It was a pleasantly warm and dry evening; a perky (and by the end quite fragrant) bouquet of good gym runners gathered in the usual spot. After a few fence supported active stretches, we took a gentle 2.5km jog to Tarling East Community, near Shadwell. We were greeted with a slightly worried look as we were informed that there was a severe shortage of tools to complete our plant-bed clearing task, due to a no show from contractors earlier that evening. Though of course there was no need to fret, as it takes more than a mere technicality to deter good gymers. We each grabbed a pair of gloves and some grabbed the few tools that were available. In 20 minutes, we had cleared and bagged the best part of three beds worth of weeds, but also collected some dill (or, upon further inspection, possibly fennel). For the run back, we split into two groups. The first, lead by Andy and tentative Bryon, headed off at a faster pace taking a longer route along the canal, mixed with short bursts of more intense running. The second, with Tom and Alison, took the same 2.5km route back, but not before stopping off at Bethnal Green Gardens to do a couple of relay races. We then all joined back together at the starting point for some gentle cooling down stretches.

Isabel