Today we ran between 4 and 5km and helped keep Croydon tidy during the Pearl Izumi Tour in the centre of Croydon. It was a short run from Solutions to the Queen's Gardens in the centre of Croydon where the cycle race was taking place for the second year in a row. We split into three teams and spread ourselves along the route keeping the streets and Queen's Gardens as tidy as possible with all the extra spectators watching the race tonight. Although the cyclists were just warming up they still flashed by at amazing speeds on the still damp roads – I definitely feel safer on two feet!

Once we’d handed our heaving bin bags and litter picks to Tracy from Croydon Council we headed off to Park Hill Park a short distance away. Since our first run was short we made good use of the “undulating” nature of the park with half the group running the perimeter of the park and the other group taking a slightly shorter but still hilly route round. As they still didn’t look too tired despite the muggy evening it was time for some hill sprints at the top end of the park before heading back sweaty and tired.

We had one new member today so welcome to Dom who was brought along by Neil who is a regular at other GoodGyms in London and a big thanks to all the regulars who turned out tonight to make it a fun evening. Well done to Lila for catching us up and getting some sprint training in to do so!

Next week we will be delivering RAP leaflets to South Norwood Leisure Centre and finding some more of Croydon’s hidden parks and green spaces along the way. Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for the mushroom task which will be posted up soon.