Wetherby 10k

 I managed a good 9 days or so without any ankle problems whilst out running so I took up the offer from Phil Utley Thirsk in joining him for a speed session at the sports field at Knayton. After I had explained my situation of doing next to nothing for months on end he kindly decided to test my ankle, fitness and mental strength to their maximum with a session of 5 minutes of hard running with 2 minutes rest by four times. John Worrel also came along for some punishment and after a quick warm up the training began. To cut a long story short there was next to nothing between us after each 5 minute interval and seeing as Phil was in 37 minute 10k shape I felt I might just be able to squeeze under the 37 minute barrier myself for the up and coming 10k race at Wetherby.
  Wetherby 10k -  My prediction before the race was 36 minutes and 40 seconds but it was a bit windy to say the least but I convinced myself I could do it. For some strange reason I lead the race from the start which was a total surprise and to be honest I felt quite comfortable and it wasn't until after 1/2km that other runners decided to come pouring past me. The first 3km weren't too bad as the wind seemed to be helping us along but soon as we had to do some work into the wind my lack of fitness showed its ugly head. By the time I had reached half way I had found a good compromise between how fast I could run and the amount of pain I could sustain, which in turn boosted my moral and gave me the feeling of enjoyment to be racing again. The last four km's seemed to fly by even though I was stuck in no-mans land between runners and I crossed the line in 35minutes 56 seconds. I think I was 14th and the the best news for me was my ankle felt ok.
  I have always enjoyed doing the Wetherby 10k  and so must a lot of other runners as this year race had a 1000 runners.