Training Run at Pakenham & Norton Suffolk

Village Sign Pakenham

This morning the sky was bright blue and clear of any clouds though there was a frost overnight and it was still cold. My early morning run meant a short drive out to the village of Pakenham.

Although nippy I was ok with shorts and two layers on top a long sleeve top and t shirt over this.

Pakenham is just a few miles to the east of Bury St Edmunds and I believe unique in Britain as having both a working water mill and windmill. However my run today didn't take in either of these sites as in stead I headed for Pakenham Woods.

Centre of Pakenham

I parked the car in the main road in the village near the Fox and started running up hill through a meadow and past St Mary's Church. I was then able to follow footpath signs which directed me straight through a field. The farmer had left this section of the field uncultivated in a wide field break for walkers and runners.

St Mary's Pakenham

Typical Suffolk Pink Cottage

From the Church Meadow looking down into Pakenham Village

A short distance beyond this the small Pakenham Woods is reached. There were footpaths around the woods  and through the woods but I chose to run along side with a view to running a direct out and back run . The ground although being dirt pathways and after a very wet, snowy winter were rock hard and cracked in places following the dry spell.

Eventually the footpath by the woods ceased and I emerged on the road to Norton.  I decided to carry on in to this village. Many of the school children were waiting to catch buses in to Bury St Edmunds as I ran past but there was little other activity this early in the morning.

I retraced my steps back to Pakenham.

Norton Village Sign

Suffolk Pink Cottage at Norton

I am still carrying an injury at present which isn't preventing me from running but generally means I can't run consecutive days as the base of my left foot hasn't sufficiently recovered to do so. I am also running a bit slower and I kept this run a little shorter than I had planned completing 8 miles  in 1 hr 12 mins.