You're having a path!

On a balmy night in Penge, ten runner volunteers covered between three and four kilometers, shifted many loads of woodchip and even found the energy to smash a fitness session!

What do your Tuesday evenings look like? At GoodGym Bromley, we like to fill ours with fun, dusty, sweaty, out-of-breath kind of fun. This is our fifth week at our new start point at the Bridge House in Penge and still new faces appear. We welcomed one absolute first-timer, Dan and two newcomers to Bromley, who might have tasted the GoodGym fruit before, open arms to Dani and Jonathan.

This week's run was taking us back to the nearby Crystal Palace Park, but this time into the Secret Garden! We all agreed that, even though we have run/strolled through the park many times, we had no idea where this Secret Garden was, so the levels of secrecy were high (and so was our excitement). We were met at the container by Penny, who had very kindly pulled out the various buckets of tools, so we were free to take our pick (I love a well-stocked task!), filling two wheelbarrows with:

• rakes
• spades
• forks
• loppers
• shears
• secateurs
• a litter-picker

...and everyone popped on a pair of gloves for good measure.

We were quite soon at the gate to the garden, giving a brief nod to the massive woodchip pile as we went. Once inside the space, we realised just how vast it was, with paths looping round, areas given over to forest school activity, with logs arranged as seating, a pond, with a neat platform that looks perfect for a bit of dipping and a rather splendid raised bed, labelled 'Built by Men in Sheds Penge'. Penny pointed out which areas of path we were to cover and our runners were like sprinters from the blocks, darting out to fill the wheelbarrows!

The tranquil calm of the Secret Garden was now a-buzz with the to-and-fro of activity, with woodchip being tipped, spread and levelled, wayward brambles being cut back to avoid ankle graze and an urgent need to locate the third wheelbarrow, because two weren't enough (in fact wheelbarrows weren't enough, with Tim and Michael employing a handy water-butt to carry a bigger load!). Our runners worked at an impressive pace, covering the paths in no time and trying desperately to squeeze in one last barrowful before the countdown began.

Gathering up tools and stepping back to admire both the neat paths and the reduced wood pile, we noticed that darkness is descending and it will soon be head-torch time. For now though, we still had enough light to return tools, play a quick game, warm up our muscles (some more!) and run steadily upwards (yes, it's hard to avoid hills here in Crystal Palace Park). Tonight's fitness session skirted alongside the barriers that were being put out for the weekend of racing action - did you know this used to be a racing circuit, with scenes from the Italian Job being filmed here?

Putting out some colourful markers (not cones, more like dots), I divulged the fitness session details, with pairs (and a three) tackling alternately a steep hill and a series of actions (jumping jacks, planks, lunges, knee lifts...). This was a tough session - after a tough task - so I was very impressed with the effort everyone put in, great work! Just a little downward jog and stretch now, before we could enjoy our first official Bromley social.

Our start point lends itself very well to a post-run social, so we grabbed a couple of benches, some drinks and food and caught up on all the news. We were talking a bit about races, with some people already signed up to the Petts Wood 10k, but we also thought it might be fun to all head over to Crystal Palace parkrun in a few weeks, to have a go at the 'undulating' 5k, watch this space (or Twitter @GoodGymBromley)!

Next week I will be away, but our session will still run, this time led by Sarah, who normally leads GoodGym Greenwich, sign up here to see what she has in store.