Legging it

It was all aboard the GoodGym train last night, after a core group of us started at the Town hall and set off for our task picking up GGers along the way!

With everything that's happening at the moment we cheered ourselves up by naming one thing that brings us joy. These included when Leicester wins, running, GoodGym, tasty things to eat, and our family.

After growing the group considerably along the run, we arrived to find Elisabeth waiting for us with plenty of tools and instructions. Our job was to dig up the trees and shrubs which were to be donated to Abundance London, a charity which harvests surplus fruit, plants orchards, hedgerows and trees, tries to reconnect people with nature and protect it in an urban setting, and creates beautiful spaces mainly through planting. The idea was that we would save the mature trees and shrubs which would otherwise be thrown away and get them ready for replanting elsewhere in the area.

It sounded simple enough but it wasn't long until we discovered exactly what 'mature' meant....apparently it means big roots. Really big, deep roots. Really big, deep roots that did not want to budge. It took a serious amount of sweat, cajoling, brute force and above, all will power to get some of them out. Along the way we discovered a few interesting items. In a GoodGym first Beth had to shift a pair of rather lovely concrete legs, while it took a team of Chris, Luis and Ishan to relocate the heaviest stone trough on earth so that a tree could be reached.

After all that muscle power, we decided against a fitness session, instead running back directly to base for stretches. Well done team, that wasn't the easiest task, but you have saved the lives of several trees and plants.

Next week we'll be at Gunnersbury park. I'm not sure of the exact jobs we'll be doing as yet, but there will be plenty to keep us busy. Sign up here to get involved. Until then, run happy!