Playing Fast and Goose

For the first evening since the launch of Goodgym in Oxford we actually had some light still left in the sky when we met for our Group run last night: the start of outdoor tasks in the light is in sight!

With Oxford still being a really new Goodgym group, and new faces every week (welcome Julia, Phil, and Sarah!), it's really fun to introduce ourselves at the start of the group run. This week's conversation starter was "What Olympic sport would you love a go at?" Winter Olympic events proved a popular choice amongst Oxfordians, and for anyone (like me) who hadn't heard of Ski Ballet, here is your Thursday morning joy.

Setting off down the Cowley Road, with posters and flyers in hand, we meandered along a route through to the City Centre, then out West to the West Oxford Community Centre, stopping regularly to put posters up in cafes, pubs, and at the central library.

Ssssssssshhhhhhhh!

With only 2 or 3 people required to actually pin up posters at each venue, the rest of us lunged, squatted, and did running technique drills while we waited, getting some slightly curious looks from passing drivers and pedestrians. Don't they know how much fun bum-kicking your way down a side-street can be?!

Turning for home, intrepid explorers that we are, we switched on the head-torches and took the Thames path back. It was a little spooky in the dark, but really fun to see the trail of lights stretching out along the route. Avoiding the angry geese on the far bank, we had to include some lamp-post sprints, at least until we got to the cobbles of Merton Lane, which slowed us all down to a tip-toe. The tip-toe drills were actually useful!

By the time we had got back to East Oxford Community Centre we had run nearly 8km, which is our longest Goodgym Group run so far. We were also pretty pleased to manage a group photo around a '48' since we were the 48th Goodgym area to launch.

Go team!

Putting up posters and flyers can seem like an easy task to us, but it is hugely appreciated by community groups who often struggle to find the time to do it. We had a lovely thank you from Open House and the Oxford Poetry Library already:

"You guys are total lifesavers - this kind of help really makes a big difference to us. Thanks to all of you!"

Next week we return to Donnington Doorstep Drop-in Centre to help them sort out their store room. The distance will be much shorter since the Drop-In is only a mile from East Oxford Community Centre. It'll be a great one for anyone who wants to try Goodgym for the first time or who is just starting out running. You can sign up here.