Well that’s what we thought the loud dog was trying to say to us when it was making all that noise during the warm up outside Wholefoods! After a quick briefing from Mark we got on with our stretching and lunging paying particular attention to our leg muscles today. Tibialis muscles and gastrocnemius to be specific as well as those that lead down into the foot. This is our second week into exploring some strength exercises specific for running.....guess we just need to start incorporating them into our routines. Definitely by February anyway once the Jan Challenge is complete!

Jason and David started us off at a brisk pace straight away and we all somehow managed to keep up as we raced through the streets of Richmond and East Sheen. We were greeted at the door of Thomson House School by the very lovely Jeremy, who wasn’t expecting so many of us to turn up ready for some physical education! After a brief moment of disbelief he swiftly put the kettle on before handing out cloths, mops and all purpose cleaner. There was heaps to do in this 200 year old (approx) converted Church which now houses some of the older years in this growing Mortlake school. Before long the muddy shoe rack had gone from NO to GLOW, the windows from SMEAR to CLEAR and the floor from NEIN to SHINE. We mopped, we hoovered and we polished, stopping only for a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive. Except for Vicky, who didn’t even stop, but continued with a tea in one hand and Henry hoover in the other. Time was up, and if Mark hadn’t told us that, the confused zumba class that walked in definitely meant that we were on our last number. Turning our backs on the empty mugs and dancers, off we headed back along Upper Richmond Road and back to Wholefoods in another fast-paced jog. Seems the biscuits were fuel injected judging some of the speeds we were seeing.

Welcome to Aran on his first run and what a pace too! Also Sundara and Jules joining us again on the second run out to do good with Richmond ....great stuff!

News and updates ... Last call for anyone interested in a London Marathon Slot running for the Poppy Factory! Let me know if interested

Next week is leaflets with a difference..it's a race 3 teams - 3 locations and we race the clock and each other. Speed training for all levels!! (ooohh so exciting!) Please bring a head torch and a small back pack will be most useful for you - or a coat with big pockets - Your call!!

As it stands we sit at 51 deeds out of a 120 target....this will be at 65 by end of today. I thought we were slightly further along so all hinges on next week...bring a friend eh! Also we are at 556km's and target was estimated at 840. We still have 10 days so log every step you take Richmond ; )

Have a great week Richmond and happy running!

We started the morning off by joining the crowds at Fulham Palace Park Run. It was a nice fresh morning for a run and the sun was shining. I did a short speech to the 300 strong crowd about Goodgym and invited anyone to join us for the Starter session afterwards.

After the run we met Jules, Vicky and Liv who had come along for their first H&F group run. Then a group of 7 of us waved good by to Will who’d just joined us to do Park Run (and get a PB) and we headed off down the road to the day’s task.

We had been asked to help hack back some massively overgrown brambles and bushes in a garden. The council property's elderly residents hadn’t been able to tend the garden in a long time due to illness.

We met Ian, the property manager at the house - he had brought lots of tools and gloves for us to use. The gang grab gloves and shears and got stuck in straight away .and then some thorns got stuck into Jason straight away too. Oops.

45 minutes later the team had made a massive dent in the brambles that had covered half the garden. We’ll be heading back there for the next two Tuesday group runs.

After a group photo with Ian we headed off towards our usual starting location via the river. 3.7k later, we arrived at the Better Gym and did some final warm-down stretches.

A dozen do-gooders, dashed miles, shared some smiles. Then trees they did sprinkle, in baubles and tinsel & wrapped up some gifts for some deserving local kids.

Run report to be read, to the tune of "All I Want For Christmas Is You"

We don't want a lot for Christmas There is just one thing we need. To run and wrap up all your presents, for Goodgym we must do a Good Deed

We just want to run from base, all the way to Kilburn, Kingsgate. To make their wish come true.... Goodgym elves with Christmas tasks to do!

We don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing we need. To run and wrap up all the presents. For Goodgym we must do a good deed.

Half the group will get to working, there upon the trees outside. Hanging baubles makes us happy. We will finish in time, come what may!

The other half will get to know, how to make those windows glow. Hang baubles from the roofffffff. Santas going to want to stop by too!!! Oooohhh and Rudolph!

Oh, we won't ask for much this Christmas, we won't even wish for snow. We're just gonna keep on waiting For more chances to help this community grow.

We'll be back in new year, AJ, don't you worry about a thing. To volunteer some more of our time. Running fast & get our pulses racing!

'Cause we don't just want to help tonight. We'll be back, even though, now we take flight. But what more can we do? That's one more Goodgym task done by this crewwwww.

Oh, all the lights are shining so brightly everywhere. As we run back home down Kilburn High Street's glare.

And all the crew are happy, even though its nippy. Lets get moving, as the time is nearly at an end, I don't want to miss 'First Dates' on TV.

Oh, we don't want a lot for Christmas, this is all we ever want. To help the people of dear Willesden, while our legs take us on a little jaunt.

Now it's time to say Goodnight. See you next week? I hope we might. Make our wish come true.... All we want is more good tasks to do!!!! 2018 with this fantastic crew!!! Without them I just don't know what I'd do!!!! ohhhhhhh baby!!!!

TA DAAAAAAAAAAAA.

See you next time familia for the last Goodgym of the year!!!!!

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE

A whopping 45 Goodgymers gathered in Islington this Monday

A mass of goodgymers flocked to Highbury Pool this Monday, ready to get involved. We welcomed several first timers to GoodGym, why not go and give them a cheer and say welcome to Imogen, Caroline, Sarah, Laura, Susann, Wendy, Claire, another Imogen, Alice, Victoria and Emma.

Congratulations were in order for Patrick on his Berlin Marathon time as well as everyone who went to Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday. Well done to everyone!

Farming fun at Freightliners

This week's task was with the wonderful people at Freightliners Farm. No one loves a visit to the farm more than GoodGym, even if it does mean shovelling some manure. As it is a short run plenty of people took on the challenge of a longer run with Graham leading the way with some laps of Highbury Fields. The rest of us were too eager to see the animals and headed straight for the farm.

Graham describes the longer run:

A group of hardy GoodGymers set off to up the pace and distance with a few extra laps of Highbury Fields before starting.

Following a few warm up drills (featuring high knees, tail flicks, walking lunges, and sprints, and my best attempt at something resembling an army drill), we headed off to get the extra distance in.

Brilliantly, everyone did at least an extra two laps and upped their workout with an extra 2k - nice! Given the number of people who did extra laps in total, I reckon we did at least 50 laps of Highbury Fields collectively. That's about 10 parkruns, and longer than marathon distance - excellent job team!

With the extra laps under our belts, we ran over to the farm where remarkably we didn't get lost. Well except for that one-bit-where-we-ran-5m-past-a-turn-but-that-totally-doesn't-count. Which as any Islington regulars will tell you - a pretty big success given my navigation skills! A pre-task running session success.

We may have had a big group, but there was no shortage of work to be done and by golly did we tackle it. With wellies and gloves at the ready the first group got stuck in shovelling a mountain of manure into sacks. Working in pairs they tackled the task with gusto. Great job! By the time everyone from the longer run joined there was plenty more work to be done. There were groups:

• Shovelling manure

• Shovelling compost

• Transporting 60 bags of manure (and then taking another 20 bags)

• Sanding a table

• Sweeping the courtyard

• Cleaning the paths

• Weeding the paths

• breathe

Phew, amazing work! And of course a special shout out to the Torchbearers, which has become a bit of a regular task now that Winter is coming, without them we can't see a thing!

It wouldn't be a trip to the farm without meeting the animals so before leaving there was plenty of time to say hello. Once we were all cleaned up we set off back in three groups for a quick run back.

Only in Islington...

Going with the farm theme, the debate this week was "What is the best farm animal?" Going for a very democratic voting system of shouting your answer goat was definitely heard the loudest.

Keeping the farm theme alive, biscuits of the week were a childhood favourite Animals and a random find of Zoo biscuits. Both going down very well post run.

What next?

• This month's drinks are on Thursday 6th at the Islington Townhouse in Angel. Local to us so come along! More info here.

• If you're too committed to the running to be drinking then why not try a Fitness 4 All training session in Camden, also on Thursday. More info here.

• If I haven't tempted you by either of these then we will see you next week!

Awesome effort everyone!

Aidan

First of all a big big welcome to our first timers this evening: Pip, Will, Christina, Amanda and Laura. Great to have you all along.

New Barnet trainer Pennie was on the scene tonight leading proceedings in preparation for the GoodGym Barnet launch tonight.

Following the briefing and the look of amazement on Pennie's face as the group pointed out that she had a whistle attached to her rucksack, we set off on our two tasks. Aidan and Patrick were in charge of taking a team up to Caxton House to carry on with what we started last week. Aidan describes what went down:

5 Goodgymers took the challenge of a longer and faster run. We set off just after Patrick's group but immediately detoured to do a lap of Highbury fields, with the noise of a Corbyn rally in the background. We started as we meant to go on, at a nice fast pace. Taking the usual route past Emirates where we enjoyed the late night sun and of course the gentle incline all the way to Caxton!

We made it there with a great pace, but sweaty and out of breath, and Rose put us to work. Today's jobs were a second coat on the benches we painted last week and continuing to de-weed the brick path. With Patrick's group close behind us (we had beat them there of course!) we soon had a sea of red painting the benches a duck egg blue and plenty of weeds flying in the air.

Still plenty to do at Caxton House, so I'm sure we will be back next week to see the lovely Rose again. For the run back we gained Dan who wanted to join and also suggested a sneaky detour to Emirates. Everyone had the option: 1/3 lap run or 2/3 spartlek and of course everyone chose the harder 2/3 option!

Great group run guys!

Aidan

And Pennie led the rest of us to Barnsbury Community Centre.

We spent a good 25 minutes on a variety of tasks: adding compost to hanging planters, watering the plants, getting rid of some nasty weeds and painting pallets.

Post-task Pennie took everybody through their paces with a variety of drills and exercises: high-knees, planks and a gruesome squat/tuck jump combination was on offer. Barnet are gonna get pretty fit!

We (almost) broke tradition and had a cheesecake instead of biscuits tonight (but cheesecake does have a biscuit base). It tasted pretty good post-run. We also debated whether cheesecake is cheese or a cake (thank you, Caroline). A few voted for cheese, Steve abstained, some said pudding/dessert, but the majority reckoned it was a cake. Yum

Pennie will see you tonight and we'll see you back in Islington next week.

Simon