A lovely eleven ran 4km to Baxters Field, where we painted the railings along the edge of the park.

As is usual about this time, we found ourselves saying 'Well done!' to Bradley, who this weekend ran two 10k races, yes two (well, it was a long weekend, so why not?)! He's got it bad. In fact, he and Conroy came to our session via the running track...in that heat! Well done to the rest of us for making it out, water bottles in hand, taking it slowly, like sensible people ;) We had a little chat about last week's social, which was great, how lovely to see each other over a drink and all looking so clean and well-presented! I've noticed a surge in cheers since then, following our conversation about how rubbish the cheering levels are in Bromley.

This weekend, our very own Stuart is off to Bucharest with the GoodGym Race Team, to run a half-marathon. We talked a little about the team and the benefits of joining in, which include support from fellow members, fun races, a fancy vest and guaranteed #RedThunder. You don't have to be part of the Race Team to join in though, everyone is welcome to go along to races and supporters are just as welcome as runners. Good luck Stuart, we look forward to hearing all about it!

Going back to the cheers...this week we were joined by Rachael, who was here for her very first group run, having been recruited by Louise (good work Louise!). You will, of course, want to show Rachael some love by clicking on her name and giving her a right old cheer, welcome!

To the task. Up hill.

This week we were off to a brand new task, thanks to Tim putting us in touch in with the task owner. Baxters Field is a lovely little park, hidden away off Kirkdale and is largely taken care of by a group of 'friends', people who use the park and decided it needed some regular TLC. They have worked hard to plant saplings, to lay paths, install a picnic bench and now, with a bit of help from us, paint the railings that run along the edge of the park. Getting here was a challenge in itself, with the road rising up and up, until we all cheered, hands in the air, as we turned off to enter the green space.

We were met by Philippa, who herself ran the London Marathon a couple of weeks ago. We were shown the railings, the pots of thick black paint and were handed paint brushes by Conroy, who was clearly eager to make a start! We each took a section and got going, chatting as we worked. As always, lots of talk of running, coach visits, missions and, this week, Bank Holiday activities (the beach, London Zoo, B&Q...). Time flew, but so did our brushes and, stepping back, we could see just how much had been achieved in such a short space of time - excellent work! Thank you Philippa for making us feel so welcome, with cold drinks and sweet treats to keep us happy (and give us a little boost for the return run). There is plenty more for us to do, so I'm sure we will be back soon.

Race to the cones

Finding a space on the grass, we did a very quick fitness session, involving cones and cores (sorry it was brief, we were too busy snacking!). What a treat to enjoy the reward of a downhill return run, a sweep around to our start point and a nice deep stretch. Next week we will visit another new task, this time at Forest Hill Station, where we will tend to the planters, sign up here to join in.

Happy running and see you soon!