You know those nights where you aren’t sure on the weather, you run out do the task, get home and then it pours!!! Yeah, this wasn’t one of those.

Tonight, we even got wet from the ground up – I’ll explain later. First, let’s start at guildhall, our usual meeting place on a Tuesday but something is not right already as our entrance has been closed off. We had a tip off and was informed of another route but didn’t expect it to be quite so tucked away. Luckily it wasn’t raining as we went exploring for the Alice in Wonderland type door to get us on the inside. Did I say luckily, sshhh Mark. We spoke too soon, and it was getting heavier - but not to worry we made it in and even if half of the 15 strong team were soggy already there was no dampening of spirits. We were ready to travel further across borders than any Kingston GG team before us to make a difference.

Runners warming up for a rain dance last night , well done for tackling such horrid weather! #weather #goodgym #kingston #doinggood #volunteering #unitedresponse pic.twitter.com/pxvcR7L0Li

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) March 11, 2020

Tonight, our good was to be shared with United Response in the Hampton area and so due to going the extra distance the warmup was brief and some what sheltered which was a complete contrast to the puddle ridden run ahead. Now rain is no stranger these days but some clever chap suggested a run through bushy park in the dark to get to the task and the fresh down pour meant that puddles formed big enough and dirty enough to make a tough mudder look like a party in a hosepipe ban. We were soaked from the ground up, puddle hopping as the rain bounced off our heads in the dark with head torches bobbing, we made it to the street lights to enjoy the spray from the cars as they drove past us. Why we were so soaked the poor run trainers’ eyes must have been waterlogged as he could not make out an 8 from a 3 in the address so the team spent 4 or 5 minutes looking for the wrong house. We got there in the end and just then like a miracle the rain stopped. A friendly task owner greeted us and the happiest gnome we had ever seen appeared. No, we were not back in the Alice’s Wonderland or delirious from the rain – It’s true.

And so, to work with our task to help the awesome United Response charity by assisting with the gardening at a residential home to make tidy and brighten up for those living there. Fingers crossed the weather changes and they get the chance to get out and enjoy soon as we blitzed it, making it clear from moss, weeds, overgrown branches, leaves and more. Why we even cleared neat paths through the palm like trees with super efficiency (Steve is considering opening a barber shop soon on account of his great skill with the shears). All of this was done under the watchful eye of the biggest gnome ever. He oversee us scraping away the moss and debris to leave the garden looking tidy and spring ready!

A great job done for a great charity that does so much good in our communities.

So, for the run home and it was a unanimous decision ‘NOT THROUGH THE PARK’ which made it seem almost too easy and in no time, we were back to guildhall. Home at last and you know what they say ‘there is no place like gnome’ to get dry!

Make no bones about it - it looked like a grave task but it wasn't as turf as it looked!

We kicked off the warm up with the biggest group of the year so far: 23 of us including four new recruits! Welcome to Paul, Daniel, Cassandra and Connor on their first GoodGym run and welcome back for a 2nd run to Philippa. After kicking, squatting and burping for a while, we got on with the warm up. Everyone enjoyed a longer warm up this week, honing in our technique and agility.

Off we ran (and walked) around Surbiton and Kingston and up to Surbiton cemetery. The wheelbarrow squeeking around the pitch black cemetery made for an edgy setting as we picked up the tools and got ready to work. Digging things up in a cemetery may sound like grave task but it wasn't an undertaking. 23 of us made light work of edging and removing turf from the paths and we cleared a path in no time.

Well done again GG Kingston runners for making such quick work of clearing a path at Surbiton cemetery this week #kingston #goodgym #surbitoncemetery #volunteering #runninggroup #getfitdogood pic.twitter.com/QFOELypjoa

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) March 6, 2020

Back we ran to the Guildhall - stopping on the way back for an obligatory photo in front of the iconic leaning phone boxes of Kingston, before we dialed up the pace for the final leg. Then back for stretches.

Super effort to all

In the news tonight we mentioned a few things but one we need to think on was the message about reducing the risk of Coronavirus spreading so here is the link to GG's tips on the matter https://www.goodgym.org/stories/coronavirus-information-for-goodgym-activities

A cold February evening is nothing for Kingston GoodGym:

Mark kept us on our toes with with more crazy warmups before a lap around Hampton Wick, then back to the safe side of the river for a task with our friends ID Verde.

Weeding is nothing new for GoodGymers but this week we honed our weeding skills and qualified into ADVANCED WEEDING. We got to the ROOT of the problem and cleared mounts of dandelions, nettles and twigs. WEED have done the whole of Kingston if we had the chance but half an hour came round quickly and back we went to the Guildhall.

Well done to Philippa and Hannah's dad Steve on their first run (did you know it was bring-your-dad-to-goodgym day?!)

In our news we covered the shindig dates and venue!

The fact that this month is still #Giveitheart month so what we love about GG and we do with passion is worth shouting about

In addition there is a tweet out for support from any volunteers who fancy running on behalf of Embracing Age - it's a 10k event so if you are interested you can find their tweet on @embracingage

Sadly we also learnt of the news that our mighty leader Mark Barun is stepping back as Kingston GoodGym Run Trainer to focus more on his first passion and business as a personal fitness coach. We will miss him immensely but we are grateful for everything he's given to GoodGym Kingston since it started and wish him all the best for the future. At least we have a few more of his crazy warm ups before we have to say goodbye for good.

If anyone thinks they are up to the job of stepping into Mark's well worn trainers, get in touch!

Don't forget too that next week is the big one - 10.4km but could be a bus option back ; - )

What a great turn out of runners for a Tuesday night in Kingston! With 17 runners warming up outside the Guidhall our run leader for the evening, Samia, had us heel flicking, walking our hands out to a plank, lunging and going through the essential pre-run stretches to prevent injury. Before long we were all warmed-up and ready to do our quick run through the market square and off towards Canbury Gardens and on to our task for the evening!

It was to St Luke’s CE Primary School we ran this evening! With a link made by one of our own Kingston Goodgym runners, we were tasked with some clearing of leaves from the scooter and bike racks as well as the cleaning out of gutters and drains outside the classroom’s conservatories. While it seemed like they were big tasks to take on when we arrived, it didn’t take long before we’d divided to conquer our mission and got into the groove (between each rack over the gutters too). With great speed of scooping and sweeping, it wasn’t long before all gutters were cleared on the Key Stage 2 classroom side of the school and our task leader took us over to the Key Stage One side to continue while there was still time to clear as much as we could.

While the gutters were being cleared by half of the group, we couldn’t be’leaf’ how quickly a few bags were filled with the leaves from around the bike stands by the other half! Many hands made light work as the bags of mud and sludge from gutters got heavier! Once the last sweep left little ‘broom’ for improvement where the scooters stood, it was time to ‘leaf’ the bags by the shed and prepare for our run back.

With a final quick monkeying around on the trim trail of the playground, it was time for a group photo and school was out!

Well done to all on this Kingston group run for your support of a local school that has a big part in our local community. We were lucky to meet some new runners this evenings as well and send a big cheer to Scott and Moemen on their first group run with us and Owen and John returning for their second. Huge congratulations to Claire for her achievement of 50 good deeds and to Rob for 100 good deeds in Kingston! And thanks to Caroline for backmarking and Kate for being a wonderful taskowner and writing the run report! Our community is a better place because of your great contributions!

We’re back to school again next week so sign up to join us on a run and task to support St Paul’s CE Primary School next Tuesday!

Having enjoyed the comfort of some warm tasks on our group runs over the past few weeks we braced ourselves for a task in the great and rather cold outdoors. Once we had welcomed new member Owen to his first run and Emily back for her second Kingston task we decided how many layers we really needed before leaving the warmth of Guildhall.

Our first stop was the market square for a much needed warm up. Mark had us playing stuck in the mud with a few jumping jacks involved for good measure and then working in pairs on a set of squats and lunges to make sure we were fully warm for our run.

Then off we went running along the river and up into the roads of Kingston for 3km until we reached our task at Latchmere Recreation Ground where we were met by members of the Friends of Latchmere. Four GoodGym members headed off in one direction to get shovelling while the rest set off to get digging.

A large amount of earth needed clearing from a concrete area behind some storage containers so that a shed could be built and there was lots of earth for our GoodGym team to move.

Across the other side of the recreation ground 5 holes needed to be dug 2ft square and 1ft deep for fruit trees to be planted. This was easier said than done when we got through the turf and the topsoil to find lots of huge rocks. It was time for the pick axe to take over from the shovels to loosen those rocks.

Rocks removed we kept digging and emptying the holes until they were deep enough. Once ready we refilled them backwards with the turf on the bottom and topsoil on top.

They are now all ready to have fruit trees planted in them on Thursday when the Friends of Latchmere volunteers go to the park to complete the planting.

By this point the warmth of the run and the digging and shovelling had worn off and it was time for another 3km run back to Guildhall and a good warm down on the steps.

Well done to our Owen and Emily on competing their first and second tasks.

Thanks to Martell for being backmarker and Caroline for leading the walking group.

Looking forward to seeing you all next week!!

Goodgym runners were cancelling other appointments to take part in this task tonight! They were strapping on their already mud filled trainers, zipping up their many layers and preparing their waterproofs to meet their challenger....and no , it wasnt blustery Brendan... it was the soft play ball pit!!

15 runners came together to help their local community; and it wasnt just us long in the tooth GG runners that braved the gail force winds and unforgiving showers to meet at Guildhall for a 5km run and to do some good, but 3 sparkling new runners felt pulled by good will despite the promise of soggy trainers , a huge welcome to Susi, Graham and Claire (if you can run in tonights weather, you can do anything!)

With Jo and Laura leading the way as our walking group we headed along the river to the YMCA Hawker Centre where we met Ciaran who divided us into two groups...the apparatus and the ball pit.

Who thought cleaning lots and lots and lots of tiny balls could be so much fun! #softplay #ballpond #ballpit #ymcahawker #ymca #kingston #gooddeed #volunteering #runtodogood pic.twitter.com/4lOHx3y89f

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) January 15, 2020

The YMCA centre puts on many sports and fitness activities for the community including the incredibly fun soft play area for kids (or adults, I'm not judging) which includes a ball pit. This ball pit needed a good clean, so one team set to work removing all of the balls from the pit, cleaning them with a good rattle around in disinfectant spray and the putting them back in the ball pit looking all shiny and new...while the other team got to work cleaning the soft play apparatus , so channeling our inner 5 year old we weaved in and out with joy as we wiped and dusted, using the slide as our mode of transport from one section to another.

Last night we shook things up! Come along to GoodGym Kingston every Tuesday, 6.45pm at Main Guildhall building and you can too#goodgym #kingston #runninggroup #volunteering #ymcahawkercentre #ymca #doinggood pic.twitter.com/vB6rGUGnRv

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) January 15, 2020

We then regrouped to put all the clean balls back in the pit ready for the kids and of course our group photo!

We tackled the raging gusts once more as we headed back to Guildhall for a cool down and debrief

Great group, great task, great night!

How much fun can you have at GoodGym? This much fun!!!! #runninggroup #volunteering #exercise #running #getfitdogood #kingston #tuesdays pic.twitter.com/yf5LW1tlxU

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) January 15, 2020

Don't forget we have a Starter Run this Sunday, sign up here

A team of nine GoodGym-ers decided to put the mince pie delicacies behind them and start 2020 right with a run to Seeability Care Home in Surbiton this evening. It seemed like only yesterday we were there to put the Christmas lights up and help decorate. But, it’s true what they say: ‘what goes up must come down.’ Preferably using pliers.

We met Martel at the task and said a warm hello to the lovely residents before starting work.

From taking down stars to carefully packaging up the lights (we’ll thank ourselves for that later) and even tidying up the mobility van, Mark, Jenna, Charlotte, Dave, Rob, Kate, Claire, Donna, and Martel, did a great job of sprucing up the shared living space in a swift 25 mins.

Then we ran back down the hill in double time to the Guildhall HQ for a warm down. It must have been the new trainers, running watch, running dog tags and even strava socks that made the difference! Thanks Santa!

Chatting throughout the run and task made getting the first GoodGym group run of 2020 under our belts so much easier. So, make the most of the good vibes and sign up for next week - and even bring a friend. I heard the term ‘ball pool’!

See you there!

12 elves met at Guildhall for the final GG Kingston run of the year.

With a ho ho ho and run run reindeer they were off to rock a warm up around the christmas tree

The elves raced santas hat, with Rhian remembering it was Rudolph pulling santas sleigh on a foggy night (much to the delight of everyone else who could finally stop planking!)

Here come's Santa Claus and here comes GG Kingston in their final GoodGym warm up of the year and what a great way to end it! #fitness #running #runninggroup #fun #volunteering #goodgym #kingston #santa #reindeers #christmas pic.twitter.com/yQuAcd8e4o

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) December 18, 2019

After the elves had braved the wintry conditions of Kingston, they arrived at the Grow Baby workshop, where there was just 30 minutes to work their magic.

Growbaby is such a giving charity in our community who since 2003 have been doing so much in the community, donating clothes to families with babies and younger children that are in need. The giving does not stop there as they serve the community in far more ways too so if you would like to know more then check out https://www.kingstonvineyard.co.uk/growbaby/

Spurred on by the glasses of bubbly, they got to work folding mountains of generously donated clothes and sorting into age groups.

As well as sorting baby clothes we were also tasked with cleaning duties and after an initial attempt to clean the windows only made them foggier than a cold december night that not even Rudolph could navigate, we changed our methods leaving them crystal clear.

Armed with brooms, dustpans and henry, we sweeped into action for the final job to leave the hub spick and span.

Back out into the cold we went, with bellies warmed with bubbles and our hearts warmed with the good deed.

We ran, we sorted, we wiped, we swept and we cheered! It was great!

All in all to round off a great year of GoodGym tonight was a thoroughly heart warming task with Grow Baby followed by a good warming drink or two...

On the 12th day of Christmas my goodgym gave to me.... 12 runners running , 1 walker walking and a mince pie dunked in beer!

Ho-ho-hope you all have a very merry Christmas. See you next decade!

Final run of the decade got us rocking around the Christmas tree - Merry Christmas everyone #goodgym #christmas #kingston #market #volunteering #running #runninggroup #doinggood #gooddeeds #elves pic.twitter.com/vaUQLvXrd9

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) December 18, 2019

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