We welcomed 8 new GoodGym runners into the breach this week. Woo! Here's what we got up to.

Leaf it out

We ran 1.82km north through Camden to Castlehaven Community Centre. It's a great project and we regularly head there to help with big garden tasks they struggle to fit in on their own. They have responsibility for the maintenance of the parks surrounding the centre, with volunteers charged with keeping the place spick and span. They also run a fantastic Environmental Project, giving local people an opportunity to learn about gardening and offering them an opportunity to get their hands dirty in the soil.

Accumulating Leaves

Fred, the Project Coordinator is currently unwell and as a result fallen leaves are starting to accumulate around the park. Though they look nice they prevent light and nutrients reaching the soil so need to be regularly raked and bagged up. Handily they can then be composted and turned into mulch for next years garden!

We split into 3 teams. 2 of the teams where on 'leaf duty', raking and bagging up as many leaves as humanly possible in 30mins. The other team where assigned to 'nettles' and essentially marauded around the park with spades and forks annihilating any nettles in their path.

Time to Leave

In 25mins we had collected enough leaves to fill a Kim Kardashian walk-in wardrobe and headed for a run. We jogged together to the canal where we ran as a group back to Granary Square.

To make life more interesting/complicated we tried to push people on the way back. All runners had to try and surge along the canal until they reached a bridge before slowing and jogging back to meet the backmarker....me! It was a little hectic initially as the bridges came thick and fast, but as the bridges opened out we were able to find our own space and move freely.

We got back to Granary Square where some people decided they wanted more- legging it round the square while the rest of us of meandered back to Somers Town.

All in all it was a great night. Nice one for getting stuck in!

Is Camden slowly turning into Islington? We've had an Islington trainer for the last three weeks, lots of Islington members have been in attendance, and biscuits were provided at last week's activity. And following last night's task that was in the borough of Islington it's clear that a stealthy invasion is underway. We may as well tell you that Shaun isn't off getting married and honeymooning, he's tied up in the basement of Somers Town Community Centre, being allowed out only to run stupidly fast marathons.

But the 30 of us who turned up last night are FREE TO DO GOOD, so following the cancellation of the planned task, Barnsbury Community Centre - a regular spot for GG Islington - were kind enough to step in at the last minute and give us loads of soil to shift around.

The route to the task was simple as Simon led the way and Mr Bown tail ran. But when we got there the combination lock wouldn't work. Hmm, let's rephrase that: Simon couldn't get the combination lock to work. Pritesh later discovered that you can get it to work by "putting in the numbers for the combination in the correct order". We almost dished out 20 "sarcasm press ups", but given that it's basically his birthday we let him off.

Anyway, we finally got into the gardens round the back of the centre and split up into two groups: one were responsible for shovelling and wheelbarrowing tons and tons of top soil into a giant hole in the middle of the garden while at the same time removing nasty old rubbly soil. The other group undertook the progressive burpee challenge. Ooh, it's tough this. You start with normal burpees, then for the next set you chuck in a calf raise, then add a squat for the following set. Just when you start thinking this is really hard we add in a star jump and finally a press up. It becomes a bit of a mental as well as a physical challenge just remembering what to do.

Finally we went back to a set of normal burpees. The goal was 15 as quickly as possible. Pete was fastest in 25.38 with Chris a close runner-up.

Half way through the evening the groups swapped over and we did it all again. A quick survey afterwards revealed that the burpees were tougher than the shovelling.

A jog back and Paul and Caroline demoed their favourite stretches before everybody nipped off the the pub to get Pritski a pint.

Shaun's back next week. If you're feeling mean you could see how many times you can fit in the phrase "Simon doesn't do it that way".

It's been a pleasure for the last three weeks. See you soon,

Simon

P.S. Don't forget drinks tonight