Back in the Running Shoes; Olive gets Raving

I decided it has been far too long to go without a run leading up to the Brighton Marathon in only three weeks time.  I had been ill in the past, but this time, to say I was ill was fooling myself.  I wasn't feeling 100%, but that was no excuse.  So learning the BBC iPlayer hadn't downloaded the latest Grand Prix highlights, I scarpered out for what turned out to be about a 22km run.  My GPS wasn't too effective throughout, so I certainly don't trust the distance it gave me of 19km, given the time taken.

It was a slow run at 2:07:05, but the net result was I felt good for doing it, and really need to put in those miles leading up to the event.  To add to it, I did put in a lot of work knocking those stumps out in the garden the day before, and I was aching in places I never knew it was possible to feel sore.

I took some pictures along the way.  Trying to stick to some of the more interesting features as I ran along the Green Chain Walk to Lesnes Abbey, then into Southmere Park, beside Erith Marshes, onto the River Thames, and ran along to the Thames Barrier, into Maryon Wilson Park in Charlton, before crossing Woolwich Common, and up Shooters Hill home.

Lesnes Abbey ruins, originally founded in 1178

To give an impression of what running in London can be like, on one side of Lesnes Abbey is some lovely woodland, on the other, you run directly into this, a concrete mecca. 

A bit further along is South Mere, which is the setting for a scene in A Clockwork Orange.  I only discovered this after, so will get a photo if I head this way again:

I then got spooked when I ran into a few of these equine characters roaming around the estate and Southmere Park

I finally reached the river, there was little wind, and a lovely clear day

I continued further into Woolwich, and found this Schooner moored up where the Thames Clipper usually stops, I tried to use the sun specs as a filter again, because the glare was too bad for a normal photo

Also, something I haven't shown before are some statues I quite like bumping into by sculpture Peter Burke at the Royal Arsenal.

I took no more pictures after this, as my legs were feeling heavy, and I knew I wanted to go straight up Shooters Hill. 

When I finally got home, I came across Julia and Olive in the garden, and I thought the way Olive was dressed, she looked a couple of glow sticks short of heading to an illegal rave back in the '90s.

Well, it certainly brightens up the day.