Learning from the best I stepped into the role of 'I wannabe a (Ana) model trainer' in wonderful welcoming Wandsworth tonight . After a personal debut welcome chat from me to 26 GG Wandsworth participants that included newcomers Christian ,Nikki, Daniel, Gemma and Caroline ( BIG cheer for all please !) we headed off on a shortish run to Christchurch Primary School where we were met by Head teacher Colette and 'shine the light ' Barry who tasked us with filling 8 beautifully handcrafted oak raised beds with a carefully measured layer of gravel , top soil and compost ready for the children to plant, grow ,pick, sell produce . 30 minutes of solid soil shifting together with grinding gravel and compost carrying to, and in, a variety of vestibules resulted in an astounding feat (peat)of just how much 26 people can achieve in a minimum amount of time with maximum amount of effort. Please do give a huge cheer to Vicki who celebrated her 100th and last task with GG today before she moves to Australia to work. I'm sure all of GG UK will give another massive cheer to Vicki for all the hours and effort she has been as a shining example of a GG member ( Ana - how can I possibly follow that cake ?!! ) As we waved Goodbye to our task/ friendly task masters, we ran to Battersea park (with a dead end included - Whoops sorry guys ) for our fitness session which was ' welcomed' and 'enjoyed ' by all! Finally we ran, in a mingling mashed up fashion back, with a final push up the hill to Battersea Arts Centre followed by stretches and a drink in the bar and Vicki cutting her cake ! Thank you for having me GG Wandsworth! I had a great time . See you soon in Worthing or Wandsworth I hope ! Julia xx

14 FANTASTIC Good Gym Sheffield Runners ran 8km to Sharrow Community Forum

After a quick group photo, cementing our terrific trainer Stephen's work with the group since it started, we headed off to Sharrow Community Forum (SCF) to get our hands dirty (well white).

Caretaker Callum kindly showed us where our tools & dust sheet/s (jury's out) were and provided us with juice to quench our thirsts after a good 40mins of hard graft painting the outside walls of the Forum in readiness for it to be the canvas for some local children to express themselves through Graffiti Art. With some more walls to cover I am sure we will be back and look forward to seeing the artwork complete at a later date.

"Is this a dust sheet or an ankle support?" Good Gym Kim.

On finishing the whitewash, we left brushes in the bucket and headed for home on an extended loop to get some extra KM's in! Once back at base we got some great sprint training with some Meet & Retreat paired relays and some longer looped relays to really get the blood pumping!

We finished off with some upper body work including press up's and tricep dips, had a quick challenge with trying out some piston squats (harder than they look) and had a good stretch off.

Following the session we headed round the corner to the Sheaf for a quick shandy bass to see Sensational Steve off and thank him for his work since the groups inception before he headed for a Fanoush Feast and relaxing train to Edinburgh with a glass of Merlot all in the same night - what a hero!

Next Mon we are heading back to the Abbeydale Picture House - a beautiful old building which needs a LOT of work to bring it back to it's old glory days. We will be meeting Steve Rimmer (GG Sheffield runner & CADS head honcho!) at the venue and helping to bring the House back to order.

AN INSIDE TASK NOT ONE TO BE MISSED - SIGN UP HERE

Last night GoodGym Wandsworth started off the week with a record number of runners, a whole group of lovely new faces, some ace dance moves, a squat competition in the rain and lots and lots of delicious CAKE.

If Carlsberg did Monday nights….

It all began as usual at the BAC, where we started off snug and dry. Little did we know what was about to happen, but more on that later. We had some excellent new runners to say hello to – welcome to the team Judith, Hanna, Lizzie, Samantha, Sean and Ella. Thumbs up too to Deepak who joined us from Southwark for the evening, way to go! It was red laces for Alicia and Lizzie for being excellent GG recruiters.

Then we had some big ol’ well dones. Deep breath! Here goes: congrats to Sarah and Matthew for a great Mile End park run, to Tom for nice even park run pacing, to Sean for doing the Clapham Common Rabble games and still making it to a group run the next day, to Helen and Vicki for smashing the Winter 10k run on Sunday and joining us for a (not short) run last night, to Roshan for organising what sounds like the pub run to end all pub runs (more details coming soon!), to David Mathieson for dong the most good deeds, to Jack and Luke for running the greatest distance, to Matthew for supporting others by giving the most cheers, and to Sophie and Jack for getting the most cheers. What an amazing bunch of people you are!

After a quick CoRUNdrum – which is the largest borough by area? (Clue: it’s home to GG’s newest group) we set off…straight into heavy rain that pelted us without stop for the rest of the night. David led us down to the lovely Wendelsworth Community Gardens (with Will taking the corners) where we said hello to our GG tree, and then set about moving heavy paving slabs, bagging up wood chippings, and taking down flyers. It was a supertough work out for the slab-shifters who managed to transport the whole lot on a series of trolleys – even fashioning a ramp to make it easier (way to go Kylee). Team Flyer flew from building to building letting nothing get in their way, while in the wood chipping corner Roshan sung beautifully to us while Jim showed off his legendary dance moves.

It was too wet and too cold for a full-on fitness session, but we managed a mini one. Maximising on time and space we did a short stint of HIT, busting out power squats, power lunges and high knees. We even managed to fit in a squat hold competition which saw Tom, Jordan, and Deepak battle it out – with Deepak emerging as the supreme squatter. Good work everyone!

It was a soggy old run back to the BAC, but totally worth it for the surprise treats that were waiting for us when we got back. A massive thank you to Sophie, Vicki and Jack for spoiling us – Sophie with extraordinary banoffee pie (so good it saw somebody who shall remain nameless licking the dish), Vicki for a delicious and well-named Victoria sponge (much like the girl herself) and to Jack for bringing us back some amazing sweet pastries and nibbles all the way from sunny Malaysia. Such sugary goodness!

Well done everybody for powering through the rain. Wandsworth is a better place because of you all. For more (less damp) GG fun, sign up for next week’s run here:

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/doing-good-and-getting-fit

It was a proper whopper last night in Wandsworth! We had a very healthy group of 32 runners meet to run just under 6k to Paul’s Cancer Support Centre. This charity is a really important resource for local people living with cancer – it offers information, complementary therapies, groups and classes. They needed us to paint the office and give the rest of the place a really thorough clean, and we were only too happy to help!

First though, we met at the BAC to say our hellos. There was a lovely bunch of new faces to get to know this week. Welcome Hiliwona, Karis, Killian, Steph, Stu and Alice! And a big hello to ace Lambether Jitendra. Great to have Alex and Eva at their first Wandsworth group runs too.

Sarah, Sophie and Matthew all got a big pat on the back for racing (and missioning) this weekend. Mile End park run pacing next week, people! You can get happy by signing up here: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/mile-end-parkrun-pacing. We also have fun drinks to look forward to for the whole of the GG crew on Thursday, get even happier by signing up here: https://www.goodgym.org/parties/spreading-our-wings-goodgym-2017. It’s been a rough old few days in the world, and there’s a never a better time to show a little love. So check out the website for local missions this weekend. London needs you!

Last week we thought the CoRUNdrum couldn’t be solved any quicker, but this week Will said he cracked it before we had even left. However, it was Dave who pounced quicker, cleverly knowing that it was William Wilberforce who was a member of the Clapham Sect who led the parliamentary campaign against the slave trade. Joint prize goes to Dave and Will I think – but gets taken away again because they heckled their way through the fitness session later on that evening ;)

With a very smiley Sally backmarking for us, we set off to the charity to be met by Marisca who took us through our tasks. With so many of us, we got all our jobs done super quickly – Hiliwona in charge of hoovering, Jordan and Sally making the painting a work of art, and the rest of us wiping down walls, dusting, cleaning cupboards and generally giving the place a right good tidy.

Jobs done, we set off for Battersea Park where we worked on three major muscle groups; arms, legs and abs. These sort of exercises are perfect for strengthening our bodies which stabilises us when we’re running to give us a more efficient, and essentially faster, running style. First we did a round of squat holds, mountain climbers and steps ups – each for a minute at a time. After one minute’s rest we moved on to arms. Tricep dips, narrow and wide arm press ups, each for one minute. A short rest and we smashed out the abs, with a minute each of crunches, bicycles and planks. And then we repeated the whole lot. Who’s regretting getting GG Wandsworth a whistle for Christmas now then?

We split into three groups for the run home (discussing our big plans for Strava art on the way), and we had worked so hard that we didn’t even finish with a hill sprint. Don’t worry, there’s always next week. Speaking of which, you can sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/do-good-get-fitter. Go on, you know you want to! Well done on a cracking week GoodGymers, you’re making Wandsworth a nicer place to live. And getting abs of steel in the process – bargain!

14 Goodgymers ran 4 KM to paint a converted classroom at Sharrow community centre.

The task

The task facing us tonight was to give an old classroom a coat of paint as it is being turned in to a woodworking space as part of Sharrow community centre. The centre used to be a primary school but now acts as a hub right in the centre of Sharrow in Sheffield. Maria, our contact at the centre had left a number of painting weapons and specific instructions for the team to follow. She had also very kindly left us some refreshments which was very kind. The team was painting for 50 Minutes before the task was complete. Many hands…etc Before long we were cleaning up and ready to move on

Run strong, live free

We then proceeded back to base where we used the car park at Sheffield United for some relay races. All terrific fun. The was a bit of ski jumping which rounded off a perfect evening.

We are back out again on Thursday for a taster session. Same time, same start location. Although this is geared up for new members, everyone is welcome and it would be great to have some of the regulars along to help promote our great work. Sign up here

Monday 16th Jan we are meeting at Bramall Lane for our weekly group run. Sign up here

GoodGym Sheffield is funded by Age Better in Sheffield in association with South Yorkshire Housing Association and the Big Lottery fund.

5 GoodGymmers ran 7 km to distribute Goodgym leaflets in the student area of Sheffield

With many of the regular group runners sending their apologies, the decision was made to make the final group run of 2016 an easily deliverable one. The decision was made to distribute leaflets in the centre of student living in Sheffield, Eccy Rd.

We had a quick brief with risks identified and made our way over to the terraced houses that back on to Ecclesall Road. There were a number of pedestrians who looked like our target audience, so they were duly handed some literature.

The task

We simply split each street in two and posted the leaflets in to houses, businesses and charity shops (hopefully the charity shops will have work for us in future).

Fitness session

We made our way to Endcliffe park did 90% efforts on a 100 metre slight uphill section. We used the downhill for recovery and repeated 5 times. This kind of session is so simple, but is really effective at developing the heart and lungs and allowing a fast recovery following efforts. Everyone did amazing.

We then headed back to base for stretching. We passed the Salvation Army building on the way back, so I popped in to introduce myself and give my details in case of any future tasks. It is a huge operation, so it would be great to get involved.

Once back at base we stretched the main muscle groups and headed to the pub around the corner for onion rings and lemonade. We had a chat about how GoodGym plans to expand across the UK and the mechanics of coach runs. We also discussed veganism, marathons, Netflix, French and Ryanair. The plan is to head here on the first Monday of each month, starting February. We will complete the group run, then head to the pub for some bonding.

Despite the low numbers due to Christmas, tonight was a great group run. A massive welcome to Beccy who got stuck in and settled in to the GoodGym Sheffield spirit instantly. You did brilliantly.

Our first group run after the break is on the 3rd Jan - A TUESDAY

Details of the next group run are here

GoodGym Sheffield is funded by Age Better in Sheffield in association with South Yorkshire Housing Association and the Big Lottery fund. Find out about the project here and sign up to visit an older person with GoodGym and end social isolation in Sheffield here

Carlsberg don’t do group runs, but if they did…

…they would start off in the astro-turfed hills and bridges of the childrens’ play area at the BAC, include cheering an amazing weekend of races, one incredible charity, a super tough fitness session and – of course – the brilliant Wandsworth runners.

It was a great start to the run this week as we all crowded into the magical play area. We found a spot in the rolling green hills, on top of the little bridge and even in the tunnel underneath it. With everybody sitting comfortably, we began. It was a huge well done this week to Tom, David and Sophie, who did the first park runs when they joined Mattthew and Sarah down at Peckham on Saturday where GoodGym was pacing. It was a cold start, but they warmed up with a few bellinis afterwards. Now that’s a great race incentive. Next week a Wandsworth contingent is going down to Fulham Palace park run, so it’s a great chance to meet up with some friendly faces and chase that 5k PB. We also said a huge welcome to the lovely new Mable, Yewande and Nicola - so happy to have you with us guys.

After a nice little warm up with the luxury of being indoors, we set off out into the freezing night. It was only a short run this week, so we started with a quick Indian file drill round the common to get our hearts pumping. Then Dave led the way to the Devas club, an incredible resource for young people in the borough. The centre aims to engage and educate people up to the age of 25, and is committed to making a positive impact on their lives. It offers a huge variety of activities to support physical, mental and spiritual growth in its members. It has, amongst other thing, a rooftop pitch, dance studios, a massive kitchen – and a basketball court on which we learnt that runners can’t dunk (although Jack was close).

We set about shifting a huge pile of equipment and furniture to different rooms and to the carpark outside. It was a fantastic upper body work out and, with some of David’s expert rigging direction, we managed to clear the lot in record time. Check out the photo of David, Sophie, Hannah and Penny managing to carry a box big enough to fit them all inside down three flights of stairs. Impressive work!

Thanks to Devas’ Sheila, we had our first task where we were given biscuits as a reward. Thanks Sheila – although you’ve set a dangerous precedent! After a quick sugar hit, it was back to the common to smash a brisk and very tough fitness session. We started off with some strengthening exercises, and because Wandsworth loves a good old element of competition, we split up into teams. Well done to Mable and Yewande‘s team, who raced through it. Then it was on to the brutal Paarlauf. The idea is that you partner up, sprint to tag your team member, then cut across the circuit as a recovery to meet your partner and start the whole endurance-building exercise again. It is a really tough but effective drill, because although you get a chance to recover, your heart rate is kept high. With five minutes of tagging, it was time for a plank off. Two solid minutes down and there were still a few strong plankers going, so we all took turns trying to destabilise them. Cruel, but effective.

Then it was back to the warmth of the BAC, where Tom was crowned CoRUNdrum winner by correctly identifying Martin Bashir as the answer to this week’s Wandsworth ‘who am I?’

Well done to everybody who braved the cold this week, you should all feel really proud of yourselves. Don’t forget about the Wandsworth Christmas party this Thursday. Next week we’re going to try and form a human chain to clear junk from a community centre in Balham, so we’re going to need as many helping hands as possible! Sign up here:

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/run-to-a-local-primary-school