Wet. Wetter. Wettest.

Last night a very tough team braved some extreme rain to help out at a local school and got so wet we might as well have renamed it GoodSwim.

We started out in the relative dry, doing our warm up and challenging ourselves to name various countries, before heading off for Berrymeade school.

It had been a while since we had visited this task, so we were excited to see the outside area with its lovely mural, pond and pergola in the light. We were met by Romina and Mike who had carefully prepared us lots of jobs and we got stuck in, impervious to the downpour which was about to hit.

While Ben and Leanne got cracking with an epic composting task, Luis, Michelle and Emily started weeding, Sevan was on leaf and bag duty, while Remy, Beth and I attempted to erect an arch. It was then that the heavens opened, and we began to get wet. Really, really wet. After several attempts and digging a trench into which to insert the arch into, all the while batting the elements, we eventually gave up and joined the others sheltering like penguins under the pergola (or was it a gazebo? Who knows?) The result? As Remy put it, we not only succeeded in destroying some flowers and digging up some mud, but we also actually created a hazard. Ah well, can't win them all. Thankfully the others had been more successful, especially the dream team of Ben and Leanne who managed to empty the whole compost bed - check out those glorious pics!

Foregoing the fitness for obvious reasons, we squelched our way back to base. Next week I'm away so instead of a group run it'll be a community mission, and you can sign up for that here. We also have a great community mission led by Michelle this weekend, if you can join her making a big difference at a community allotment please sign up here. Happy running, one and all!

It was a blustery and blowy night when we met at Chiswick Town Hall last night, but Storm Dudley didn't hold us back and we kicked off with some warm ups. Great to see Tom join us for his first Hounslow run - welcome! Just before we set off we had a quick poll to find out everybody's fave takeaway. With thoughts of pizza, Japanese food and burritos in our head and a rumble in our bellies, we set off for Gunnersbury park.

After just under 3 kms where at some points the wind made us feel we were running on the spot, we arrived at Gunnersbury Park where we met up with a few other hardy GGers and picked up our tools. My terrible map reading struck again as we went completely the wrong way round the park, passing the military fitness gang not once but three times - we must have looked quite the sight walking along in the dark with our secateurs and shears!

Our job for the evening was to cut back the brambles that are taking over the pathways and suffocating the trees. It had helpfully been marked out for us by the park gardener, Spencer, who had given us specific instructions to cut back the brambles into pencil length pieces. Off we went, cutting, snipping and chopping away in what turned out to quite a soothing task despite the howling wind.

After half an hour we had lopped back masses of the pesky brambles, so we packed up our tools and headed back to the lodge - not before stopping for a very intense fitness session. Fancy a hill session but no hill in sight? That is often the problem in Hounslow, but last night we found the solution! Three minute mountain legs...brutal but effective!

With the win behind us the run back felt a lot easier, and if it wasn't for that blimming train stopping us half way, we would have made it back in good time. We finished off the night with some stretches and a chat about next week, when we'll be off to a local school. Until then, run happy - and watch out for the stormy conditions over the next couple of days when you're out there.