10 Goodgym heroes ventured out on a cold and windy Yorkshire evening to move some fertilizer at Heeley City Farm. Running 5K in total.

Our task was very straight forward and Julie from the farm did a great job in providing us the right tools for the job. Following a brief at the hotel, we gently ran to the task and had a nice chat along the way. The group stayed together as the roads heading South are very busy indeed

Don't be shy. Dig in

Once we had arrived at the farm and dealt out the tools we proceeded to fill a trailer with the mulch kindly donated by the animals. Despite Tim wearing his brand new running shoes, he wasted no time in conquering the mountain in front of him. This task was especially important as the area where the manure is stored is getting really full. The trailer full we moved is to be spread on a remote garden area this week.

Cardio, strength, power

We then moved on to our fitness segment. We started with some hill repeats at an easy pace to wake the muscles up. Once properly warmed up we introduced some speed , working for 30 seconds. Rest. 1 minute. Rest. We then moved on to strength and conditioning followed by explosive power exercises.

Back to base

Once we were suitably worked we took a 10 minute cool down/aerobic run back to GoodGym Sheffield HQ where we stretched and discussed forthcoming tasks.

Next week we are at Sharrow School to do some painting - please wear clothes that you don't mind getting paint on. Sign up here

On Saturday we are holding an extra session where we will be digging an allotment. Everyone is welcome. More info here

GoodGym Sheffield is funded by Age Better in Sheffield in association with South Yorkshire Housing Association and the Big Lottery fund. Find out about the project here and sign up to visit an older person with GoodGym and end social isolation in Sheffield here

5 GoodGymmers ran 7 km to distribute Goodgym leaflets in the student area of Sheffield

With many of the regular group runners sending their apologies, the decision was made to make the final group run of 2016 an easily deliverable one. The decision was made to distribute leaflets in the centre of student living in Sheffield, Eccy Rd.

We had a quick brief with risks identified and made our way over to the terraced houses that back on to Ecclesall Road. There were a number of pedestrians who looked like our target audience, so they were duly handed some literature.

The task

We simply split each street in two and posted the leaflets in to houses, businesses and charity shops (hopefully the charity shops will have work for us in future).

Fitness session

We made our way to Endcliffe park did 90% efforts on a 100 metre slight uphill section. We used the downhill for recovery and repeated 5 times. This kind of session is so simple, but is really effective at developing the heart and lungs and allowing a fast recovery following efforts. Everyone did amazing.

We then headed back to base for stretching. We passed the Salvation Army building on the way back, so I popped in to introduce myself and give my details in case of any future tasks. It is a huge operation, so it would be great to get involved.

Once back at base we stretched the main muscle groups and headed to the pub around the corner for onion rings and lemonade. We had a chat about how GoodGym plans to expand across the UK and the mechanics of coach runs. We also discussed veganism, marathons, Netflix, French and Ryanair. The plan is to head here on the first Monday of each month, starting February. We will complete the group run, then head to the pub for some bonding.

Despite the low numbers due to Christmas, tonight was a great group run. A massive welcome to Beccy who got stuck in and settled in to the GoodGym Sheffield spirit instantly. You did brilliantly.

Our first group run after the break is on the 3rd Jan - A TUESDAY

Details of the next group run are here

GoodGym Sheffield is funded by Age Better in Sheffield in association with South Yorkshire Housing Association and the Big Lottery fund. Find out about the project here and sign up to visit an older person with GoodGym and end social isolation in Sheffield here