Lionel Stanhope Run - East

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For the second part of my Lionel Stanhope Run I ventured East - well South-East. My destinations Chislehurst and Shortlands. I reckoned on the distance being roughly a half-marathon.

I'm currently signed up to the Lockdown League. This is a competition between running clubs where individuals run a set distance each week and the results are compiled in a table. This week we have been asked to do 5 miles. I planned to include this in my run.

It was a warm evening, probably too warm, when I set off. I began to wish I had gone out in the morning when it was still cool. It was a toss up between doing the 5 miler first while I was fresh or on the way back when I was warmed up. I decided on the former. I started with a warm up mile and then let my legs go. Unfortunately it was a new route for me and I ended up climbing Bromley Hill.

After the first mile I was feeling it and gasping for breath. Mile two I began to find my rhythm. Just before mile three I hit the hill. I eased off a fraction to conserve some energy and at the top of the hill sped up again. Thankfully what goes up must come down and my fourth mile was quicker. Last mile and it was all out. Sweat was pouring off me, I was desperate for a drink and my legs were screaming. My lungs were on fire and I came to a juddering halt the moment my watch hit five miles.

It turns out I had managed to complete the course in 31:54 which I was pleased with. Now time to find the stations.

Chislehurst was only a mile away and easy to find. Next was three miles to Bromley, through the town centre and into Shortlands. These bridges were fairly straight forward finds. I then followed the Ravenbourne River north through Beckenham and back to Catford. 14.8 miles in total.


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