35 people ran 6.7k, turn 3 tons of compost, filled a skip and spread woodchip across 150m of path

This was my first GoodGym run so I was slightly unsure about what to expect! Suffering from post Xmas and NY blues, carrying a slight belly and definitely lacking in any exercise, all this accompanied with the fact that Monday 20th January is referred to as "the most depressing day of the year..." needless to say I was feeling a bit scared! How wrong could I be though! I arrived on what was a crisp clear evening to the Arch Gallery @ 18:45 to be greeted with some great energy from the fellow runners and the GoodGym Leaders! It was all positivity here and the atmosphere was great! After speaking to a few people I realised that this was a really eclectic group of people with various levels of running ability...We all shared the common goal which was engaging and giving back to our local communities! All done whilst getting fit! A winning combination! :-)

"Getting our blood moving"

After a short fun filled warm up inside these gallery space which consisted of jumping, jogging, sprinting on the spot and generally getting our blood moving, we then set off in what was actually a really large group of 35! I was expecting half of this after looking at previous run reports however it was obvious to see why these groups are growing in size, it genuinely is because they are unique and exciting! We ran through the streets to Stepney City Farm, the run was a low pace and it gave us the opportunity to connect and engage with a number of other runners. This was only for about 2.5km so it was over in a flash. You are encouraged to have a chat with other runners along the way and it really is a great opportunity to meet like minded individuals!

"A real upper body work "

We arrived at Stepney Farm and were greeted by the lovely Katherine who was sporting a beaming smile amidst the evening frost! We were divided into a number of groups which undertook about 40 minutes of tasks varying from filling skips, shovelling compost, and spreading woodchips across a 150m of footpath! A good opportunity to build up a sweat and get a real upper body workout!

There were a number of groups beavering away and the one thing I soon realised was that everyone had a smile on their face! The energy that everyone showed, and the way in which everyone was interacting gave the whole experience a real buzz! We got together for a quick warm up before we set off, and then did a head count to realise that we were actually five people short! We hadn't accounted or called back one of the groups who were busy turning compost at the other end of the farm! :-) Once they arrived, and after some side skipping and some fun exercises we set off for the canal route home which was a total of 4.2km!

"Canal Run: Serene"

The run back along the canal was really serene! There is something quite endearing about running along the Regents Canal when all you can smell is the wood-log burners from the Boats and see the lights reflecting off the water, really peaceful and its good to build some pace! We were encouraged to run in single file along the canal and it was an opportunity to pick up some pace as well! I was at the back enthralled in deep conversation about life with a great guy and it just struck me how enjoyable the evening had really been! I had met some genuine and fun people, had some fantastic conversations, had given back to the community (granted I smelt of manure but hey it wasn't that bad :-) ) and all this along with a good work out?! Winning!

We stopped at the Cambridge Heath Junction to the Regents Canal and after a quick headcount we are soon back to the Arch Gallery for a quick warm down before we all went our own ways! In summary - a really enriching experience and definitely the first of many for me! Already looking forward to the next run! :-)

Anand Mavani