27 people ran 6 km to lift building materials for Hackney Pirates

Tonights run was back to help out Hackney Pirates. We started out from Coffee is My Cup of Tea in a pretty big group, with lots of new runners and quite a few red goodgym tops dotted around, and Ade started us off with a warm up that caused a lot of concerned faces on passers-by; I think it was mainly inspired by the Ministry of Silly Walks...

Once we were warmed up we headed out, cutting through London Fields and across to Queensbridge Rd and then Kingsland, where the group got a little separated but a couple of minutes with the map had us back on track. A little shuffle around DeBeuvoir square and up to the new home of the Hackney Pirates.

When we were here two weeks ago we moved a bunch of wood into their main space, and it was brilliant to see it having been put to use; the 'ship' inside the space is really coming together and it was so good to see the fruits of our labour. We moved some offcuts and bits and pieces outside and had a little tidy up, before moving a load of more rustic bits of wood upstairs to help make the ship feel more homely. After that we quickly cleared out a space next door which was on loan to the Pirates, and prepared ourself for the run back.

In three staggered groups we did a 'tempo' run, so no chatting and picking up the pace a bit. I opted for the first (read, slow) group and we headed back, but the group really picked up the pace and there were a few moments I was glad I'd opted to be the back marker, especially as we hit the final straight through the park and the faster runners started to catch up with us (though that's a good motivation to pick the pace up for the last bit).

Back at Coffee is my Cup of Tea, we limbered up a bit and stretched out tired muscles and said our goodbyes to each other. Heading back through London Fields I managed to squeeze in a bit more of a jog, to my surprise, so the regular running is definitely doing a lot of good!

Felix Cohen