Anna and Alice ran to Ms M's house in Fulham to help clear away some leaves and weeds so she and Boyd the Border Collie could enjoy the garden again. Ms M has run 8 marathons so gave us some pro tips over a cup of tea and a kitkat once we had finished in the garden. We then met Boyd, Ms M's very friendly dog once he came back from his walk!

After all the celebrations and cake over the past few weeks to celebrate GoodGym H&F's second birthday it seemed rather apt that we had a baker's dozen of runners for tonight's task at Askham Court. A big welcome to Sarah on her first H&F group run - it was lovely to have you along, hope you enjoyed it!

News Line Is It Anyway?

The evening began with a penguin-esk group huddle in which there was the weekly news round-up....

1. September Long Run – this Saturday! This month's long run will be along the Wandle Trail, led by yours truly and Andy from GG Hounslow. There will be three pacing groups and the option of a shorter start point along the way. Post-run we will head for food and drinks at the Dog & Bull in Croydon. Sign up here.
2. Community Mission - 6th October – We will be following-up our August group run visit and lending a hand at Springvale Estate Residents Hall. No DBS check is required. Sign up here.
3. The GoodGym Eurotrip 2019 will be to Sofia in May 2019....racing, pubs, spas, buffets and more! - come & join the fun! Sign up here.

Finally, a big well done to Catherine, Alice and Jason who aced the Kew Gardens 10K at the weekend!

With the news done we completed a quick warm-up followed by a name and number count, and the return of the feared 'question of the week'! At last night's GoodGym Wandsworth the group picked cheese as an overwhelming favourite sandwich filling and I was intrigued to find out if the group would concur. With hummus and falafel and chicken mayo getting an honourable mention, again it was cheese that proved a favourite - in a variety of combinations.

With everyone's Strava's set we headed off on a steady 3km run up to Askham Court. Halfway up we paused to regroup and had the bonus of some wall sits, or in Jason's case some 'Johnny-sits'! With everyone regrouped and wall-sitted out I took a punt on the alley being a marginal shortcut rather than a dead end - much to everyone's surprise it was indeed a shortcut and did not require a sharp u-turn! It wasn't long before we arrived at Askham Court and we were quickly met by some of the residents, Mirko, Ayda and Norma. In a strong case of déjà vu from last week we were led around the back of the same block of flats, except instead of coming face-to-face with an enormous amount of bindweed, it was a mountainous amount of stinging nettles, brambles and weeds - we had a fight on our hands to show our 'heavy nettle' against stings and prickles in the ever fading light!

Saws of illusion

This was no illusion, it looked and was a daunting task. In order to battle the vast quantity of stinging nettles, brambles and weeds the group gloved up and acquired some small hacksaws, garden waste bags and implemented some basic manual hand work or rather 'pulling-power'! Within minutes there began to be piles of stinging nettles and wicked brambles that had lost the battle to remain. Sadly there was no Sophie (head of posing on demand) in attendance tonight but thankfully Helena, Fiona and Jason provided me with a great posing shot.

Pretty prickle GoodGym-ers!

Calamine lotion, one of the things that was missing from the above list and judging by the echoes of "ouch" from within the stinging nettles and brambles many of the group got some lumpy and itchy souvenir stings. With Tom's theory of "once you've been stung once how much worse can it get?!" proving an interesting theory... Anna, Catherine (best leggings of the night award!) and Catriona were some of those that had heeded my advice from last week to wear long sleeves and trousers, seemingly a wise move!

Net gain: H&F GG > dead net(tles) = earth it!

Despite only having half an hour in which to work, the group made a massive dent on the area with a good half of the stinging nettles efficiently removed and bagged into 12 garden waste bags! Soil could now be seen again, it did exist in there! With the darkness upon us and time against us the group efficiently began the tidy up. With all the bags transported down to the designated area, [Alice] brandished the broom and provided one final sweep. All that was left was for the group to pose for a quick photo around the filled bin bags with Ayda and Norma.

Net them eat cake (biscuits)...

Very kindly, the residents provided the group with refreshments of juice, water, and biscuits - some lovely shorties that Johnny (head of biscuits) expertly tasted and handed out - as a big thank you for all their hard gardening work these past couple of weeks.

The fine sprint

Suitably refuelled the group began the 2.5km run back to base, a run that required the successful negotiation of pedestrians and numerous items (from beds to barriers) on the pavements. We briefly paused 1km away from base to enable those that wished to push a bit harder on the way home a chance to do so - Sarah, Sarah, Chris and Tom keenly took up the option of some short fartlek sprints - great sprinting guys! With one final push and sprint for home from the group returned back to base with redder faces and deeper breathing ready for a good cool-down and stretch off.

Next week’s task will be at the Maystar Estate and will be led by the wonderful Alyx – sign-up here. Please bring gardening gloves if you have them.

Good luck to Fiona in the Beckenham Half on Sunday, to Catriona in the Crystal Palace Road Races, to Bex in the Ealing Half Marathon and to anyone else who is running a race or parkrunning - hope you have a good run!

Have a lovely couple of weeks, enjoy next week's task and hopefully see you in two Tuesday's time!

Please note that despite not managing to capture photographic evidence of Sarah (head of bags) holding a bag this week, I can confirm that it did indeed happen, she was seen holding a bag!

Last night at H&F a fantastic 16 GoodGym-ers joined me for the part II celebrations of the 2nd birthday of H&F. With no new runners to welcome this week we quickly headed outside for a quick round-up of the weekly news....

1. September Long Run – 22nd September. This month the long run will be the Wandle Trail led by yours truly and Andy from GG Hounslow. There will be two pacing groups and the option of a shorter start point along the way. Sign up here.
2. Adidas Shoreditch 10K Volunteering - Volunteer for Adidas City Run Shoreditch10K on Sunday 14th October and earn half-price entry into another Adidas City Run! – sign up here.
3. The GoodGym Eurotrip 2019 will be to Sofia in May 2019....racing, pubs, spas, buffets and more! - come & join the fun! Sign up here.

AND a big well done to Jason for his Thames Path efforts at the weekend - his 105th race since he started running 4 years ago! (one of many fun facts learnt from Bex epic quiz last night!).

Following a quick warm-up and name and number count (this week without any of my questions that provoke the fear and quick thinking to think of a socially acceptable/non-embarrassing answer) we headed off on a steady 3km run up to Askham Court with my trusty back-marker Jason in place. Once we arrived we were met by Richard and Orin who gathered up all the tools and bags required and led us round the back of the block of flats where we came face-to-face with a Lake District sized amount of bindweed!

Amongst the slight danger of a very useful but efficient machete tool the group got to work on pulling up all the bindweed from the garden plot. It wasn't long before heaps and heaps of bindweed were piled and bagged up - so much so more bags had to be fetched mid-task! Luckily the rain held off so the bindweed and ground didn't become wet and slippery and provide any hindrance to the group's super quick bindweed clearing efforts. Within half an hour there were 8 full bin bags of bindweed and the soil was visible on the garden plot once more. With the darkness upon us the group posed for a quick photo around the filled bin bags and began the run back to base the marginally longer way - we had a democratic vote on whether the group wanted a quick fitness session or a slightly longer run of 0.3km, surprisingly the latter option was the overwhelming winner!

Back at base we all had a cool-down and stretch with the thought of the pub very much on our minds. Cool-down complete, it was time to head off to the pub for 'Part II: Pub Edition' of the H&F 2nd birthday celebrations - 2nd birthday = 2 celebrations! A well-deserved thirst quenching drink, food, cake, a quiz! What more could you want?! Thank you all to those involved in organising all the birthday celebrations, what a fun night, what a fun few weeks!

What has been learnt....

Heaps of fun are always had at GoodGym H&F

All the gardening and weeding always gets done

Puns are always pretty fun

Post group-run celebrations in the pub are the one

You always have to be prepared for the scenic route to a task with me in charge

2is better than 1

No-one is left behind with trusty back-marker Jason

Do good, get fit, eat cake!

Bex does the best pub quizzes

Impressions of birds are nailed by Catriona when she has a party hat prop

Running + Doing Good + Fun = GoodGym H&F

There is never staged posing (at my request) for photos at the task

Hands down have the best bakers - Catherine's carrot cake, Johnny's rice crispy cakes, Jason's Japanese cheesecake & Catriona's coffee and walnut cake are amazing!

Deeds, all the good deeds

Andrew makes some both wonderfully delicious and wonderfully interesting brownies with the most unlikely of ingredients

You never need to ask Will his name when he wears his red GoodGym tee

Hats, party hats! No one seems to questions these as we turn up to tasks wearing them

&most importantly to note...Sarah ALWAYS holds a bag!

Finally.....the group welcome new runners & GoodGym tourists with open arms (especially if they come with treats hint hint)

Next week’s task is more gardening at Askham Gardens – sign-up here. Please bring gardening gloves and some long-sleeved layers as it looks a bit of a prickly one. Have a lovely week and hopefully see you then!

p.s. Johnny, big GoodGym H&F love, hope you feel better soon, your rice crispy cakes were ace - I assume you were at home watching Bake Off for ideas on your next baking delicacy!

Tuesday night, it’s H&F GoodGym night! And to add to the excitement tonight it was part I of the H&F GoodGym 2nd birthday celebrations and a two task special. Tonight we were first heading up to St Mungo’s Reconnection Post and then up to White City Adventure Playground.

To get both tasks completed I required lots of runners and pairs of hands, and thankfully a wonderful 22 GoodGym-ers joined me on a humid autumnal evening for this party run, to do good, twice over! It was lovely to have Alice and Imogen, Mitzi along for their first GoodGym group run and to have Larissa and Jenni from GoodGym Ealing and Michele from GoodGym Hounslow doing some GoodGym tourism! It was also great to have one of my favourite GoodGym trainers, Ana, of GoodGym Wandsworth and Hounslow join the fun – extra great to not be on the other side of her fitness sessions for once!

As always everyone congregated in the Hammersmith Fitness & Squash Centre, however, this week being the party run, Sarah and Johnny were on hand to provide party hats and the homemade banana cake for the post-run celebrations. Much like GoodGym’s group run disclaimer “you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do” some opted out of wearing a party hat, understandably their aerodynamics would’ve been altered and it would’ve slowed them down. Party hat’d up we headed outside this week for a round-up of the weekly news (my voice vs a motorway I think there may have only been one winner, so for those of you who missed any of it…

1. GG London-wide 'Hamingslow' Social – This Thursday!! GG Hammersmith, Ealing and Hounslow will be uniting and hosting the social! It'll be in Hammersmith upstairs at The Rutland Arms! Sign up here.
2. GG H&F's 2nd Birthday - On Tuesday 11th September, part II of the birthday celebrations with a post-run social at The Draft House! Important pre-social request - Please email or whatsapp a photo of yourself aged 2 to Bex before the date for the baby photo quiz round!
3. September Long Run – 22nd September. This month the long run will be the Wandle Trail led by yours truly and Andy from GG Hounslow. There will be two pacing groups and the option of a shorter start point along the way. Sign up here.

AND a big well done to Jason who completed the Spitfire 10K and to Sarah who came 5th (3rd) with her triathlon team at the weekend!

While everyone was gathered in a circle we did a quick name and number count and everyone answered the “what do you like to do on your birthday?” question. The answers ranged from having drinks in the pub, spending the day with friends, having a lie in, eating lots of cake, doing GoodGym to the wonderfully decadent cheese on toast for breakfast.

Following a quick warm-up and the loser of the bus vs walk judgment tonight, Sophie we all headed north on the short 1.5km run to the first task at St Mungo’s Reconnection Post. Despite the group throwing me a ‘red herring’ as to where the actual entrance was (I of course 100% knew where it was…honest!), we arrived at St Mungo’s and were greeted by Philippa, the Deputy Manager who explained to the group the services they provide to vulnerable and homeless adults in the community – as well as providing housing, they work with the residents to get them reconnected in the community.

Need for weed

The task tonight was simple, tackle their garden – tidy as much as we could in the half an hour we had with them. Everyone gloved up, tooled up, and prepared the 3 large garden waste bags for the filling of weeds and cuttings. The group got to work tackling the garden as briefed and with all hands either on deck or on the tools providing a much needed weed and/or prune to the plants around the garden. In what is becoming a weekly tradition, Sarah posed with a bag and Sophie posed in various stances on demand. Chris, Michelle and Jason also got involved in the fun too…check out the photos! Amongst the photo opps the group put in a hard gardening shift and quickly filled the 3 large garden waste bags. The time flew by, as it always does when you’re having fun…as Fiona wonderfully exclaimed, “that’s been half an hour already?!” and it was time to down-tool, tidy-up, empty the bags, and pose for a couple of group photos along with Philippa. Task one complete! We said our thankyous and goodbyes and headed off on what was meant to be a short 1.2k run up to our second task at White City Adventure Playground.

Lost-term memory

In a nice trip down memory lane back to the first couple of weeks when I got the group lost and lead on a ‘magical mystery tour of H&F’ I managed to lead the group down not one, but two blind (well closed) alleys…

Following the minor detours and bonus running up to our second task we eventually arrived at the wonderful White City Adventure Playground and were met by Rob from the Play Assocation. He explained to the group that the Play Association were a non-profit charity based in Hammersmith & Fulham that deliver after school and holiday provision for local children aged 8 to 14 years and specialise in providing play opportunities for disadvantaged children, and children with complex needs. Unfortunately with the summer nights well and truly drawing in it was too dark for the group to admire the outdoor adventure playground in all its glory but I can vouch for the fact it is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!! A kids dream!

Skip to it

Our second task of the night was another simple one, load the skip they had ordered in which was currently sat empty and being collected Wednesday at 7am with bricks, old timber, and everything both to the side of the skip and in the outdoor storage unit. The group split off into different groups and began to fill the skip in double-quick time! A human chain was formed to get the old timber and storage unit completely emptied, much to Rob’s amazement! One final sweep by Lucy and pick-up by Michelle, Joyce, Johnny and Sarah ensured no scraps or Uno cards were left behind. Answering the old age question of “How many GoodGym-ers can you fit into an empty storage unit?” everyone piled into the unit for a brilliant group photo, party hats still mostly in-tact!

With the skip completely filled and the darkness upon us it was finally time to say goodbye to Rob and head back on the 3km run back to base. Once back at base Rachael waved everyone in with the tall feather-like plant she had very usefully run with from the first task – a very handy beacon throughout! After a quick stretch out and round-up of the night there was only one thing left to do…eat the delicious homemade banana cake and all the sweets! (….obviously in moderation!)

Hat's all folks!

Part I of the H&F 2nd birthday celebrations completed! What a great and fun double-task night. One skip that would’ve otherwise gone back empty filled to the brim and a garden a lot less weedy and overgrown. Apologies for getting you back a ‘touch late’ but I hope you all enjoyed it! Great running and a big welcome to the ladies from FOX and the National Geographic: Alice, Imogen and Mitzi – 6km run, 2 tasks completed, awesome stuff! And thank you very much to Jason for as ever being my trusty back-marker and to Ana for leading one group back and Jo for providing the navigational expertise back from the second task. Have a lovely week and hopefully see you on the group run next week!

Next week we’re back to Askham Court to help out in the residents community gardens – sign-up here.