Aw Hail No !

Surprise Surprise!

On another freezing cold evening we changed our meeting point to Worthing Leisure Centre so that we were closer to the task after yesterdays epic Worthing Half Marathon meaning a shorter run this evening for our athletes.

It was a great turn out tonight with Paul , Duncan and Michelle looking remarkably fresh after their race, Belinda ( lead cyclist) Tamsin and Gill who had run down and not forgetting a welcome (requested) appearance from Nick.

There was lots of post race chat ,congratulations and thanks after the fine performance of all the GoodGym runners including Anne and Nigel who couldn't make it tonight.

With 2 minutes before we were due to leave it was a wonderful surprise of the week to see Beth come through the doors. In the best kept secret, she had manged to negotiate an extra day in Worthing after the race yesterday to help with our first task with Breathing Spaces in her home (and dare I say) favourite GG town.

True Grit and determination

The team set off on a gentle 2 k run to the New Tyne Resource Centre in Durrington. This a care home that supports the elderly and those with dementia .

We were met by Claire and Lisa from Breathing Spaces who in turn support the residents of the home and local community by providing revitilisation for the community through garden therapy and design.

Sand and deliver

Our task for this evening was to shift 5 tons of sand in wheelbarrows from the car park all the way around the outside of the centre into the beautiful back garden where the circular path needed a large infill of the said sand. This was followed by raking it as level as possible and finishing with a roller to keep the sand flat and in place.

The team wasted no time in dividing the tasks and so the shovelling began

Raking , Rocking and Rolling

The team loved this task tonight. It was challenging but fun with great variety and good vibes. Everyone took turns with each job which meant that heart rates and muscles got a great work out. One of the funniest moments was seeing Nick doing 'roller run' circuits around the path .

Although we would have loved to have stayed longer time ticked by and the air temperature seemed to be getting colder. The team were reluctant to leave and even managed a bonus task of filling a large bag with the sand for Lisa and Claire to use for a future job.

Ice Ice Baby

On the 2 k run back and just after I had announced it was a treat night the heavens opened and we were hit by an icy torrential hail shower ! This tested the good nature of the team and we were incredibly relieved to make it back to the centre all safe and sound.

Sadly we waved goodbye to Beth (after a few humurous photos related to her height ) and Michelle who couldn't join us for the social and headed to the cars (including Belinda's bike in my car ) to continue our feel good Monday at Chipwick.

** Battered but not beaten**

After weeks of planning and anticipation we sat down to enjoy a feast of food and for some, a sneaky alcoholic beverage, Lots of chat and clean plates made a great finish to a memorable evening.

I'm looking forward to next Monday already!

All the best and lots of GG love

Julia