fuss! The benefit of setting up is seeing all the clothes that had been brought for swapping, and a rather beautiful crochet cardigan caught her eye. It looks very swish!

The late shift (Kate, Sandra, Scott and I) met at Parkside Pools to run to the task. It was our first dark run of the season, and we were all well lit up (and some of us overly reflective). 🔦

It was a longer run than usual as the task was on the other side of town, but it made coming out worthwhile, and gave us plenty of time to catch up on tales of stormy holidays in the Lake District, daredevil dogs, love of zone 2 running, and the joy of hot/cold therapy.

We arrived at the venue to meet Eva, who was already hard at work clearing the clothes and rails. We joined in and helped with clearing more rails, tables (with a very creative storage space), activity boxes, and sofas, and then Sandra gave the floor a good sweep 🧹

With many hands, it was light work, and within 30 minutes we were done! There was just time to enjoy some baked goods before heading back. Will always run for cake 🍰

This session was promoting This Girl Can's Let's Lift The Curfew campaign, which highlights the safety concerns women have exercising at after dark and how this shifts their outdoor activity routines.

Some of us said we hadn't been out in the evenings this week and that the GoodGym task was the reason we got out. We agreed that GoodGym is a great way for women to continue to stay active in a social environment during the darker months.

We continue to create safe spaces to keep active 💛

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✨ GoodGym has designed night safety training for men to support women to feel safe when out exercising at night. You can read more and complete the training here: Women's Night Safety Training for Men

A tiny but perfectly formed team of 2 goodgymers joined 2 regular Fox Den gardeners to help prepare the allotment for the winter months. Sandra and I were given a variety of tasks.

We layered cardboard, put down wood chippings and did quite a lot of watering. We only had an hour but I think we achieved everything we set out to do.

We were rewarded with beautiful sunshine and some delicious tomatoes.

GG Cambridge were out in force today at the Bidwells Town and Gown 10K, with a mix of runners and volunteers!

Setting early alarms, Sandra and I headed to the volunteer tent for our 7.30am start. Supplied with a range of snacks and hot drinks, we were assigned roles in the baggage tent. After a thorough briefing, we split into teams of 3 and worked on our game plan ahead of the runners' arrival 🫡

What started as a gradual trickle of bags soon became a steady flow but built to a torrent in the minutes before the start. It was hectic and busy but SO much fun! Before we knew it, the run had begun and we had some time to breathe 🫨

Meanwhile, Kate, Catherine and Scott laced up their running shoes to take on the 10K challenge. As did Alexandra who, as Fun Runner, cheered on and supported the other participants AS WELL AS running 🙌

During our break, Sandra and I nipped across to the course to cheer on the runners. The stars aligned and Scott came speeding past - if we'd have blinked, we might have missed him! Casually announcing he was still on pace, we cheered him on (well, screamed) and hoped that his recent parkrun PBs were helping him out today ⏱️

Back at the bag drop, the returning runners were proudly displaying their medals and a sense of pride and/or relief. As it did before the race, the busyness built to a crescendo as the bulk of the runners finished, albeit a little easier than earlier in the morning. It also meant that we were able to see all of the GG runners and celebrate their achievements together!

Making it an international running weekend for Team GG, Jacob was in Poland racing the Poznań Marathon - a MASSIVE congratulations from the rest of the team back at home! 🍾