Trust in us til the litter end!

Well this week I said I wanted a big turnout for this task to get as much done as possible and you guys didn't disappoint! Including our three new members Michelle, Aamr and Suganthinie we had 12 runners turn up in force to get the job done!

As well as our newcomers a special mention this week goes to Deb who joined us on her GoodGym tourism from Bristol. We were lucky number 25 on her list and good deed number 144, pretty impressive stuff! We look forward to seeing you again when you do round 2, Deb!

As always we started with a quick warmup and then on to the canal we went! Two miles later (plus a little bonus half mile for the group with me and my bad sense of direction) we were greeted by fellow GoodGymer Jack from the Canal and River Trust who split us into groups of litter pickers and vegetation cutters.

Amy, Suganthinie and Deb took on the job of cutting back an overgrown apple tree which had started to obstruct the path while Alex, Rosie and Rachel all worked on trimming back other parts that were encroaching onto the walkway. Clearly not afraid to get stuck in, our newbies Michelle and Aamr were helped in their litter duties by the lovely Jade and oldtimer (and rain shy) Mike who kept a watchful eye on the gathering clouds throughout the evening. I'm glad to say that this week the rain just about stayed away and we all managed to stay dry during the task, everyone even listened to my risk assessment of not falling into the canal!

Half way through and some wanted to mix it up a little so Rachel got stuck in with some graffiti removal and Mike changed tack and got snip happy along the banks on the canal. Others soon wanted in on the satisfaction of removing the unsightly spray paint and shortly as if my magic most of it had disappeared.

Before we knew it time was up and we left the area looking so much better than when we first arrived, what great team work by everyone involved! With the bad weather starting to roll in we made a quick dash for home but not before stopping off in Walpole for a quick HIIT session. Similar to last week we did a 10 minute tabata style session involving lots of burpees, lunges and my favourite jumping squats. It's an exercise everyone seems to love to hate, so don't worry, I can make them a permanent feature for the group runs ;)

With slightly wobbly legs it was a final cool down jog back to our start and a quick stretch before everyone darted off to avoid the imminent rain. Thank you all for coming down and making it such a great run and task and a really big thank you to Jack for coming all the way from North London to show us the ropes and provide all the equipment.

Next week we are heading down to The Log Cabin in Northfields to complete some outdoor tasks in their playground and garden. Please do come and join us, you can sign up here!.

Happy Running!