Twenty Three Spring heeled Hackney GoodGymers ran 7k or 6k to clear Daubeney Fields of rubbish and fly tipping.

On a super sunny but craftily chilly April evening we we gathered at the E5 Bakehouse ready for some serious running action. Following a dynamic, muscle engaging formation warm up we set about the longer than usual 3k run to Daubeney Fields lead expertly through the central Hackney back streets by Clare. Maintaining a solid pace we worked our way towards the river while talking about earning our post run food rewards. In seventeen and a half minutes of consistent running action we arrived to meet Bruce and his team from Hackney Parks. We donned our protective gloves and grabbed our pickers then split into two units to attack the woodland and remove anything that should not have been there.

Many bags were filled and a lot of weird and wonderful items were removed (some lets say were a little suspicious). The squad worked really hard to complete the task and get the park ready to be regenerated by Bruce and the Parks team with any number of flowers plants and trees in the next couple of weeks. After 35 minutes of perfect picking action we had won and celebrated by splitting into our Speedy and Sexy groups for the run back to base. Jack lead the Sexy group the 3k back maintaining a solid pace while working on the teams endurance. While the Speedy crew scorched through the streets of Hackney zig zagging our way the 4.5k back. We worked our speed endurance pushing our anaerobic threshold to new heights!! 4 two minute intervals followed by a kilometre of lamppost dictatated fartlek action saw us rounding into the final straight for an epic sprint finish.

After a few muscle relaxing static stretching we congratulated ourselves on a top night of running and picking action. Before 10 of us headed out to refuel at our monthly night out.

Next week we head to the Claudia Jones charity for women and families in difficult relationships to totally revamp their outside space!! Please sign up here

Until next week

Smoothly does it

Joel

Fourteen amazing Team Hackney GoodGymers ran 5k to and from the Wilton Estate community garden to turn over the soil in the Paddock and remove some really clingy Roots.

On a not so Spring like March evening Team Hackney were ready for action! We met ask usual at the Bakehouse before speedy off into the night to our warm up track behind the Town Hall. Where we got our key running muscles and joints mobilised with a series of exercises to enable us to dominate our second instalment of our Plyometric training block. Plyometrics have been shown to improve runners Balance, Power, Strength and Flexibility so a really good way to getting us well on our way towards our running and fitness Goals. We had a special Super Set action going on with first multidirectional both single and double legged hops straight into some brilliantly executed lower body strength exercises. We hopped both high and long and we squatted and Lunged strong. After 15 minutes of pulsating leg action we were ready to roll. We were lead to the task expertly by Cecilia who navigated the streets of H-Town perfectly. We met Debbie and Lisa at the ever expanding community garden to gave us the tools for task success. Armed with Hoes, forks, spades and some lean mean Mattocks we split into two units and went into battle. Unit one hacks away in the dark corners of the garden and some of the most determined roots around but hey were no match for Team Hackney's might and the Mottcks proved their worth to remove all the roots for the soon to be raspberry patch. Meanwhile with DJ Pat spinning the illuminated Decks the Paddock's soil was being turned over at a majestic rate. The pace increased as the first unit came to add their force for a final push to task glory. 60 metres of soil turned over to allow some beautiful wild flower planting over the weekend means a job well done 👏🏾👏🏼👏🏻. Debbie and Lisa thanked us for our efforts and we split into the familiar Speedy and Sexy groups for a game of Chase back to Base!!. Team Sexy started with a 4 minute cushion on our 3.4k run to base, with an ever improving band our runners it would require a Herculean effort for Team Speedy to catch up but with some real tight lines run at the front by the the Speedy Leader Cecilia the ground was being made up with every stride. As we entered Broadway market Team Sexy could not hold them off any longer and after a super sprint finish everyone was was applauded in after giving their all great running Team 🏃🏽🏃🏿🏃🏻🏃.

As few cool down stretches and a reminder about all the options for running and volunteering at Hackney Half Marathon we were on our way after a great Tuesday night GoodGym fix.

Next week we are Double tasking at Gillett Square and with the Food Growers Group so please please come along, bring a friend! We have a few Super special guests from the amazing training platform that is Strava as well as a huge treat for the Sexy crew as they will be Super smoothly lead home by GoodGym founder and all around top guy Ivo. Please please sign up here

Until next week,

Smoothly cruise into your half marathon training

Joel

15 Hackney GoodGymers ran 6k to the wonderful Gascoyne Estate community garden to fill raised beds, move a mountain of wood and create an emergency fire truck access for the neighboring day nursary.

Lovely to see a GG newbie starting out on the road to Goodness, as well as a few returning Team Hackney members who we have missed for a few weeks and our beautiful regular runners repping hard as usual.

We had a new lead runner this evening Clare who did a great job of shepparding us through the main, the back and side streets to our warm up area and then around to the task. Well done Clare hope to see you back leading the tribe very very soon! 👏🏻👏🏽👏🏾

We had a warm up with a difference this week, continuing on our strength phase of training we wanted to really toughen up are key running muscles in our core and lower limbs. So inspired by the NBA all star game I went oldskool and back to my basketball coaching days 🏀🏀🏀, getting into a half squat we did the line drill moving in every direction possible, grabbing rebounds, diving to get loose balls on the floor and working those fast feet all in a half squat and with our hands defending the passing lanes. Obviously this was not enough for the now legs of steal ⛓⛓⛓ Team Hackney so the Team begged for more and we jumped into a Lungeathon where we lunged in every direction continuously for a minute with a controlled eccentric calf raises as an active recovery then repeated 💪🏼💪🏻💪🏾 We knew the legs had taken some punishment as the first few strides of the run to the task there was in unison a collective grown!

We ran the 2.5k to the task to meet Varda, and we set to work uncovering the raised beds by removing wooden palettes and rocks which help to keep the foxes out. We then started shovelling mounds of soil to top up the beds, we were going so hard at it the wheelbarrow couldn't keep up and decided to go into early retirement. But on we charged, filling up 15 flower beds with soil. Then we employed the devastatingly efficient Daisy Chain 🌼🌼🌼 to move tones of wood to make make a perfect insect habitat. The insects are vital for the health of the garden and the new log habitat will give many insects a nice new home. 🐛🐌🐞🐜🕷🐝.

It was all hands on deck for the final phase of the task where we cleared a direct path for a fire entrance to a neighboring children's nursary by separating a huge mound of wood chip and soil then freeing up a perfect path to the fire entrance. 🚒🚒🚒🚒🚒🚒🚒

In 40 minutes of fun filled, super productive action we had showed how great Team Hackney are and Varda and the rest of the Gascoyne Estate community garden team were extremely greatful. Everyone is super excited to get more great work down on a Tuesday evening very soon on the Gascoyne Estate.

We headed back towards base aiming for a 2k steady run after our earlier leg exploits but out the corner of our eyes we saw something too intising to ignore. Victoria Park had a special preview of their night running track so we nipped in and had a sped out and back on the amazing pschyodelicly lite up track to add another 1.5k to the run. There will be structured running groups running in Viccy Park for the next few days, check info. We will try and return next Tuesday to have another go!

Hope to see you all next week when we return to Wilton Estate for some serious cutting action!! Please sign up here.

Until next week

Lunge smooth

Joel

Great to get stuck right into a new task tonight! Showed how we roll b