Two-tasking it again

No easy August evenings for the Tower Hamlets crew, as an eleventh hour request from one of our longest standing task owners saw us two-tasking it yet again.

Having promised the team a punctual departure (with a combined warm-up and intro - failed on the latter but succeeded on the former), we headed to our two tasks at 7 o’clock on the dot.

SOS mulch-moving

Becky headed up the second task again (thank you, Becky) to Hollybush Gardens to be greeted as enthusiastically and appreciatively as ever by Margaret and Michael, who promptly led the team to the two parking spaces, currently occupied by a large mound of logs and mulch (the spaces have recently been let to a business and the council need them free-ing up, like, yesterday, hence the urgency). The team quickly cleared the logs and set about relocating the mulch to the Hollybush garden. Wheelbarrow-running soon proved a perfect fitness task for the evening as the runners deftly steered around tight corners, making for a great total body workout, especially for the obliques – way to go, waist muscles. Becky confessed she has now developed an even greater respect for those running with buggies at parkrun. The small crew rounded the evening’s tough task off with a classic ‘band’ pic on the cleared logs before making their way to Parkview to join the painting posse.

Painting...

Meanwhile, I led the Parkview painting team to the Glasshouse Community Centre, situated within the Parkview estate, where one of our task owners, Ros, greeted the runners with overalls, paint trays, brushes and rollers and despatched the team of 13 to the kitchen, stage and toilet areas for 35 minutes of first-coat-fun.

...and meditating

Before long, task owner Catherine arrived ready to take the evening’s mindfulness class. With temperatures hitting 30-plus in recent weeks, I decided a couple of weeks of taking it a bit easy and investing in our mental and emotional fitness would be just the ticket, and what better way to do this than be taught a little meditation by Catherine – a well established teacher in the City. Brushes and rollers were bagged up; mats rolled out. Minutes later, our team of 19 were lying on the floor, focusing on nothing other than their breathing for the last 20 minutes of tonight’s task.

A distinctly more relaxed group of runners then posed obligingly for a couple of last pics, before we all headed back to base – nearly on time.

Thankyou's

Thank you to Becky J for heading up the second task so brilliantly again; for taking pics and writing the Hollybush report. Thank you to Chris for co-navigating to Hollybush, and to Si and Chris for navigating to Parkview. Thank you to Bryon for leading the run to Parkview; to Bryon, Chris and Jack for leading the pack back!

...and welcome!

And a great, big GG hello to Liz and Sarah who joined us for their first runs. It was so lovely to have you both on the team - thank you for getting so much done in such a short space of time, and really hope to see you again very soon.

And so to next week

We’re back at it again next week: more painting, more meditating (next week we’ll be looking at the loving kindness practice - perfect if you’re looking to let go of that residual bad feeling you have for your boss…). Sign up here.

Until then, have a really great week - look forward to seeing you again very soon.