Apologies for the delay in writing this lates article - it's been a busy month at work for me and my fiancé and I are also busy with wedding preparations for next month.

I was disappointed to have to withdraw from my Watford BMC 5,000m race last month on the morning of the race. Training has been going well over the last two months but a couple of days before the race I picked up a shin strain which was too painful to run on and despite ice, heat, stretching, massage etc. it was still sore on the Saturday morning so I was left with no option but to pull out. This year my focus is making a good Marathon debut so although it was frustrating to withdraw I had to put it into perspective and move on with training instead.

July is due to be a very busy month for me with 5 races planned, including 2 'work races' for my employers. The company I work for, Legal & General, have always had a good presence in corporate running races and I enjoy running for them as it gives me a chance to give something back and hopefully get them some good exposure in the process. I've had a good win ratio in these races in the past and hopefully I can continue my winning streak, although every year there seems to be more and more top runners racing in these events.

Both races are run over a relatively short distance and I'm looking forward to making use of my new racing flats, which are just fantastic. I've been sponsored by Asics for around 5 years now and their range of trainers have always been good, but these new Asics Piranha racing flats are something else. They are an ultra-lightweight racer, which make my previous racing flats feel like clumpy running trainers! I've honestly never run in such a light pair of trainers and having worn them in my last couple of races I can't recommend them enough!

My next 'proper' race is a 5,000m at the Solihull BMC Grand Prix this coming Saturday. Hopefully barring any silly injuries I will make it to the start line this time and have a good race. It's difficult to set a target for the race since I haven't raced on the track for over a year now, and I've also done very few sessions on the track, but I'm confident of running well and fingers crossed a sub-14minute performance.

Until next time...