Monday 16th July 2018
Report written by Laura Williams
Two teams were despatched to two tasks this evening, getting a lot done in a very short space of time.
The all-female team, led by Leanne, returned to the Glasshouse Community Centre at Parkview Estate to give the storage space a second coat, thereby completing the job they started last week. Task owner Catherine was delighted that the GoodGym-ers had been able to help get the space looking so glossy and new in such a short space of time, and at such short notice, thereby completing the centre’s new look.
Meanwhile, the rest of tonight’s running crew headed to Meath Gardens to help residents and Friends of Meath Gardens water the new young trees (who don’t appear to be enjoying our glorious summer quite as much as the rest of us). Meath Gardens has no water point and so watering the trees is a labour-intensive operation, requiring many pairs of hands to transport buckets of water from the nearby canal to the trees via trolleys.
The team managed to complete the required two-buckets-per-tree task with Bryon competently heading up the canal side of the operation. Heidi, in the meantime, joined task owner Tunde and resident Russell in staking and caging several new trees. This was a tricky balancing act accompanied by some impressive heavy lifting and striking by Tunde.
At 8pm sharp the team rendezvoused at the flagpole in the centre of the gardens for a two-part fitness task. Danny led the group through some isometric, running-specific resistance moves designed to improve just about everything, from quad & ITB strength to balance and running form. I then stepped in to pick on the last remaining muscle group that was still standing: the abs. The team took some of the toughest abs moves I’ve scoured Planet Fitness for in their usual smiley stride, giggling and only collapsing when given the collapse-cue at the end of the session.
A mixed-pace run back to base saw us discreetly using a nearby wall for some effective static finishing stretches, before a small crew headed to the pub, for a cooling kraft beer and some pun brain-picking.
Thanks to brilliant task force members Bryon and Leanne, for leading their runs, and to Leanne for leading the Parkview task. Thanks to Becky G, Gabrielle, Leanne and Miranda for committing in advance to returning to Parkview for an un-scheduled task.
Thanks to Danny, for a great strength and conditioning component: tough but really running-specific (with a level of intensity and detail one’s unlikely to commit to when training on one’s own…).
Thank you to the whole team for tonight’s pun.
…to our very own Becky G, who tonight hit 50 good deeds, and to Danny who this evening hit his 99th good deed (in an exceptionally short space of time…).
Next week, more fun and games (literally) as we’re heading back to Weavers’ to see what task owner Alex has in store for us at the adventure playground. You can sign up here, and I for one, just CAN’T WAIT.
Until then, have a brilliant week, and a great, big well done to you all, for another truly brilliant night.
The Friends of Meath Gardens is a community organisation that is fighting to save, maintain and improve our green spaces. Meath Gardens, formerly Victoria Park Cemetery, is a large green area nestled next to Mile End Park. You can reach it over the footbridge near the Palm Tree and the Mile End Climbing Wall, or from Smart Street.
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