We poppy-ed off to do some leafleting, and Mark put the Hill in Richmond Hill.

When we first saw the mountain of leaflets on the table in Wholefoods, there was a feeling of worry amongst the group. But with the two newbies Amy and Hugh, and the dramatic entrance of Salwa and Mahmoud, a sigh of relief could be heard amongst the sizzling of burritos behind us.

After a much needed warm up in a truly chilly temperature, the small group of 9 got off to a nice start through central Richmond and down Parkshot where we paused briefly for a little wave at the RACC (Richmond Adult Community College), one of the organisations we were leafleting for tonight. Back at speed we turned onto the A316, crossed the swirly footbridge over the dual carriageway and ran alongside Old Deer Park, which Mark threatened to be a place where fitness drills could be done at a later date (YIKES). After reaching the stairs to the river, down we went to run alongside the calm water, a contrast to the not-so-calm Nightingale Lane hill we blindly followed Mark towards, after another brief pause at the Poppy Factory, another organisation we were leafleting for today.

At the bottom of the Nightingale Lane hill, Mark gives his pep talk in his authoritative, yet oversized hi-viz, explaining that every single one of us would be better runners once we reached the top, and yes, like fools we believed and followed him. But little did we know that there were burpees waiting to greet us at the summit, as well as press-ups on the public benches and a couple more mini hill climbs to keep our bodies warm in the cold night air.

~~Unfortunately~~ We ran out of time so the drills ended, and we gathered bunches of leaflets to distribute in pairs to the households of Richmond Hill, who will wake on Tuesday morning to find information on their doormats about charitable events and excellent causes to support: a Carol concert in Twickenham, the local Richmond Christmas light switch-on, and a Trustee vacancy at the RACC.

Each pair arrived safely back at Wholefoods at 8.30pm, after we’d all cooled down a little during our postbox pushing. A nice stretch got our temperatures back up before we all dispersed into the night. Until next week!

Welcome to Amy and Hugh on their first run and great to hear those that have news of their upcoming races. Start checking the GoodGym website for next year's big races!