One could be forgiven for thinking that GG Richmond might be cancelled on the first blustery snowy day of the year, but GG doesn't have snow days!!

Even with WhatsApp buzzing relentlessly with cancellations Mark was sure he wouldn't go it alone.

So at the eleventh hour (18:45) to be precise, lucky number 7 Goodgymers assembled at Wholefoods to go out onto the streets of Richmond and endure the biting cold that was “the beast from the east”- otherwise known as a cold snap causing temperatures to plummet.

I made a triumphant return after a month long hiatus celebrating....your right, I was busy celebrating my 50th good deed. In true fashion I was backmarker... holding up the rear.

Mark lead the team to the steps for a short yet inventive warm up outside the Duke Street church; which paved the way for a potential pun that Mark was drip feeding us runners. He battled through a chest infection to motivate everyone to hop skip and jump around a relatively small patch of concrete.

Finally warmed up everyone set off for a run along the river, tasked with talking about ,things that keep you warm’ to take our mind of the biting cold, everyone engaged in talks of holidays and hot chocolate.

The day dreaming was short lived when before we knew it our first hill beckoned and Mark insisted everyone run half way up and down it. A sharp left turn and we find ourselves ascending again up the famous Nightingale Lane...oh no , my mistake we're coming down again OR it looks like we're going up again to the top of the hill or down, so we were neither up nor down and by the third hill, huge kudos to Holly who guessed that the mystery potential pun was......"The Grand Old Duke of ....RICHMOND" (which I suppose she is still singing now.)

And when they were only half way up they were neither up nor down!

Now at Petersham Common, we meet Canadian Ken.

After the initial confusion of whether the task was to put a BMX track together or take it apart ,it was established that the team were there to dismantle a BMX track made by local youths. After trying and failing to hide how secretly impressed everyone was with the cheeky teens ingenuity at making a BMX track out of logs and mud, the team grabbed 7 shovels and with no SNOW White we marched with Ken with shovels and no picks and got to work.

HI HO HI HO HI HO

In teams of two we dug  ferociously ,pulled  up logs and re-housed worms and beetle lava. Even big Ken got stuck in! The team successfully dismantled the track and we hope brought joy to the council and the community can now walk safely through the woods. We expect to be back after Easter to dismantle it again!

The head torches were a godsend so thank you to everyone who brought them. Finally we ran back to Wholefoods all the way downhill. Quickly too as we were keen to get back into the warm.

Good luck to Jane (and me) for our half marathon on Sunday “The Big Half”. Well done to Jenna for her 10km at the weekend and super job Kate for signing up for the GG Lake Trails in June. Well done to Holly for making it to Goodgym without John who chose to stay in the warm...and in fact, it was noted that there were "sNOw guys to be seen, only ladies keeping the GG flag flying despite the cold" (what's up fellas?!)