The Leeds 10K was a real confidence boost for me, I'm hoping to have just got under 31.40, which will be the third fastest M40 time I have run - the other two were at Team Bath. It was great to be running in the Midland team, and although I was one of the slower area runners, I wasn't out of my depth.

The race was won by one of Birchfield's africans, and Glen Cornish, who had just flown back from Japan was second. Martin Williams did the Midlands proud finishing fourth in around 29.30!

I spent the first half of the race struggling, it is a very friendly course, if anything slighty, but definately only slightly, uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back, very PB friendly! As the race developed there were always enough runners around to keep the pace going, and the little group I was tussling with even caught up Sullivan S. as things started to work out. I still wasn't that confident of a good time, but as the clock came into sight it was ticking up the 31 30s, and perhaps not surprisingly the hamstrings rediscovered themselves, and I'm hoping to have clocked 31.39 (perhaps chip time will save me).

I think the trip was a help in bringing out the best in me, no driving or check-in queues, and then there was the evening meal and general mixing with senior athletes, it's all a positive atmosphere.

...and the train timetable is quite frankly a disgrace - why does it take 5 and a half hours to get from Bristol to Leeds at the weekend - I'm not really impressed by all these anti-car anti-airline politicians, when our trains are so hopeless.