Another hospital run to help with a site clear up. This is one of our longer run distances but always attracts a good number of runners as we so enjoy getting trashed at the hospital.

Setting off after the welcome brief and warm up, we headed down through central Slough and out towards Wexham. It is a pulse raiser of a run with the steady incline for the last 2km, however we were full of bins today in the warm evening sunshine.

On arrival we collected our supplies from the voluntary services teams office and set to work.

Bin there done that - Got the T-shirt

We’ve done this task many a times now so we know exactly the most efficient way to cover the whole car park with the fire and eagerness that only Goodgym runners can portray

So in our pairs we got into every nook and cranny (added task was to think of bin puns)

Darren was on fire tonight – he bin thinking of a good bin pun all evening, but it turns out they were all rubbish.

However, Darren and Jenni did find a car wheel hub and stuffed dinosaur – they put them in the wheelie bin.

As usual the butts were the vein of our lives but we just bin and bear it now and do our usual professional job.

I was on my usual supervisory duty when I saw this guy in red – I bin looking for a guy like him all my life – but it turned out to be just our Ricky – running late!

Time was up and tools were down. But not before a rap rendition from MC Nisha and Harsha P from TLAP Crew...

While you visit your next of kin, Don’t do a sin, Put it in the bin!

Phew! Team GG Slough – I’m all punned out! (and I managed to get them all in!)

Five bags of rubbish collected. Another great task done, and a really lovely run back to base in the now much cooler air.

Next week we are on a leaflet task in Langley for Slough Libraries and Cultures.

What a great way to end April! 23 people attending tonight’s session with 5 of them being new. Great to have Denise, Floris, Hannah, Louisa and Dave join us on their first session. Good to see Roisin, Anna and Ella again this evening.

Our task this evening was over at The Jubilee River Riverside Centre helping Jamie with a yard tidy up.

As I had just completed the London Marathon yesterday we offered a walk option on this session which had a great turnout. 6 of us walked down to the centre whilst Run Leaders Sut Yee, Ricky and Darren did all the formalities of the welcome brief and warm up with the runners. Huge thank you to Ciaran from Active Slough for supporting tonight’s session too.

The Riverside Centre is a great community space that is used for kayaking, rowing and paddle boarding. Jamie does a great job at also keeping the Jubilee River area free of litter and has a schedule of community clean ups in place. Some of us will be joining him on Wednesday 29th May for a litter pick. Join us if you can. The community mission details are below https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/litter-pick-the-jubilee

Both the walkers and the runners then made their way to the Riverside centre to meet up with task owner Jamie.

We then divided into 3 small teams and cracked on with the tasks Jamie needed doing. We had:

• The Yardies
• The Weeders
• The Picker

Barking Mad

Darren and the yardies had the task of decluttering the area and making it more usable. Logs were shifted, benches were moved, gazebo’s were rearranged, floors were swept and we still had time for a tree-t with some log posing and with Ciaran joining us tonight clearly at least one selfie had to be taken!

Leaf it out

The weeders were on it today. Jean, Ella, Louisa, Dave, Anna, Kam and Roisin worked hard to remove all weeds and overgrown grass outside the Centre. I did hear one of them say thistle be the end of me but still they cracked on till the end. There is never enough thyme on a weed job.

A bit of a pick me up

Chrissy, Denise and Floris were on litter duty. For a nice change the car park was litter-alley free of litter! And the riverside was also looking gleaming. Jamie’s environmental clean ups are clearly making a difference.

Last but naut least

In no time at all today and mainly due to a great turnout within 30 minutes all the jobs were done. That left us enough time for a speed session for the running team. The walkers by now had started to make their way back to base. With the extra running by the running team we ended up making it back to Salt hill all together

26 Smiles

I can’t write tonight’s report without giving you a brief summary of the London Marathon. It is a truly oar-inspiring event with so many runners running for charities, clubs, with ballot spaces or just the incredibly talented elites.

However they got there, whatever their training was like and no matter how nervous or excited they all were, one thing that gets you through London is the crowds. They anchorage each and every runner with such conviction that you feel like those thousands of supporters are there just for you.

Come hell or high water, those crowds get your second wind. I had an absolute whale of a time yesterday. I didn’t focus on my watch too much and just ran to effort. And canoe believe it! I actually got a new PB!

What made the day even better was the support I had from the Goodgym Slough runners. Chrissy and Pete followed my progress around London and Sara and Ricky were at mile 25 Goodgym cheer point. Plus the rest of the team tracking me online. Phenomenal support! Thank you so much

If you were inspired by yesterday’s race then act on it! It is a once on a lifetime experience and one that anyone who loves running should experience. And as the legend himself says ‘Baby we were born to run’!

Hot off the press

We have our first coach run happening next week! I have been allocated a coach and really looking forward to starting these sessions.

Mission number 3 is set to take place next week.

Bank holiday blues

If you are around next Monday then please come and join us for a community clean up task https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/bank-holiday-monday-community-clean-up

Have a great week