Tonight was the return of cleaning the GoGoHares for Break Charity on yet another lovely sunny evening in Norwich.

We welcomed the lovely Kerry and Hassan on their 1st GoodGym adventure.

30 GoodGym Norwich members completed Run Norwich 10km yesterday so we did a round of applause for those who ran and volunteered.

Bobby and Brad were on their 10 good deed and Darren on his 25th good deed!!!

After the warm up I split everyone into 4 groups with a list of GoGoHares to clean, a map and a hare care kit. The aim was to meet at Chapelfield Gardens before 7.50pm for a quick sprint session... this was a FAIL.

I joined group 3 for a while just to make sure they weren't going to waste time to avoid doing the sprint session. Along the way even members of the public wanted to take photos of us with the GoGoHares... so it was time to get the gun show out.

I left group 3 halfway through (I think I was starting to annoy them haha) and went to Chapelfield Gardens eagerly awaiting everyone... and then stumbled across group 4 in the playing area and they hadn't even cleaned all their GoGoHares yet - so I put them through their sprint session there and then before they could go and finish the job they should be doing.

Group 1 came and met me and did their sprint session and then we headed back to The Forum and what a surprise group 3 were there waiting (so I made them sprint to the end of the road and back haha).

Group 2 turned up 10 minutes late (the irony) but still gave them the orders... funnily enough a photo later emerged of them in the pub... great way to avoid your sprint session ;-)

I clearly got the impression everyone wasn't up for the sprint session tonight haha but it was still great fun and everyone did a fantastic job.

There's some cracking photos so enjoy.

Next week we're off to Eaton Park.

Tonight's run was part of Coops Fortnight and the job in hand was to go and clean each of the 50 GoGoHares that are scattered across the city centre.

It was quite an emotional evening as it was Tom and Sarah's final good deed before they jet off to New Zealand for their future lives. It's been a pleasure having you both with us and you will be greatly missed by everyone.

We had 5 new runners this week in Jacob, David, Fleur, Kate & Cyrus.

A well done to Sam and Jack on doing their 10th good deed this evening.

I did then make the group aware that we had a photographer at the start taking photos for an EDP article and it wasn't just a random guy taking photos of everyone haha.

After the warm up the 35 GoodGym-ers were put into 6 groups and allocated certain GoGoHares to clean from the plan I'd made earlier, luckily I did make a plan otherwise they could have ended up running anywhere! Each group had around 8-9 GoGoHares to clean between them to cover the whole 50. One group headed to Riverside area, one to the Catholic Cathedral area, one to the Norwich Cathedral area, one to the Norwich Museum area, one around The Forum and the other around Chapelfields.

After all the groups set off I was stuck between the decision of going to watch the football down the pub (jokes) or try and find each group... I headed to the train station with the photographer to get some photos of the Coop sponsored GoGoHare then stumbled across 2 of the groups on my way back.

Once all the groups returned I beasted them through a fitness session (to help burn off the calories consumed at the GoodGym Norwich 1st BBQ party yesterday), which was our 1st for a while and we finished with a stretch.

Another great task was completed. Enjoy the photos of the GoGoHares.

Next week we have 2 tasks to do!

This week marked Norwich GoodyGym’s 1st birthday.

Soon it will be walking, talking and heading off in to the big bad world, forgetting those who raised it, loved it and cared for it. Still we thought we would mark this momentous occasion with a little BBQ. We headed to our Grand Poobah’s home/mini estate and got down to business. Mountains of salad was revealed, from pasta and potato to rice and barley (we are right fancy and varied here in Norfolk). Tonnes of meat and vegan substitute burgers complimented the flowing drinks and witty repartee. With the sun out, the swing ball set up and Steve on the barby, we were all set for the best group task we’ve done to date.

After eating our weight in food we relaxed on blankets, under a shady oak to listen to Steve relive some of our favourite GoodGym moments, puns and runs. After a jog down memory lane Steve awarded Jasmine with “most improved runner”, whilst Bill and Katy won “GoodGym-er of the year”. Well-deserved all around. Unbeknownst to Steve, the team had went behind his back to make him a special card and thank you bag in recognition of all the effort he has put in to help create our wonderful running family.

Leaving the sappy stuff behind, it was time to get stuck into some games. A hybrid game of relay sack croquet was under way, with rules too convoluted for any to follow. However, if you were hungering for drama you need have looked no further than the mӧllky field. No idea what mӧllky is?! Well neither did we. Still it created a level of excitement and drama on par to the most tense world cup final. So if you still haven’t googled mӧllky, you probably should.

With the afternoon finally winding down we unveiled the deserts! A lovely summer pudding was provided by Bill and Katy, and two cakes were baked by Calum. To celebrate Sarah and Tom moving to New Zealand next week (with some travelling first mind you) one of the cakes featured a kiwi. Some say the cake contained actual kiwi bird, but these claims have remained unsubstantiated. Still there were mutters that the GoodGym birthday cake was too delicious for words, and birthday orders have already been placed.

With GoodGym’s birthday well and truly celebrated, the team finished their epic game of mӧllky (because a good mӧllky game takes hours) and retired, weary but happy, to their homes. Resting so they are prepared for tomorrows run.

P.s. – With Tom and Sarah leaving our running family I wanted to leave you with this:

Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying. You'll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you'll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you're those kind of a guys. And will they succeed? Yes! They will indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed!)

Calum wrote all of the above by the way.

Tonight was a special evening for several reasons with the main one being it was our 1st Birthday Group Run.

It was also our record turnout at GoodGym Norwich with 36 runners... and this time I was present for the record turnout.

We had 4 new runners in Neil, Kate, Lucy & Katie so a big shout out to you.

5 of our runners were hitting milestones tonight - joining the '10 good deed club' were Stephen, Jen & Graham and joining the '25 good deed club' were Michelle & Helen. Fantastic effort and I'm looking forward to more milestones being achieved in the future.

We also did a round of applause for those who did races at the weekend that I know included Jen, Hayley, Brad & Graham.

Tonight's task was to help re-energise a sensory garden at The Clare School, which is a specialist ‘physical and sensory’ complex needs school. It's about 3km away so I nice little jog there and back on a very warm and sunny evening. Our runner Hayley works there and is great to see how passionate she is about it (and how excited she was for us to arrive).

I also announced during the warm up that we had the 1km trial tonight ahead of the #GGOlympics2018 taking place in London this weekend.

Calum and Katy led headed the run tomorrow now that they are both qualified Run Leaders, which meant I could be back runner this week.

On arrival Hayley and Jen were awaiting us with some glamorous music (I won't mention my dancing) and a couple of the teachers had provided with a wonderful selection of cakes and goodies... this is becoming a habit I could get used to ;-)

After a briefing of what the tasks were, I took half of the group to do their 1km Time Trial in Eaton Park and then once we returned the rest of those who wanted to do it came over to Eaton Park for their turn.

By the time the 2nd group returned from the 1km Time Trial, some of the group decided that it was Basketball and Netball time... with the photo of Calum's dunk one of my favourites of the year so far... along with the group photo we had taken at the end with some incredible poses and facial expressions from everyone.

It was time to gnaw on the treats that were provided for us and then a sluggish 3km jog back to The Forum.

After some stretched it was time to sing Happy Birthday to Catherine D, our most deeded GoodGym-er.

...and being our birthday we had to head to the pub for some food and a beverage.

Tonight was probably my favourite GoodGym experience so far, to see how the group has grown, developed and bonded over the last year, as well as all the amazing good deeds they've dedicated their time to makes me feel very privileged and proud to be a part of so THANK YOU to everyone who has been part of the journey so far. I'm looking forward to partying with some of you on Sunday.

Next week we have another awesome run when we Clean the GoGoHares in partnership with Co-operatives Fortnight 2018.

That’s right, our leader, our captain, the sultan, the grand pupa Steven Hitch abandoned us to go sun himself – and on our 50th run too! Thankfully the gracious and glorious Paul Evans stood in for Steve. Paul Evans, winner of the 1991 Lisbon Half Marathon, the 1996 Chicago Marathon and 10k finalist in the 1992 Olympics – we’re looking into making this swap slightly more permanent

Our intrepid runners gathered excitedly on the steps of The Forum. Eagerly awaiting Paul’s arrival. What would he be like? Would he bring his medals? Could he run on water? And how were we going to work his AND Steve’s name into a pun worthy of a Goodgym run report title?! (We smashed the last one, thanks Hayley and Liz)

Paul soon arrived and settled everyone into a warm up. After some stretches with an Olympian, a half-cut punk and 32 Goodgym runners we were ready to call this a weird joke and go home. Instead Paul handed off the responsibility of leading the run to Sarah and Calum, very sneaky Mr Olympian. There was immediate concern. Calum has often led Goodgymers astray in past runs – and not even in a humorous way, in a “Where is Calum and his 5 runners?” way. Still we all had faith in Paul’s decision, and no-one else wanted to set the pace for the night.

After multiple ‘almost wrong turns’, a dozen ‘not that way Calum’s’ and a few ‘Grab him before he runs to Ipswich’ the runners arrived at the base of Gas Hill. Now, the runners have faced this specific challenge many a time in the past. They were familiar with the deceptively devilish slope. But in their prolonged absence from the eye-watering incline of Gas Hill this once surmountable task had developed into nothing less than a behemoth. It was a colossus of gradients, the master of calf bursting, one hell of a mole hill. They set off.

ALL MADE THE PEAK!! They celebrated with high fives and “whooping”. Some whispered they heard Paul even say “That’s quite the hill” but that’s just rumour and hearsay. Soon our sweaty travellers arrived at their set task. De-weeding Marion Road Day Centre’s garden. Ploughing into the challenge our runners pulled, tugged and trimmed to their hearts content.

The task wasn’t without its mishaps. One young man was sitting, enwrapped in his task. He and his gardening fork are united in uprooting the befouling weeds before them. The rise and fall of his tool is rhythmic. Sweat and focus cover his face. Until, tragedy. The Fork has broken. The middle tooth lost in the wilderness of the garden. Oh for fork-sake. Despite this set back the team make the garden beautiful. And by a happy accident they end up collecting an extra runner from somewhere.* Wonder of wonders they’ve hit 33 and broken their record for highest attendance in Goodgym Norwich history!

The task completed, and Day centre staff elated, our runners head back to The Forum. A sprint session finished off the night’s 3.5km run. Some say a more punctual run has never been had. Others, that Sarah and Calum’s leadership was simultaneously inspirational and uplifting. Still all you need know is everyone arrived back safely. Stretched. Thanked Paul for his kind service to the cause and then ate some brownies supplied by Jasmine. Alas! Here our tale does end. Before I leave you to wait another week to hear of our next exciting exploits I shall leave you with this. You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes, you can run your life in any direction you choose. Until next time folks!

(*Actually it was Emily who joined us at the task!)