This week 12 GoodGym-ers ran 4km to shift sawdust and sweep leaves in a local park.

We started with intros at the Phoenix as always. I mentioned that there are 10 coaches in waiting for runners - so if you're interested in visiting one of those people, please do complete your coach runner training so you can get the ball rolling!

Shout out to our two new Task Forcers: Nicola and Paul – Give 'em a cheer!

Damian lead us to the Northway Gardens while Graham was our trusty back-marker.

Brian was waiting for us with two cars full of tools and leaves, ready for shifting. We split into teams to grab all the things and head through the park to our drop off point. Luckily, there were many of us with lights, as the gardens had no lights. We are now running in full-blown darkness, so I really recommend getting yourself a head torch. My fancy hand light was from Morrisons - £7. My head torch from Poundland no longer stays on my head – but still makes light and fits in my palm.

We shifted many wheelbarrows full of sawdust from the chopped down trees from around their stumps so the people could come back and finish the job. We also swept many leaves into buckets for compost.

We'll be back on 7 November to do the next bit. Be sure to sign up!

We then played Duck Tag and Squat Runs on the tennis courts, where we discovered Paul and Nicola are incredibly spry.

We soon ran home, with a little sprint finish UP the hill. Props to Graham and Jack for being so speedy!

Next week we've had a change of plan - We'll be running to the WDP not Community Focus. 3km each way.

29 hot Hackney GoodGymers ran over 8k to a new project for the group a Well Being garden to help service users dealing with diabetes.

A steamy Hackney evening brought out a great turnout to set our PB total distance for a group run.

Leaving the Bakehouse at super speed with Peter leading strong a recce crew up to Stamford Hill. While the rest of the squad kept a strong a consistent tempo over the 4 and a bit Kilometres.

We met Rose who who manages the house to support her service users who are battling with diabetes. We got stuck straight into the overgrown garden cutting, hacking, weeding, digging to great effect!!

Making amazing progress with limited tools, everyone put in a top shift in 40 minutes of non stop action! We had a couple of slight pauses to rehydrate and refuel on some lovely water melon 🍉!

We made great progress and Rose will sort out some more gloves and tools for our next visit in 2 weeks!

This looks like being an amazing project where we can make a huge difference taking an overgrown waste land into a productive space to grown herbs and plants as well as providing garden therapy for the service users.

Leaving in phases so we could tidy and maximise our working and running time.

While Rich and Phil chased us down with some impressive running the Sexy crew kept a solid tempo to finish off a great run. We were soon met by the rest of the speedy runners after a top all round session!!

Be great to have you all along next week when we continue our summer season helping Bruce the Hackney Park Ranger!

Don't forget about the last couple of Fitness 4 All sessions meeting at Bethnal Green tube at 6:45 on Thursday's June.

We (Phil) have started a Hackney WhatsApp group if you would like join it to hear about socials, group run info, races, parkrun get togethers or anything send me your number and I will add you to the group or see Phil next week!!

Talking of next week we are heading out after the group run for a drink!! Be great to have you along!!

Smooth Running

Joel

We returned to the place it all began this week, running the 2km to Long Lane Pasture to shovel some compost. We were actually shifting the piles of compost that we created last summer, when we piled up all that cut grass and hay. I did not realise how long it takes for compost to become compost!

We started with a quick intro at the cinema where we all met Luke – give him a cheer for his very first run with us!

With many GG Barnet runners still in Riga, it was great to see we still had such a wonderful turnout for the task at hand. We started off with a gentle jog down to Cherry Tree Wood to warm up on the grass before Heather lead the team towards Long Lane Pasture. Amanda missed Hazel and her portable speaker, telling me running without the GG Barnet playlist just wasn't the same! You can add tracks to the GG Barnet Tunes playlist here.

We arrived at Long Lane Pasture in about 20 minutes – our longest run in weeks! The Pasture team greeted us and showed us our task. Nicola did a wonderful job raking the pathways of catepillars (not real catepillars), which fall from the trees and kill the grass. Luke and Lilian both took a few scratches from the brambles and I was very impressed (and also a little worried) with Amanda's commitment to getting a good team photo at the end. We do have the best photos in Barnet.

We finished up with a running game around a big ring path, before heading back to base.

This week's Barnet Biscuit was homemade cloud cookies and ginger & cinnamon biscuits courtesy of Joanna

I don't know if 'cloud cookie' is the actual name, but Louis and I both agreed that's what it was like eating.

Join us next week for our VERY LAST EVER run to Hammerson Nightingale care home on the Bishops Ave. We will be packing up the library. The home is being knocked down, so this will be our goodbye GoodGym good deed. It's 1km each way.

These are the missions I mentioned today:

Saturday

Allotments in Harringey

Night of 1000 PBs NW5

Sunday

Animal Home NW10

Creos N10

Clear Ms P's Patio N4