All the leaves are brown...and the sky is grey...I've been for a run, on a cold winters day...

Good Evening Runners!

Its getting a little colder, definitely dark but it is dry and we have loads of friendly faces meeting at the back of Daveena's cafe!

Great to see Tracy who came on our first ever run over the summer back to join us! Big welcome to the fabulous Vici who hasn't run in about 4 years and managed over 4 miles tonight up some pretty good inclines! (I know - maybe we shouldn't like her!)

We managed a short warm up whilst dodging cars on the garage forecourt - Many of those lunges did not look pretty (mental note for future warm ups - more lunges!) before heading up the ever giving North Rd!

Thanks to Patricia who backran for us tonight!

Tracy and Richard took a good pace up the road, closely followed by Elizabeth.
Vici demonstrated what a lot of gym work can do when it comes to hills as she kept powering up them like she had been running for years, not like it was years ago!

Not the most exciting route, dodging people, cars and obstacles down the Ashley Road but there was a lovely photo opportunity along the way thanks to St John's Church and Centre (we must get in touch to see if they need volunteers at all!)

We reached Branksome community centre and one of the volunteers was ready for us with half a dozen brooms, rakes, bin liners and gloves! She even nipped home down the road to grab another rake for us! Branksome community centre is a really busy hub for families, children, young people and locals. They have a cafe in the day and many different groups in the hall and various rooms as well as a busy play area outside inc a hard court. It was a pretty simple mission tonight - clear the leaves! They were pretty thick all around the court, entrance, play area and pathways. So it was pairing up and getting on with it.

Sian wins the prize for fitting the most leaves in one bag - seen on several ococasions jumping up and down in a black bag to squish them in! This time it was Melody who had the spade and who did a great clean up job around the edge of the pitch - with the added danger of some youths kicking around a ball (That wasn't on the risk assessment or brief!) narrowly missing Sally on more than one occasion.

Patricia was partnered up with Robert making sure he was working hard, although he was a little tired after his big run on Sunday!

Tim was spotted quietly working away piling up leaves quickly than anyone could keep up to bag them whilst Christine took the other side with newby Vici to show her the um bags?

30 minutes later and can you guess how many bags there was - 17! All piled high with leaves till they are fit to bursting. It was really safe it all turning to mush and mud in the spring next year.

Time to head back to base - there was a lovely little incline to start with nice hill work from Melody to get back up to Ashley Road.

Down the North Road - great opportunity to relax and run down and get some pace on (remember to relax and lean into hill!) before a stretch out at Daveena's.

Home for cuppa!

Lovely evening as always!