I'm just gonna rake, rake, rake, we rake it up, rake it up

Autumn is well and truly here, but that's ok. We've got loads of runs to look forward to, and so much more besides. Last night we kicked off our run by asking everybody their favourite thing about this time of the year. Leaves rated very highly, as did walks in the park, fires, hot soup and bread, snuggly jumpers, Halloween, fireworks, toffee apples and an electric blanket. Bring it on, Autumn!

We also had the pleasure of welcoming some lovely new faces to the group - put your hands together for Helen and Siobhan, and great to see some GG tourists too, hello Will and Georgia!

But before all that, we had a quick round up of the week's news. Paul deserves a massive cheer for smashing the hilly Brixton 10k on Sunday, as does Hannah who not only ran the Royal Parks half, but got a PB too. Top quality running!

A big shout out for Sarah and Jessie who hit that magic milestone and reached 50 good deeds last night. That shows real commitment, well done!

After a quick warm up we set off on our way to Wendelsworth Community Garden. It was a nice speedy pace down there, with a few quick squat and lunge 'breaks' - thanks to Will for doing a spot of marshaling as the route got a bit windy at the end.

When we got there we found Martin waiting for us with a whole host of jobs, and we quickly divided up into groups to tackle them. With storm Ophelia nipping at our heels, the first task was to rake up all the leaves on the lawn and paths. There was also leaf pens to empty, and soil to shift, and before long Team Wandsworth was a blur of activity.

With all the tasks done, we set off for Wandsworth Common to smash out a core session. We did 30 seconds each of ten exercises all designed to strengthen our abs - an area that we runners need to keep nice and strong to prevent injury and keep our form when we get tired. With side planks, reverse crunches, curls and Nick's fiendish hollow body rock, our core got a really good work out.

All that was left was a dash home, and to face that last hill head on. Thanks to Alyx for leading our stretches! Don't forget we have our special Halloween run in two weeks' time, but before that we'll be meeting to do more good and get even fitter next week. Happy Autumn, Wandsworth!