Rock (Paper, Scissors) and Roll!

On World Mental Health Day, nineteen of Lewisham's finest #RunAndTalk chatterboxes ran a total of 5.5km, ran felt-tip pens dry, talked trainers, got swept off their feet, played speed-Connect Four and generally felt part of the gang at the Monday Club at Deptford Mission.

Yes, it's October and autumn is most definitely here. Darkness fell around Glass Mill as we gathered, welcoming not one, not two, but three new runners this week. Show some GoodGym Lewisham love to Annie, Hung and Phil who joined us for the first time. It was also great to see a few runners returning after a little break; it's always lovely to welcome back familiar faces.

We got off to a celebratory start, hearing good news from our little outing to the Petts Wood 10k on Sunday. Eleven GoodGym athletes took on this scenic, challenging local trail race, with some very happy faces from both Kim and Steve, who were running their first ever race to get their first ever medal (and rather smashing t-shirt)! It was also great to be joined on Sunday by Ian, who can't make our Monday runs, but is a regular coach runner - he commented how special it was to be running his first race as a team and what a team!

Well done everyone (proud trainer moment)!

It would be easy to stay in the warmth of the foyer and pat each other on the back all evening, but there was running and good-doing to be done! Out onto the - rather dark - grass and a quick name-check-head-count-favourite-food survey. We all have such varied taste, with only roast dinner, sushi and Turkish food popping up more than once (good job, since we were heading Levante way later on). We then hi-fived, jogged, balanced and hi-fived some more, before warming up with some running form drills and a few skips for good measure.

Our runs towards Deptford quite often take in Brookmill Park, with its path along the river, taking in a bit of the Waterlink Way as we go, but we soon realised it's just too dark now (even with my head flashing) and snaked out onto the pavement for safety. The whole of Lewisham Borough seems to be undergoing a road-based makeover right now, so there was a bit of risky crossing and cone weaving - sorry everyone, we usually pop out near a very safe and easy to navigate crossing - before we found our destination.

As this was a #RunAndTalk session, we did what we always do, which is run and talk, but tonight's task was a little different, actually make that a lot different. At the Deptford Mission, there are lots of groups that people can get involved with and we were lucky enough to be joining the weekly Monday Club, a social club for adults with learning disabilities. I think our large group might at first have seemed a little overwhelming, rushing in with that post-run glow and high energy level!

Quite soon we found a space to sit and chat to club members, join in a bit of drawing or colouring, help George with his very long painting, talk about trainers and even play a very high-speed and competitive game of Connect Four! Caireen's potential as a nifty dance partner was spotted straight away, as she was swept around the space, opting quickly for a more sedate chat about knitting (there was a lovely, vibrant red and pink scarf being constructed at one table). It seems like a great club, with everyone having their favourite activity and enjoying occasional outings as a group. The atmosphere was buzzing, full of chatter and a sharing of stories and experiences. We might not have been getting sweaty and breathless, as we have done on previous tasks, but I think there was a sense of fun and playfulness, especially from those who haven't picked up a paintbrush since school.

As ever, time flies, so we said our goodbyes and wished everyone well before heading back towards our start point. Organising a group of runners to carry out instructions in a usually 'friendly' space, you realise how poorly lit some spots in our area are. Our fitness session involved a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with consequences (thank you Sarah, trainer for Greenwich, I may have appropriated that idea from your run report!). A quick and pacy game ensued, with runners covering a loop, playing quick and seemingly quite competitive games and tackling the resulting consequences (squats and press-ups) with great determination. Breathless runners on a cold night are a sight to behold.

To maintain that energy and warmth, we did a bit of chain running to get us back to Lewisham. It was pointed out here that the chain would be particularly long tonight and it was! So, the pace is set, nice and steady and the person at the back runs hard and fast to take up the lead position and so on. Wow, what speedy sprinters you all are! It wasn't long before we were pausing at the crossing, the colourful lights of Glass Mill flickering in front of us.

Time to stretch and hear about next week's task at The Albany in Deptford and also time to meet Joan from Lewisham Local, who had come to deliver some cards for our volunteers. She even brought her massive LL card with her for a photo - we felt like competition winners! We said goodbye to a few runners, who had to rush off and the rest of us had a momentary brainstorm about how best to negotiate the new Lewisham non-roundabout system to get to our well-earned Turkish treat at Levante. As I explained to our first-timers, there isn't a 'typical' GoodGym group run, each week is different, but has all the ingredients to start off your week feeling ready to take on the world!