Last night 10 runners ran 5.3km/10.6km to weed and move woodchip at Surrey Dock Farm

Drip drip dop little April showers weren't getting in our way last night! The weather held beautifully for us as we headed off to Surrey Docks Farm.

A big cheering hello to Rachel and Hugo who joined us for their first ever GoodGym run last night. Hoorah!

Heroic scenes at our furthest away task last night

It's a long run there and team Southwark absolutely smashed it. We wound our way through backstreets, parks and followed the railway all the way up to Surrey Docks where we were met by Gemma. 5.3km is the longest run out we do and you nailed it. High fives all around.

Gemma set us to work - three people worked on shifting a giant pile of woodchip that would then be spread over the area that the other group were busy weeding. As the task is far away, we only had 20 minutes to spend so hard to work we went! In that time we managed to completely clear two areas and lay fresh woodchip on them, as well as getting a substantial amount of the big pile moved.

Whilst working, we pondered how much woodchip would a woodchip chip if a woodchip could chip wood? Hmmmmm

Tools down, we were treated to a trip to the goat shed to meet some new born kids (two had literally been born that morning!). We said our hellos and ooohed and aaahhed at their long ears and gangly litte legs. Thank you Gemma for letting us meet them! We were treated to a glorious sunset for our group photo and headed off home - some people getting the overground back to base and a group of four brave warriors making the run home.

10.6km phew!

Great job last night team. If you're desperate to get back to the farm we'll be going again on 30th May. As it's quite a long one we can't go too often, but we can't resist some animal cuddles! Sign up for that here.

Great job last night, looking forward to seeing you next week!

Oh what a joy it is to be at GoodGym Southwark! Eight of you awesome people ignored the signs of impending weather carnage and met up with me at Old Spike for another evening of doing good and getting fit in Southwark!

In what was probably my most relaxed intro ever we talked about goodgym, the social (which is today!), the upcoming goodgym olympics, what street furniture to avoid when running (cars (ki-yars), wheely bins, cats...), what day bin day is in Southwark and i'm not even sure what else! I think everyone contributed something and eventually I got out the task we were doing (shifting manure at Grove Park Allotments) and went through the usual health and safety briefing too! If only all intros were so much fun!

We had no first time runners tonight but shouts to Hetty who was running for the first time in Southwark and to Lydia who is still fairly new to GoodGym and Jon who did his 5th good deed - great to have you along!

Is it wheely bad that I don't know when bin day is?

With everything taken care of we headed over the road for a warm-up including what I call forward jumping jacks and Helena calls spotty dogs - the internet tells me we are both right...it also tells me there are way more variants on the simple jumping jack (aka star jump) than you can possibly think of - have a look!

Spotty dogs!

It's not a long run to Grove Park Allotments but it is up a big hill, Helena expertly led us there and we all powered up the hill to get there. We met Liz who outlined our jobs for the evening. The main job was to move a couple of pallets of manure from the gate into the allotment and deliver some to certain plots.

We created a human chain to get things moving quickly and then the group split as some delivered specific bags to various plots and the rest of the group continued to move the bags up to the allotment. It was hard but fun work and occasionally quite smelly too - oops! Thanks to Becky who patiently moved a bag of manure slowly for me to make the gif you can see above!

Man-ure awesome!

Everyone worked really hard and we got the job done, with a little time left before we had to go we decided to go over the holes we had started last week - these will eventually get filled with saplings but some of the holes needed a bit more work on them - it was hard work but we certainly did the job.

With that done it was time for a group photo (thanks to Matt (37 good deeds up!) for additional lighting effects - check out that lens flare!) and then we headed back to Old Spike, had a quick stretch and said our goodbyes and headed home...or to the pub :)

It's always a pleasure to cover in Southwark and you didn't disappoint - thanks to the pun contributors and thanks to all of you for making my evening so fun and easy!

Cheers, Pritesh

19 runners ran 7km to spread 2 tonnes of compost at the Camberwell Subterranea Project

We had two tonnes of fun!

Last night 19 brave runners headed on a slightly longer run than usual (7km!) to Camberwell Subterranea Project - an organisation that provides a sustainable hub for learning new skills in the local community. After a briefing and a warm up which somehow involved Chicken Potato Pie (which is a thing I promise - see here) we headed off into the night.

A big hooray for [Nico and Fred who joined us for their first GoodGym run!

3.5km is a long way and we did it in a smashing 23 minutes on the way out there. Speedy work everyone! We met Barnaby there who showed us the two tonnes of compost and where it needed spreading. We got to work in four groups - one moving composts from the bags into wheelbarrows and anything else we could carry compost in, one ferrying the compost back and forth from the raised beds, one spreading that compost and another weeding the beds to get them ready for their lovely new compost. In 20 odd minutes we had spread the entire amount of compost. Job done! We made light work of a job that would have taken hours. Excellent work team!

We thanked Barnaby for having us and set off back to base, not before taking an extremely well-directed photograph and of course the Southwark selfie.

The promise of a pint and maybe a pie got us back to Old Spike and into the White Horse where we had our monthly social.

Not forgetting, of course, that our very own Hanna Milton ran her 50th good deed with us last night! Cracking numbers Hanna!

Thank you for a great evening! Next week we'll be clearing planters at Cossall Park Gardens. Sign up here.

14 runners ran 6km to do their bodies a good deed in Southwark

This week's news:

• The monthly GoodGym social is in Greenwich this week - from 18.30 at the Greenwich Tavern - sign up here. We're celebrating International Women's Day and there will of course be the highly anticipated International Pun of the Month.

• Next week we're laying fresh beds at Bee Urban - sign up now.

• Sign up for the Sunday mission to help out with lunch for the homeless at KCL - for more info look here.

• Next week we're going to the White Horse after the group run - sign up here

A huge cheer and woop for the Southwark runners who took part in the Big Half last weekend!

Unfortunately Camden Society could no longer have us last night (don't worry, we'll be back!) but taskless doesn't mean heartless so we set off into the night for our scheduled run (plus a bit) and a fitness session. Arriving at our urban gym the groups split into two - one half went indian file running around the court whilst the other half did some conditioning - squats, plank and lunges. The two groups joined forces at the end to form one huge indian file and whizz round the courts three times. It was quite a sight!

Then it was onto the Sally Squat Challenge (we love you Sally!). Google it, you'll see what I mean. The group did an amazing job of the challenge and had an audience of an entire train that stopped above us just to marvel at our squatting skills.

A big welcome to Theo and Vinayak who joined us for the first time!

A fantastic evening in spite of no task! Can't wait to see you next week.

Lucy J

Last night 21 GoodGymers ran 4k to weed at Grove Park Allotments

A whopping three times more people than last week gathered at Old Spike Roastery last night to spend their Wednesday night getting fit and doing some good.

Big shout out and a cheer for Annemie and Simran who made this their first ever GoodGym run!

We headed off 2km down an unfamiliar route to meet Liz at Grove Park Allotments. On the way we stopped twice - once to sit in a primal squat (try it when you're brushing your teeth) and once to set against the wall (see photo) - building stronger legs for all that running! GoodGym Southwark has visited Grove Park many times over the years and is particularly fond of their beekeeper Gian Franco who is as passionate about his bees as he is about sustainability. We look forward to seeing him in the coming months! Liz let us loose on her tools and showed us the path that needed weeding and an empty lot that needed clearing of rubbish. There was also an opportunity to strim but sadly the spool wasn't quite right and in spite of valiant efforts to fix it, there was no strimming to be had.

Whilst everyone was weeding and strimming, Liz took Helena round to search out pinhole cameras she'd set up in various places to keep an eye on the wildlife. Remembering where they had been placed in the dark was harder than expected! The weeds were swept up into biodegradable bags and after 30 mins of hard work we'd filled quite a few!

We waved goodbye to Liz and set off back down the hill to base.

A great task and a great way to spend your Wednesday evening. Well done team!

Keep running happy, Lucy J

This week, GG Southwark had a change of scene, a long run to bike heaven and a paper chase around the borough.

On this very cold mid January eve, GG southwark were tasked with running the 1.7mile route to Peckham BMX club, to help with some much needed promotion and leaflet dropping.

After a change up of scene, our base for welcomes was instead at the gorgeous little restaurant TUPI on Peckham Rye road. However, we soon outgrew our quaint little abode as who knew peckham goodgym would be such a success on such a cold night with 21 runners in toe!!!

After housekeeping we donned our winter warmers and set to foot on the first leg. With Ed and his pigeon back from honeymoon, it was of course a very fast pack pace at the front. But leading from the back I had just as fierce of a team and managed to get everyones best efforts all the way to task.

Meeting us at the track was CK our host, who wasted no time handing over the stacks and stacks of glossy papers promoting this excellent community club.

With a plan to achieve maximum distributions on route back, the groups ran hard and fast, posting all the way. Thankfully the park is surrounded by a ton of awesome block estates. Therefore we carried out some excellent tempo sprint/jog efforts, all the way round the hood.

As the cold drew in, we switched up directions and spent the next 35mins pavement pounding, heading for home & of course hitting up letter boxes wherever we could.

It was certainly a night to get pulses racing as well as legs. With distances dashed, in a flash, we were done. The end of another goodgym in glorious Peckham.

Clad in hats, gloves, and some rather natty new headtorches, a group of 10 intrepid runners did not let the bitter cold put them off last night.

We started off the night talking about the amazing Mission Possible this weekend, where teams of three will be taking on a mass volunteering effort, spreading good all over the city! Good luck everyone, see you in the pub afterwards...

Braving the cold, we stepped outside and dived straight into our warm ups whilst discussing who we would ask round for dinner. Charlie Brooker, Stephen Hawking, David Beckham and Alan Shearer were all lucky enough to score an invite.

The night's task was at the Waterman's Centre, and independent charity which aims to bring art to the local community. It was just under a 2.5k run, and we set off briskly. 20 speedy minutes later we were there, ready to get stuck in.

We were handed shears, bin liners and brooms, and tasked with the job of clearing leaves and cutting back the branches in the car park. It was quite a labour intensive job, which was good, because we needed to keep warm. Half an hour later and several bin bags later we were done. Or were we?

No, we were not. There was the small matter of hill sprints to do. Now, after talking about the possibility of hill sprints for several weeks, if not months, we had to take what we could get. The small incline in the carpark would have to do. In pairs we tackled five reps, keeping our chests high and taking care to pump our arms but to keep them at a 90 degree angle behind our body. You all looked like superstar athletes.

The run back was smattered with some lovely conditioning exercises, just to keep things exciting, and we stopped just short of the Town Hall to do our final bit of fitness. In two teams we assumed plank position, passing the golden satsuma along the line. When the satsuma got the end, somebody shouted 'burpee', and the whole team had to do said burpee, increasing by one each time. Team Jo, Michelle, Jeremy and Andy won the challenge and as their prize, took home the two fought-over satsumas. Lucky them.

During our stretches we realised we have only two runs left THIS YEAR. Let's make the most of them, starting with our penultimate one next week. Stay warm until then :)

Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us, happy birthday dear Hounslow, happy birthday to us!

That's right, the Hounslow group is officially ONE. We have taken our first wobbly steps into the world of doing good, and have the quads to prove it. Last night was truly a night of celebrations. We cheered Andy who shares his GoodGymiversary with Hounslow, and Will who was also at the first ever group run. We welcomed the lovely Jeremy to the group for his first ever run - throw a cheer his way, Hounslow! A huge well done to Remy who tackled the horrendous-sounding Luton half and showed that race what for.

After a discussion on the best thing about birthdays - cake, friends, joy, cake, gin, gin and wine,having a whole week off work, cake and more cake - we did our warm up and set off for William Hogarth School. It was a short run there so we did it fairly nippily, looking forward to our indoor task. Unfortunately, when we got there ready to do some flatpack assembly, we found that Ikea had literally not delivered, so we were tasked with raking the outside area which was providing a nice home for many, many leaves.

Undeterred we got stuck in, filling up no less than seven black bin bags to the brim with those leafy pests. Great upper body work out, team. We stopped for a quick photo underneath the apt 'celebration of work' banner and then hit the road again. It was so nice of Hounslow to put on a fireworks display for our first birthday just as we finished the run, and it was only right that we stopped for a quick rest to enjoy them.

But not for long - we had a birthday fitness session to do! We divided up into three teams and played a game of Ana(erobic)grams. The idea was that everybody collects letters by doing exercises - one tuck jump for every good deed, high knees while naming Hounslow tasks, guessing the number of good deeds, planking if you were at the first ever run, high fiving someone whose name began with 'R' and many more - until all 15 were collected. Then came the great unscramble. It really came down to the wire, but it is my pleasure to announce that in first place, winning a round of drinks, was.....the Chizzee Rascals! Way to go Andy, Will, Natasha and Claudia.

All that was left that a trip to the pub for the quiz - kudos Team BetterGym for coming SECOND! - and to eat some cake. Except it didn't quite happen like that, did it? Least said, soonest mended - but check out the photos for the full story.

It's been a cracker of a year, Hounslow. Here's the the next, and the one after, and the one after that. And a huge cheer for all your brilliant personal achievements over the past week.

15 awesome runners ran 4km to help out at the Royal Hill Community Garden!

It was a freakishly warm evening last night, it had rained on and off for most of the day and it looked like it was going to rain some more.. but it didn't stop 15 of you lovely lot from coming out to run and get a good deed done!

We were joined by 4 new runners last night! AMAZING!! Isabella brought along her friend Balazs, I managed to rope in my friend Sally from the gym I work at, and we were also joined by two more lovely ladies Aimee and Lexy! Welcome to the family everyone! Make sure you join our FB group to keep updated with races and other wonderful things that this awesome group gets up to!

We dropped off our stuff and headed over for a quick warm up and then set off through Greenwich town centre and up to Royal Hill! We were greeted by two lovely gentlemen, Patrick and Jonathan who explained the tasks that needed doing.

Ground force!

There was a flower bed at the front which needed some holes to be dug to make room for some plants so a few people got stuck in with that. Vickie took a small group to the dark outback to rake up some leaves and put them in the compost. And the final group were tasked with a little landscape design project of making a heather bed which involved building a DIY dry stone wall out of bricks and other rubble they could find... Apparently according to Emma, well, Emma's granny, dry stone walling is an actual hobby and you can enroll yourself in a course to learn how to build one as it is quite an art form! But these guys did not need a course in dry stone walling... oh no! They just cracked on and it looked BEAUTIFUL. Alan Titchmarsh better watch his back!

15 minutes later and the group at the front had successfully planted the plants! WOOHOO! Next job was some bulbs to be planted in and around them. Patrick showed them the first one and then left the rest to them!

Everyone was doing a killer job! The leaves had all been swept away. The bulbs had been planted and finally the heather bed was looking absolutely stunning! So it was time to say our goodbyes, have a group photo and head back for some more RUNNING! Yay!

We had a little jog back to the uni and had loads of time to spare! And since the run to the garden wasn't very far, there was more running on the agenda! But that's what you're here for right :)

Laps, laps and more laps!

As I always say, speed work is SO important. I don't do it enough myself. And chances are you probably don't either! If you run 3 times a week, you should try and aim for one of those runs to involve some kind of interval training where your heart rate goes up and comes down multiple times! It gets you faster over time and really pushes your lactate threshold so you can run faster for longer! Which is ultimately what everyone wants, right? So.......

On the cards was 4x 2 laps fast 2 laps slow. 1 lap is approx 300m so to run round it 16 times would be about 4.8km which is a long way! But instead of making everyone do this, we did it for as long as it took the fastest person to complete it. The key to this one is running the fast laps at a pace where you can maybe say about 2 or 3 words at a time so a nice controlled effort and then running the slow ones REAAALLLYY slow as an active recovery.

Long story short... everyone did AMAZING. It was great to see you all really push yourselves and put in so much effort! And of course so great to hear the cheers for our super speedy Amy so everyone could stop! Ha! That was a tough session, probably one of the hardest we've done so newbies please don't be scared off!!!!

We had a nice little stretch and called it a night :)

Thanks so much everyone! You got so much done at the garden and the task owners were SO pleased at what you all achieved so well done! Also great job with those intervals, I know it was hard but you absolutely smashed it!!!! See you next time!

Wednesday are pretty good. You've got half way through the week and the weekend is just about in sight. What could make it better? A run. What about a run with a group of mates? And throw in a community task that makes you feel good about yourself. A fitness session? Go on then! Lovely stuff.

Firstly, a huge well done to Remy and to Will who both smashed the Royal Parks Half on Sunday. If you've got the need for speed, don't forget that GoodGym are organising a trip to the Bucharest Festival of Running next May - sign up for details. It promises to be a fun weekend of running, eating and exploring and everybody is welcome!

Tonight we were heading back to a local school - Strand on the Green - to help out with a list of jobs that needed doing. But first - the warm up and the weekly Hounslow headscratcher. If you were invisible, where would be the first place you'd go? The Whitehouse, the Pentagon, North Korea, Downing street - looks like we've all got a bit of the secret agent in us.

Sand-on-the-Green

It was only a short run to the school, so we set off, licketysplit , at a nice fast pace. One mile later we were there, finding Claire the caretaker waiting for us with a trailer of tools. Michelle got the work sweeping the bike shed and paths, Claudia took the scooter park, Remy, Will and Andy tackled the fenced play area while Ross, Adam and Jo dived into the huge pile of blocks that needed sanding.

Half an hour of elbow grease later, the jobs were done and dusted and we kicked off with our fitness session. It was a bit of a bumpy start with the flip a coin game, but eventually we got there, splitting into two groups with each side doing an exercise depending on the result of the flip. Next up was a timed obstacle course, which wasn't exactly plain sailing either and was eventually called off thanks to an apocalyptic shower of rain that came out of nowhere. Like a bunch of naughty school children we sheltered in the bike sheds under it had passed. Next week normal service will be resumed, promise!

We were just about to hit the road when disaster struck. It really wasn't our night. The code to the electric gates had mysteriously stopped working, and after several attempts at opening it from the outside and scaling the fence, it was hero Andy with super long legs who managed to hop the gate and release us. Well done Andy!

All that was left was a speedy run back to base, a few stretches and a bit of thawing out. Don't forget, Team Hounslow, that whatever the world throws at us, we all sand together.

Next week, we're back to school - a different one this time, for a spot of painting.