Well from a trainer point of view you just couldn't be happier really - The team smashed it tonight, both task and run In addition they are well 'ARMED' now to tackle a home workout to improve upper body fitness and aid core energy transfer through to legs, propulsion and endurance which balances well with the Giant leg sets of the last two weeks! Just watch the form and it will serve you well I say ; - )

Anyway enough of the jargon let's get down to business - Tonight saw 24 at the door of Wholefoods looking fully enthused and ready to take to the streets to do GOOD on a Monday! A great turnout indeed and of course that is because we love to do good in Richmond and help out great community organisations such as Richmond and Putney Unitarian Church which sits very close to Wholefoods. This was our destination this evening and of course we took the scenic route to get there!

With arms hanging after the warm up the legs were itching to get their turn and of course they did with half way up Kings Road, all the way down Queens and back up to the top of Kings again. Sounds a little like a royal telly tubby route as I type but rest assured those who did it may need some extra stretching in the morning. One more 'Down the Hill' and we were there

The 1896 church nestled close to the cinema at the foot of Richmond Hill is used by many different types of local community groups so our work tonight which was to clear what what described as 'THE JUNGLE to the left of the building' would benefit many - straight away from a visual and saftey access point of view this was visible but we further learned that our efforts could make way for raised beds, flowers and other gardening projects that some of the local children may be involved in as well, so a great cause which enables more to participate in within the community.

Well done all on clearing the way for more to use and enjoy and for making such short work of a dense task In awe of the speed some you sprinted back to Wholefoods as well considering the warm up and the hills but hmmm was that the call of the pub for the social that helped there?

I wonder if we put a pint at the top of Nightingale how many PB's we may get - I will see how I can make that work

Enjoy the social and have one for me - see you next week

Mark

Also a big CHEER to welcome Emma on her first run and Ren on his second with Richmond!! Now on another note where's our wings as Sam has some flying to do next week too - Congrats on reaching a 100 Sam ; - )

There was huge relief as the monsoon weather conditions eased somewhat as the Good Gymers gathered at Whole Foods for the usual briefing.

The warm-up, led by Mark, ensured that we were not ‘stuck in the mud’ and the legs were suitably fired up for the task ahead with squats, lunges and star jumps.

Following a rendition of Happy Birthday to Sami we were on our way to Heatham House, which has been the Youth Centre in Twickenham since the 1950s.

Once we arrived we set about gloving up and armed with an assortment of tools provided by Heatham House, we split up in to two groups to clear as many leaves as possible from the community space.

Muscles are aching this week for GG Richmond runners. Awesome way to work out! #goodgym #fitness #physical #fun #volunteering pic.twitter.com/F6MrbaLGSn

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) January 29, 2020

The task certainly was a challenge however according to a certain Gotham Superhero “I have one power. I never give up.” Taking inspiration from the image of Batman, the Good Gymers certainly never gave up and went a long way to helping make the community space easier to use.

Muscles are aching this week for GG Richmond runners. Awesome way to work out! #goodgym #fitness #physical #fun #volunteering pic.twitter.com/PNEHo6VP31

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) January 29, 2020

Following a group picture in front of the cape crusader emblem it was back to Whole Foods for a much needed cool down.

Well done to Ren on completing his first Good Gym run Mike for his 1st at Richmond and also congratulations to Sam, Rebecca and Naomi on completing their second Good Gym task.

Finally once again Happy Birthday to Sami and to Will for tomorrow, we will look forward to seeing you next week!

It may have been our coldest run of 2020 so far but that didnt stop a group of 20 runners heading out to do good in Richmond tonight!

We welcomed Rebecca, Naomi and Sam to Goodgym Richmond for their first run before gathering outside Wholefoods for a warm up so desperately needed. And a Giant one we got - well a giant leg set of sorts anyway so after we had lunged and squatted to raise our temperature we set our stravas for those all important January kilometres and headed to St Christopher's Fellowship.

This organisation supports and assists young people in and leaving care and do amazing work to give these individuals promising futures. Tonight we were lucky enough to run to them and help them to clean and paint one of their houses in Richmond.

We had a team on the inside and 2 teams outside who were washing, cleaning, drying, sanding and painting different parts of the house to make it look white and bright (there was a bit of grey paint thrown in too, a grey area if you will).

As ever it was awesome fun working together on such a worthy task for a great cause. Even on a dark January night the white paint shone through....from the house and what we managed to get on our hands, clothes and dare I say it...my Garmin!! (It washes off right???)

Time as ever went quickly, and all that was left was a group photo and a straight run back to wholefoods for a cool down.

Thank you to everyone for a great night, see you next week!

On Monday evening 23 well insulated runners braved Arctic conditions to volunteer their time to bring some seasonal cheer, decorating Christmas trees at the Lynde House Care Home in Twickenham.

Seldom before has such trepidation been witnessed upon exiting the warm fug of WholeFoods’ cosy dining area, as sharp intakes of breath and the occasional chattering of teeth could be overheard.

Fortunately GG trainer Mark quickly managed to distract the team with his efficient warm up routine, complemented by ice skating lunges, press-up tag games, and finessed by a succession of star jumps. Duly warmed up, the group set off on the night’s mission across the river.

As is custom for relatively nearby venues, an extra leg on the outbound leg was proposed to add “stuffing to the turkey”, so to speak. In this case, the motive was to gain enough elevation to view as many Christmas lights as possible from the top of Nightingale Lane, one of our favourite climbs. Duly crested, we cruised back through town to cross Richmond Bridge, which now felt several degrees warmer than half an hour earlier, followed by an eerily dark riverside leg along the Thames.

The residents and staff at Lynde House gave us a warm welcome upon arrival, albeit tempered by a tinge of disappointment when we explained that we were not in fact visiting them to provide an indoor gymnastics display.

However, within the limited time available we set to work on the task at hand - unpacking fairy lights and baubles to decorate five beautiful Christmas trees, each team styling their creation with unique handwriting. It’s a shame that we won’t be there to see how the residents' eyes will light up tomorrow morning when they wander into the homely lounges and reception areas, however a rousing verse of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” was sung by the Good Gym chorus to set the Christmas mood.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from GoodGym Richmond#christmas #carehome #richmond #volunteering #goodgym #volunteering #running #doinggood pic.twitter.com/ZVfGkX4VxD

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) December 3, 2019

Duly refuelled with mince pies and hydrating refreshments, the deco-squad returned to Richmond at a steady pace via Twickenham Bridge, completing the 7 Km outing. With another mission accomplished and that familiar feeling of contentment gained from serving our local community some repaired to the pub to celebrate Lenka’s 50th good deed - (congratulations Lenka!) while others no doubt speculated whether perhaps this year would turn out to be a fairytale White Christmas.

Well done to Jessie, Luke and Ellen on your 2nd GoodGym Richmond run and another cheer for all of those who spent the weekend out on various Community Missions.

Happy Running!

10 runners ran 10km to help Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington.

With a longer run ahead of us we didn’t hang about tonight - not even for a glass of water!! With a swift warm up outside Wholefoods to get our muscles going and a quick game of knee tag we commenced the wet & squelchy run down to the river & along to Petersham. With all GoodGymers donning their head torches the light guided us safely along the riverside to Ham House and then on to Teddington Lock, arriving at Landmark Arts Centre.

Landmark Arts Centre offers a year-round programme of concerts and other live events, exhibitions, fairs and arts classes in Teddington. The charity's historic building was the backdrop for our task this evening since the centre had received a new addition to their gardens in the form of a very impressive Angler Fish sculpture. Designed as part of a Plastic Free Schools Competition run by City To Sea (a not-for-profit campaigning to prevent plastic pollution at source) and their partner Robeco. Schools were asked to design a sculpture that helped raise awareness of the problem of plastic pollution and encourage people to change their habit by switching from bottled water to a reusable. The winning design was created by a pupil of Teddington School & the sculpture was crafted by a local artist made entirely out of plastic water bottles, complete with STOP sign, which certainly makes you stop and think. The Angler Fish had been on display in central London but has returned to Teddington where it started its journey.

Equipped with tools, secateurs & gloves we quickly got to work with clearing the area of weeds & fallen leaves & having a general tidy, before laying down wood chips so the sculpture could take pride of place in its new home. We also trimmed back the hedges surrounding the gardens to allow for passers-by to view the awesome Angler Fish.

With the long run ahead, we managed a quick group shot in front of the award winning sculpture before returning back along the river with a renewed awareness of its importance to us all and the need to protect it.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas as a wise man once said.

Facing the wintery temperatures of Richmond Green and celebrating Jenna’s birthday during the warm – up, fuelled by celebration chocolates, the Good Gymers were certainly determined to prove that was the case this evening at one of the local community charities in Richmond called The Vineyard.

The Vineyard Project sees itself as a place for the healing of personal loneliness, the development of a sense of community and the breaking down of divisions in the locality, facilitating communications between sources of help and of need.”

What better way to symbolise what this charity represents than by helping them prepare and decorate for this well-known season that encourages the warmth of family time and togetherness.

Among those decorations assembled and hung up included typical red and green decorations being dangled from the ceiling, Christmas trees being prepared and carefully placed and neon flashing lights successfully turned on.

The Good Gymers were subsequently well rewarded for their festive work with delicious pastry treats.

Congratulations to Ellen, Aaisha and Gavin for completing their first Good Gym run this evening, well done to Leticia, Luke and Jessie for doing a first Good Gym run in Richmond. Finally, welcome back to Teresa who successfully led the walking group this evening. Yay she is back!!

See you next Monday at Wholefoods for what promises to be another rewarding task of brightening up the community Landmarks centre in Teddington!