We’re back! There is officially no better way to start the New Year than meeting a great bunch of people, running off all those mince pies, and doing a good deed for your local community. Oh, and hill sprints, lots and lots of lovely hill sprints.

That said, it wasn’t a totally smooth first run, as our lovely starting point venue decided to shut early last night. Luckily the lovely people at our favourite local, The Calf, stepped in to offer us shelter from the cold. So off we all trundled together in our spangly new running gear for a brisk walk to the pub before beginning our run. Sorry everyone – normal service will be resumed next week!

First we said a huge hello to a 2017 brucie bonus number of lovely faces. Welcome to GoodGym Gabor, Ruth, Sarah, Tanya, Ivanka, Flic and Charli – we’re so glad you decided to join us. A big hello also to our fabulous Wandsworth visitors David, Rhio, Matt and Hazel.

The holiday season was no excuse to hang up the trainers, and in usual GG style, there was some great running to be celebrated. Well done on your PBs Tom, Matthew and Jack, keep it up. A huge shout out also goes to all those superstars that volunteered at Crisis and Shelter over the holidays, and to all of you that did missions. You’re most definitely on Santa’s nice list for next year.

All that was left to do before we left was the weekly CoRUNdrum, so while chatting about how many people we thought attended this year’s NYE fireworks at the South Bank, we set off at a steady trot for the Bridge community centre in Battersea. We were there to take down the decorations that we had put up during a mission in December, plus knocking out a few jobs that needed doing. With 30 pairs of hands, it was quick work. The decorations were soon packed up and put away ready for new year, the floor mopped, the toys loaded up in the car, the trees deposited in the street and with the mammoth hoovering tackled, it was job done. There was just time for a few abs exercises before heading over to our favourite hill to pound out a some sprints. They hurt, that’s for sure, but they’re so good for building endurance, increasing heart rates to avoid plateauing during a session, and becoming stronger.

A nice jog back to the pub, we finished off with a few stretches and swapped holiday stories over a lemonade at the bar. What a way to kick off 2017. Well done everybody! Don’t forget that GoodGym is pacing Hilly Fields park run this Saturday so come and join us if you’re chasing an early PB. You can also sign up for next week's run here:

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/get-fit-in-wandsworth

Happy 2017 GoodGymers! May your year be filled with great runs, amazing tasks and good friends.

ps - check out the photos for a little word from our Mo....

11 runners, 3km, some killer weeding and huge tree planting.

We welcomed Matt for his first time ever at a GoodGym tonight and Jess and Chris from GoodGym Camden were on a tour to see what we get up to south of the river.

After a quick intro, warm up and a short but sweaty run, we arrived at Cossall Park Community Garden. We were a bit early so used the time wisely...

Stuck in the mud

Who knew how much effort a bit of short sprinting would take?! It kept us warm and ready for some proper gardening action. We split off into 3 groups.

Group one were in a resident's garden clearing it of weeds and turning the soil ready for lots of new planting. We could have stayed all night so watch this space for a mission heading that way.

Group two were working on the main flower and vegetable beds, clearing out weeds and brambles and generally making sure the lettuce, courgettes and cauliflower have enough room to flourish. Last time we were here we cleared the bed completely so it was brilliant to see how many veggies have grown and that are on offer for the residents.

Group three helped a slightly weightier project. An elm and a horse chestnut tree were delivered and carried into the adjacent Kirkwood Nature Reserve to be planted. But first, more clearing of nettles and stones before the final resting place was set. I hear you ask

'How many GoodGymmers does it take to plant a tree?'

The answer is not so clear. But I'd argue at least 2 to dig and plant and another 3 to advise and monitor.

Once we'd all rounded up and had our squash and malted milks, there was time for 1 sports day race.... the timeless wheelbarrow race

We were heckled by the local kids playing footy who couldn't quite believe that adults do this sort of thing and set off. Competitive natures and epic core and shoulder strength came out in full force. Big congrats to our gold medal winners, Michael and Becky.

Warm, tired and a little bit stung, we set off back to Old Spike Roastery with a pink sky for company.

A lovely evening and a(many) job(s) well done.