Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey Woods junior parkrun 55

After an absence of 10 months, we returned to Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun for a visit. In the time we had spent away, the parkrun had been temporarily relocated to an alternative venue while new paths at Lesnes Abbey were laid. With that work now complete, the parkrun has returned home.

new lesnes abbey woods entrance [photo: 7t]

Our plan was to try out a new Sunday morning plan, which we hope to make a regular occurrence. A visit to a local 9am junior parkrun followed by rugby training. Anyway, Matilda introduced a friend to junior parkrun this week.

So it was nice to run around with the two of them. We stayed together for the whole of the first two laps, but as we started lap three Matilda's friend decided that he would prefer to walk and Matilda continued her run to complete the course in 17.38 [results]. I stayed with her friend and we finished about a minute-and-a-half later.

The new paths are pretty good to run on. They are a little gravelly and they replace some quite uneven grass sections that were originally part of the course. There is one section to look out for where a bench has been placed on the path right on the natural running line - it looks like an accident waiting to happen. I'd be tempted to stick a marshal there to be on the safe side.

With the run finished, we jumped back in the car and headed over to Dartford Valley Rugby Football Club for the second of the morning's activities. The rugby training is good fun and much more interactive and engaging than parkrun, so I think Matilda actually prefers this.

However it's great that we can squeeze both in, and from next week the brand Dartford junior parkrun starts which will make it even easier to do the parkrun-rugby double!

Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey Woods junior parkrun 15 - V200

Event 15 at Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey junior parkrun saw me take on a few volunteering roles...

• Run director (inc. briefing)
• Warm-up leader
• Barcode Scanner

.. which all worked out fine.

run briefing (apparently me and matilda found something funny) [photo: dani]

A few weeks back, I said that if I ever did the run briefing at a junior parkrun that I would like to do it in the way I saw it being done over at Hilly Fields junior parkrun. However, I didn't quite plan things properly and I ended up just using the standard briefing format. Next time I definitely want to make it a bit snappier. I did have the pleasure of presenting one of the juniors with his half-marathon wrist band.

It was a bit of a special occasion for me as this event marked the 200th event I had been credited with volunteering at across seven different venues. For the record, my total number of credited tasks stands at 223. That's way off what it actually is, but let's not worry about that.

run briefing (again) [photo: dani]

Back to the business of the day, and right up until 5 minutes before the start of the run, Matilda was intent on helping me run direct. I told her that it would be boring and that she should just run, but still she insisted on helping me.

She had volunteered the day before at Dartford parkrun (where I ran) and I wanted to repay the favour. Somewhere between the run briefing and the warm-up she had changed her mind and decided to run.

warm-up [photo: dani]

I hung around the LAAAWjpHQ for the duration of the run and it wasn't long before we had a little stumble and one of the young runners had hurt his knee. Then the rain started and we all got wet.

The remainder of the run was incident-free and the runners soon started streaming through the finish funnel where I was waiting with my zapper, ready to scan all of their barcodes. And there were so many! In fact it was a new LAAAWjp attendance record! [event 15 results]

matilda brought hello kitty along for a run [photo: dani]

Matilda enjoyed her three solo laps and I let her scan her own barcode at the end. The other volunteers made my job look very easy and at the end they all brought back their respective signs and we left the Abbey to it's rainy self for another week. We jumped back in the car and headed home to dry off.

Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey junior parkrun 14 - not quite Mr Motivator

Over the last few months, Matilda has fallen at Gravesend (event 14), Hilly Fields (event 6) and Medway (event 1) junior parkruns (as well as once at Dartford parkrun).

Surprisingly, given the terrain, she has not yet fallen at Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey. Well technically she has, but because it's grass she hasn't actually hurt herself.

junior parkrun warm-up [copyright: parkrun]

So.... we're going to spend a bit more time at LAAAWjp and less time touring. In order to mark the decision, I decided to volunteer as barcode scanner and also offered to lead the warm-up.

The junior parkrun warm-up is largely the same at all venues and even has its own junior-parkrun-themed guidance sheet.

getting ready for the warm-up [photo: dani]

I have a copy of this at home, and me and Matilda spent a few evenings running through the routine in preparation for our debut.

On the day, Matilda stood next to me and we ran through the warm-up exercises together. It seemed to go ok. Lesnes is quite close knit and the sight of 19 junior faces expectantly looking up at me to provide them a tip-top session wasn't quite as scary as it could have been.

let's go [photo: brian]

Another first for the day was that we left Matilda to run the entire course on her own and she got on pretty well, putting in a 17.03 finish time which is a couple of minutes faster than she would have been if I had been running with her.

It was 23 seconds off of her course best and that included a brief stop to remove her top layer of clothing.

volunteery stuff [photo: dani]

When Matilda had finished running, I got to scan her barcode for the very first time at a junior parkrun. That was a great way to finish off the morning. LAAAWjp is a bit of a flash mob style parkrun and at present it doesn't have a post-run social venue so once the running had finished, that was it.

Before leaving we decided to head over to the playground where we had a lot of fun doing chin-ups and stuff on the new parkour apparatus.

scanning lime [photo: dani]

It was another great morning at Lesnes Abbey, but it could really do with a nice little post run coffee venue. I know there are plans for a visitor centre so hopefully that all gets sorted soon. It feels really weird just walking away and not having a good ol' chin-wag and a drink afterwards!

Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey 12 - drowned rats

When we left home for Lesnes Abbey Woods event 12, the weather had just started to turn from dry to mild rain. We experienced a fleeting moment of doubt, but decided to press on and head over to the venue so that Matilda could complete her 16th junior parkrun.

lesnes abbey abbey abbey [photo:7t]

We were running a little behind schedule, but we pulled up alongside the venue with about 2 minutes to spare. By the time we made it up the little hill to the start-finish area, the runners, parents and some of the volunteers were huddled under a tree.

warm-up and briefing under the tree [photo:7t]

The official warm-up had already started so Matilda and Piggy slotted into the group and joined in with that. The rain had got heavier and was steadily coming down as the run director lead the runners over to the start line. I was impressed with the commitment of the runners that turned up to run in these conditions when it would have been so easy to stay tucked up in a cosy dry bed.

the start line [photo:7t]

I usually run around with Matilda, but today we took a different approach. The plan was for her to run lap one while I waited at run HQ, then I would join her for laps two and three. When she had completed her first lap, she was soaked from head to toe, but happy to continue running without me. 

the ruins of lesnes abbey abbey abbey [photo:7t]

I hovered around the Abbey Abbey Abbey taking photos as she made her way around the course, then at the end of lap two, she wanted me to join her. So I did. Our usual games were limited to just 'jumping over things' because the main aim was to finish and get out of the rain.

drenched / running with the tail runner [photo:7t]

Once she had crossed the finish line and been given her token, she made her way over to the event director, Ola, who was tucked away under a tree scanning everyone's barcodes. And that really was it - we were both so wet that the only thing on our minds was to get home and into some dry clothes.

barcode scanning [photo:7t]

Before we left, we called across to the equally drenched volunteers to say thanks - if any didn't hear us, thank you very much for making the event happen. I hope you all dried off quickly. We jumped into the car, grabbed a towel (it was a fluke that I had one handy) and made our way back down the road into Dartford.

post-run 'drowned rats' selfie [photo:7t]

We won't be at the Abbey Abbey Abbey next week as I believe there might be a junior parkrun inaugural event that we quite fancy attending.

Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey Woods junior parkrun 11

On Sunday 28 June 2015, we went to the playground at Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey Woods. It's a pretty decent playground with lots of different apparatus for different age ranges plus areas for parkour, basketball and football.

arson [photo: 7t]

There's also a nice open space with stones and picnic tables. You could quite happily set up camp here and hang out for a few hours on a summer's afternoon. Also brilliant for hanging out post-parkrun.

However, a few weeks back one of the apparatus was effectively destroyed in an act of arson. It is fenced off and has signs appealing for any information related to the crime. I hope they catch those responsible and I hope it can be replaced.

ankle circles [photo: 7t]

Earlier that morning, Matilda had taken part in Lesnes Abbey Abbey Abbey Woods junior parkrun for the fourth time. It was another one of those non-speedy walk/runs and although she had an enthusiastic start, the act of running three laps again proved to be mentally tough for her.

ready to go [photo: 7t]

Fortunately the tail runner, Jane, was on hand to provide some much needed encouragement when we had exhausted our usual selection of games which this week included 'jumping over things', 'let's chase Dadda' and 'bumping into stuff'.

the final stretch [photo: brian (official photographer)]

Over the last 100 metres, Matilda suddenly sprung into life and raced me to the finish line. We had a little joke about me entering the finish funnel, but I was left in no doubt that I must under no circumstances follow through on my idea to enter it. 'Dadda, only children can go through the finish line!'

[results page]

Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun 10 - Father's Day

I was pleased when Matilda decided to run at junior parkrun this week because it fell on father's day, and I really couldn't think of a better way to spend it than by running around a beautiful park with my daughter (breakfast in bed would've come a close second). So after receiving a lovely card and story book, we hit the road.

We headed over to Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun (LAW) for a few reasons. Firstly, it has a 9am start and which means we were finished and able to carry on with the day earlier than some other venues and secondly because Richey (Dartford parkrun ED) was run directing and I thought it'd be cool to join him.

richey's warmup session [photo: dani]

As it was father's day, we decided to dispense with the parent relay method of running and go for a straight father-daughter combo with mum on photographer duty. I find one of the downsides for the younger (or slower) runners at LAW is that the course is three laps. Matilda tends to cope better with out-and-back, single lap or two lap courses. After Richey's warm-up session and briefing, the run was started.

Lap 1:

The first lap is the easiest - she is very eager and heads off into the distance with the other children. I pootle along at the back of the pack with the tail runner, Jane, for a while but soon continue onwards and catch up with Matilda about three-quarters of the way around the lap. She's happy to see me and we continue to run until completing the lap.

being cheered on by ola [photo: dani]

Lap 2:

It starts well, but I can sense that she will be in need of a short walking break at some point during the lap. It's time to start the games. The first is the one where I go in front of her and pretend that I am the fastest runner and that nobody can overtake me, when Matilda overtakes I react in shock and try to catch up, but I can't.

We eventually take that walking break at the half-way point. The break is broken when another young girl comes past and Matilda runs with her for a few hundred metres. The second half of the lap is tough as the lead runners start to lap us, but we continue the game.

lots of grassy things to jump over [photo: dani]

Lap 3:

We pass the start-finish area and commence the final lap. It's mentally tough for Matilda to go past the other children that have already finished. However, she pushes on and we continue playing our games.

We've now moved onto jumping over things. We find a rock, a stone, a drain cover - all great for jumping over. Then there's a cone - we jump over this.

the downhill tarmac path [photo: dani]

Further along we switch games to 'let's hi-five the marshals' - we get one, then we get another - it's Ola the event director who is marshalling. He encourages us one last time as we now jump over the tufts of long grass in the second half of this final lap.

As we approach the final straight I am ordered by Matilda to peel off and meet her on the other side of the finish line (no adults allowed in the finish funnel!). She passes through and is given her finish token. The results are published later that day.

just about to peel off at the end [photo: dani]

It's not her fastest time over the course, but then Matilda doesn't run her best times when I am with her because we spend too much time faffing around playing. She runs her best times when she's alone or with her mum.

In fact, and I may have mentioned this in other posts, she doesn't really care about her finish times, and I'd like to keep it like that for as long as possible so she can just enjoy the purity of running around the park for no other reason than she wants to.

post-run education at the ruins of lesnes abbey [photo: dani]

7t

Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun 8

At 8am on junior parkrun day I was sitting down wondering what the day would bring. The weather forecast was for a glorious day and I didn't want to waste it sitting at home - we had options but hadn't decided at this stage. So I wandered into the bedroom and accidentally on purpose starting talking loud enough to cause wakage of the junior parkrunner.

After a little discussion, the junior one decided that today was a day for visiting junior parkrun and she wanted to go to the same one as her friend, Alex. We weren't entirely sure which venue he might go to so after sending a message to his mum we took an educated guess and headed towards Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun.

briefing and warmup [photo: brian crane - official photographer]

It was all a little frantic as we left home about 25 minutes before this venue's start time (which is 9am). For some reason, in my head it takes ages to drive there. In fact it only takes about 10 minutes, so we arrived with 15 minutes to spare.

Up at the run HQ, we met up with the team and Matilda was looking around for her friend. Unfortunately he wasn't able to make it and she was a little upset. So once we'd got past that, we started getting ready for the run - She likes to play a game where we chase each other's shadows and we did this as a pre-warm up warm up.

at the start of lap two [photo: brian crane - official photographer]

Once the real warm-up had finished, we headed to the start line and Matilda headed off for her first of three mildly undulating laps around the ruins of Lesnes Abbey. We've started playing another game called 'parent relay' where I will run a lap, then tag Dani and she will run a lap before tagging me again and I complete the final lap with Matilda. So we did that and worked out pretty well. We also played a bit more 'chase the shadow' as we went around.

Last time Matilda ran here she wasn't really having a great day and spent a lot of time walking. This time she only took a couple of short walking breaks and managed to wipe five-and-a-half-minutes off of her last time here to bring her course best down to 16.40 [full results here].

she insisted that our running gear matched (i have to find some pink shorts for next time) [photo: brian crane]

As soon as she had had her barcode scanned she was right back over at the car and looking to get on to our next appointment at the SLGR Fun Day!

Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun 1

In the north-west corner of the London Borough of Bexley lies a 6.3 hectare area of woodland called Lesnes Abbey Woods. It is an area rich in geological history and fossils, including shark teeth, are regularly found. Part of the woods have been declared a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

pre-run briefing [photo: 7t]

At the northern border of the woods lies the ruins of Lesnes Abbey which was founded by Richard de Luci, Chief Justicar of England, in 1178. The Abbot of the Abbey was an important local landlord. However, the Abbey's chronic financial difficulties eventually lead to it being closed in 1525 under the dissolution of monasteries Act.

warm-up session [photo: brian crane]

The majority of the buildings were pulled down and some of the stone was used in the construction of the nearby Hall Place.

After this time the Abbey was effectively lost and the land was used for farming. In recent times the remains of the Abbey have been uncovered and restored making this a very picturesque and pleasant space to come and wander around. At times it's hard to believe that you're standing in the middle of suburban South East London.

the start line of the first lesnes abbey woods junior parkrun [photo: 7t]

On 12 April 2015 Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun was welcomed into the parkrun family. It was at 8.05am on the day that Matilda decided that she wanted to run, so we had a little panic and headed over to the venue for the 9am start.

Free car parking is available on most of the roads around the venue - the best parking spot is on Abbey Road (B213) just near the footbridge, which is right next to the start-finish area. The nearest train station is Abbey Wood which is only a few minutes walk from the venue.

out on the course [photo: dani]

Unfortunately there are currently no toilet or cafe facilities at the venue. There are plans via the Lesnes Abbey Woods Enhancement Project to build an 'education and community hub' which should address the lack of facilities here. Until then it'll be a case of making do. There are some picnic benches where the runners, parents and volunteers meet.

Junior parkrun start times vary between venues so please always check the individual event's website. As I mentioned earlier, this venue's run starts at 9am.

parkrun [photo: 7t]

We arrived with about 15 minutes to spare which was great as we could mingle with the volunteers and have a look around the remains of the Abbey where there is a Mulberry tree that is said to have been planted by King James I. It's also worth checking out the view across to Docklands where the iconic Canary Wharf skyline can be seen in the distance.

the remains of lesnes abbey [photo: 7t]

The run briefing was expertly delivered by Mel (event director at Bexley parkrun) who has been instrumental in putting together a team of run directors and core volunteers over the last few months.

Once suitably briefed the 20 junior runners were given a thorough warm-up and then headed to the start line.

hi five, marshal! [photo: dani]

The 2 kilometre run is made up of three twisty laps around the remains of the Abbey and the formal garden area. It is gently undulating (although little legs may regard it as hilly) and is run on a combination of tarmac paths, grass and dirt footpaths.

It really is a fantastic little route.

bringing it home [photo: brian crane]

Matilda took her Mum with her on lap 1 and I joined in for laps 2 and 3 where we had at a pit stop to remove a small stone from inside her shoe. Being one of the smaller runners, she did start to struggle mentally with the three laps because it's difficult for her to watch other children finishing while she still has a lap to go.

Plus it's also worth considering that to a four-year-old three laps seems like further to run than the two laps she is used to at Gravesend junior parkrun. Still the encouragement from the volunteers (especially Richey and Angela) made all the difference.

collecting her finishing position token [photo: dani]

Once she got going on lap three and could sense the finish, she managed to get back into her stride. After 22 minutes and 10 seconds she crossed the finish line and in the process entered the junior parkrun half-marathon club (11 runs). She had a big hug with Mummy before getting in the queue to get her barcode scanned by the event director, Olalekan.

barcode scanning [photo: dani]

With all the runners accounted for the kit was packed away and everyone headed off. Apart from me and Richey - we decided that it would be rude to be standing at a parkrun venue and not have a little freedom run, so we got straight onto that.

parkrun [photo: dani]

Looking in more detail at the LAW Enhancement Project you can see all the great plans that have been drawn up for this venue and it is certainly a great place to spend a little longer exploring after the parkrun. There's a recreation area that includes a fair-sized playground. There is a special area that permits digging for fossils and there is an actual fossil bed which looks amazing. There are wildflower meadows, ponds and orienteering trails to explore.

Overall it is another great addition to the growing selection of junior parkrun venues on offer and one that I think we'll come back to many times in the future.