15 people ran 7 km to garden for estate

It was a crisp autumnal evening last night, and new and old GoodGymers gathered in the warmth of Coffee Is My Cup of Tea.

It was a relatively long run in total, and some runners used it as an opportunity to re start run training or to increase the distance they would normally run for on there own.

As I locked up, the runners set about 2 short circuits of dynamic stretches, to the delight of Mentmore Terrace, to help mobilise major joints, get the heart rate going and to stretch key muscles. High knees, side steps, bottom kicks, star jumps and fast steps were the order of the day and got people ready for action.

We set off at a steady pace with Lauren as back marker, through Hackney Central and Hackney Downs to the allotment 3.5 km away.

One household started developing the allotments a few years ago from abandoned overgrown land at the heart of the estate. Now they have engaged local residents to join in and to grow veg together.

Armed with trowels, shovels and forks we set about clearing the allotment site. Spurred on by GoodGym Tower Hamlets work the day before, we set ourselves the challenge of clearing 3/4 of the plot in 20 minutes.

In the glow of surrounding homes, we cracked on, heads down and with knees bent into various squat and lunge positions. Claire and Lynsey needed to no introduction to hard work and they progressed well from the corner of the site.

Bin bags of weeds soon filled up, and we even managed a short photographic lesson from Chris!

We must of loaded at least 20 bags into the recycling area before re-warming with 3 sets of jump squats (ouch), lunges, hip circles, spine roll downs and mini hamstring kicks.

So with 3.5 km already in the tank, we set off at a greater speed than on the way to the allotment. Jason and newcomer Ian led the way and Lauren led the other half back.

It was nice to hear newcomers chatting about pairing and Coach Runs and to see how each group supported each other run that bit harder on the way back to base.

It felt great to pound the streets, breathing hard and running strong on the way back. Thanks Jasmine for pushing me along at the end, and well done to you all of you for running that extra distance.

Merry Christmas folks!

Ade Aboaba (GoodGym Hackney Co ordinator)