The art of running

A chance to do something with our minds and our bodies enriches the soul and this is how Spear serve others. Not only do they help the homeless off the streets but they encourage them to get involved in art projects and sport activities..as we discovered tonight!

We all met at Wholefoods on a cold but thankfully dry Monday night and welcomed 3 newbies! A big welcome to Richard, Liz and Divya. After introductions we ran to Richmond green where we did a light jog followed by sprints. We than ran across the bridge over the 316 where we paired up and completed relay shuttle runs with press ups and squats, plus a technical session on how to do a proper squat!

We then jogged to Spear where we were greeted by Barry and Jack and we must give a shout out to Barry who is getting back into running...don't stop Barry!

Not deterred by the doughnuts lovingly looking at us from the reception, although the run trainer broke into a cold sweat as he had to ask Sara to make sure she stopped him from eating the top deck! Jack kindly showed us to where our task awaited. An art studio sits at the bottom of the garden and houses an array of arts and crafts and sports equipment. With a to do list in hand we set about removing items that were no longer needed, tidying and organising all the craft supplies and sports gear, cleaning the surfaces and sweeping the floor as Sara commented "it wouldn't be a GoodGym task without some sweeping".

Proper teamwork was involved here Divya commented "many hands make light work" and that was certainly true tonight...what a transformation! A great task for a great cause, where they now can make the most of the resources in a tidy work space.

Jogging back to Wholefoods we talked about dinner and found out what the new runners thought of their first GoodGym experience which they said they thoroughly enjoyed. Divya made a great point that it is brilliant to be able to combine running with doing good and she is interested in coach and mission runs too which is awesome!

Tonight Mark mentioned coach and mission runs, there is more info on the website www.goodgym.org and if you are interested you just need to bring a form of ID (passport or driving licence) and a proof of address (utility bill). You are then DBS checked by head office.

Marked also talked about the Taskforce, this is a chance to get involved in GoodGym in more depth. The following roles are up for grabs and you remain in them for 12 months: • Promoting the Group Runs and other events through Twitter. •Taking photo's, where appropriate, and co-ordinating who writes run report, and helping with on the night task coordination. •Co-ordinating the organisation of any additional social events (parties) and listing them on the website. •Keeping the trainer informed about upcoming races, social events and training runs. •Ensuring runs are effectively back-marked. •Helping ensure that all newcomers are welcomed.

The GoodGym Starter Run is on 28th at 3pm, let people know and come along yourself for another chance to train and do good. Bring a friend and you will get red shoe laces!

Lastly we need a GG Richmond social soon! Who is willing to organise?