On your mark, get set, LIFT

12 runners ran 4 kilometres to move soil and plant boxes for Dalston Park Rooftop

Not for the faint hearted, on last night's run we gave out 100 flyers at speed, lifted and moved 12 heavy plant boxes and 10 wheel barrows of compost 7 stories. Not to mention the run there and back.

As an extended warm up, our mission was to give out 10 GoodGym flyers each in London Fields. Starting at water fountain, I gave 'on your mark, get set….' Anna had already given out 2 before 'go!'. 3 minutes later, breathing heavier and warmed up, we met back at the fountain before our onward run to Dalston.

We settled into a easy going talking pace - catching up or chatting to people on their first run. It gave me chance to chat to Patrick about his marathon preparation and taper for Wye next week.

The Dalston Rooftop cinema goers did not know what hit them before night fall and the start of the film. Having done the task 2 weeks ago, the GoodGym runners were well prepped for the upper body challenging workout ahead, and split immediately into three groups.

The Bootstrappers are creating a new community bee “farm” at the ground level in the disused car park and a new garden on the rooftop. So, we had to move compost up 7 floors and vegetable boxes (full of spoil and plants) down from the rooftop to the new site below.

Jason wanted an upper body work out, and he got one! Together with Patrick, they got straight into the heavy lifting together with Ilana and Anna. The weight of the boxes demanded correct lifting technique. You had to get into a low squat with your core fully engage to lift them. There was then the 2 flights of stairs to tackle, slowly and carefully, down to the lift on the 5th floor.

As Bryon, Damien and me got lifting with the others on the rooftop, Phil, Aimee, Lauren, Inez and Bailey got stuck into digging compost into wheel barrows and pushed them 50m to the lift before carrying them up 2 flights of stairs to the rooftop.

The sound of silence amongst the runners demonstrated the concentration needed for the task. Every so often you'd hear a gentle, 'careful', 'to my right', 'squat deeper', 'lift higher', 'shoulders back', 'nice work'… as the task continued. Team work was essential.

Determined to move ALL the the remaining boxes, the strong GoodGym runners worked on to the amazement of rooftop goers until night fall and the start of the film.

Spent, but smiling and sweaty, we gathered in the developing bee garden (the planters we'd moved a coupler of weeks ago were looking healthy and colourful already!) to re-warm and stretch our aching muscles before making the satisfying run home back to London Fields and birthday drinks for Lauren!

Ade Aboaba (GoodGym Hackney Co-ordinator)