On a wet and frankly, pretty miserable, night five of Goodgym's most hardy runners met in Wanstead to pick up litter and do a fartlek session running 8km in the process.

The unusually warm autumn weather has definitely changed and it was with some reluctance, that the fantastic five headed out into the night from our home at Wanstead House. The area around our base tends to be a haven for litter, with several major rounds running through the centre. From time to time we help with a Saturday litter picking session but with no one able to make the previous Saturday Goodgym Redbridge took it upon themselves to help on the Monday - with an added twist. We would make it a speed session and pick up litter while do a Fartlek training run.

Fartlek is Swedish for Speedplay and involves alternating between running fast and running slow. Using George Green as our track the team ran fast for a period of time before running slower and picking litter as they recovered. After a gentle 2k warm up the task and session began and within 45 minutes it was done. This was a great session that not only builds cardio fitness but works on the technique of pacing and understanding what it feels like to run above and below aerobic threshold.

A big shout out to all the guys and girls who braved the weather and gave it a shot. It seemed to be popular, so maybe we do a few more sessions like this in the coming weeks. If you fancy joining us you can sign up using the link on the right of this report.