Oh when the paints come marching in

This was worth waiting for!

Our rescheduled Group Run with Sustrans was SO worth the wait!

We welcomed new GoodGym Newcastle runner Tim who had been signed up by his wife! Go and give him a cheer to welcome him to the group! Tim did a fantastic job tonight and we hope to welcome him back to many a GoodGym run. Paul described him as a "machine". We also welcomed Kate and Emma back from their holidays looking tanned and chilled and not making any of us at all jealous. We had a catch up on the weekend's action: Great North 10K running and cheering, Evan running up and down a lot of hills, Rachel making a long-awaited return to parkrun, and of course two great Communiy Missions for Newcastle Parks on Saturday and Sunday Well done to those that got involved!

So, another Monday, another Group Run but this was one with a twist. We were adopting a scatter approach with three small groups taking on three tasks on the cycle network in Newcastle. Our run was to support the great work of Sustrans , the charity that make it easier for people to walk and cycle. Three of the Mile Posts that mark the way on the cycle network needed some TLC and general GoodGym magic, and we were excited to get involved. In all, there are a thousand of these Millenium Mileposts and it was great to temporarily adopt them tonight.

I walk past this all the time and never realised it was here!

The three locations and groups were:

• Newcastle Business Park led by Paul

• Cycle Hub corner led by Katy

• Swing Bridge/Riverside led by Charlotte.

Each of them was supported by fab volunteers from Sustrans who met us at each one armed with paints and litter pickers for those unable to fit in the painting area! This was so well organised and I managed to run between two of the points to see everyone. Each group had the same task: sand the mile post down, re paint it while litter picking went on around to show the mile post off in all its glory when completed! We learned a bit of history about the Millenium Mileposts, including that each of them has its own emblem that you can take a brass rubbing from. Only ONE person has ever completed all of them. Anyone fancy being second?

I ran ahead and set up a 5 minute finisher fitness session to meet all the groups on their return, Paul's group sneakily arriving just as it was over. As they'd run the furthest, and fastest, we let them off this time.

If you'd like to do more good things this week, there are TWO community missions on Thursday. One during the day at Elswick Park and the other in the evening at Ray Gray Community Centre so get signed up and come along if you can.

Have a great week running, walking and doing good things.

Anji x