So the day finally arrived to an eagerly anticipated 10k at Leeds Abbey Dash. I'd smashed by PB here last year and I was looking forward to doing the same again. Like last year, Dweezil Zappa was in town which is a bizarre coincidence, he was fantastic as usual, playing his old man's Roxy and Elsewhere set. These events bring out lads I only ever see at weddings and funerals these days so it was great to catch up with friends past and present.

Anyway, back to the running! After a chance meeting with Dale on a Thursday run last year I told him he should enter Leeds, all but guaranteeing him a PB! I didn't really know Dale then, I'd seen his face before at PLS but he'd only just started training with Neil and co. 12 months down the line and Dale's the captain and making a great job of organizing trips to races and rallying the troops for cross country and the relays. Like the Blackpool 10 miler, Dale had sorted a minibus for Leeds.

The bus was to leave from Richie Houston's APH, the hq for PLS extra curricular social activities, at 6:45 prompt - unfortunately the driver let Dale down and we all had to pile in cars, mine being one them, and head up to Leeds. An annoying inconvenience because I was looking forward to the rest and the banter with the other guys and gals, not to worry, I had the double act of Lawrence the Arch Bishop of Banterberry and Cristina to keep me and Lyndon entertained.

We arrived in just over an hour, had a coffee and toilet break then headed for a warm up. I bumped into Nick Jackson who I train with in work and done a few striders with him before cramming into the start.

The start had changed in the race as had the outward route of the course, turning into an industrial estate for around 800 metres. I set off steady but it was really congested compare to last year, I wasn't hampered but it was tight and I was worried about getting tripped for the first 2k. The Abbey Dash is a point to point and I settled in, aiming to get to the 5k point in around 17:45 then giving it more on the faster return.

I felt like I was working a bit harder than I'd have liked but didn't panic and kept pushing on. At he turn it appeared I was close to 18 mins which was odd because the average on the garmin was 3.31 per k. I carried pushing and felt a bit of a pinch around 6k but this passed and I started picking runners off left right and centre.

The average was now clocking 3.29 per k and as I hit the fly over I braced myself for the sprint in but to my annoyance, the big clock over the finish was showing over 35 mins! I sprinted as best I could, having to move really wide to get around a crowd of runners who'd either ran out of gas or couldn't go any quicker. I crossed the line in 35.18, a pb by 2 seconds but the garmin showed I'd ran 10.13m

These thing happen in races, especially when they’ve moved the start and change the route! The majority of runners I spoke to also had the course long. I was dissapointed not tot get under 35, especially since I'd passed through 10 k in 34.48, but I was really pleased with the performance. I know I'm in great shape defo moving forward.

Pretty much all the Penny Lane lads and lasses got PB's and we had a few drinks back at HQ to celebrate a great day all round. Cross Country at Arrowe Park is next for me, following on from Leeds I'm confident of getting my first top 10 finish.