Tonight we ran around 3k to revisit the Salvation Army gardens that we first cleared last summer.

After our hard work last time, the back garden was looking great, so this time we split into three groups and each tackled one of the raised flower beds in the carpark at the front of the building. We weeded, trimmed, tidied and raked, gradually filling an ever growing pile of garden waste bags.

A bonus of going back to the Salvation Army was that we got to use our favourite tool again (yes, we have a favourite tool – doesn’t everyone?!): a handy wire brush you use to remove weeds from between paving – very satisfying!

As we worked, local residents began arriving for the evening’s service and they made for a great cheer squad. They were delighted to see us there and all made a point of thanking us for our efforts.

Because it was shorter run tonight, after completing our task we had just enough time for a quick drink of juice (thanks, Chris!) before we headed off to practice our acceleration and sprints.

We went in pairs and ran at top speed between two markers; and since it wasn’t a race, it definitely didn’t get competitive (honest!).

It was nice to see a couple of new faces tonight: Sally who was trying her first ever Goodgym experience and Lorraine who made it along to her first evening group run after joining us on a starter session last month. We hope to see them both back again soon.

Next week we'll be headed back towards South Norwood, helping them promote the monthly community market. See you then! X