The race tonight underlined my lack of recent hard training. My slug-like 23.53 might also have reflected somewhat a bank holiday weekend where the only exercise I got was a walk to the Seymour Inn (where I can report the Liberation Ale is in fine nick.)

I’m under no illusions when turning up for club races, as opposed to Open races such as the 10k nine days ago. The field will be made up almost exclusively of ‘proper’ runners i.e. those that have a talent for this lark. I’m always going to be down with the dead men, and so it proved again. The Les Platons course is a picturesque one along the highest part of the Island – it’s an out-and-back from the car park to the Le Vesconte monument. The pecking order sorted itself out early in the race and when I saw the likes of Sue Le Ruez and the Mawsons just in front of me I knew that I wasn’t going to be passing anybody; sure enough they soon pulled away. I can’t remember the last 5k race I ran but I know that they are hard work and you run hard all the way – no time for cruising. But it was like I was pulling a sledge tonight. Lyndon Farnham – much the same standard as me, was just in front and I tried to hold the gap but, fair play to him, he too pulled away steadily. As I approached the monument Tom Kearns and Dave Ibbotson were locked in combat on the return trip (and it was Dave who eventually won.) I pressed as hard as I could but to little avail and my time represented a speed of 7.42m/m which isn’t good enough. Amongst those beating me was an 11 year-old which says it all, though young Maher has pedigree that I don’t. And at least I kept one bloke and three women behind me.

There was consolation a little later when every one of my eight-strong Couch to 5k group completed a 25-minute non-stop jog, including Wendy who hadn’t managed more than 15mins before. Well done to them and only a couple of weeks to go to the big one! This morning (Wed) a bit of self-flagellation as I pushed harder than I am accustomed to on my morning 3.6 mile circuit from Victor Hugo along the coast road and up Ponterson Lane, Rue de la Croix and Rue du Maupertuis back home in a PB of 29.52!