0 Month Streak
2 Month Streak
Tue 12th Sep 2023 at 6:45pm
The story starts like a noir film, with the streets of Ealing pounded by pouring rain. Eleven figures approached the meeting point at Bodyline Studio and brightened up the scene with GoodGym red t-shirts. The narrative instantly turned into an action movie (and later into a comedy of errors)!
Despite the cloudburst, absolutely no one dropped from the session! It was a unique, once-in-a-year task: putting up the signs on lampposts and poles with parking signs for the fantastic Ealing Half Marathon happening on the 24th of September. The intention of the advance signs along the race route was to warn the drivers about the upcoming closure of the streets.
Each GoodGymer today not only showed up not bothered by the heavy rain but also brought something special to make the team strong:
Before she had to leave, Liv gave us an overview of the task and the route, complimented by a live demo of the best sign-putting technique.
We split into Team Left and Team Right, each tackling one side of the road. Although we did our best to remain neutral, we couldn't get away from politics. A passerby asked Team Right about sourcing the signs and obtaining permission to put them up. She had some political agenda to share with Ealing drivers and pedestrians. We dodged the question by (rightfully) saying we are only volunteers and the Ealing Half Marathon team is responsible for making sure the signs are put up lawfully.
Do you know that Ealing Half Marathon is a CIC? That means that the profit from the event goes to the local community.
When it started getting dark, each team split into two sub-teams to improve the efficiency.
How many GoodGymers does it take to put up one sign?
The result? The pace increased but both teams got a little bit lost at some point. Eventually, the whole gang arrived at the finish of our section roughly at the same time 🤜🤛 We covered all streets we were assigned to and ended up with four extra signs. To celebrate the success of the task and dry our drenched clothes we headed to the nearest pub for a drink and chat.
We are not done with the Ealing Half Marathon, oh no!
Sign up for GoodGym activities to support runners on the day of the event:
Our next week's group run will be a task for Cultivate London - sign up now!
Wed 13th Sep 2023 at 9:20am
Great turn up in the rain - great work and joyful evening despite the darkness and dampness.
Tue 12th Sep 2023 at 6:45pm
Help this community event come together!
Read moreTue 29th Aug 2023 at 6:45pm
Let people know how to increase recycling and reduce waste
Read moreTue 22nd Aug 2023 at 6:45pm
Our GoodGym has a fantastic history of working with St Mary's Church in South Ealing. We haven't been to their church garden for a while. Someone had to make a move and make things happen. That person was Milly. She got back in touch with Vicar Steve and organised a gardening task for us. Result?
Today's session featured:
Milly and Ben volunteered to help inside the church move boxes with documents. The task involved heights and climbing a ladder. Our heroes' skills could match the Horsenden mountain goats, so no one fell down. Steph and Mike were taken on a special expedition to cut back a large tree. The rest of the group stayed in the main garden area that was troubled by weeds.
Our main enemies were:
In an hour we transformed the area, making the weed blanket disappear and the clear ground reappear. We made space for the native perennial plants to thrive. Steve was pleased with our efforts and was sure our work will help the area's biodiversity.
After we transported all the garden waste to the back of the church garden, it was time to...
...but then an alternative appeared:
There were seven takers for the fitness. They were served an easygoing core workout with a focus on the lower back, followed by musical planks. The latter was a brutal survival game in which the players enter a grassy arena and run around cones accompanied by classical music. When the music stops, a person who cannot find a cone to plank in front of is out of the game. Did I mention burpees as the penalty? Ealing was by Hammersmith's plankiator Divya who earned the title of the King of Planks.
The fitness session was so absorbing that the group that exercised showed up a the pub too late to mingle with the original party crew. Nevertheless, they stayed for a quick one and enjoyed the still warm August night in the pub garden 🍻.
Next week we are running to Acton to flyer for the Reduce & Recycle Hub.
A week after, at the group run, we tackle a task similar to the one at St Mary's but for a new church - St Andrews Church and its community centre! It is 5 minutes walk from Ealing Broadway. Check it out here.
Tue 22nd Aug 2023 at 6:45pm
Loading...