Monday night was my first run with GoodGym. After a warm up focussing on our arms, fourteen of us set off from The Arch Gallery to Victoria Park children’s play area: not far away but just enough distance for a steady-paced warm-up jog. Once there, half of us set about raking twigs and leaves from the sand, while the other half started sweeping pebbles back from the water feature and paths to the borders of the area. Forty minutes later, the sand around the play area was twig-free and the pebbles were safely back where they belonged: the perfect, gentle task for my introduction to how GoodGym works but a massive time saver for the park warden! On the way back we split into two groups: the first went straight back to The Arch, concentrating their energy in five sprintervals. I went with the second half on a longer route of roughly 5km. The pace was quite fast for me, resulting in a tough but satisfying run through the park and back to The Arch along the canal. Once back and warmed down, a trip to the pub ended the evening on a relaxed note. Definitely a successful evening, I’d say!