On a chilly winter night, six of Goodgym's most dedicated runners met at Wanstead House Community Association to rake leaves and then ran a 7km fartlek session.

Each week we meet at Wanstead House Community Association - a community house that hosts workshops, meetings and classes for the people of the area. It's a stunning building with beautiful grounds but takes a lot of upkeep, particularly during the winter months. In return for providing us with a little room of our own at the back of the house, from time to time, we do odd jobs around the house. This week, we had been asked to move some outdoor chairs and a table to the back of the house and clear some of the leaf fall that always threatens to takeover the garden.

Welcoming back Beth, who joined us for the first time this year, the team began work. With Trainer James and Run Leader Peter, sorting out the chairs and table, Alice, Beth, Jenny and Vicky began sweeping and shoveling the leaves into the bin for collection. After only 20 minutes, the task was complete and the squad were up off the street warming up for a fun Fartlek run session. Great work team.

Over the winter months, it is too dark to venture into Epping Forest. So in place of leafy runs, we have held weekly fitness sessions on George Green - just a stones through from our base. This week was a fun high five fartlek session where runners alternate between hard and easy efforts when they see (and high five) their partners. It's a great way to make the session fly by and provide a really good run based work out. Intrigued? Why not join us next week and find out how it works?