A cracking team of 35 runners met last night to tackle a new task, and take on a tough time trial. What a way to spend a Monday evening.

It all started at the BAC, where we first welcomed some lovely new runners in the shape of Helen, Tessa and Emma - give these GoodGymers a big cheer, everybody!

We also had a fantastic week of running to celebrate. Well done to - deep breath - Paul and Chris, who both smashed the Hampton Court Half yesterday, Helen, Emily, Paul, Davinder, Morag, Luke, Jessie and John who all spent a very romantic Valentine's Day racing either 5k or 10k (with all the ladies recording PBs!), to Rachel, who ran a very solid time in a half marathon on Sunday, as did Brian in the Wokingham half. Fantastic racing guys, you really are doing yourselves and GoodGym a credit.

We also had a special milestone tonight - one that we shall celebrate properly next week. A massive congratulations to the lovely Alyx who ran her 100th good deed last night, and got her wings. What a star.

We kicked off the run with a warm up and went round the group finding out what we each would take as our inanimate luxury to a desert island. Only one of us would pack our running shoes (GUYS!), but musical instruments were top of the list, followed by a lifetime supply of chocolate, wine, gin and books. Sounds rather lovely.

Our task tonight was just over a mile away, at the Leonard Cheshire centre. This amazing charity supports disabled people in the community, helping them to fulfil their potential and live the lives they choose. It is of invaluable support to local people, offering the opportunity to live independently, to contribute and participate fully in society.

We arrived after a speedy run down there, and immediately divided up into groups of three to tackle the list of jobs. They included several painting tasks, rubbish clearing, garden sorting and washing windows, and after a few minutes organising ourselves we jumped to it.

Just under an hour later we were done, and with a light decoration of red paint (nicely matching our GG tshirts) we jogged over to Battersea Park to do our fitness session. It was a tough one tonight, but everybody gave it their all. We marked out the route of a nice flat time trial, and talked about a few technical points to help us run efficiently. The idea of pushing yourself on the same time trial regularly is that you can get yourself a nice benchmark, and then monitor your progress effectively. Speed training is also a fantastic way to improve your running, practice pacing and get fitter.

Everybody smashed the run, all crossing the line in very respectable times indeed. Keep those arms pumping, people! Don't forget, it's all about the pocket to socket...

A short run back and that hill , and all that as left to round off another great Monday was a quick stretch. Sign up for some more GG fun, same time, same place next week. Nice one, team.

First run of the year! It was bound to be a smasher, and it did not disappoint....

It may have been a cold and frosty evening, but that did not stop 41 post-festive runners ready to burn off those mince pies and mulled wine and make a difference in Wandsworth.

We were treated to a bumper load of new faces for our first run of the year, which always makes us very happy. Ladies and gents of GoodGym, please put your hands together for the lovely Charlotte, Abi, Georgina, Julie, Ashleigh, Lindsay, Tamsin, and Monica who all joined us for their very first GoodGym session last night. We hope you'll all be back next week!

It was clear that you guys hadn't slacked off over the festive period, but have instead been tackling those park runs, races, training sessions and missions like proper troupers. Vix and Lorna were both still away after an amazing sub zero 10k in Norway, but we cheered Emily, Paul, Amy, Helen, Chris, Daniel, Morag and Hannah for smashing a tough and hilly 10k in Brixton only the day before. Jessie and Luke both tackled some insane racing in waist-deep mud, while John put in a fine performance in the Surrey leagues at the weekend. Well done to all those who did Christmas, New Year and early January park runs. You really are an amazing bunch! If you're keen to find the right race for you then just shout - the GoodGym team will be behind you all the way.

Our target this January is a huge one, but I know we can achieve it. Between us, we have got to hit 241 good deeds, and cover a whopping 1200 kilometers. With over 450 kilometers under our belts already (thanks in part to a slightly longer run that advertised last night!) we've made a cracking start. Don't forget to connect to Strava so the team can support you and we can clock those miles up for Wandsworth.

After a last minute cancellation, our task for the evening had changed. But the sliver lining was that we were in fact doing a job for a different and amazing charity called Caius House. This youth centre offers local young people a safe place where they are supported and can develop their own unique talents. Every child is valued - which we think is a pretty awesome ethos. So we were happy to help when they asked us to spread the word for their upcoming projects in the area.

But first - a much needed warm up. A few minutes of dynamic exercises later we did a quick poll to find out what everybody hoped to achieve in January. There were an admirable number of running related resolutions, some hoped to final banish their NYE hangover, while others just wanted to get through the toughest month of the year. We're here for you!

It was just over a mile to Caius House, so we soon set off with Helen kindly backmarking for us. Sarah had the great idea of pairing up new runners with regular GoodGym runners so they could get an idea of what it was all about, and we all happily set off for the first stage of our task. With a teenytiny detour at the end - just to add on the mileage, you understand - we arrived to find Charlene waiting for us with a big pile of leaflets. She gave us a quick talk about the work they do there, and let us know that if any of us had any special skills or work experience opportunities that we could share with the young people at Caius House, that would be great. After a few minutes pause to catch our breath we were off again, and divided up into two teams to put our trusty human chain approach into practice. Way over 400 leaflets later we were almost finished, but the clock was ticking and we needed to get our fitness session in so lovely Jamie and Alyx volunteered to do the rest on their way home, while we knocked out a quick but tough session.

We started off with a game which involved being honest and sprinting. If you answered yes to questions like 'did you have a cheeky snog over Christmas' then you had to sprint across the park, if you didn't, then you had to do a conditioning exercise while you waited. We then moved on to the parlauf - which, while it may sound confusing, is actually great for speed training. We paired up to complete as many circuits of the park we could complete in our twos, with Roshan and Luke emerging as the winners.

All that was left was to run back to the BAC, not forgetting that last hill, and a few stretches to finish off the night. Well done team, you truly smashed the first run of the year. Apparently next Monday, the 15th of January, is officially the most depressing day of the year. Counteract those winter blues by joining us for our run instead to do good, get fit and feel great!

ICE ICE B-BABY!

Yes, it was a chilly icy one out there on our group run with ice underfoot, so we took it super steady on the run out to Abbeydale Picture House to ensure we all stayed on 2 feet and had no Bambi incidents.

SANTA! I KNOW HIM!

This week Santa joined us as our Xmas back marker, festively lit up to spread Xmas cheer for all around. Great work Santa!

NO, NO, NOTORIOUS

On arrival to the Picture House we were greeted by NOTORIOUS NICK who gave lead us up through the back entrance as private screening was ongoing in the main cinema room with Sheffield based Salt Street productions.

We went all the way to the top for our brief where we were greeted by the Picture House's very own pigeon who was very calm throughout the task and thankfully did not decide to go to the toilet on anyones head during the evening.

Nick gave us the briefs and we split into 3 teams:

1. TEAM Scrub a dub dub (prepare)
2. TEAM PVA glue the walls (seal)
3. TEAM White wall Xmas (paint)

All the teams got straight to the task delivering a 3 pronged attack to prepare, seal and paint the walls to make the rooms usable in the near future.

IT'S FITNESS, IT'S FITNESS TIME!

Once time was up we headed back out into the cold winter air for a big thank you and Merry Xmas from Nick and then headed home toward the Showroom with a stop off at our fave park for some winter warming fitness which this week inc:

• Paired Arm Rows
• Static Sprints
• The Circle of Merkel

To finish off and to ensure we were not slipping on the ice we finished with a squat challenge to the tune of 'FLOWER' by Moby, squating to the commands of 'bring Sally up, bring Sally down' which at around 3mins 30s starts to burn! Everyone got the end and will be the better for it, well done team!

BEANIE BABY

On arrival back at based we stretched of and heard announcements before heading into the warm where a surprise was in store for Kim from Lilli who has skillfully crafted a GG chunky knit beanie!

Check out Lilli's ETSY Shop here

Until after Xmas, have a great break and look forward to seeing you all on the 1st Jan!

On the penultimate @GGSHEFF run before Xmas we welcomed 2 new fantastic runners into the group. Please welcome, support and cheer;

• Michelle Clarke
• Finn Burgum

After a brief welcome and chat about the soar legs in the group after the fantastic efforts the previous day at the infamous Percy Pud 10k we set off with DANGEROUS DAVE as our back marker to our task destination of The Real Junk Food Project - Sheffield, a fairly new task, but a massively worthy cause for the group to be involved with.

On arrival we were warmly welcomed into the warehouse by Logistics Manager AMAZING ALICE and volunteers.

Alice gave us a great brief splitting the group into 3 teams;

1. TEAM MARKETPLACE RE-ARRANGE
2. TEAM HAMPER, NO PAMPER
3. TEAM SORT/IS A HOT CROSS BUN SAVORY OR SWEET? IS A TOMATO A FRUIT OR A VEGETABLE?

The teams got straight to work along to the tunes of cheesy xmas music to keep energy levels high, which were also topped up thanks to some generous snacks provided by the team at TRJFPS. A lot of our runners were in the market for a Xmas treat after being hampered by yesterdays 10k, volunteering and a few bevvies at Charlotte & Carys'. THANKS AGAIN BOTH!

All teams did a fantastic job and nothing hampered our efforts. After pudding everything away, we had a big group photo and Alice gave her thanks on behalf of TRJFPS for a market down crate effort by all...

We waved our goodbyes and headed homebound with a cheeky game of King/Queen of the hill to help shift the junk from our trunks. The crown on this occassion was won by the visiting wonder that is DANGEROUS DAVE who we all wish good luck on his PHD review today!

With climbing on Wed and the Regather Social on Dec 12th after our last run before Xmas on the 11th there is still plenty of GG action to get involved in and earn those mince pies so make sure you've signed up to them all and keep an eye on the WhattsApp group for other festive treats!

This week the Sheffield branch of Good Gym set off for our third visit to help Heeley Development Trust.

With a slightly longer run to the Thirwell Rd location it gave us all a chance to warm up on a nippy November eve. On arrival at the top of typical Sheffield steep hill we were warmly greeted by FANTASTIC FRANK who gave us a true to form fantastic brief of the evenings task which was continuing with lifting and shifting a huge pile of logs that are to be bagged up and sold in the future to raise much needed funds for HDT to develop the Thirwell Rd site for small business's such as Regather Bikes who do some fantastic work such as fixing bikes and providing them to Asylum seekers.

We split into three teams. Two human chains piling logs into a log stall and tonne bags and one crack team of suitably strong men and women to lift and shift some of the biggest logs ever seen by human eyes with a wheelbarrow! SCIENTIFIC STEVE set about improving our efficiency with some logorithmic algorithms, what wood we do without him? The human chain saw the pile quickly go down as the evening went on.

With all teams happily chipping away at the task under floodlight kindly provided by FANTASTIC FRANK the shout for the last minute was raised and the pressure was pilled on with some people starting to crack but we pulled it together in true @GGSHEFF fashion and got the job done!

Following a big log pile group photo we got warm before heading back into the night with some static sprints and paired arm rows.

On the way back we made a brief fitness stop in one of our fave parks parks for some quick fire fitness including:

• Box jumps or step ups
• Tri Dips
• Piston Squats
• Two up group sprints

To finish us all off we added some underpass squat shenanigans and Mobot sprint and return loops to keep us together and add some individual challenge before stretching off outside the hubs and hearing all the latest news including:

• REGATHER XMAS SOCIAL - Tues 12 Dec - 6-10pm
• PERCY PUD - This Sunday!
• BUCHAREST RUNNING FESTIVAL - 12-13 May. Promised spreadsheet link here. Get signed up, not to be missed!
• JANUARY CHALLENGE - Get STRAVA linked up to your GG account, if your not sure, ask.

Next week we are off to The Real Junk Food Project, get signed up today.

Until then, happy running :)

This week saw @GGSheff run to a new location with the fantastic REGATHER to help Friends of Lynwood Gardens with the upkeep of this city centre gem.

WELCOME

We welcomed a new runner to the group this week who mucked in really well with the group and is a real chip off the old block. Give a big CHEER and follow for LUKE

LETS RUN

With a bit of a longer run than usual everyone did a fantastic job of getting to the task site. On reaching the site we were given a fantastic and thorough brief of the nights task by GORGEOUS GARETH who even brought some posh moveable lights for the task to make the task doable in the dark of the wooded area and made for some very arty lighting for photos.

TASK TIME

Our tasks for the eve was to shift cut down weeds into a compost pile and shift as much woodchip into the muddy grounds of the park as we could to make the area more useable for the public and the kindergarden on site. By the end of the task we had covered a massive area with very little beating around the bush. The team really stuck with the task throughout with everyone chipping in!

PHOTOS & TREATS

At the end of the task we gather for a great group photo taken by MAGICAL MARTIN and had time for a quick drink before heading back to base with bags of treats provided by GORGEOUS GARETH of REGATHER in the form of honeycomb and fudge - DELICIOUS!

SPRINTS & SITS

On the way home as it was a bit of a longer run put in some sprint and returns with everyone doing a great job and really giving it a go when they saw the sprint go off the front and the hands go up for the loop back to 'THE KING' as the back marker. We formed a great wall sit tunnel in the underpass to give high fives and cheers as people came through and get a great group photo.

Back at base we used the wall for some stretching and headed inside for liquid refreshment, pun suggestions and talk of a GG climbing session this week - watch the WhatsApp!

Until next week,

Happy Running :)

Tremendous Tom had work commitments (hobnobbing with the likes of Chris Boardman!), so I took over run leading duties.

16 courageous Goodgymmers took to the streets of Sheffield to help CADS with a sticky situation at the Abbeydale Picture House, running 6.5k in the process.

Special mention goes to new GG Sheffield member Brilliant Becky - who has been doing good with GoodGym since March 2013. Tonight's run was her 500th good deed. Awesome Becky - here's to (hopefully) the next 500.

After the usual obligatory group photo & safety briefing, we headed for our destination via a little fartlek session down the quiet (in the evening) pedestrianised Moor.

On arrival at the Picture House we split into 2 groups, tackling different parts of the building. Our main aim during the task was to scrub down and then seal the walls with a PVA glue water mix, which the intrepid groups did after suiting and tooling up. Various puns related to scrubbing were mentioned!

We then said our goodbyes to the lovely CADS lads (we'll be back, and it's lovely to see things progressing so well there) and headed for the U-mix Centre park where we got straight into a set of box jumps before doing laps of indian running round the park, 2 at a time. Suitably fortified against the cold and peeling off layers, we then ran back to the Showroom via Stevie G's Segment for some stretches.

A few of us even tackled the mystique of the short and sharp Howard Street Segment, as has become tradition.

We then headed inside for the usual briefing & drinks, where Tremendous Tom awaited us. He'll be back on his regular run leading duty next week.