28 runners smashed a MASSIVE job for Doddington & Rollo community garden yesterday, managing to shift 6 tonnes of top soil in 45 minutes - now that is a bit of GoodGym magic!

As our lovely home at the BAC is shut for a refurb for the next three weeks, we started off the night outside with a bit of news:

• A very big welcome to Ameen, Lucinda, Hannah and Beth who all came along for their first GoodGym group run - give them a cheer and a high five next time you see them!

• Can you believe that GoodGym is going to be a whole ten years old soon? From small beginning in Tower Hamlets we are now all part of something huge and wonderful. We want to know what GoodGym means to you and your community, please have a look at this link as we’d love to hear your story.

• If you fancy a cheap place in the Big Half next March then drop me a line.

After playing a short game of bag tetris trying to fit all our stuff in a titchy car, we did a warm up and set off for Doddington & Rollo roof garden, a beautiful community garden that has been transformed from a disused carpark roof to somewhere that local people can use.

We arrived to find the challenge in question - an enormous 150 bags each full of 50 litres of compost. Our job was to carry them up to the roof garden, but to make things even more interesting, the lorry that had come to deliver them earlier that day had to drop them quite a distance away from the stairs.

We had decided on a human chain which quickly fell apart, but slowly and surely the pile got smaller and after 45 minutes of some serious lifting, every single one of those 150 bags and the pallets they came on were up at the garden. That is 6 TONNES of compost you guys lifted last night. Superheroes, every one of you! What took us one evening would have taken the volunteers at the garden several days, so well done on harnessing that GoodGym muscle for good.

We decided after that hardcore session that we didn't really need much in the way of fitness so we stopped briefly half way home to do a bit of core work with some ab triathlons. All that was left was the short run home and some stretches. Great work everybody!

Along for the run last night we had Beth along with a little bit of radio magic - hear her report of what we got up to here on Wednesday night and see if you made the cut!

Next week we're back to the Doddington estate for another big job - this time we're painting the many corridors in the community centre. This is a real biggie so do come along if you can make it! You can sign up here. Don't forget that the BAC will be shut the next three weeks so do try and avoid bringing too much stuff or anything precious if you can. Until then, happy running GoodGym!

Monday is undoubtedly the best day of the week when GoodGym is involved and last night was no exception. We spent GoodGym Wandsworth’s 3rd birthday doing what we do best, running hard, working hard and celebrating our accomplishments as a team

New runners Lauren and Jo joined us for first time last night and I’d like to extend a huge GoodGym Wandsworth welcome to you both. Go ahead and give them both a cheer

NEWS

• Over the past 3 years GoodGym Wandsworth have complete 202 group runs, 306 missions and currently have 11 coach partnerships. In the last 12 months alone, we’ve completed 1969 good deeds. This represents a massive amount of support to the community. Each one of you should be proud of your contribution towards our success and the impact we’ve collectively made supporting our borough

• The GoodGym Olympics took place on Saturday with Captain Sophie leading the Wandsworth Warriors to a podium place for the 3rd year running. Our team of 11 athletes finishing in 3rd place with amazing performances from everyone who took part, you’ve all superstars! Other highlight from the day were the marching band complete with GoodGym anthem, flag parade, the bake off competition, the veg carving competition, temporary GG tattoos and pin the tail on the runner, to name a few. We’ve already started strategising for next year, watch this space...

• The next GG monthly long run is going to be a tour of the Docklands area, which takes place on the 25th August. There are 3 distance options, 26km, 16km, 10km, details and sign up here

• This months GG social will be held this Thursday the 8th August on the Southbank, if you would like to attend all details are here

• Have you heard the latest ‘Reasons to be cheerful’ podcast? It has no other than our very own Ivo Gormley as a guest and is definitely worth a listen, head here to listen now!

• If anyone has any tales of inspiration from Team GB athletes and would like to share them, please email rebecca@goodgym.org and tell us who inspired you the most

DO GOOD

Our tasks this week was at was at our local branch of the Salvation Army in Balham. The Salvation Army hold children and toddler's group on every Tuesday and Wednesday morning, which relies on voluntary help to keep going. They also have a garden space that is completely overrun with brambles. Both the toys and garden required some of our GoodGym magic

GET FIT

Not only was regular warm up area unavailable, but this week the Battersea Arts Centre was unexpectedly closed as well. With some quick thinking and rallying from the Wandsworth Taskforce we had WhatsApp messages, changing locations and car boots available for baggage, disaster averted, well done team!! After an alfresco briefing we warmed up using the pavement area outside BAC, working through a series of low impact drills, which was wrapped up with a quick birthday themed poll on everyone’s favourite type of cake. Shortly after we set off for the first leg of our run covering the first 2.5km of the night and arrived feeling fresh and raring to go

We were greeted at the Salvation Army by Andrew and after a short welcome brief got stuck in to our tasks. Our first task was washing toys for the children and toddler's group and it took no time for a production line of washing, drying, sorting and stacking to begin. Our second task was in their garden and car park area, where we tackled some unruly brambles in true GoodGym style

After 45 mins the toys were squeaky clean, organised and sorted for the next group of children to enjoy. The brambles were cut and bagged, a serious dent was made to the overrun garden and the car park was tidy and free from overhanging brambles. All that was left was a quick tidy and a thank you from Andrew, before setting off for our 2.5km uphill push to BAC. Great work team Wandsworth!!

CELEBRATION

The night didn’t finish there, as we headed from BAC over to Clapham Common for a picnic to reward all our efforts over the last 3 years and to celebrate how far this group has come in that time. What a great way to mark the occasion

I’d like to thank you for all for the awesome effort you’ve put in over the last couple of weeks, it’s been an absolute pleasure leading while Ana’s been away. You all make GoodGym so special and I’m very proud to be a part of and to have led this group

COMING UP

Next week Ana will be back after her time away and leading us for our task at the Doddington roof garden, sign up here

Happy Running!!

A beautiful summer's evening, lot of lovely faces both returning and new, and a task in Paradise (cooperative garden...!) all added up to a fantastic night of GoodGymming!

Welcome to:

• Emily, Imogen, Amy, Natalie, Ashlyn and Maurice, who all came for their first GoodGym run last night!

And in case you need a reminder of the news we started off the night with, then here it is:

• If you're looking for a beautiful 10k trail run then check out the Morden Park Trail Run - every last Sunday of the month in this lovely National Trust park - it's even free!

• We've got an aid station at the British 10K on Sunday 21st July from 7.30am - volunteers get a free place for the Oxford Half, Hackney Half or the next London 10K. Sign up here - today is your last day to sign up so get in there quick!

• Well done to Oliver who did the Shoreditch 10km on Saturday, to all those who volunteered there, and to all our parkrunners too!

After a warm up outside and a quick survey on our favourite breakfast dishes - eggs well and truly topped the pops, but there were also votes for waffles, rice crispies and of course bacon sarnies - we set off for Paradise Cooperative garden, and arrived 2.5km later to find chairman John waiting for us with a list of jobs.

This organisation aims to connect food, nature and people through sustainable urban farming and community gardening, and has transformed an overgrown and derelict site owned by Wandsworth prison into a beautiful space which includes an orchard, poly-tunnels, raised vegetable beds, a fish-pond, bush-craft area and community celebration area with pizza oven and running water. All this takes hard work though, so we are happy to lend a bit of GoodGym muscle!

The first group got straight on with shovelling gravel and woodchip, unloading bags of clay, shifting pallets and logs - all amazing upper body work! Meanwhile, the weeding team tackled the raised beds and paths and watered, while the third group spread the new pond liner and started filling it.

After 40 minutes loads of jobs were done, and John said that we had achieved a month's worth of work for them in our time there - many hands make light work! For all that effort we were rewarded with beautiful fresh basil, carrots and herbs which as well as being delicious, made for an unusual and highly fragranced run back!

But first we stopped at Wandsworth Common to do our fitness session - I had planned one that featured running drills, but the tasks at the garden had overtaken us a bit, so this was replaced by some high octane tabata instead. It was only 4 minutes of hard work split into 20 second segments, but it was tough! The idea is that you raise your heart rate during this time which increases aerobic performance and burns fat effectively. Those frog jumps though...

We finished off the evening with a motivational hill sprint led by Chi, and some stretches back at base. Next week we're going to Harding House, a residential home for deaf people to help sort out their garden. You can find out more and sign up here. Until then, have a week of happy running GoodGym!