When Dominic Shaw beat the Darlington 10k record twice

Dear me, I'm cringing at the state of that intro as I write here and I feel the need to point out that I was urged to do this by the newsdesk and I'm not that full of myself that I'd have suggested it myself!

Before Father Time beat me and decided my body couldn't cope with the hammering of the roads anymore, I ran for New Marske Harriers and won at Darlington in 2017, 2018 and 2019, twice setting a course record.

It's a brilliant race, superbly organised, on a fast and enjoyable course and the atmosphere and crowds are always great.

In my work as a football reporter, I've spoken to plenty of former players who've told of their regret at not taking a step back and cherishing moments, instead immediately focusing on the next goal.

I know what they mean. As much as those wins were magical for me, at the time I just kind of imagined those special times would last forever. I look back now and truly realise how much they meant and always will mean to me.

The first year the field was stacked and in my heart of hearts, I didn't really believe I could win, surprising myself as I got a gap in the last kilometre. As buzzing as I was, there was an element of what could have been, missing out on sub 30 minutes by two seconds, which made the third year all the more special when I ran 29:56.

If you're running this weekend, get stuck in. The course isn't easy but you can get after it. But don't worry too much about the times. There's an obsession with what the watch says these days but the joy of running is movement, pushing the body and the satisfactory feeling of achievement, regardless of what time you run and where you finish.

There's nothing I'd love more than being on that start line but unfortunately, an injury that a couple of operations couldn't fix stopped me in my tracks.

The memories will stay with me forever, though. Enjoy it on Sunday.