May Hounds and Hare

Some fast cats were lined up behind me, including Martin who'd earlier vowed to make me suffer in the middle as he was sure I've have him over 400m!

Anyway it was a scorcher, I was later arriving with the starter calling to me that I had ten seconds to go as I reached the starting point. I pretty much kept going, so not ideal to knock out a sub 6:30 minute mile to get to the start just in time.

I had someone 4 seconds behind me and with Martin 47 seconds behind I really wanted a good first mile so scampered off at a decent pace. There were loads of roadworks along embankment, forcing you to run carside in the road or squeeze through narrow gaps on the pavement. At the first blockage I was indecisive - changed my mind to go pavement side and felt a niggle on my right thigh shout so tried to move the weight over to the right foot, which worked but meant I landed on some baked dry silver sand which made the left foot slip away from me and I fell over. Landed right hand first and managed to do a hare like bounce back up and keep going. But then I was less strong and not a happy camper. I also realised around then that my gel was in the locker in the office and not in my tummy so no boost at 3 miles!

The first guy cruised past me at one mile and by St James' park I glanced behind me and they were queuing up behind me as I struggled to make headway on Mark in front. Martin finally took me at Green park far corner, I made an attempt to take the racing line and cut the corner as short as I could but it made no difference, he just breezed through. He was true to his word and not a thing I could do about it. Well done mate. By this time the heat was taking its toll I felt bad.

Coming back along embankment I went through a gap between a bomb-blast concrete block and a lamppost gouging a chunk out my right leg and leaving a large bruise that is throbbing away as I type this.

Managed to hold off a challenge in the last mile from a guy in a red top and was beginning to get into it as I sprinted the last section, but by then it was all over. Outside target by 31 seconds, time was 33:31.

Someone complained I was not wearing my trademark cap - was that the problem? Over training? Over resting? Who knows. Perhaps I'm just too old to go much faster.....