Major Lazer*

An eager eight took to the streets of Greenwich tonight, tackling a tough (at times) run, covering 8km and showing some weeds what for.

What a treat to be back in Greenwich to spend some time with the lovely team again! Always great to see regulars Ben and Alex, to bump into tourists Deb and Paul again (from Bristol!!) and Jack (from Wandsworth) and to welcome absolute first-timers Clare and Gareth (my fellow countryman).

It was cold. It was leggings, double tops, hat and even double gloves cold. So time to warm up with a bit of playful stuff outside our beautiful start point. A quick name-check then onto some shin-tag. I partnered Deb, who turns out to be impressively fleet-footed (and just a little bit competitive?). Then onto the quickest game of 'It' ever, with everyone being 'Itted' (yes) in under thirty seconds. Due to the high level of competitiveness, everyone was sufficiently warm enough to run, hard of breath and rosy of cheek, so off we went.

Our run tonight was a slightly longer one, totalling 8km and taking us out towards Charlton. Having covered the group runs in Greenwich earlier in the year, I feel I know my way round the area pretty well, but this was going out of my map-knowledge comfort zone and I was relying on a scrunched up bit of paper with directions written on it. Thankfully, there is a really long road from The Old Naval College all the way to Charlton, so all we had to do was run and chat. Easy!

I must admit, we weren't taking the most scenic route, but the outward leg is all about getting to the task directly and arriving feeling ready to work. The chatter was interrupted momentarily when we skirted the edge of the Charlton Athletic football ground - a quick pause by the massive sign (sorry, it's a bit dark in the photo), looking athletic and we were off. Up a hill. It looked flat on the map, but this was definitely a hill.

We were met outside the Fairfield Health Centre by members of Charlton Community Gardens, who were all set, tools lined up and a task all ready to go. On Saturday a group of volunteers will be planting 1000 crocuses (yes, 1000!) and the ground needed to be prepared. Weeds were carefully picked out, leaves were brushed aside and soil was turned and lifted, making a perfect surface for popping in the little corms. This is all part of the Purple4Polio campaign, where five million crocuses (croci?) are being planted across the UK. We look forward to seeing the beautiful flowers when they emerge next year!

Before we headed off, we were given the most delicious home-made flapjacks to enjoy and were even offered a cup of tea, how very tempting on a cold night, but not the best thing before a 4k run! Thank you for the tasty fuel, it kept us going all the way!

Our route now followed a different path, creating a wide loop and offering stunning views over towards a lit-up Canary Wharf, with the 02 in the foreground. We talked about races and also about parkrun as we ran, with Gareth not yet having had a go and Deb working towards completing a parkrun alphabet! We were soon at the Blackheath Standard (it's amazing how quickly a run goes when you're running with friends) and off towards the top end of Greenwich Park. Just a steep downward skip and another pause to enjoy one of Greenwich's little treasures. A few of us hadn't been along here in the dark, so hadn't yet seen the rather wonderful laser that marks the meridian line in a northerly direction, visible at a distance of over 36 miles (so I really don't know how I've missed it so far!). Have a read about it here. Thank you to Ben, who knows about these things, having worked at the Maritime Museum and also thank you for making connections with tonight's task owners.

With our run being longer, there was only time for a good stretch and to wish Jack well in the Gower at the weekend, where he will be running with the GoodGym Race Team. Well done everyone one a great run and task and thanks for making me feel welcome in your borough!

*I know how to spell laser