This week 13 GoodGym-ers ran 5.7km to help Muswell Hill Food Bank weed, vacuum, mop and wipe.

We started with a few warm up drills along the side of the Phoenix that I learnt from the NBMCR middle- and long- distance coach Steve Vernon at the New Balance HQ last week. Nicola was a pro at these straight off the bat!

With our legs all warm and our numbers all counted, it was time to head off towards Muswell Hill. Hazel kept me company leading the pack, while Chris was our trusty back-marker.

On arrival we were greeted by Aimee and Deborah, who dished out the tasks before everyone got to work. We had an outside team weeding the patio, an inside team vacuuming and mopping the floors, a window team wiping the windows and Sarah was a team all on her own cleaning doors.

While all this was going on, a couple practiced their wedding dance inside. Deborah treated us to some bananas.

Once all the working was out of the way, it was time for a few strength drills. Walking pause lunges to improve balance, core stability and single-leg strength, bear and crab crawls to improve core, quad, glute and shoulder strength, and kicking squats - again to build that single-leg strength. Running is a series of single-leg jumps, so you really ought to make sure both legs are holding their own if you want to avoid injury, run faster or ran further.

We then ran back to base, with Nicola helping me lead the way and Freya our trusty back-marker. With Chris and Shawn hot on our tails we ended up running up the hills faster than we ran down them on the way home, which made no sense but was fantastic for everyone's legs and lungs and general levels of awesomeness - so good job!

This week's Barnet Biscuit: Chocolate fingers, courtesy of Freya

This week's pun, courtesy of Damian.

It's Freya's birthday next week, so there will be cakes and merriment to celebrate on Saturday. You can sign up here

We need a couple more volunteers for gardening at the Westminster Drug Project on Saturday. Sign up here

There's also a mission to help Mrs F on Saturday and a mission to help Grange Big Local set up their community festival on Sunday.

Last night eight runners braved the rain to help out at a local foodbank, got completely soaked, and still ended the night with a smile on their faces. What a team.

It started at the Town Hall with a little light drizzle and a lot of good news. Well done to Dave and Andy who both did great times at the Gunnersbury parkrun this weekend, to Remy, who gritted her teeth and beat the grueling Winshester half marathon, to Natasha who smashed a 5k race, and to Will, who joined us after an intense 10k the night before. What a week of running.

With a short warm up and a quick discussion about our favourite chocolate bars - which ranged from healthy dark chocolate and lime to good old Lion bars - we set off on the 3k run to Ealing Road Baptist Church. Shout out to Jennifer who had a great run down there, and to Michelle for battling jetlag womanfully! We also saw some excellent fartlek from Andy, Will and Remy.

Roger, the Pastor, was waiting for us with water and jobs as we soggily trooped into the building. A quick shake off and we were ready to get stuck in. It started with stacking books and chairs, which we completed in no time at all, before we moved onto the foodbank which Roger runs for local communities in need. With Will and Adam skillfully dismantling a stack of shelves the rest of us formed a (somewhat chaotic at points) human chain to empty and pack up the food. It turned out to be a lot of fun as well as a good upper body work out. Even if we did have to have several attempts at taking the video. " You actually have to move" said Natasha.

By the time the jobs were done the rain was coming even more steadily, which gave us a nice opportunity to 'cool down'. We're fighting a embittered battle to 'Beat the Streets' in Hounslow at the moment, and each have a card which we tap against a whole load of stations across the borough to record how far we've covered. So, despite the rain, off we went looking for meters, happily tapping and squatting our way round and noting all the good pubs that we weren't stopping at.

Before long we had made it back to our starting point, and with a few stretches we finished the night, already anticipating hot cups of Yorkshire tea, warm dressing gowns, even warmer showers and cold prosecco. Next week, it'll be warm and dry as we tackle the fly posters and graffiti under Turnham Bridge, so go on, sign up here.

Don't forget the social next Thursday at the fabulously named Blacksmith and Toffeemaker in Angel, where we will represent Hounslow at the monthly international pun of the month competition!

An amazing 8 braved the weather to run 5k all the way from Willesden to Wembley and can...Someone call the 'Plum-ererrr, we got flushed out!!

It was a wet and wild time down at Wembley community orchard for our tasking this week!! Thinking we'd been super clever and managed to dodge the downpour we arrived at our lovely hosts with 40mins to gift, after powering down the route in 35mins flat!! Oh yes, expect.... it was not all flat oh no... the route had us beasting off not one but TWO epic hills, through Dollis Hill and Neasden!! POW POW

Yes...We were a great little wolf pack, running in formation with 2 beautiful blokes in the 6 strong fruity female fold. Although we nearly didn't have our gallant gents in the mix - a last minute moment of doubt and email exchange between Dinesh and myself, had me persuading our lovely lad to absolutely come down no matter what the rains say!! Oh and Joe just made it aswell, by the skin of his teeth, no less....."I had to stop for doughnuts on the way home" he confessed! But thankfully the sugar-rush got him to the start line, just on time so he could patisserie-pate.

Upon arrival we were met by the wonderful team down at the site, who explained away the giant pile of mulch which needed shovelling into wheelbarrows and running across the fields to be arranged beneath the bases of the apple trees!! Easy enough... we thought.... Then, the heavens opened and what was a running session turned into a swimming one, as we battled the heaviest downpour I've ever experienced at an outdoor Goodgym task!! Eeekkkkk!!!!

But no fear, the rain made the team Water-Rapid and the barrows filled up fast with mulch getting delivered to its new homes, as promised!!

As always this crazy crew never fail to make me laugh and feel so proud: Jo, Eliza, Tabitha, Debs, Karen, Joe and Dinesh all laughing and joking the whole time, despite being totally drenched!!! Helping and supporting each other and just making the most fun out of what could have been a totally 'wash-out'! I love this crew!! Even when he was absolutely soaked, we had Dinesh sharing his water-proof jacket with the ladies!! What team spirit..... Although I think he was trying to make up for 'women driver' shout when poor Jo's wheelbarrow collapsed!!

After 40mins of shovelling and delivering I had to unfortunately call end on the task, despite the team not wanting to stop and me literally having to wrestle spaced from hands!!! Tabitha and Joe!!! Lol

But to our delight Stephanie and Daniella, our hosts had arranged a table of home grown goodies for our efforts!! Plums, blackberrys and the good old well known fruit - the biscuit fruit which Eliza tucked into straight away!!

After fond farewells and we will certainly be back!! We turned on our heels and ran the 1 mile jaunt up to Wembley Park Station. Time for some Training as we got to work on pull ups on the tube and Tabitha amazingly demonstrating her circus skills and backwards flip on the bars!!!! Wow!!!

Back home and hugs all round, what doesn't make you wetter makes you stronger!!! And my goodness did we bond in the rain and make the most of this wet and wild night!! Crew Love

So we'll see you next time familia!!!

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE

1 - Our first run for August! Last night we met in the mid-summer drizzle for our first run of the month. It's not the only first of the week either, because on Saturday Team Hounslow will be doing Fulham Palace park run together, and for many it will be a park run debut. Don't forget your bar codes! Good luck, athletes.

7 - Seven lovely runners gave up their evenings to do some good last night - nice work Dave, Natasha, Remy, Adam and Andy and Jo, who are both on their second GG run of the week. Way to go!

13.1 - The number of miles that Remy smashed out at the Wimbledon half marathon last weekend. You are a running superstar, Remy. Give her a cheer, Hounslow!

3 - The choices we had during our warm up - would you rather be the richest, most beautiful, or cleverest person in the world? We had a range of responses, but Dave's answer was the most canny.

2 - The distance (in miles) we ran to our task tonight. We've been to Friends of Cathja charity shop a few times before, and this time we split into two groups to continue clearing the donations pile and to shift a huge bookcase. While Remy and Natasha got stuck into the piles of bags, Andy and Jo started on clothes before moving over to Team Bookcase to help out Adam and Dave. It was a monster of a piece of furniture, but with a lot of elbow grease, some tactical shifting, and a whole load of clapping, it was soon in its rightful place and ready to start filling up with books. Lance Armstrong biography, anyone? Microwave cooking for one?

1 - The number of dogs we finally managed to win over last night. Bruce, you are now officially our friend.

2.7 - The number of miles we ran on the way back....thanks to a few twists and turns. It just keeps it interesting!

? - The number of squats we smashed out on the way back. Lovely, lovely squats.

10 - The day in August which will see the monthly social - come along to see if Hounslow wins the pun of the month. Sign up here. We also are doing a GoodGym Tooting park run takeover, so if you fancy pacing or volunteering then sign up here.

100 - The percentage of which you are brilliant, GoodGym Hounslow. Next week we're running to a food bank in a church, come along and join the fun.