High Green near Nowton Suffolk

The saying that March comes in like a lamb and out like a lion has been very true this year. The last week has been unsettled with heavy rain and even some sleet. The gritting lorries even came round on Wednesday based on the predicted icy roads.

This morning however it was pleasant enough and inbetween April showers I got in a steady training run of 7.3 miles in 1hr 2 mins and 44 seconds for an 8.38 average pace. I felt strong throughout but never really needed or felt the urge to push it.

I am hoping to follow up my half marathon with a shorter race and will start to look for a 10k or 10 mile race on the calendar and start a fresh training plan. Kenley over on his blog recently asked me this question and the answer is that I would certainly use the Runners World SMART Coach again to provide me with a training schedule. The fact that the schedule  is designed around a recent race time seems to me to provide a slightly more personalised plan.

My run yesterday took me to an area of farm land that I often run between Bury St Edmunds and the village of Horringer. This is a footpath around farmland and provides a fairly good climb up a hill but is intersting all year round to see how the seasons change and what is going to be planted in the fields.

High Green near Nowton Suffollk

It was just a little to icy this morning for my run .

I ran out of Bury St Edmunds on the Horsecroft Road through Hardwick and Horsecroft. Instead of running across fields to reach Nowton Park  I continued on the road which takes you round to High Green. This is a small hamlet which is familiar to runners who take part in Saint Edmund Pacers Friday 5 as being the high point up a long drag from Nowton Park.

You could never be confident of your footing and consequently I couldn't run to my normally stride and had to pad along at a slower pace.

Lovely sunshine this morning, though the temperature was 0C.

My run was a 6.41 mile effort and I felt tired as this was third consecutive day of running.

High Green near Nowton Suffolk

Wow tired this morning. Got out early at 7.30am

I felt stiff and slow as I ran on a circular course through the Bury St Edmunds town centre , near Nowton Park and up to High Green but the weather was simply great so relax!

I ran 7 miles in 1 hr 3 mins and 50 seconds very slow for me.

Horsecroft,Nowton, High Green and Bury St Edmunds Circular Run

8.30am 7.5 miles in 1 hr 6 mins 25 seconds
Week to date mileage 27 miles
Month to date mileage 12
Average weekly rate 29.9 miles
Average monthly rate 130
Year to date 1309
Lifetime 10902

A nice bright day as I headed out for a run over a regular route which takes me up the Horsecroft road through Hardwick and Horsecroft.

Instead of cutting back over the Clare to Bury footpath I kept to the road and ran through the little hamlet of High Green.

There are only a dozen or so houses here including some almshouses on a aptly named rise. I headed down the hill and back into Bury via Nowton.


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High Green Nowton Suffolk

8.15am 7.7 miles in 1 hr 4 min 33 seconds

Week to date mileage 13.7 miles

Month to date mileage 127

Average weekly rate 29.9 miles

Average monthly rate 130

Year to date 906

Lifetime 10499

I ran out of Bury on the Horsecroft road through Hardwick and Horsecroft. Instead of running across fields to reach Nowton Park which was blocked by a farmer doing bit of harvesting on some sizable machinary I continued on the road.

The road takes you round to High Green a small hamlet which is familiar to runners who take part in Saint Edmund Pacers Friday 5 as being the high point up a long drag from Nowton Park.

Thankfully on this run I run down the hill past Nowton Park and back into town.

High Green Suffolk

12.15pm 9.5 miles in 1 hour 17 minutes 5 seconds

Week to date mileage 35

Month to date mileage 35

Average weekly rate 31.6

Average Monthly rate 137

Year to Date 574

Life time 8352

The first decent rain I can recall this year set in from about mid day Saturday and continued all night and this morning. I waited and waited and the rain abetted a little by 12 so I set of for Whepstead along the B1066 of the Horringer Road.

It was actually rather enjoyable to run in the light rain and at times the road was nothing short of a river as the rain ran off the fields. In fact I did a u turn somewhere near Sharps Lane as the road was flooded and I didn't fancy wading through so early in my run.

Instead I took the Horsecroft Road and at one point I decided to run across the pathway across the fields but quickly gave this up as it was like a paddy field. Back on the road I headed left at Park Lane to High Green. High Green is nothing more than a few almshouses and a few nice thatched farm houses. I returned to Nowton via Breckley Ley and back through town and home.

An enjoyable run no photos though as it was just too wet.

Horsecroft & Nowton Suffolk

8.00am 9.5 miles in 1 hour 20 minutes.

Year to date mileage 1090

Month to date 139 miles

Average miles per month 109

Average weekly rate 25.2

Weather: Sunny mild and dry

Course: I didn't follow a particularly path but decided to head up towards the West Suffolk Hospital and then followed then followed the Hencote Path out to Hawstead Lodge. I then returned along Park Lane to some almshouses at High Green. I then followed the road all the way back to Nowton Court Farm. This is no more than a single track and I saw no cars. I then passed through the woods to Breckley House and then over the Haberden Rugby Ground and back to the Town Centre.