The Run of the Litter

On the eve of International Women's day, we had a lovely positive start to the evening in Chiswick, when eight great runners met up to do some good in their local community.

We started by saying s special well done to Andy who ran the Big Half on Sunday and earned himself a great PB in the process. Way to go!

Hurrah for Luis who joined us for his first GoodGym run - give him a cheer!

During our warm up we kicked off our evening with some jumps, squats and more successful high fives (helped along by a very 'supportive' bystander) and then discussed the things we like most about ourselves. Being able to see over (and under) most things, cooking well, being able to multitask and, well, thighs, were all top of our list. What a great set of skills!

It was a very short run to our task tonight, so we took a slightly longer route which ended up at a bridge that local residents say is a real problem area for litter. It lies between two boroughs, so responsibility for it is a bit patchy. Now, we have done our fair share of litter picking, and it's fair to say that this wasn't the worst we'd ever seen. But we got to it, and two bin bags later, the area was looking tidier. We finished off with a quick five minutes in Turnham Green, before beginning our fitness session proper.

With a short run, we had time for a much longer session, which started with a (not entirely smooth) new game. The idea was that everybody had to find their corresponding number without raising their voice above a whisper, then complete a set of tough exercises such as plank tags and burpee high fives. The first ones to finish the lot won, and it was a very tight call between Team Will and Luis, and Team Adam, Natasha and Remy. Nice work!

We then move onto strides, thinking carefully about pacing and trying to get each sprint as close in time to the last. With six sets, it was tough going but a great focus on speed. To finish off the night we did two sets of arm and core workouts- a strong core is essential for good running form - before a nice long stretch and an even longer wait for our room to be unlocked.

Next week we're planting a fruit tree for the community and some bushes to brighten up a small corner of Chiswick. Sign up here for a night of doing good and a nice long fitness session!