Beetons Way Hill Running Session

Instead of visiting the track at the moment I have been doing some hill sessions. The last couple of weeks the track has often been closed anyway but when it is icy it normally means running on the grass on the inside of the track.

Anyway after a year of poor training and much injury I have decided to build up my weekly mileage very slowly. Last week I did just 16 miles and I am upping it by a mile a week at the moment so 17 miles is the agenda this week.

Within this total I am including 1-2 better quality runs either a track or hill session and a longer run or a short tempo. The long run  isn't very long just 7 miles at the moment.

My run today was 2 miles warm up and warm down to get to the top of Beetons Way. Then the main hill session consisted of 10 hill repeats running hard up the hill and jogging back down again.

I run from the bottom lamp post after emerging from under the bridge to the lamp post at the top of the hill beyond the mini roundabout.

My repeat times for the hill climbs were 55,57,58,58,57,56,59,60,59,58. I was doing close to 50 seconds a year a go so I have a long way to go if I am to get back to that level.

I find this a hard session and the run home is a jog

Beetons Way Bury St Edmunds

8.30am 8.8 miles in 1hr 13 mins 29 seconds

Week to date mileage 27 miles

Month to date mileage 146

Average weekly rate 30.3 miles

Average monthly rate 131

Year to date 1573

Lifetime 9593

To end the year I decided on a tough session. I warmed up with a run through Westley Estate and then out to the end of Newmarket Rd and ran into town and I believe it is a mile when you reach the Falcon Pub. There are a few places where you have to slow completely as you cross roads and watch for traffic. My time of 7.14 was consistent with recent miles I have run on the track and usually in the first mile of a race.

I considered repeating but instead ventured down to Beetons Way to do some hills. As I mentioned in my post of the 15th of December there is an option of mixing up the hill climbs between long and short climbs and today I did this.

I started with a long climb which starts from the first lamp post after you emerge from under the bridge to head up hill. Continue up hill past the mini roundabout keeping to the path until you find an opportunity to move across the road which runs parallel to the sports centre car park which is on your left. The end of the long climb is when you reach the end of the road just before you enter Beetons Way footpath which runs besides Gibraltar Barracks.

I decided to alternate between long climbs and short climbs and found this a tough session and was looking for reasons to give up after about 5. However I continued and did 9.

The short hill climb also begins from the same first lamp post after the bridge but ends when you reach the first Grey lamp post at the top of the hill.

I jog down the hills to recover!

My times were as follows

1st long 2.27
2nd short 52
3rd long 2.15
4th short 49
5th long 2.17
6th short 52
7th long 2.25
8th short 51
9th long 2.20

My record for the short climb is 47 seconds on 30th July 06
The long climb stands at 2.15 on 30th Dec 06

Beetons Way Bury St Edmunds

6pm 5.5 miles in 45mins 5 secs

Week to date mileage 23 miles

Month to date mileage 71

Average weekly rate 30.1 miles

Average monthly rate 131

Year to date 1498

Lifetime 9518

Tonight I got up the motivation to do a hill session along Beetons Way. This is quite an ideal location for doing a hill session offering as it does a choice of either running a longer hill as far as the alleyway which runs besides the Gibralter Barracks or just running to the top of the hill as far as the mini roundabout. I chose the latter tonight.

I warmed up by running past Westley School and along Newmarket Rd. I ran 10 climbs in the following times 53,49,52,51,51,52,52,50,53, and 59. I jogged down the hill in a little over a minute. My times were fairly consistent apart from the slow last climb when I was feeling tired.

Hills are something I want to improve on next year and to run them more often they are strangely enjoyable to as a session!

Beetons Way Hill Session Bury St Edmunds

5pm 5 miles in 41 mins 45 secs

Week to date mileage 33

Month to date mileage 142

Average weekly rate 31.8

AverageMonthly rate 138

Year to Date 958

Life time 8736

Left my run late today and I nearly didn't venture out at all. However I set out with the purpose of doing a circular run around Fornham but changed my mind and opted instead for a hill session.
My recent stock take of the year showed that I am avoiding the hills so I thought it was time to hit this head on.

I ran up to County Upper School and returned to Beetons Way and it was only then that I decided to do some hills. Initially feeling tired I didn't record my times for the first 5 intervals so I only have 5 times for my interval climbs which were as follows

55 secs, 56 secs, 54 secs, 53 secs and last one a quick 47 seconds. I picked my feet up on the last one concentrating on shorter steps and this seemed to lead to a quicker time. I ran back down the hill in about the same time giving me a minute recovery each time.

Below - The view along Westley Rd towards the Gibralter Barracks.




Below - This is Beetons Way looking down the hill. Ok it isn't the biggest of hills but it is steep enough to give you about 50 seconds of fun running up it!




Below - The view up Beetons Way Hill Bury St Edmunds.

Beetons Way & Railway Path Bury St Edmunds

8.30am 6 miles in 49 minutes .

Year to date mileage 1242

Month to date 46 miles

Average miles per month 110

Average weekly rate 25.3

Week to date 6

Weather: Dry weak sunshine.

A short run today. I was undecided where to run and headed off towards the Sports Centre along Beetons Way. Bury Sports Centre was closed following fire damage on the 20th September 2004. This morning as usual there were loads of workmen and vans working on the site. It is supposed to start opening many of the sport facilities any time now with a completion in January 2006. I haven't heard anything as to whether they are on target or not?

At the bottom of Beetons Way there is a path which runs in between the railway line and King Edward School. There are one or two wooden sculptures but they have been badly vandalised.