After a day of miserable news and rain, 10 runners came out to beat the blues and run 6km, supporting and encouraging each other along the way.

Sometimes, in the colder and darker months, tasks we can get our teeth into can be limited and this week, we decided to focus on those we run with and ourselves.

After introductions to a few new-to-GoodGym Faces and a couple of GoodGym tourists, we got rid of numb toes and set off on a warm up run chatting about the week...

Dumping Trump from our minds

... We were soon warm and ready to take on the first challenge... today, it was 1,200m repeats! The aim is to run 1,200ms at an uncomfortable pace - the lungs should be burning so you're running just below your lactic threshold, in laymans terms, just below the pace where you physically can't run anymore. Once our Goodgymmers ran the first lap, they did 3 rounds of planking and then got their breath back.

Round two... it's time to try and run at the same pace as the first lap

learning to pace ourselves

Big congrats to all involved for being consistent with both laps - perfect pacing.

ABS 300

Time for a new challenge: 300 reps of ab exercises to get the core burning. We got a few car honks as the team smashed through the war on core like it was a gappy Toblerone (other brands of chocolate are available).

Then... it was time to be Sneaky ... Part of the hideousness of 1,200m repeats is the anticipation so Jo kept it quiet that there was third and final lap to be done post-ab attack. They are horrible runs but they do so much good for our running efficiency. Plus, doing them after another workout helps your body with endurance.

So, the warriors set off for the final lap and ran it in, lungs burning in impressive pace.

A gentle jog back to the Roastery followed and we stretched off feeling like we'd had a proper workout.

More, slightly less brutal work next week!