Leafing Honor Jet Plane!

Our super seventeen swept swiftly through Ladywell, arriving a little warmer at the Honor Oak Adventure Playground, eager and ready to rake, sweep and gather by torch light. 6km were covered and some light feet stepped lively up and down Eastern Road with grit and determination.

WARNING! This run report contains some very dark photos!

After what had been a stunningly clear and crisp day, night fell and so did the temperature. This left your Lewisham trainer shivering in the Glass Mill foyer, wondering if anyone would turn up....why, of course they would! First up was Stephen, still sporting his Movember 'tache but also proudly wearing his MoRun medal from Sunday's hilly 10k race at Greenwich Park. Well done to Steve, Sean and Jacqueline, who took part, wearing a combination of home-grown and shop bought facial hair. It sounded like a great race and all of our runners smashed those hills and represented fan'tachetically ;)

The foyer was quickly filled with runners, wondering if we dare step outside. We were reassured by Nykolette, who had run to our start point and was commenting on how hot she felt. That was good enough for us, so out we went, taking late November by the scruff of the neck. A very brisk name-check and on to a game of rock, paper, scissors. This time the 'loser' did various exercises (squats, jumping jacks, lunges and knee-lifts) and the 'winner' got to run to the end of the grass and back. We were certainly feeling warmer and, with not one but three back-markers in place, we were ready to go - thank you to Roni, Dave and Jacqueline for making sure we didn't lose anyone on our outward leg.

Our run took us through Ladywell and up into Crofton Park, where we were treated to some super crazy Christmas house displays and the lovely Crofton Tree, resplendent in sparkling blue. Of course, this prompted debate about when is the right time to put up the tree (it seems not November!). We also chatted about how much easier it is to get out and run when you've committed to a group run (or a run with a friend), with Sarah telling us that a run never fails to lift her mood. Agreed!

At Honor Oak APG, Linda was ready to hand out brushes and rakes and indicate into the darkness that there were in fact leaves that needed clearing. Hmmmm, head-torches were most definitely needed this week! Tools were gathered and little pools of light dispersed around this vast space, with those who haven't been here before not realising the extent of the task. We focused closely on the area outside the building and on the path, with a few adventurers (Sean, Steve and George) trekking out into the far-reaches of the playground. Between us, we cast enough light to see vaguely what needed doing but, as time went on, I could see the group getting closer and closer and working in a pack, the chatter growing, like penguins, huddled to keep warm!

To get an idea of what the space is like in the daylight, you might want to revisit our mega-mission in the summer.

Once we had downed tools, it was time to run again, something that always feels a bit odd/stiff, even after a good physical task like this. A gentle jog towards Hilly Fields, chatting about the team of GoodGym runners who paced at the local Peckham Rye parkrun at the weekend - well done everyone, it looks like there were lots of PBs! We were ready now to try and get our own PBs on the lovely steep hill that rises up towards the cafe at the top. A quick survey of the group and it seems lots of us are enjoying the incredible Planet Earth on the BBC at the moment and, this week, I wanted everyone to channel their inner ibex, landing lightly on our feet, having minimum contact with the ground, running high in our hips and using our arms to guide, balance and drive. In our hill sessions, we often look at the up hill, but this time, we were working hard on the down hill, letting gravity work for us, letting go of the brakes and falling, just like our little mountain friends.

It seems that keeping an intrepid little creature in mind really helps and I could see an improvement straight away, with everyone moving smoothly, lightly and with ease, covering the distance quickly and with great strength. Well done!

On the fourth hill we continued up and over, paused to take in the magnificent view of Canary Wharf, the Shard and what seemed in the dark to be a lake - we all know Lewisham has had a sink hole issue this weekend, but I don't think we have a lake yet! Remembering that downward pull, we allowed the force of nature to carry us all the way back to our start point, where we stretched, talked about the weekend's Santa Run, our Christmas get-together and also congratulated Alys, who became an auntie during tonight's task! It's all happening in Lewisham!

Next week we have a new task, taking us in a different direction. We will be helping GRACE (Greenwich Refugee Aid and Community Enterprise) prepare their new shop in Lee, ready to open to the public and raise some money. Join us!