A very sweet sixteen shunned the football madness to take on a massive 11k round trip to show some love down on the farm.

Yes, yes, we know, the World Cup only happens every four years and we have a group run every Monday, but we don't go to the amazing Surrey Docks Farm every Monday! One reason for this is the distance, at around 11km in total, it could put some people off, but we always offer the chance to bus it back if you wish. This epic challenge didn't put off three absolute first-timers though, so all our Lewisham Love this week goes to Jane, Jack and Jenny (I can't help noticing this sounds like an Enid Blyton story, 'Three Have Fun on the Farm!' maybe?). Well done for choosing one of our longest runs ever to make your debut!

Our warm-up was swift, with a little game and some dynamic drills to gear us up for the long run ahead. With our back-markers in place (thank you Mary and Gennie), we were off. On a more relaxed day, I might run straight towards the river, via Greenwich, making the most of the Thames Path, but our goal tonight was to reach our task as quickly as possible. We tripped our way through the remains of Deptford Market, hearing the odd cheer from the pubs along the way and eventually turned through Pepys Park, to meet the Thames Path and the river itself. Before long, we were approaching the back of the farm and swinging in through the gates, feeling a sense of getting away from it all.

We were met by Gemma, who could see how hard we had worked to get there in the heat, so let us cool down with some donkey petting. As we cooed and ahhhed, Gemma told us that one of the donkeys is 28 years old! A slow stroll through the farm, punctuated by the odd cat stroke and lamb pat and we were soon gathering tools to take on two tasks: pulling up weeds and scooping up poop.

The area due to be weeded is full of raised beds, which are full of delicious-looking vegetables. These are grown during the Plot to Shop sessions, where adults with learning disabilities work in the garden, growing and learning, then taking the produce through to the farm shop, where skills in retail and customer service are also gained. We were all admiring the great big beetroot and the massive red onions and making plans to come along one weekend to make some purchases.

As our goat-sweepers finished off, it was time to down tools and enjoy some goat cuddles. Gathering in the enclosure, we waited excitedly as Gemma opened the pen to allow the little kids out. Oh my, talk about energetic! They bounced and bounded, pausing only to nibble our shoe laces and try and grab straps from our bags. As we crouched to take a group photo, we realised just how cheeky they can be, as Juliet found her hair being nibbled by the cheekiest kid of all! Conscious that one of the mums was pretty much shouting from inside, we rounded them up and ushered them back in for the night. What a treat!

Our return run was slightly more relaxed, with some heading off towards home and a few pauses to regroup. It can be tricky on a long run like this to keep track of everyone, so thank you to all of you for working together to run as a group where we could. On a run of 11k, there's no time (or need!) for a fitness session, so it was straight into stretches and talk of our Summer Social on Thursday (yes, THIS THURSDAY!). All the info and sign-up is here, please join us, even (especially) if you are new, it's for everyone to have a chance to chat without running and share some food and drink in a very special place. Next week we will return to Ewart Road Clubhouse, to do some work in their lovely garden, sign up here to join in.

See you soon x

As the sun shone, 29 happy faces tripped along through Lewisham to cover 7km of running and help out at Seniors.

What a gorgeous evening for running and doing good in great company! This week saw one absolute first-timer to GoodGym, hello Matthew and two visitors, Akay, who has previously been along to GoodGym Bexley and Ernie, who is a regular up in Islington, we hope you felt the Lewisham Love :)

In fact, there was an awful lot of love to go round this week, with some of our runners feeling a little high from a weekend of EPIC running. From midday on Saturday to midday on Sunday, our awesome Team Lewisham Wildcats ran 8km laps of hills, trails and through the woods at Endure 24. Between them they ran a whopping 135 miles, supporting each other throughout. They lifted each other's spirits when times felt hard, they gave their all to make sure their team mates had enough rest and, best of all, they represented GoodGym with a smile on their faces and the Lewisham crown sitting proudly on their heads. We're all incredibly proud of what you achieved, well done superstars! Give a cheer to Nykolette, Helen, Amber, Caireen, Jacqueline, Kim, Conroy and Stephen (and added Kudos to Kim, Helen, Conroy, Amber and Nykolette for making it along tonight!!).

Tonight's task was taking us over to Seniors. We do enjoy our visits here, but have to gear ourselves up for the longer run and the HILLS! A quick warm up got our heart rates up slightly (and helped us get to know each other a bit better) and off we went. On an evening as lovely as this, how marvellous to be able to run through Ladywell Fields and push hard up and over Blythe Hill, with a last sweep down to Stanstead Road. At Seniors we were met by Cathy and Alice, who showed us through to the garden at the back of the building. Now this garden is big and, with 29 people ready to get stuck in, Cathy had her work cut out assigning tasks. Pretty soon though, everyone was either putting on gloves or grabbing tools, ready to get stuck into one of the many jobs on offer...

• Digging over the beds in the polytunnel to mix in the manure, creating hotbeds

• Working in the same way over at the raised beds, creating areas to grow vegetables

• Lifting a bench out onto the grass to coat it with teak oil

• Weeding and sweeping the patio

• Sanding tables on the patio, ready for oiling or varnishing (some of which was also done)

• Crawling into the little spaces under the building to pull out tables, ladders, chairs and all sorts of other items, which were then sorted, creating a more orderly space in which to put the useful items that were to be kept (well done Marta and Ernie, this looked like a cramped and dusty job!)

There was even enough time once the polytunnel was done to make a start on an overgrown bed, giving it a quick strim and rake. Just look at that list of jobs! This kind of work is heavy and not always easy for some of the regular volunteers at Seniors, so well done all of you for making a difference in just half an hour.

Before we ran off, Cathy briefly told us about the open day which is happening this coming Saturday, to which we are all welcome (entry is just £1, which enters you into a raffle) and with the lovely new children's play area, we were invited to bring along our smaller members too.

At this point on a run to Seniors, we know what's coming next. The secret is to grit your teeth, drive your arms and step lively (oh and chatting gets a little harder the higher up you go!)...but it's so worth the effort! Tonight's view was particularly good, with clear skies and a setting sun. We are very lucky around here, with so many beautiful green spaces :)

Arriving back at Glass Mill, there was just enough time for one last push, a little wall sit, as if our thighs weren't burning enough already! Next week is pretty special all round. We are venturing over to Surrey Docks Farm, which is always a real treat (think goats, donkeys, sheep, sleepy pigs...). It does mean a long run though, so there is the option of running one way and taking transport the other (remember, we get to run alongside the river for once, which is pretty special). Sign up here to join us, when we might also be celebrating a milestone and getting excited about our summer social at the Wildcat Wilderness.

Have a great week x

Sharing the love between two tasks, 31 runners took to the streets of Lewisham to cover between 5 and 5.5km.

Thank you this week to Conroy and the GRACE team for our lovely title pun

The foyer at Glass Mill was awash with red t-shirts this evening and we were pleased to welcome some new faces. Hello and Lewisham Love to Oli, Kanatta, Caitlin and Julia (who were here to interview us for their university radio piece, we look forward to hearing the - slightly breathless - results!). How lovely also to welcome back Andy, who returned after having run the London Marathon recently.

Another great weekend of running and racing! We had:

• Juliet at the Bewl Water Half-Marathon (that will have been a toughie!)
• Bradley at the Greenwich Park 10k

and a whole host of lovelies over in Bucharest with the GoodGym Race Team, running a hot half-marathon, well done to:

• Nykolette
• Amber
• Emma (who even managed a PB!)
• Stephen

There were 100+ runners representing GoodGym in Bucharest, running, cheering and celebrating, isn't that marvellous?!

If you like your racing short but very sweet, we have the now annual GoodGym Olympic Games coming up on Saturday June 30th, at the Parliament Hill track. You will be able to take your pick from events such as the egg and spoon, sack race, GoodGym relay (and some more 'serious' track running events, such as 400, 800, 1500m and so on). To join in you need to sign up here and also let Conroy know, so he can keep track and make sure we have all of the events covered. Last year's event was top notch fun and having you there will make it even better!

To the tasks!

Yes tasks, plural. This week we were off to Hither Green to help the Scouts with some painting at the Ted Ray Hall and a little bit further towards Lee, to help GRACE in their shop. A big thank you to Conroy for leading the group over to GRACE. On our way to the Scout Hall, we chatted about the Great Hilly Fields parkrun Diversion of 2018, where a whole load of runners accidentally went the wrong way on Saturday. Oh how we chuckled, then promptly lost our back-marker group. Well done back-markers Jacqueline and Sarah for finding your way to the hall and well done also on running that little bit further (sorry!).

We were met at the task by Janet, who quickly showed everyone in and, in true Scout style, was well and truly prepared, with sheets of plastic laid on the floor, brushes and paint ready to go and refreshments for our thirsty runners. The wall that needed our attention was currently a shade of render grey, but before long the white paint was going on and the chatter was getting louder. As you can see from the photos, we could only reach so far, so out came a few ladders and those who wanted to, tried to get a little more covered. Stepping back to survey the work, we all enjoyed a Nice biscuit (prompting the big 'Nice' or 'Nice' debate. Answers on a postcard please). It seemed rude to leave the top part of the wall unfinished, so we have decided to spare a few runners next week, since we will be just along the road at the Springbank Community Garden. Giving ourselves a big round of applause, off we headed, keeping a very close eye on our back-marking team.

Meanwhile, over in Leegate...

Let’s be Brief Our friends over at GRACE have been busy packing clothes for their next mission abroad, so they haven’t had time to hanger around their shop to get it ready with their spring collection. Ten GoodGymers pulled their socks up and ran over to help, lucky for them there was no skirting around as we got stuck in. Not only were we able to sort and hang the spring collection in the shop, but we were also able to move their fridge to their new kitchen. Not sure how many of you have seen the man running the marathon with a fridge or washing machine strapped to his back, but you had to be there tonight to witness Tom climbing the stairs with a 5ft fridge freezer on his back. Unfortunately there is no photographic evidence as I couldn’t get him to freezer for the moment. Not to worry, he had support from three others and was able to run home. As always, we were thanked for the amount of work we did in a shorts space of time.

Awesome pun action there team!

On our return to Glass Mill, we found the GRACE team waiting for us, trying very unconvincingly to tell us that they had already done the 1km time trial and a number of squats (they looked remarkably fresh...). As we didn't believe a word that they said, we embarked on a bit of GG Olympic Games practice, with a rather daft four-person-velcro relay. As we didn't have the velcro to hand, we just put our hands on each other's shoulders and trotted along like dressage ponies. What fun!

Next week we will be heading to Hither Green again (it is the HG Festival at the moment, with lots of great events taking place), to tend to the Springbank Community Garden (and to complete the painting for the Scouts). Sign up here to join in, it'll be a lot of fun.

On a scorchio Bank Holiday Monday, sixteen superstars ran 7km, foregoing the pub garden in favour of a task at the Wildcat Wilderness.

What a gorgeous weekend! After what felt like the longest winter ever, we feel a great sense of joy to be able to lounge around outside, enjoying running, riding, swimming and socialising in the sunshine. A bit of extra heat doesn't put us off getting out and moving our bodies, with a group of our regulars heading over to Crystal Palace Park yesterday to take on a 10k race. Well done especially to Sarah and Bradley, who ran for the first time in their GoodGym Race Team vests (check the link here to find out more about the Race Team and how to get involved). It was lovely to welcome Ali back today, for her first run since completing the London Marathon a few weeks ago, pushing on through to run a fantastic time in such challenging weather, well done Ali.

The area next to our start point, where we like to do our warm-up, was covered in people this evening, chilling out, playing games and...dropping litter. Seriously people! If we didn't have a pressing task to get to a few kilometers away, we would have done a bit of 'plogging', but really, just take it home with you! Getting down to the serious business of warming up, we played a little team game with two balls and a bit of sprinting, then a few skater jumps and squats to fire us up to run. Thank you to Marta and Caireen for taking on the role of back-markers this evening, keeping us together. It was a lovely, if treacly, run, taking in Ladywell Fields and arriving at Wildcat WIlderness promptly and with enough energy left to tackle the task in hand.

Wildcat thing

Scooping up some tools, we made our way along the now lush and overgrown path, to meet Maria in the Wilderness. With the outdoor kitchen due to be built this Thursday, we were all set to continue the work we started, so wheeled rakes, forks, weed-bashers and picks along to our work zone (but not before we had a look at the newly-installed polytunnel - see photo - which will be the perfect place for workshops and growing). Tools were quickly grabbed and jobs chosen, with some people clearing yet more brambles, some using picks to try and remove extremely tough bramble roots, others clearing the metal, string and general 'stuff' that had been uncovered and taking it to the entrance and our last few raking up the chopped brambles, to then distribute them along cleared paths, to act as a surface to walk along.

Time seems to slip away here (oh, how I wish we could stop time and spend much longer at the task) and we were very quickly putting everything back in the wheelbarrows and taking a group photo. We wished Maria well with the kitchen build and look forward to visiting again in June. Running back through Ladywell, we were very tempted by the smell of pizza from Mama Dough, but kept going, like the serious athletes we are, to stretch back at our start point.

Good Luck Team Red Thunder!

This weekend is an exciting time for GoodGym racers, with over 100 runners heading out to Bucharest, to race various distances, cheer and support each other and to refresh and refuel with lots of delicious food and drink. Good luck to everyone who is taking part and we look forward to hearing all about it. For those of us who are still here, next week we will be off to Hither Green to help the Scouts, as part of the Hither Green Festival, sign up here. Enjoy the sunshine and see you soon!