Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Five Mile Run

Saturday morning and the weather was set fair with a little drizzle in the air.

I was tired this morning before I started to run and consequently I ran a very slow five miles. It was however at the half marathon schedule pace of 9.09 miles.

I decided to run around the centre of the town which is possible on a Saturday before 8.30am as although the market stalls are set up there was very few people about .

I had the Abbey Gardens more or less to myself but unless you are going to run in circles over and over you need to venture a bit further afield if you are running five miles. So running out of the Abbey Gardens you pass through the old graveyard next to the St Edmundsbury cathedral shown in the  photo on this post.



There are many interesting old gravestones particularly in the old charnel. Mary Hasleton in the photo on this post was said to have been struck and killed by lightening in the act of prayer at the age of nine.

 The second photo is an epitaph to the prime mover and founder of Jamestown North America - Captain Gosnold. His daughter Mary is buried in this churchyard hence the naming of the place known as Martha's Vineyard

Horsecroft/Nowton/Bury Circular Run Bury St Edmunds

2pm 7.8 miles in 1hr 2 mins 13 secs.

Year to date mileage 967

Month to date 16 miles

Average miles per month 107

Average weekly rate 24.6

Weather: Sunny blue skies nice breeze

Course: Ran out on the road to Horsecroft, returned over fields to Nowton Park and the returned home via Town Centre.

In the grave yard of the Abbey in Bury St Edmunds are many unusual memorial stones. The photo above is in memory of a Mr Henry Cockton (1807-1853).

He was an English humorous novelist who was born in London. He published a number of volumes, but is best known as the author of Valentine Vox, the Ventriloquist (1840) and Sylvester Sound, the Somnambulist (1844). He died at Bury St Edmunds in 1853.

I have never read anything by the author but the 1st line from Valentine Vox reads 'In one of the most ancient and populous boroughs in the county of Suffolk, there resided a genius named Valentine Vox, who, in order to make a fortune with rapidity, tried everything, but failed to succeed in anything, because he could stick long to nothing.'