The Red Hand Gang!

Starting the week as they mean to go on, eleven Lewisham lovelies legged it over an epic 8km, tended to the outside space at Goldsmith's Community Centre and got to know each other a bit better along the way.

We were blown sideways into Glass Mill this week, as the wind picked up, sweeping in newcomer, Anita as it went - show Anita some support here! First things first, we just had to do a little celebratory skip to acknowledge our winning ways on the track. On Sunday, some of our regular Lewisham runners joined a whole host of GoodGym stars up at Mile End stadium, to take part in the Community Games. We showed our strength and determination by running a 4 x one mile relay race (with expert baton-passing) and having a strong representation in the winning team! Well done to Caireen, Conroy, Dave, Roni and Imogen (and trainer Adele, along with Edward, who filled a space), who really enjoyed being part of a team and getting all the love as they ran around the stadium.

Backs well and truly patted, we moved on to talk about coach running (with two of our runners heading out to meet their coaches for the first time this week) and missions - well done to all those who helped out at local missions this weekend and, if not, why not get your DBS organised so you can join in next time? It was looking a little autumnal outside, so we warmed up good and proper with a quick game of Shoulders, Knees and Toes then, in a nod to our Sunday activity, a little relay game of Up and Under - passing a ball down the line before running out and back to take position at the front. So competitive! So close! Time to do a few loosening skips and we were on our way, our longer run meaning we needed to be prompt tonight!

Of course, there was a lot of talk about the Olympic Games, with Sean proving to be pretty knowledgeable and everyone in agreement that we feel truly inspired to get out there and give it a go (watch this space for an all-star GoodGym weight-lifting/road-riding/board-diving/parallel-bar swinging extravaganza!). This longer run means we spread out quite a lot along the way but, with Roni kindly taking the back-marker role, there was no chance of anyone being left behind. After a few ups and downs of the far reaches of Catford, we were soon turning the bend towards our destination and tonight's task. After what seemed like a cool start, we were by now all out of puff and glowing beautifully, ready to pick up tools and get stuck in.

We were met by Elwood, who had placed a whole array of lovely tools out for us to take our pick. With a large focus of the task being easing the weeds and moss from between the slabs, one lucky volunteer got their hands on the newly-acquired Daisy Puller (also called a Daisy Grubber!), perfect for digging into those tight nooks and showing the moss what for. The rest of the team grabbed rakes, cutters and edgers, to make the benches more accessible, snipping and nipping away the long grass from underneath (while Jacqueline discovered she had two left hands, not so useful, but wonderfully coordinated in GoodGym colours!).

So, two teams of energetic runners became fully engrossed in the tiny area between two slabs, or the tiny area beneath a bench, such focus! This part of our group run allows for some great conversations to take place, so much easier to chat whilst working than whilst running up a hill! I've noticed that, at this point, we often turn our attention to where the next social might be, something to do with rumbling tummies? I wonder... A few people missed our gathering at the Model Market recently, so wanted to go there and Helen had told us about the newly-reopening Brookmill, which is quite close to our start point, so a few options to choose from, any ideas/preferences?

Of course, as you chat/weed/dig/rake/scrape/sweep, time goes by in a flash and your trainer is calling out 'Five minutes to go!' This doesn't prompt a sudden downing of tools, five minutes is a long time in the world of the GoodGym task! Five minutes can mean a whole area of slabs de-weeded, a whole new bench de-grassed and a whole big compost heap refreshed with green matter. It's only in the last few seconds that tools are gathered and gloves are returned, ready to say our goodbyes and embrace the downward return.

It's always so much easier running back to our start point, even after an outward run and a physical task! We caught our breath, lowered our heart rates and cooled our bodies down outside Glass Mill, where some more crazy social suggestions were bandied about, bowling (Louisa is very keen!), axe throwing (really!) and zombie running (well done Dan, with your GhoulGym pun, very nice!). So, a nice drink and some food at a local hostelry anyone?! ;)

If you think all this sounds like the perfect start to your week, why not join us next time, when we will be visiting the Woodpecker Youth Centre in New Cross, a shorter run of about 5km?