The Mile Run Challenge

Buoyed up by the track session last night I decided to have another go at improving my mile time. Last time out I managed a mile in 8mins 10 seconds.

I again stopped along Newmarket Road at the junction with Oliver Road in Bury St Edmund's . I switched on the ipod and tuned into the Ramones and did my mile. As I mentioned before the mile distance crosses many road junctions before finishing just beyond the Falcon Pub. I got stopped by cars once or twice at junctions but managed  7.51 seconds. Yeah a slight improvement

I registered my mile at the Konkura.com website

Sicklesmere Suffolk - Interval Run

My SMART Coach half marathon schedule called for a 10 mile run today but to include intervals.

I decided to run an out and back course to Sicklesmere a small village on the Sudbury road. I warmed up for 2 miles in 16.59 and then did a series of 5 interval miles followed by a half mile jog.

My times show the following for the miles 8.01,8.14,8.05,8.07 and 8.09. I would have hoped to have run miles under 8 minutes but my level of fitness is just not at that level at the moment. I was fairly happy it being a fairly windy day and my times were quite consistent.

It was also quite mild. When I reached Sicklesmere I stopped by sides the road and decided to remove both the thin gloves I had been wearing and my tracksters leggings . I was so warm as I changed the sweat was just pouring of me. As a result this was my first run of the year in shorts ! I certainly felt better for it and after the 8.14 mile all of my following times were quicker as I wasn't overheating in the same way as before.

I jogged my last mile home. My total time for the 10 miles was 1hr 24 mins and 37 seconds. This compares with a time of 1hr 28 mins and 29 seconds for the same route on a continuous run back on the 1st of March . Of course today I did stop to change for a while.

Crowswood Cottages Ickworth Park Suffolk

For my Sunday long run the weather was mild and dry with a breeze.  I set off early in the morning at 8am and still wore a thermal top and a sweat shirt along with hat and gloves. Day 14 of my 11 week Runners World SMART Coach schedule called for a ten miler at 9.20 mile pace. 

The road to Horringer is about a mile from Westley Bottom.


Entering the park in Horringer with St Leonards Church to the right and the gatehouse lodge there is a wonderful park full of trees much of the design being by Capability Brown for the Hervey Family.

Passing by the redundant St Mary's church it sets the mind thinking as to what this landscape would have looked like when there was a small settlement and villagers who lived here. The depopulation of Ickworth was presumably encouraged by the Herveys over time. From census records it doesn't seem there was ever much more than 100 residents. Apparently there was approximately 15 or so properties close to St Mary's Church with a square green.

I dispensed with the hat and gloves at this point as if anything I was a little over dressed and needed to cool down. 


Just past the church at the White Houses you have a choice of heading on to Chevington Village or you can follow the old coaching track out to Westley. I chose the latter the track way follows the course of the River Linnett.

There are pathways to take you through Twist Wood and Diary Wood and here there are plenty of sheep but continuing along the coach path this takes you to another White House and beyond this the New Warren area which is a wooded area and an uphill stretch out to the main road at Crowswood Cottages.

I returned on the Little Saxham road back into Bury St Edmunds and completed a further three miles along Newmarket Road.


My splits were 8.59,9.28,9.42,9.02,8.52,9.16,8.24,8.43,9.03 and 9.30 for a total of 1.31 .05 for the 10 miles. Again slow but within the 9.20 mile pace that was called for in today's run.


It completes the 2nd week and a total of 34 miles. Next week wil get harder again

Risby Suffolk

The end of my 1st week of the Runners World SMART coach schedule called for a long run of 10 miles at a 9.20 mile pace.

Where to run? With the current snowy conditions  I am happy to run 5 miles up and down the same piece of road or in a park but didn't fancy doing the same for a long run.

Luckily over night there ws no more snow and there had been something of a thaw. It being a Sunday morning and very little traffic I ventured out running on the minor roads to Risby in Suffolk. As can be seen from the photo the roads were partially clear. I was able to run around two thirds of the way on the roads and switched back to the snowy paths and pavements when traffic approached.

I ran out 5 miles to my turning point just beyond the Highwayman's Vineyard.  
This is now a bed and breakfast .

My time for the 10 miles was 1 hr 29 mins 06 seconds mile splits 8.52,8.53,9.18,8.39,8.51,9.04,9.11,8.51,9.00 and 8.27

My pace was fairly consistent throughout and I was able to complete week 1 for a total of 31 miles. For the last mile I put in some extra effort and I switched from the Phedippidations podcast ( Steve Runner talking about his ambition to run a marathon in under 4 hours) to the Lillingtons The Too Late Show which always gives me a boost to run a little quicker.

Having completed Week 1 of my schedule I recognise that on paper that this is the easiest week.  I am reasonably tired so I am going to have draw on reserves of energy. Another way to look at it is that Week 1 of a running schedule is one of the hardest because it is the first step out of the door which is the most mentally difficult especially in the current weather conditions.