Our first Mix Tape Train rolled out of Alley Pally Ice Rink with a quartet of runners, which turns out to be exactly the right size for a debut. We warmed up with belly breaths and dynamic drills, then jogged to the Phoenix Pub, ran down the slope and tackled the stairs, pace: moderate up, walk down and fast up, before crossing into the park for speed play.

The hill runs were a lovely challenge, and the collaborative Fartlek lived up to its name: our “Leader of the Pack” and relay had the back runner sprinting to the front, and the "Landmark" callout gave us landmarks to intermittently sprint to until we got to the gentle hill runs. The playlist delivered some bangers, from “Feel Good” to "GO (feat. Q-Tip)" and on to “Ain’t No Stopping Us”, though I would say the music was quite good as the resident DJ, finally getting to 'play out' beyond friends’ parties after 20-odd years of owning decks. It was a joy to see other runners out training too, and one of our sprints was cheered on by some sitting spectators, which made me smile. :)

Pickers, bags and hoop were ready for the final stretch, but we were having so much fun that we ran over time, and the park looked almost pristine there was barely anything to pick anyway. We were thwarted by tidiness, and we’re not complaining. Thanks https://www.goodgym.org/v3/profile/helen-patchett, https://www.goodgym.org/v3/profile/julie-fisher and https://www.goodgym.org/v3/profile/dave-mansfield for a really fun session!