"I do like myself a little bit of donkey" & other Christmas Classics

DOING GOOD

Our first Christmassy task & it was a good'en, with 12 committed GG'ers hitting the pavements in the name of Santa Claus!

Unfortunately the weather didn't want to play ball with getting in the festive spirit. Instead of being beautiful & frosty, it chucked bucket loads of rain all over Derby City promising us a very soggy evening... or so we thought.

As I arrived at the Jurys Inn, I panicked it may be the first group run where no one else would turn up (sob.) It was absolutely tipping it down & the wind was roaring. But, one by one the committed GG'ers arrived, tentatively walking through the Jurys Inn doors, looking a little baffled as to why they'd left the comfort of their homes to face such a dreary evening. The end. Kidding, kidding!

After an important safety briefing - you know, cause we were gonna be using step ladders - we headed outside to find that the rain had virtually come to a stop! Hooray!

We ran to the main row of shops in Littleover, where our task owner Jan spotted us (we aren't difficult to notice) & briefed us on our festive task; to hang 18 wreaths (tied together in pairs) on the flowering posts along the road. The Littleover Grange Community Centre has been making these wreaths for the past few weeks & needed some able bodies to help put them up. As always, we were the heroes in red (well, not really. Waterproofs) for the job!

Splitting into three groups, armed with step ladders, wreaths & wire, the groups set off to their posts & decorated the local area making it look B-E-A-UTIFUL!

In true Christmas spirit, some of the groups started rehearsing their favorite carols & it was overheard that Rachael& Emma, do like a little bit of donkey every now & again...

WHILST GETTING FIT

The run out to Littleover was no easy feat, as it was pretty much a 2 mile hill the whole way there. With sweaty brows & hearts racing, our bodies were warmed & we were ready for wreath hanging! The good news with an uphill run is that it was all downhill from there, literally! We enjoyed gliding back down the slopes, cheered after completing our good deed & remarkably dry (apart from Mark's feet.)

Before saying our goodbyes back at the Jurys, we had a stopover at the giant Christmas boxes in Derby City Marketplace - again - for some festive themed fitness. I'd pre-armed myself with candy-cane batons & reindeer antlers, perfect for the job. Split into two teams, a candy-cane relay ensued with runners having to run through the boxes & back to their team, passing on both the cane & the headgear, which had to remain fixed to the bonce!

A little bit sweatier than before & breath a little bit fresher after some mint candy-cane treats, it was time to jog back to base. It was clear from the flushed faces & jolly smiles that we were all leaving the group run feeling much better than when we'd arrived.

Running (& doing good!) work wonders for us, even if it is a little bit damp outside :)

THANK YOUS

Big thanks to Helen & Ashley for back-marking duties, a round of applause to our newest member of the Taskforce, Tracey & a huge well done to all of you for braving the elements & coming out to do good in Derby City - you're all amazing!

COMING UP NEXT

Next week is the LAST group run of the decade, so let's have a mega turnout! Straight afterwards is the Christmas social at the Jurys Inn, from 8pm until roughly 9pm, with snacks & a pub quiz! The social will cost in the region of £4- £6 pp to cover the cost of snacks. Please sign up here if you'll be joining in the festive fun & I'll be in touch later this week.

P.s My intel says that BadGym will be at both the run & social next week, so if you need a dose of the Bad, you better be there!

Big Loves x