15 AMAZING runners came for the first group run of the year in Exeter, ran 5 k and delivered 710 leaflets for Ride On! A very warm welcome to Sarah and Alistair who joined us for the first time. We loved having you with us and hope you come back for more running and doing good soon!

It was so lovely to all meet up again after our Christmas break! Everyone seemed full of energy and there were smiles and cheers all around, no January blues in our group at all! We started our session with sharing some big news about the GoodGym in Exeter, including giving those who volunteered for Exeter Park Run last Saturday as a Community Mission a big cheer! Great work guys! We also had the great pleasure of having the task owner Will with us at our starting point. He told us a bit about the great work that Ride On does, working to make Exeter healthier and greener through promoting cycling, recycling bikes and offering bike courses.

We then carried out a dynamic warm up session outside the Phoenix, getting our bodies ready to run, and then, off we went. It felt great to stretch out running and we moved in good speed towards our task location. We re-grouped at regular intervals and made the most of these little stops by giving our legs some extra work with squats, lunges and some agility exercises. Sarah, Lisa and Anna back marked so that no-one got left behind, thank you so much!

When we reached St Leonards we divided into two smaller groups so that we could get as many leaflets as possible delivered. Everyone got stuck right in and everywhere you looked you could see runners in GoodGym tops with head torches jogging along the streets delivering. Fantastic!

We totally smashed it, in 40 minutes we managed to deliver 710 leaflets and covered all the streets on our map! That's a new record number for leafleting for us! What a great start to the year!

On the return run we stopped in Princess Hay to do a core session, just what we all want after Christmas! We did ten different exercises for 30 seconds each and although I had promised to not do any music this evening I just had to sing a little bit for you when you did your head, shoulders, knees and toes-plank! I hope it didn't put you off too much..

Super work at the core session all of you! Keeping the core strong is so important to your running, it keeps you well balanced and ensures that you maintain good running posture even when you are tired at the end of your runs.

Back at the Phoenix we carried out some stretches and talked about up-coming runs and events (see below). We also had a very exciting time doing a lucky dip with some amazing prices that Will from Ride On had given us. Thank you so much Will and congratulations to Vicky who won a bike maintenance course with Ride On. What a treat! Some of us then gathered in the Phoenix for some refreshments. After running up and down so many streets some special treats were well in order and we had a little tasting session of Swedish sweets. I think it is safe to say that most of you preferred the cinnemon buns over the salt liquorice. Loved the faces made though when you tasted it he he he!

Wow guys, just got to finish of with saying how great it was to see you all again! Fantastic work running, delivering leaflets, doing that core session, even better to hear all the laughing and joking going on. Already looking forward to next week!

Dates for the diary:

Next week we will run to St Davids church and start a three week project redecorating a room that is used for various charity work. We will have two different run speed groups so this is a perfect session for all abilities. Please sign up here to come along.

On Sunday 19th January we will do an extra group run, heading to Powderham Crescent Resident Association there with some garden tasks. Come along and join the fun! Tell all your friends about it too! Sign up here

On Saturday 25th we will go to Killerton Park Run together for a little training run, coffee and cake. Would love to have you along! Sign up here.

14 amazing #GGwinterwarriors came out on Dartmoor and ran 22 k, climbed the highest tor in South West England and got blown away both by the stunning views and the gale force winds! We had sunshine, rain, hail, thunder and lightening and THE BEST TIME EVER!

We all met at 9.15 in Okehampton, a bit nervous and super excited about the adventure ahead off us! After a quick safety talk we set off towards the moors. The first few miles followed a stunning river in woodland and we had to focus a lot on our footwork as the ground was very rocky and slippery. Once we reached the moors the running felt easier and we made our way up to Belstone Tor where we realised that the metoffice probably had been right in issuing a yellow weather warning for wind... we nearly flew away when we reached the top!

Nothing could stop us from continuing though! Up and down the stunning Dartmoor landscape we went, stopping often to take in the views and to refuel. We soon made a steep climb up to Yes Tor where Sam fed us all on the most delicious brownies ever! Thank you! From there we made it over to the highest tor in South West England, High Willhays, where we all added rocks to its already impressive height to increase it.

From there we started our decent down to the valley, thinking the run would get a bit easier... that's when the thunder and lightening storm blew in and the HAIL started! It was so bad at one point we had to crouch down on the ground and huddle up with our backs towards the wind to protect ourselves. Once the worst was over we set off again.. and now we had a new adventure starting.. getting our feet stuck in the boggy mud! I think pretty much everyone of us had our legs down in deep mud up to our knees or more at least once! But we made it, and we made it in high spirits and with fantastic attitude! Back in Okehampton a recovery dip in the river followed by a pub visit was in order, best finish ever to a great day out!

It was a true adventure; 22 amazingly beautiful km covered, in the best company ever! You guys are totally amazing! TRUE #GGwinterwarriors for sure! A very special thank to Samuel for guiding us, keeping us safe and for the homemade medals at the finish. Huge thank you also to Jimmy for back marking, making sure we all made it back. Lawrence, I am so happy you came along, I know you don't like running in the rain! Arabella, I hope this helped you overcome your fear of hail! Nic, I am sure you managed to take in the view! To all of you, THANK YOU for an amazing day! I can't wait for next time!

13 amazing runners ran 4.6 k and flew through the delivery of leaflets for Age UK Exeter. They also smashed out some hill sprints and run drills and got to experience some crazy photo shoots under the Christmas lights! What a night!

As usual we met at the Phoenix Art Center to lock up our bags and go through news and safety instructions. We also had the great pleasure of having Martin, the Chief Officer of Age UK Exeter, with us at the Phoenix. He told us about the work that Age UK does in Exeter, particularly in term of tackling isolation among the elderly. Though their campaign #EatTogetherExeter they provide opportunities for elderly people to share a meal with others, something that a lot of them rarely get the chance to do.

Before setting off running we carried out a dynamic warm up session. We jogged around in circles, moving our arms in different directions. We then carried out different movements corresponding to different numbers being shouted out. We quickly warmed up and set off towards our task location. During the run we re-grouped at regular intervals so that no-one got left behind. Town was beautifully lit up with all the Christmas lights and when we arrived to St Leonards the spirits were high!

Our task was to deliver postcards for Age UK Exeter, promoting their #EatTogetherExeter campaign. We divided our group into smaller groups to deliver the postcards and very efficiently covered street after street! We worked so much faster than anticipated and had delivered the whole pack in no time!

We flew through the flyering!

With some extra time for fitness we set off towards the quay were we found the most brilliant hill for hill sprints. Yay! Using a pyramid model we sprinted up the hill five times, increasing the sprinting distance 3 times and then decreasing it back down again. You guys smashed it! Truly fantastic effort by everyone! So lovely to be cheered on by people walking past as well!

Next up we sprinted over the bridge in the quay three times. Here we were not cheered on so much by people walking past, but by the geese and the swans in the water! They were clearly very impressed!

After a nice run up a long hill we gathered under the Christmas lights in Princess Hay for some run drills, working to mobilise our hips and knees, improve coordination and footwork and improve glute and quad strength. Although the drills were great and you all worked really hard I think it is safe to say we had even more fun exploring all the Christmas light displays! It might only be November but why not?

Back at the Phoenix we carried out some static stretches. Tom also showed us the butterfly stretch and we almost took off the ground with that! We then gathered in the Phoenix for some drinks and to plan our Christmas Party (more info on that to follow soon). Lots of CHEERING both on the GG website and in person took place plus some tasting of Scandinavian salt liquorice... it didn't proof half as popular as the Heroes chocolates though!

SHOUT OUTS

• Thank you Lisafor back marking! Great support for the group!
• Well done Tom and Lisa for reaching 10 good deeds! Brilliant work!
• Fantastic to have Pete on board as task force!
• Great to see so many of you signing up to our Christmas race and Dartmoor training run!
• Huge shout out to all of you: you are all heroes for coming out to get fit by doing good, not letting the dark or the cold defeat you! It is AMAZING to run together, to connect with the communities across our city and with each other! Sending lots of GG love to you all!

NEXT WEEK Next week we are running to Newtown to help Clifton Albert Residence Association maintain some alley ways in the area. The run will be 3 k in total, perfect for all abilities, and we will have a great fitness session as well with some brand new equipment that Santa brought early for us! It would be amazing to have you along! Sign up here

TRAINING RUN On December 8th we have a long distance trail run on Dartmoor. If you are keen to discover the excitement of trail running and to go out and explore the moors in a group sign up here, it will be a real adventure!

CHRISTMAS RUN Christmas Race: We are going to run Haldon Jingle Bell Run on December 15th! Yay! You can choose between 5 and 10 k and it will be great fun! Sign up here on the race event page and then also let me know here if you are coming so that I know how many treats to bring!