West Suffolk Athletics Track Bury St Edmunds

6.30pm 7 miles in 55 mins 28 seconds

Week to date mileage 21

Month to date mileage 106

Average weekly rate 30.8

Average Monthly rate 134

Year to Date 1064

Life time 8842

Tonights track session consisted of 6 intervals of 2 minute running at 5k pace with a minute recover in between followed by a 5 minute gap before repeating the set again.

At the end we then ran 800 metres which is something I haven't done very often. My time of 3.24 wasn't great but after looking back in my diary I had to go back to October last year to find previous times which showed ny best then to be 3.30. So a slight improvement which wasn't bad after a hard session which I struggled with after a heavy lunch ime meal and a restful holiday.

Quite a good turn out tonight. My race entry number for the Tarpley 10 has arrived I am number 27.

Bury St Edmunds Cullum Rd/Ramada Hotel/Newmarket Rd Circular Run

5.30pm 5.4 miles in 40 mins 40 seconds

Week to date mileage 14

Month to date mileage 99

Average weekly rate 30.7

Average Monthly rate 133

Year to Date 1057

Life time 8835

Ran well tonight my recent times over this course have been :

27 Jul 40. 47
13 Jul 41.11
6 Jun 41.33
18 May 41.18
7 Apr 40.30
7 Mar 41.31
3 Mar 41.34
21 Feb 41.35
27 Jan 41.56
13 Jan 41.30
2 Jan 42.42
23 Dec 43.34
9 Dec 42.0
6 Dec 42.04
29 Nov 42.17

Bury Town FC v Maldon Town FC

Bury Town 1 Maldon Town 1

Bank Holiday Monday action from the Ryman League Division 1 North saw a game played in difficult conditions with heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning.

From what I saw Maldon looked a more organised team and it showed that they have competed at a higher level than Bury for a few years. However I felt Bury had some better individual players particulalry Ian Miller who at centre half was often a class above the rest. Bury really lacked a cutting edge up front and this is an area I think they will need to strengthen if they wish to make any in roads on this league, otherwise I can only see a mid table finish.

A draw was probably a fair result as both sides had numerous chances to win this game. Maldon took the lead in the first half from Perry who seemed to score pretty much unchalllenged from a header a goal that had been coming.

Bury deservedly equalised from Wood who came on as sub with the goalkeeper unable to hold a godd cross from Cunningham giving Wood the simple chance to convert.

A decent crowd for Bury of 255 people attended Ram Meadow.

Albana Walk Ickworth Park Nr Bury St Edmunds

8am 8.5 miles in 1 hr 10 mins 08 seconds

Week to date mileage 8.5

Month to date mileage 94

Average weekly rate 30.7

Average Monthly rate 133

Year to Date 1052

Life time 8830

Course: Set of towards Horringer over fields towards Lord Hervey's wood and Great Horringer Hall. Along Westley Lane and into Horringer Village. At the Church turn right into Ickworth Park, down to Ickworth House and then do a circuit of Albana Wood before returning on the same route.

Ran ok but still feeling a little heavy after holiday and being spoilt by Italian cuisine.

Mildenhall Fen Tigers v Sheffield Tigers

Mildenhall 44 Sheffield 46

27th August at West Row Suffolk

Excellent Premier League speedway at the home of the fen tigers slightly spoilt by poor refereeing which in the end led to defeat for Mildenhall.

The big contoversy of the meeting came in the 2nd heat the reserves race. Jordan Frampton was hit from behind by Benji Compton who was clearly out of control and was never going to make it round the bend but to the amazement of everyone in the stadium the referee gave the decisio the other way and excluded the mildenhall rider. This decision alone was enough to cost the Fen Tigers the result.

On reflection Sheffield rode more as a team and everyone contributed showing their strength in depth. Ashworth, Compton, Sanchez and Legault all contibuted wheras for Mildenhall in the main the points came from just Lyons and Daniel King who rode a perfect 5 wins and was man of the match.

Fornham St Martin Circular Run Suffolk

8am 7.5 miles in 58 mins 01 seconds

Week to date mileage 11

Month to date mileage 85

Average weekly rate 30.7

Average Monthly rate 133

Year to Date 1043

Life time 8821

The course - head out of Bury on the Beetons Way past Tollgate and through the village of Fornham St Martin.

Return to Bury through Fornham All Saints along the A11101 Mildenhall Road , back to Tollgate and return up Beetons Way hill and home.

After a week or two of lounging from holiday it is time to start running a bit regularly again! I found it hard to day after the rest and my time reflects that, but it was just good to get out running again. The weather has an autumnal feel though which is perfect for running and I look forward to building some mileage perhaps with an intention of running the Felixstowe Half Marathon on the 8th of October.

Any one else doing it?


Previous times

6 Aug 06 57.20
26 Jul 06 57.29
9 Jul 06 58.44
24 Jun 06 57.24
3 Jun 06 59.17
6 May 06 57.03
25 Apr 06 57.02
18 Mar 06 56.51
11 Feb 06 59.25
14 Jan 06 60.05

2005

17 Dec 59.29
29 Oct 59.52
3 Oct 60.19
11 Sep 60.14
28 Aug 57.42
19 Aug 59.36
22 Jul 58.24
10 Jul 59.48
1 Jul 59.42
23 Jun 64.0
18 Jun 62.18
23 May 59.38
5 Apr 62.41
1 Apr 60.26
19 Mar 59.0
12 Mar 60.43
5 Mar 62.16
26 Feb 62.16
6 Feb 61 .23
28 Jan 61.02
16 Jan 61.14

Sorrento Italy

7.30am 3.5 miles in 30 mins 12 seconds

Week to date mileage 3.5

Month to date mileage 78

Average weekly rate 31.1

Average Monthly rate 135

Year to Date 1036

Life time 8814

Just returned from a holiday in Sorrento which I highly recommend and I hope to return to one day. The weather was hot even for this part of the world as they were experiencing a heatwave so this is my excuse for not running very much.

I took my kit with the full intention of doing a few runs but a combination of the heat and being in the busy centre of Sorrento were my reasons for not doing more.

On the one run I did I ran early at 7.30am but still found the conditions very warm and no other way to put it I was soaked in sweat when I finished. I dodged through scooters and all manner of motorised half bike half car type vehicles through Sorento and ran down to the harbour and back.

One or two pictures of Sorrento the rest are to be found on my flickr site.

My blogger account was switched over to a beta account whilst on holiday and I must admit I have been unable to log in as I couldn't see how to access my dashboard. Thankfuly after a bit of searching I found this on Goggle which has solved my access problems. I copy it in case anyone else is having similar problems.

From:		phydeaux3 - view profile
Date:		Wed, Aug 16 2006 10:53 am

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Besides logging out of any google accounts, Blogger employee gave a
link in another thread to bypass the front page login so you can get
directly to the "Classic" blogger login
http://www.blogger.com/login.g?directLogin=true

West Suffolk Athletics Track Bury St Edmunds

6.30pm 7 miles in 54 mins 2 seconds

Week to date mileage 13

Month to date mileage 74

Average weekly rate 31.5

Average Monthly rate 137

Year to Date 1032

Life time 8810

A track session consisting of reps of 4 mins , 3mins and 2 mins at 5k pace followed by 2 x 400 metres. A minute recovery in between and five minutes before repeating the whole set.

Little Waldingfield Suffolk

6.30pm 6 miles in 48 mins 32 seconds

Week to date mileage 6

Month to date mileage 67

Average weekly rate 30.8

Average Monthly rate 134

Year to Date 1025

Life time 9045

I have wanted to visit Lt Waldingfield ever seen I saw some comments on some photos I took of Gt Waldingfield by Simon_K on flickr. In his view Lt Waldingfield's St Lawrence church is a lot more interesting and you can in time read in depth reviews at Simons site which includes well over 500 churches in Suffolk http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/.

Lt Waldingfield is about 4-5 miles from Sudbury. I took the straight roman road between Newton and Sudbury to Gt Waldingfield and continuing on the B1115 you reach Lt Waldingfield. I parked near the church like its near neighbour it is also called St Lawrence.

I set of for my run through the village past The Swan Public House and picked up a good field path this took me really to a dead end as I arrived out on the busy Lavenham Rd so I had no choice but to retrace my steps back to the village.

I ran along the B1115 before picking up a path which took through Hole farm rather than continue into Gt Waldingfield I again returned back to Lt Waldingfield and took another path out to Archers Farm. The weather appeared threatening and I imagined I would get a soaking but although the sky turned dark I escaped any rain.

River Lark Run Bury St Edmunds Suffolk

12.30pm 7.2 miles in 56 mins 27 seconds

Week to date mileage 32

Month to date mileage 61

Average weekly rate 31.7

Average Monthly rate 138

Year to Date 1019

Life time 8797

Course:Head out through the water meadows and then turn left at Bury Rugby Club . Follow the path through No Mans Meadow which is at the back of the Abbey Gardens returning to Southgate Bridge and then returning over the meadows for a 2nd lap.Return home up Southgate Street past the Police Station and through the Abbey Gardens graveyard then through town centre, Risbygate street, Westley road and home.

This was my best run over this course as I simply blitzed my best time though I didn't feel particulalry fast or that I had made any extra effort to achieve it.

Plenty of rabbits near the Rugby ground including this one I nearly ran over.

















My previous times over this course are as follows

11. 28th April 06 58 minutes 8 seconds
10.15th April 06 58 minutes 50 seconds
9. 13th Feb 06 59 minutes 52 seconds
8.27th Dec 05 1 hour 3 mins and 23 seconds
7.19th 05Sep 56 minutes 42 seconds
6.29th 05 August 58 minutes and 7 seconds
5.2 july 05 1 hourand 53 seconds
4.26th june 05 1 hour and 9 seconds
3.28th May 05 58 minutes and 51 seconds
2.13th April 05 59 minutes and 25 seconds
1.11th March 05 1 hour and 31 seconds


The path besides the River Lark .

Hardwick Common and Horsecroft Suffolk

8.15am 7.5 miles in 59 mins 43 seconds

Week to date mileage 25

Month to date mileage 47

Average weekly rate 31.6

Average Monthly rate 137

Year to Date 1012

Life time 8790

I decided not to follow a particular course and I set out along the road to Whepstead. However this was too busy and I returned to Horsecroft before cutting over to Hardwick Common to run around the Lake.

Icklingham Suffolk

9.30am 11 miles in 1 hr 30 mins 01 seconds

Week to date mileage 17

Month to date mileage 47

Average weekly rate 31.7

Average Monthly rate 138

Year to Date 1005

Life time 8783

I drove out to the West Stow Country Park and parked near the reconstructed Anglo Saxon houses,swings and visitors centre. I set of for my run out past the Wideham Cottages and along the road leading to the Ramparts Fields. Before reaching here I took a right turning leading me on to the Icknield Way.

The Icknield Way always brings an air of excitement to step on to an ancient pathway and to think of the many generations of travelers predating the Roman occupation who would have walked here before me.

The Icknield Way is unique among long distance tracks because it can claim to be "the oldest road in Britain". Extending from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Norfolk. The path runs for a 103 miles and dates back at least as far as the late iron age c100bc but may be older dating to the Neolithic period c4500 bc.

Instead of following the Icknield Way through the Kings Forest I took a left to follow the Icknield Way and Lark Valley path to Icklingham.

At Icklingham you can visit 2 churches and 2 pubs. All Saints Church is being restored and is a little bit out of the centre of the village so St James is the focal point for locals.

The Red Lion is the larger of the 2pubs and sits on the River Lark. It is currently being re thatched. The Plough Inn is a smaller flint building which probably gets by passed by visitors who head for the bigger gardens at the Red Lion.

I ran through the centre of Icklingham and picked up a footpath near Church Farm which took me out into the heart of Breckland said to be the desert of England because of its sandy soils and the unique character of the Breckland. This is the home of both rabbit and flint by the millions. Some people would say there is nothing there but that is to miss the beauty of the place its solitude unbroken for me apart from the occasional USAF plane taking of from Mildenhall and Lakenheath.

River Linnett Bury St Edmunds

5.30pm 6.2 miles in 49 mins 54 seconds

Week to date mileage 6.2

Month to date mileage 36

Average weekly rate 31.6

Average Monthly rate 137

Year to Date 994

Life time 8772

I decided to to do a circular run along by the River Linnett. I went out as far as Westley Bottom and returned into town emerging at the Spread Eagle before continuing on over the Holywater Meadows to Cullum Road. I didn't follow a particularly course but I saw enough to think there is a good circular run that can done here.

Fornham St Martin Circular Run Suffolk

4pm 7.5 miles in 57mins 20 seconds

Week to date mileage 29.3

Month to date mileage 29.3

Average weekly rate 31.7

Average Monthly rate 138

Year to Date 988

Life time 8766

The course - head out of Bury on the Beetons Way past Tollgate and through the village of Fornham St Martin.

Return to Bury through Fornham All Saints along the A11101 Mildenhall Road , back to Tollgate and return up Beetons Way hill and home.

The weather is a lot cooler and it felt a lot easier to run than it has for the last month hence the better than average time over this course


Previous times

26 Jul 06 57.29
9 Jul 06 58.44
24 Jun 06 57.24
3 Jun 06 59.17
6 May 06 57.03
25 Apr 06 57.02
18 Mar 06 56.51
11 Feb 06 59.25
14 Jan 06 60.05

2005

17 Dec 59.29
29 Oct 59.52
3 Oct 60.19
11 Sep 60.14
28 Aug 57.42
19 Aug 59.36
22 Jul 58.24
10 Jul 59.48
1 Jul 59.42
23 Jun 64.0
18 Jun 62.18
23 May 59.38
5 Apr 62.41
1 Apr 60.26
19 Mar 59.0
12 Mar 60.43
5 Mar 62.16
26 Feb 62.16
6 Feb 61 .23
28 Jan 61.02
16 Jan 61.14

Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace

Town 1 Palace 2

A disappointing result as Ipswich slipped to defeat in the opening game of the 2006-7 Championship Season. This was Jim Magiltons first competitive match as a manager and for him and Ipswich this is going to be a tough season when I am expecting nothing more than a mid table finishing position.

The Championship is the most competitive league in English football with anyone of about 10 clubs who can potentially win promotion. You cannot say this about the Premier league.

After a first half in which Palace failed to pose any threat and Ipswich had scored an opening goal through Forster who outpaced a slow centre half to convert in the corner the old Town habits of sitting back on a lead emerged.

Palace made a telling substitute bringing on Freedman for Morrison and he seemed to immeadiately link up well with Scowcroft and suddenly Palace looked a threat. Two quick goals from sily defensive mistakes left Town chasing the game. However the attack didn't pose much of a threat apart from at the end of the game when Lee and Haynes arrived as subs and a little more luck would have resulted in a draw which on balance would have been a fair result.

Hawstead Circular Run Suffolk

8am 9.4 miles in 1 hr 17 mins 26 secs

Week to date mileage 22

Month to date mileage 22

Average weekly rate 31.6

AverageMonthly rate 137

Year to Date 980

Life time 8758

Felt good as I set of on this circular run which has to be one of the most challenging runs I do. It is to say the least undulating with some good hill climbs. It is probably why it is emerging as one of my favourite regular runs as it presents a challenge whilst providing some wonderful scenery and takes you through the villages of Horsecroft, Pinford End,Hawstead and Nowton.

I am going to try and capture an almost step by step guide to this run over the next few weeks and here is my first attempt:-

Without a GPS device I have estimated the distance as best I can, though I am sure it is slightly out and depends on the starting point which for me isn't far from Westly Road and the Water Tower visible at the top of this picture. So an easy start takes you down West Rd besides the cemetery. I then run along Hospital Rd.


I then take a right turn towards Westgarth Gardens before turning left to run past Westgate School which seems to have been painted in good bright "house form " colours? Nice idea Mr Lee if you are still the Headmaster.



You soon emerge at the Spread Eagle Pub and here I cross over the main road and turn right up Horsecroft Road and it is quite steep to begin with as you climb out of Bury. This house near Stonebridge Farm is really the point when you emerge out of Bury but continue straight along the Horsecroft Road. This short section of road is probably the busiest of the whole run but nothing to make you fearful.



As you run along the Horsecroft Road to the left is the large Hardwick Manor and the grounds surrounding the West Suffolk Hospital. On the road you soon see on your right a sign to Horsecroft Hall. Ignore this and keep going unless you are a VIP as this is private.



Almost immediately to the left is an entrance to Hardwick Game Farm with some large stone dog columns guarding the entrance. This section of the run is wooded providing a canopy to hide from the sun on hot days. You are pretty much still running up a slight gradient and on wet days I have known this part of the road to turn into a river, well it gets wet.

You next run through the small hamlet of Horsecroft which is no more than half a dozen farm houses and some barns. It was once apparently part of the Home farm estate belonging to the Cullum Family. The cottages as seen below are attractive.
You soon pass Horsecroft Farm and on your left are various paths that can be taken across fields which are part of the Bury to Clare Walk.

To your right is the parish of Horringer, but still continue on the same road.








The house below is the on the corner of Park Lane which turns of to the left towards High Green.


You then begin a nice downward section past Hawstead Lodge and at the bottom of the hill arrive in another small hamlet called Pinford End.


In Pinford there is a lovely Suffolk Pink house ignore the turning to the right and keep to the left past Pinford End Farm.


You are now running along Church Road and you soon start to catch glimpses of All Saints Church on your left. Before you reach it on your right you pass Church Farm.


At the end of Church Road you reach a junction and the road to the right takes you into Hawstead and the Green however this run requires you to turn left at the old village school. This is Hawstead village school I note it is currently for sale.


This part of Hawstead is known as Pound Green and on your left you pass the impressive almshouses provided by Philip Metcalfe which were built in 1811 for the deserving poor. I like the big bold sign declaring the importance and generosity of Metcalfe for all to see. I am not sure of his association with Hawstead and whether he is the Metcalfe who was a patron of the arts

, friend of Samual Johnson and an MP for Horsham from 1790 to 1796?

You know begin a fairly steep climb which takes you past Hawstead Hall on the left. There is a minor road to the right which leads to Sicklesmere but ignore the temptation to take a detort and head up hill. You reach the dizzy heights of 79 metres above sea level though this does provide some fantastic views! Over to your left is Nowton and to the right at the bottom of the hill Sicklesmere comes more and more into view.


St Peters Church is about a mile from the vilage of Nowton up this drive.



Take the next left at the Nowton village sign as to carry on would lead you onto the busy A134 .


You are now on a path which takes you around the edge of Nowton Country Park. You soon pass
the Keio University It was used as a private home, but in the 20th century, it became a Preparatory School for boys, then a Ladies College for Japanese students, and then passed to Keio University. Keio University is the oldest western style university in Japan.


There is no pathway along this stretch so you need to look at for traffic as you are running on the road. However it is often fairly quiet I saw this Muntjac Deer out for a stroll near the Fox and Pin Lane Sign.


After Nowton Park you come back into Bury and see the Victory Sports Ground on the right.



Back into Bury I take the Cullum road into town past the wonderful water meadows. The bull rushes are always a great site.


At Out Westgate on the corner is the West End Chip Shop. I can't say I have been in there for many years.


I head along Out Westgate St until I reach the Spread Eagle and then head up Petticoat Lane along Hospital Road and then back up West Road past the cemetery and home.

A satisfying run and a scale of difficulty I would give this a 4 out of 5.