Lordship Recreation Ground parkrun - event 17

On the 18th February 2023 I ran the Lordship Recreation Ground parkrun which was the 17th event held at the venue, my 118th parkrun and 48th different course I'd attended.

Lordship Recreation Ground was one of two events that started on the same day in the autumn of last year and offered me an opportunity to fill in some of the early event numbers that are missing from my 'wilson index'. Being event number 17 it was also another chance to complete a prime number event, another gap that needed filling in my parkrun numbers game.

Being half-term and Saturday morning clubs being on half-term break it was also an opportunity to invite the family to join me in my latest parkrun adventure. Hayden and Oliver still had football practice as normal, so Phoebe was the unlucky beneficiary this time around as she was the only one who had an amended routine - what better way to spend the morning than with a Daddy and Daughter day?

The high speed train service into London has revolutionised how commuters from Gravesend access the capital and had made reaching many parkrun destinations incredibly straightforward. Lordship Recreation Ground being just one example. From Ebbsfleet International to St Pancras and then five stops north on the Piccadilly line to Turnpike Lane we were practically door-to-door in just over an hour. We could have gone directly from Gravesend to St Pancras but I chose an earlier train for the security in case of any unseen delays.

From Turnpike Lane, Lordship Recreation Ground is a short 15 minute walk away via a straightforward route through a main road and a housing estate of which the park backs onto. Upon arrival at the recreation ground we could see the Tottenham Stadium to the north east of us and to the south the Broadwater Farm estate, which was the scene of an infamous night of disorder in the 1980s where two people, including a police officer lost their lifes.

Parkrunners gather in the middle of the park at a place called The Hub. This is the beating heart of the park and upon walking in you get a real sense of community spirit with all of the various signage, posters and general aesthetic. It also smells heavenly of bacon which was being prepared ahead of the 9:30 opening for hungry parkrunners to enjoy!

Outside of the hub is an urban gym, which was being well used. To the side was a play area, large pond and I guess when the warmer months come around a paddling pool. Which when we visited was empty and full of leaves and the effects of the winter months were clear to see. A little further to the south west of the hub was an area called the model traffic zone. 

This is a part of the park that has been designed to look like miniature streets, with road markings and junctions to help aid little people learn how to ride their bikes safely. In fact as we were leaving, to enforce the whole community spirit that was felt across the whole morning, a group of people were setting up a training session for people to come and learn how to ride their bikes. I couldn't help but wish for a facility like this when I was growing up!

The parkrun itself starts a short way north of the hub on a flat path that bisects the park from east to west. Starting facing west, the course heads straigh before turning left, anti-clockwise due south and travels around through the model traffic area, and back past the hub for the first time.

The route then follows the path around the perimeter of the park an additional three times before heading back along the starting straight for a grandstand sprint finish. Whilst the course might sound a little confusing to start off with, as always it all makes sense in the end!

After a series of recent fast times I knew that running with Phoebe this week was going to end that positive streak. Although children under the age of eleven do need to be supervised Phoebe is at an age where she can run by herself. But I wasn't entirely comfortable with allowing her to do so, and nor did she really want to. So my strategy was to try and run as slow as possible for as long as possible. After two hundred yards or so, the strategy went out of the window!

Phoebe bless her did start incredibly well. But once she'd stopped and started to walk it was quite a difficult task to get her running again. She did make a good first of it a couple of times, but for majority of the distance we took it as a brisk walk. The paths were fairly wide, flat tarmac paths so no real hills or inclines to note. Which was good as it did allow us to try and run in fits and starts.

The majority of the running inspiration came from the marshalls who were all focal and incredibly supportive. Some of the most friendly and supportive I've come across in fact. But the real boost came from an unofficial source. A local lady who was riding one of the exercise bikes in the urban gym outside the hub was vociferous in her support, shouting loudly and exuberantly cheering us on as we traipsed past her on each of the four occasions. I've mentioned community spirit a couple of times already in this post and the lady, whoever she was really epitomised that.

After three and a bit laps of gentle encouragement Phoebe had evidently been storing energy for the last hurrah. Sprinting the final leg of the course at a pace I struggled to keep up with we eventually crossed the line virtually next each other.

We finished 151st and 152nd out of a field of 157 participants in an exact time of one another of 44:09. It was a brand new PB for Phoebe on her third full distance parkrun knocking nearly eight minutes off the previous time set at Bushy parkrun in October - where she may or may not have taken a few shortcuts!

By way of a reward of Phoebe's efforts and determination I promised her breakfast. We first head for the hub towards the tantalising smell of bacon. But to Phoebe's dismay the menu didn't offer her anything she liked and so we head back towards Turnpike Lane tube station and found a bakery type establishment where she gorged on a sausage roll and beignets. Yum!