Quick one today as its been a busy weekend, what with our new “Swimming Club”. Don’t ask - you’ll have to wait for more info about it!

After heavy overnight rain the ground was incredibly slippery at BPTT. At the front of the pack of runners (269 finished) numbers seemed down, or my trail shoes helped me keep grip so that I was nearer the front of the pack (obviously not right at the front, but in a good position for this size of field). After Thursdays handicap race at The Stragglers, I wasn’t sure how I’d fare, especially after a good start but I kept pushing hard and I crossed the finish line in 19:54, in 26th position. My watch had me a couple of seconds slower but in these situations I’m more than happy to accept the official time!

Looking at the splits on my watch the parts of the race where I’m on decent ground (i.e., not the grass) I was running just slightly quicker (about 10 seconds in 10 minutes), and I cannot wait to see how my speeds pick up when the entire course provides a good running surface.

I really find 5k’s tough races - the heart rate is sky high and I just push real hard for (thankfully for me) 20 minutes or so. I much prefer the (ever so slightly) gentler 10k distance.

Sharon’s been ill this week and didn’t have such a good run. There’s always next week…