Eighteen excellent GoodGymmers ran 2km to help at Martin Primary in East Finchley.

Meeting at the Phoenix, we were joined by Alice, Andras and Grace for their first ever group run - welcome!!

It was a glorious sunny evening so we set off running in good spirits with Paul backmarking. Vicky led a walking group with Sally and Fay, while we met Charlotte, Claire and Graham at the school itself. For Rupesh, it was another return to the school he attended as a child (not that many years ago I am assured).

After the short run we met the caretaker Tristan who explained the task for the night: we would be shoveling, transporting and spreading woodchip for the children's outdoor area in the woods and the path through to it. Perfect for an energetic group of GGers!

So we got to work. Dividing into teams of shovelers, wheelbarrow (and bin!) movers, and rakers we had half an hour to get as much done as possible. In no time at all we had halved the size of the main pile of woodchip and spread it throughout the areas the kids use. They use a clearing in the woods for their story time, so having a clear and dry path makes sure it stays usable.

From there it was time for a quick team photo and then a fitness session! This week we worked on strides and changing our pace: using a football pitch, the team ran around the edges and changed their pace every 30 seconds between 5k and half marathon modes. We did warm up then 3 minutes of varied speed, before a flat out lap to finish. It was a brilliant effort and we saw a few tired faces after!

From there it was a chilled 1km run back to base for stretches. See you next week!

D