Run and Dusted

Tonight we welcomed first time GoodGymmer, Amy. Amy is also a first time runner but handled the 2.5k run up to the task and back swimmingly. Talking of swimming, Ax was spotted at Highbury Pool this evening. Not to meet for GoodGym, but to go SWIMMING instead. Fine.

So, 15 of us gathered, including Laura, who is temporarily travelling all the way from Romford; and Megan, fresh from her first half marathon and slightly sore-kneed. We split into two groups and worked our way up to Whittington Park Community Centre. Sarah did a great job of explaining GoodGym to Amy on the way up.

Journalist Klara Börjeson and photographer Erik Lindvall were also on location this evening, preparing a piece for www.sapir.se, a magazine that considers sustainability through a lifestyle perspective. GoodGym is a perfect example of what they believe: "don't stop doing what you love, just do it a bit differently!" . Eric got a few pics of us running into Yerbury Road and Klara had a chat with a few of us while we were sanding.

This was our fourth time back to sand chairs at Whittington, and with only about 20 left we were intent on getting them finished, but Richard and Nicki started shouting something about musical chairs, so it had to be done. We started off tiptoeing around like timid mice, anticipating the music's hiatus (Nevermind by Nirvana - recently voted GoodGym Islington's favourite Album), but fairly quickly jogging around the chairs proved too easy, so we chucked in some high knees and heel flicks.

There was surprisingly little cheating and after a few turns it was down to Laura and Steve. Laura just go it.

All warmed up it was time to get stuck in to some work and it wasn't long before the room, like a hamster cage, was full of sawdust. We stopped briefly for a biscuit.

THE CURSE OF THE BISCUIT

Following our biscuit debate a few weeks back we have been working our way through people's favourites. There's just one problem: every time somebody's special biscuit is brought along that person does not turn up. First it was Laura with the Cream 'n' Jams, then Billy with the Liebniz. This week it was Alaina with the Oreos. If there's anybody you'd rather didn't come next week, let me know and I'll stock up.

We nibbled and gnawed our way through the Chocolate Creme and Double Stuff Oreos and sanded our little hearts out (which were beating at about 260 - 600 bpm, similar to that of a gerbil)

25 minutes later all the chairs were done. A quick group photo then it was outside for the newly-invented cone game: "Chinchillas"

Three sets of coloured cones were laid out randomly and we split into four groups - three of which were designated a colour and the fourth was simply "Team Evil"

The goal was simple: each coloured team had to get all their cones into their corner, while Team Evil had to ruin everything and put the cones back out on the playing field.

It went perfectly, apart from the fact that it was too dark to see the cones - yellow and white look very similar on a dark field. Thank you for being Simon's Guinea Pigs. An improved version of the game will be on show at some future date. Probably when we can see what we're doing.

Next, we set off as a group to the big hamster wheel known as Emirates Stadium. It was getting a little late for a lap so we stormed up the steps instead (similar to the way a rodent might run up a ladder? Rat race? I dunno) then took a few selfies on the way back.

We were ratted at the end of all that. Simon tried to invent a "hamster stretch", but failed. I think Axel was still in the pool.

THE DEBATE

Tonight's debate was Imperial versus Metric. A tough one for runners because although the respectable race distances (800m and 1500m) are in metric, you do get ten milers and marathons, which are imperial. Enya wasn't sure what the difference was. Amy liked imperial for some bits and metric for others. David came up with the interesting fact that only the US, Burma and somewhere else (Liberia - just remembered it's not 1994 and I have access to a giant repository of information) had not adopted the metric system.

See you next week for APRIL THEME NIGHT (yeah, I know it'll still be March)

Simon