20 Fitness seeking GoodGymers smashed 60 minutes of Running Fitness Action!

Third of 4 sessions in Clapham brought a top turnout! Great to see so many Goodgym first timers coming along, hope it is the first of many!

First it was all about getting warm, hitting up some dynamic stretches as well as dialling into a few vital coaching points to improve our running form. Once our pulses were raised, muscles activated and joints mobilised we got going with some balance focused activities.

We then completed a range of running drills aimed to improve our running posture, efficiency and allow us to get to a higher top end speed.

This is where the fun kicked off with six 50 metre accelerations really pushing the pace along. Really powerful reps were on show which was great to see before we moved over to the pond!

Three 300 metres laps with 2 minutes recovery at a smooth and strong intensity aiming to complete each rep in exactly the same time. We gritted it out and really worked hard to maintain our challenging rhythm.

To finish off the evening we crushed 5 laps of the pond in teams of 4 (and 1 hard core 3). Each person running a third of the way around before tagging a teammate in. Seriously quick relay legs on show great to see everyone's running cadence massively increase through the session!!

Next week is the last in Clapham for a while so please sign up and come along for some more fitness fun!

Smooth Running

Joel

While some people say that if Monday had a face they would punch it, here at GoodGym we LOVE Mondays. Because when Monday evening rolls around, we get to meet up at the amazing Battersea Arts Centre, see some ace people, run like we stole something, and make our borough a better place to live. What’s not to love?

Last night was no exception when a group of lovely Wandsworth regulars and a few excellent new faces met up ready to do some good at Balham Community Centre, a charity that works to support families in Wandsworth. Hello to first-timers Georgie, Kate and Elizabeth, we're really happy you’ve joined us!

After our briefing we had race reports – great job Cath and Sally who both smashed races in the past week – announced an exciting new pairing with a local physio (watch this space, more coming soon), and then it was over to Matthew for this week’s CoRUNdrum. Which underground station has the river Westbourne flowing through it? With that headscratcher from Matthew we set off towards Balham. Will made himself very popular by suggesting a quick fartlek session as we ran through the common. It may have been painful, but this form of speed work (from the Swedish for ‘speed play’) is great for training. It speeds up anaerobic fitness, burns more calories, increases your heartrate and mixes up your training. So well done Will, thanks for pushing us!

Before long we had run the two-and-a-bit miles to the community centre and while one group set about pruning the trees that surround the kids’ playground, the other half began weeding with a vengeance. 24 pairs of gloves, four loppers and three secateurs later, the trees were denuded and the playground was deweeded. The difference was obvious, well done team.

Off we ran, amid a chorus of cat calls from the open-fronted Italian restaurant opposite the centre. We almost invited them to join us for a speed-off but the temptation of pasta was too great, and we charged up Balham High Road, stopping again at the common for a session on technique and a turbo-charged plank challenge. With Will leading one group, and Vicki taking the other, we split up and raced each other home to the BAC. We got back in record time – it turns out that cakes are a good incentive for getting that PB. Who knew?

A few quick stretches and the answer to Matthew’s great CoRUNdrum revealed – Sloane Square has a river running through the overhead pipes – we ate cake, talked about who would be at the GoodGym-wide drinks in Brixton on Thursday, and wiped away our sweat. Great job everybody, can’t wait to see you all next Monday. You can sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/group_runs/do-good-for-your-borough

Before then, we have a mission this Saturday morning (10th) for which we need some more helpers. We’ll meet at 9am at Smuggler’s Way to help the Wandle Wheelers set up for their ride until 10am, then run a quick 5k by the river together. Sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/missions/help-wandle-wheelers-set-up-for-their-big-ride

Last week a group of Wandsworth warriors began working in the Wendelsworth community garden. Beds were dug, branches were sawed, progress was made. But knowing there was still work to be done, they couldn’t keep us away. We toed the line at the Battersea Arts Centre, and with the off, nothing was left to be seen but a streak of red tshirts storming down Lavender Hill towards the gardens.

We made it in record time, with Jack doing a great job backmarking, and were quickly deployed into teams. Tom led a group to the rose bushes, where they demonstrated some impressive deadheading skills. Own up, who has Groundforce on series record?

Team two tackled the first of an enormous pen of leaves and mulch and other good stuff. A splinter group soon formed to saw a pile of branches, while team three leaped into another huge pen to shift a load of vegetation to the fruit orchard. They well and truly earned their stripes sprinting with full wheelbarrows, and there were more than a few twitching curtains around the estate.

The final team were putting last week’s hard earned experience into practice digging long beds ready for planting. It was back-breaking work, but the group took their minds off the task with a discussion on the various merits of chocolate bourbons. Next week: jaffa cakes.

The leaf pens emptied, the beds dug, branches sawed and the roses resembling the final days of revolutionary France, we waved farewell to Martin and the wonderful Wendelsworth gardens, and off we ran to Wandsworth Common to do some serious speed work. With Mo on our minds, this wasn’t to be a light session. A course was identified, and the first group raced off to set their first time. They returned in a blaze of glory, ready for group two to make their mark.

Recovery is for wimps though, and we had chosen today as the inaugural weekly Plank Challenge. A strong core is vital to prevent injury – it stabilises and keeps the body upright on longer runs. So, every Monday, each runner is going to try and beat the previous week’s record. Wandsworth proved itself to have some colossal plankers among the group, with the final two lasting over 5 mins 15. Way to go Dom and Richard! Amazing job. With the world record standing currently at over 5 hours, we’re definitely going to have to extend our hours.

We finished the session with the group trying to beat their first sprint time, and with a fiery sunset lighting the common, smash it they did. Everybody gave it their all, and everyone deserves to be proud of themselves. Shout out to Ed, Tim and Hannah for some cracking performances.

A gentle jog back to our starting spot was used to discuss the weekly CoRUNdrum, which in a shock first, was not solved by Wandsworth Runners. The question? There are two tube stops which have all five vowels in their name. Answers on a postcard to Wandsworth HQ if you know!

Well done everyone, as always you pushed it hard, and will see the benefits of it both in your borough, and in yourself.

See you next week for some different work in Clapham’s Eden Garden, sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/group_runs/eden-community-gardens-need-our-help