I thought I might throw in a fast kilometre as part of today’s run, mindful of my recent calf problems. When I had a slight twinge during the warmup I almost pulled the pin. But I decided to risk it instead, and I’m glad I did. Given the recent injuries, I felt that anything under 4:00 mins would be a pleasing result. As it turned out, I stopped the clock at 3:39, feeling full of beans. That was really pleasing, especially as I didn’t feel any pain at all in my calf or elsewhere.

This has given me the confidence that I’m ready to get back to my usual time trials, so next week I’ll attempt my old 3 km course again. If I can go under 12 mins I’ll be very happy. It won’t be fast by my past standards, but it certainly will be by recent standards.

I took the photo below in South Dakota on this day six years ago. It was a dull and dreary day on the prairies until I noticed this sign. I’m told it’s the town where my old mate, Reefton Humblewood, was born.