It was a windy evening in Newham but thankfully that was all the weather had to throw at us as the rain stayed away for the 10 fantastic runners that came out to help at Hackney Marshes Adventure Playground

We started by pointing out that I am indeed not Brahma but Olivia from GoodGym Ealing and after covering Newham last year I was delighted to be back in the Olympic Park with GoodGym!

After a few warm up drills we started our run along the canal up to Hackney Marshes, a lovely route taking in the views of the park and the waterway. I still get excited by running in different areas and exploring new routes so thank you to Siobhan for leading the front of the group with me and making sure we didn’t get lost!

The Adventure Playground was soon in our sights and an evening task of shifting woodchips and logs was guaranteed to give us all an extra workout. The main job was to make the area under the zip wire safe by spreading the chipping in the crash zones and by working as a team we had the wrapped up pretty quickly! Wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow came gliding through the playground and the area looked lovely and safe once more!

Next up was log shifting and the big pile proved to be no match for us as we moved it from one side of the site to the other, special kudos to Charlotte for refusing to give into the wheelbarrow and hauling all her logs by hand AND running in between each one!

Time to call it a day and the pile we started with had dwindled and everything on the agenda had been ticked off and then some, great work by everyone! The playground staff were so grateful to have our help and reiterated how much time this saves them and allows them to focus their energies and efforts where it’s really needed.

What a great cause!

Just a short jog back left us time for some sprint drills focusing on acceleration and arms followed by a great game of squat, squat, goose! And yes what ever you’re thinking about that game is probably right, pop down to Newham sometime and I’m sure they’ll show you exactly how it’s done!

Finally a huge congratulations to Sharon for completing her 100th good deed, it's also her birthday next week and I've heard through the grapevine that there may be cake for a double celebration...

Until next time!