As I had hoped, I survived Amsterdam's annual ten-miler, but without being able to claim. as you might say. flying colours. I came in just under 1:28, which is, I suppose, respectable, but still slower than my time from 2005. I'm happy enough with this, as I had back trouble a couple of weeks ago which pretty much torpedoed my final preparations. Better luck next time, eh? Apart from that, the Dam tot Dam lived up to its reputation as a friendly and enjoyable event. The organisation seemed faultless - which is a huge credit to those responsible. The event was won by the Kenyan runner Sammy Kitwara in 45:17.

Here's the record in full, with the official splits at 5km. 10km and 15km

10 miles (16.1 km) - 1:27:57

15km - 1:22:31

10 km - 55:02

5 km - 26:53

Position: 2517 / 7837