Plank you very much!

On a frrrrreezing, frrrrosty January evening, fifteen fantastic folks ran 5.5km, cleared the children's room at the Charlton URC, enjoyed the sights of the further reaches of the borough and smashed out some deep, hard core and strength work. What a bunch of superstars!

In Greenwich trainer Sarah's absence, I went on tour from neighbouring borough, Lewisham, seeing just how tough they are over in the Royal Borough of Greenwich (blue blood, you see). None of this hanging around in warm foyers here. We gathered in the grand surroundings of the Old Naval College, with the backdrop of a sparkling Canary Wharf across the water and the occasional boat bobbing past along the Thames. Sigh. At this point, I would make a big old fuss over any newcomers, but I got a little muddled about who was new and who was not, but I'm pretty sure we welcomed at least four new faces along this evening, in sub-zero temperatures too - magnificent! After a mega-faff with the storage space (thank you Tom, for hanging back to make sure all the bags were stashed safely...before arriving before us at our task. Ahem.), we got to know each other's names, played a few little warm-up games and set off along the road towards Charlton.

Magical mystery tour

We went this way the last time I led the Greenwich group and I can definitely say that flyover hasn't got any nicer since then. We swept alongside it, ducked under it and flew over it at one point, trying our hardest to reach the other side and our task at the Charlton URC Church. What a treat awaited us when we did arrive, such a lovely space, an oasis of calm so close to the non-stop speed of the nearby road! We were met by the minister, Andrew (and Tom, hi Tom!), who offered everyone some water, before telling us about tonight's task. In the basement is a children's room, which is about to be decorated but, before this can happen, the space needed to be cleared of old books and toys and the wall coverings and decorations needed to be removed.

Down we went, hearing about how the church was originally a theatre, which explained the sloping floor! Quite soon, everyone was occupied with a job, pulling down displays, moving shelves, sorting through toys and dismantling the Christmas tree - well done on fitting it back in its box! The task was a brisk one, but a very necessary one, something like this can be done in under half an hour by an energetic group, but might take an individual days to get through.

Team work

Once everything had been put in its place (or car boot), we were ready to head back towards our start point, with a nicer route mapped out by Tom, who had found a shorter, prettier journey on his way out. Ben continued his role as back-marker - thank you - and we all surged up a hill, to enjoy the sweeping down hill and the breathtaking views towards the 02 and beyond, hills are worth it for that reward! At the Old Naval College, we got serious, with a couple of rounds of squats, press-ups (or show-offs?), side-lunges and planks. Oh what utter joy to be faced with someone who actually cheered at the prospect of a plank! I told you they were tough in Greenwich.

A good stretch, a bit more chat and it was definitely time to enter the sofa and refuel phase. Thank you all for welcoming me further east and for looking after me. Sarah will be back next week and will no doubt love to see you at the next group run. Keep doing good Greenwich!

Adele x