We're over Christmas, we PINE-d for GoodGym!

Twen-TREE Twen-TREE began with 22 TREE-mendous H&F runners TREE-cycling Christmas TREEs from the surrounding streets and roads in H&F! 🎄

It was so great to be back after the 2 week festive break! There was lots of new shiny running gear from Santa on display along with the beaming smiles and sea of red t-shirts in the BetterGym reception area, along with catch-up chats aplenty and some friendly banter...will Katie make it on time? Who is more competitive, Helen or Lucy? 😀

A big welcome along to Annabelle and Petra who joined us tonight for their first GoodGym H&F group run. Really lovely to see everyone, thank you all for coming along!

With everyone signed in and raring to go, in PINE with our usual formalities we all headed outside for a quick intro and round of all the news...

Who's PINE is it anyway?

1. January Challenge 2020 - Yes it's the time of year again! This month, GoodGym'ers from every area have been challenged to run or walk as far as they can and to complete as many good deeds as possible. There's also the additional challenge to have as many participants as possible. There's lots of upcoming Community Missions, check them all out here.

You check on H&F's progress in the GoodGym leagues here. Make sure you link your Strava account to ensure your running and walking efforts are counted!

1. RED January - GoodGym have partnered with RED January this year. RED January supports mental health by encouraging everyone to be active every day. Well done to those that have managed 7 active days so far!

2. Winter Warriors - Well done to all those who completed a Community Mission or Mission over the festive break and earnt your Winter Warrior badge!

3. Love Trails 2020 - Weekend of 2nd-5th July. GoodGym York are organising discounted group tickets, if you would like to go along check out the 'Unofficial Unofficial GoodGym' Facebook group.

And.....WELL DONE to Cookie who achieved a 10km PB at the weekend! 🙌

Phew! Lots of news to get us kicked off in 2020.

To TREE, or not to TREE?

Tonight's task was to hunt for abandoned Christmas Trees left on and around surrounding streets and roads in H&F (especially those that posed a hazard to pedestrians, cyclists or cars) and carry them to the various tree-cycling collection points in the area so that they could be composted. A task that would both help the community and provide a great upper-body workout at the same time! 💪

Doing things by T(h)REES

Following a quick warm-up to get the blood pumping and pulses raised the group were split into three equal teams, with three festively named or dressed team leaders....Ca-TREE-na, CHRIS-tmas, and Helen in her festive green tee.

Each team were given a specific area to focus their neighbourhood sprucing effects on, along with the nearest tree-cycling collection point. In addition, there were also 10 scavenger hunt challenges that included the following: find something red or green, spot some Christmas lights, a group wall sit challenge, group selfie photo, the PINE-st festive puns/jokes, spot something beginning with H or F, the handing out of three GoodGym flyers and a bonus pub name scrabble score. All three teams had an hour to hunt Christmas Trees and complete the scavenger hunt before meeting back at 8.20pm.

Time to BRANCH out into the community!

With everyone gloved-up and briefed around the area they were hunting for abandoned Christmas Trees all three teams set off on their hunt. There were lots of Christmas Trees strewn around on street corners and in the roads, and it wasn't long before Christmas Trees were being gathered and expertly carried by everyone to the tree-cycling collection points.

FIR-king hard work!

Working in pairs the teams hunted and carried Christmas Trees, weaving around the streets and making numerous tree drop-offs to the tree-cycling collection points - with a few puzzled looks from people we passed on the streets and in pubs!

Up near Cathnor Park, Rosie and Sarah came across an enormous Christmas Tree outside a pub which still had lights attached to it. Someone (definitely not me! 👀) suggested removing the lights and throwing them away before carrying it to the tree-cycling collection point. They turned out to be very very tangled lights, explaining why they had not been removed in the first place. After 10 minutes of wrestling with the tree and the tangles Rosie popped into the pub and returned with a pair of wires cutters, finally success!!

Meanwhile, CaTREEna's and Helen's team were busy piling up the Christmas Trees outside Loris Community Gardens and scavenger hunting! Bev posed with a old Christmas wreath, Maddy with an old and lonely Christmas tree decoration, Biscuits with a tree that had well and truly branches out, and Andrew with a Christmas Tree which looked so dead it must've been from 2018 or sat atop a radiator the entire festive period!

Jonny was also showcasing his new balancing act...

Everyone was TREE-rifically TREE-iumphant!

Team 1 - CaTREEna's Dream TREEam ran 4km and collected 40 trees Team 2 - TREE me, TREE you ran 4.5km and collected 24 trees Team 3 - Firotious ran 5km and collected 17 trees

In total, a massive 81 Christmas Trees were collected and tree-cycled in, they'll not only be composted but also no longer pose a hazard for others! Well done to Team 1, who collected the most trees and came up with the 45 point scrabble point win for "The Hammersmith Draft House", but overall, everyone was a winner!

Thank you all for the top photos, so nice to have some sharp clear photos! And for the puns and jokes, most of which I have used in the run report! Some additional Christmas crackers for you...

Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?....A mince spy!

What do you call a Scotsman holding a Christmas Tree?.....Robert the Spruce!

Time to stop needles-ly pining for puns? Never!

Time to PINE tune our muscles

Amazingly, every arrived back at base by 8.22pm which meant there was time for a quick 4-minute legs blast! In order to balance out the upper-arm workout from carrying the Christmas Trees. The team wonderFIRlly smashed out some pistol-squats, snowboard squat jumps, frogs jumps, power lunges and jump squats, all great exercises that build muscle strength and endurance to aid running. We finished off the night with some stretches and a super albeit slightly-blinding (sorry team!) group photo.

That's all FIR now folks!

Thank you all FIR coming along and for all your TREE-ific efforts tonight team. Have a great rest of your week! Sign up for next week's run here. Don't forget it's the monthly social following the run!

A big thank you to Catriona, Helen & Chris for leading the teams tonight and to all those taking photos and coming up with brilliant puns and jokes!