Last Blog!
I always thought that you really had to achieve something very special to announce that you are retiring from a sport and I was happy, as an old guy in running terms, just to call it a day and walk away. However, Simon asked if I would write a little about my decisions and blog one last time....
My career has certainly been mixed, I have no doubt that I have under achieved in many ways and not run the times I know I was probably capable of, that being said I have been running competitively for 22 years and had an International 'career' (for a better word) proudly wearing the British vest since way back in 1997 up till the European Indoor Final last year. You make decisions through life and have to stand by them, I spent 15 years with the same coach and maybe if I had changed sooner I would have run faster, maybe if I had changed training venues instead of largely training on my own, maybe if I had done lots of things, all ifs and buts. One thing is for sure and that is I have had some incredible life experiences and have been and raced all over the World in some fantastic places. Travel and making friends from one side of the World to the other has been a driving force for me and I am extremely grateful to the sport for giving me those opportunites. That being said your priorities change, this is an extremely hard sport to make any money and without the support of family and friends I wouldn't have been able to carry on for as long as I have. As a single guy travelling around is far more fun, but now I have a responsibility to myself and my family to look to the future and make sure that I can provide for them. I am very aware that at my ripe old age of 31 I am not getting any younger and you start thinking about the future and the fact you have no real proper job, no pension, no money in the bank. Ok, so the Olympics are coming up and some would say that I might be stupid not to try one last time, but I am concerned about trying to look for a job at 33/34 instead of now. This is not the main reason though, I have simply stopped enjoying racing. I always told myself that I would know when to stop when I was training just to get slower or not enjoying the sport. Last week I raced in Paris, which sounds very glamouros and sometimes it can be, these past few weeks I have raced in Bermuda, New York and then Paris staying in 5 star hotels, looked after well and generally having a great time, but the large majority of races it is not like this. Here I was in a motorway hotel, middle of nowhere, sharing a tiny room with a French Moroccan who didn't speak English, eating on my own and just thinking this really is crap! Felix Sanchez the former Olympic Champion was in the same boat, sat across a table from me and I thought other then the money he gets to turn up, there really is no difference, that actually was pretty depressing and quite frankly I wanted to be at home. That's when I really knew my time had come to call it a day. As it happens I have been fortunate to be given a job for a British Company based in Switzerland, but I have to re-train, study and have exams before I am able to undertake the work. It has been extremely difficult to find work in a country that has four official languages and of which I have only basic German, and so I think it would be foolish of me to turn down this opportunity to carry on running and chasing the dream to run in the Olympics. The truth be told my time was Athens, fastest in Britain, running well but due to one terrible race at the Nationals over looked. Beijing was so near and so far, but I was proud of myself to come back from a major operation to remove a tumour from my left lung and take 4th place at the trials, but sadly not quite enough. Again if's and but's and politics...ce la vie!
If I am to be successful at this new job I need to focus 100% and if I want to be successful at running you need to focus 100%. One has to go and to be honest it was an easy decision, given that is how I feel, it certainly is the right one. Someone joked (or maybe being serious) on the forum that its good riddance me leaving because I am a tax exile, chance would be a fine thing, I think they may have been confusing me with a certain Lewis Hamilton! Last year I made a total of 3,000 dollars from running, a shame that when you are running for your country and making major finals you can't even earn more than somebody stacking shelves in a supermarket, but hey that's life and this sport. As such, I hate the fact that I have to rely on my family for support, hate the fact I cannot do simple things like even booking a restaurant and going out for dinner. Living on the breadline is not much fun and for me time is now to put effort into getting the financial rewards and stability that this sport was never able to provide me.
I shall still continue to run, it's in the blood and actually I am in pretty good shape over distances like 10k, but I have not been able to do the training required to run fast over the middle distances, whether it has been due to the snow here or simply lack of motivation (last year you could find me all alone clearing my local track from snow with spades and shovels for a couple of hours just to get a session in, this year I haven't bothered and just run easy, again maybe a sign)
I am also very aware that I still have some responsibilities in the sport. As Captain of Belgrave Road Team my focus will be the National 12 Stage and an event I still get a huge amount of enjoyment from, so I shall still be running with this in mind and generally to stay healthy and in shape, it is also in my opinion one of, if not the best way to get rid of stress.
So without any real structure from now on and no real motivation I called time on my blogs on here. Simon and the guys behind this venture have done a wonderful job with this site and I hope it continues to grow. It is important that sites like these exist for athletes to debate, discuss and generally help build athletics up to the London Olympiics, lets face it UKA website doesn't help much :-) It is also time for some young blood, and I hope that I get replaced by a promising athlete that can maybe use this site as a launch pad for their own career.
Thanks for reading my blogs, it has been fun!
Sp8y
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Comments On "Last Blog!"
Neil - you are an inspiration mate. It's a shame you were never rewarded for all your efforts, but you can't put a price on some awesome memories...
Guest 2010-02-17 12:08:01Remember we have had some good moments in this sport sp8y, as we have always said 'we might not have run as fast as some, but we still got to see the world on someone else's tab'! plus the amount of races that we got invited back to each year- which is a sign that we never took them for granted. Hopefully a few more trips away as i think at least one more stab at immortality in bermuda is worth it!
JT 2010-02-11 17:45:09Give my love to kati and remember my being selfish brought you together!!
Cheers JT
Considering the whole length of your career I have only been able to follow a short part of it but it was still enough to understand that being an international athlete is not always as glamorous as it might sound. All the training in all sorts of conditions, the hopes, disappointments, the disregard, all the ups and downs and all the (financial) worries.. putting yourself through that for such a long time shows true commitment. I am sure you know how proud I feel to have met you, that despite the worries we have had I would not for one second have hesitated to keep supporting you if you had decided otherwise and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be the one that is going to spend this next part of your life with you – at least.
KT 2010-02-10 19:39:51Dont be too nice to sp8y!! This is a guy who when I went with him to the european clubs after the race we went out and while I was getting a drink he put my name down for a song, next thing a guy gets up and says "next up on the mic is Simon Jones and im on stage singing maggie may"! also the night before we left for portugal I was sitting in the hotel room eating and watching corrie and someone is climbing in the window...I sh*t myself and as the curtain went back it was sp8y, he went out but didnt have a key so left the window latch off, never been so scared!
simx 2010-02-10 15:52:44All that said big sp8y has done a lot for me in running and I wont forget it, as sharpy said hotel jonsey is always open.
simx
You
Hi mate good luck with eveything you have been LEGEND for the Runnerslife website hopefully be seeing you at the relays and even Will`s stag and wedding take care best of luck for the future
Darren 2010-02-10 15:15:25I'm fairly new to the site but have really enjoyed reading up on your blogs, even trawled back through the older stuff which gave a great picture of how youve dealt with training/racing and unfortunatly injury.
Rob Seaton 2010-02-10 14:25:47I'm nowhere near the level of yourself but i really enjoy my running and tbh its a bit gutting to read that your calling it a day. I'm glad your still going to run.... just for the fun of it and hope you do well in your future endevors.
Thanks
Sp8y 2010-02-10 08:42:39Nick what are you talking about, wanting to quit? There might not have been financial rewards, but this sport has given me life experiences that cannot be bought. I love my life and all that I have done. It was a race here in Switzerland that lead me to meeting Kati and moving here, so maybe running has paid me after all! I'm just saying that at my age I need to prioritise what is now more important to me, and training to be an elite athlete is not going to help me in the next 30 years. Nick you are a wonderfully talented athlete and if you continue to do as you are, you will be very successful.
Sharpy we didn't speak before Bels because I didn't like you and only after I joined because I was forced to by Alan!! Only joking, its been such a laugh, really good times. I shall be at the relays don't you worry, we have a title to defend!
Thanks for all the other comments, it is very much appreciated and I wish everyone all the best for their own running goals.
Sp8y
It's tragic that someone so talented can be forced to make do on the breadline whilst idiots on reality shows can make millions.
Bryn R 2010-02-10 03:41:51Congratulations on an incredibly impressive career and I really hope to see you "do a Yelling" for the Olympics - got to be worth a few track sessions and a plane ticket? ;)
Best of luck out there.
It's completely understable why you've decided to call it a day, but it still seems sad to see you head off in a new direction, probably because, as you said yourself, it seems you never quite got the success or recognition of which you showed on occassion that you were certainly worthy.
Paps 2010-02-09 21:21:58I only ever spoke to you once breifly at the six stage this year, but I thought the fact you stopped to have a chat with some random guy you had never met before but said he had read these blogs showed what a nice guy you were.
I hope you have a lot of happy memories of your days in the sport and despite you falling out of love with the competing side of things in recent times you will look back with a smile. All the best with your future endeavours and I hope it brings you all the things athletics couldn't.
Sp8y I really hope you stay with us in some shape or form. I would miss our laugh's at dinner, the night outs etc......
Sharpy 2010-02-09 19:08:27Its funny all these years we have both been running we never really spoke that much before Belgrave. But over the last 4 or so years I have really enjoyed having you around. Please, please stay in touch and if your ever in Droitwich my door is always open.
Love you always.
Sharpy
x
Reading this blog and seeing how much you achieved and how little you got from it makes me want to quit! You've given everyone some good reads and it's a shame you're leaving the site.
Nick Goolab 2010-02-09 18:35:15All the best with your work leading up to the new job and hope to see you soon.
Nick
Your are an alltime legend of running, and I am sure that everyone wishes you the best of luck in any future endeavours.
Markkkkkkkkk 2010-02-09 18:03:21Thanks
Sad Day
Neil,
AK 2010-02-09 14:10:41Followed your blogs on here for a while but have never posted.
Just wanted to say good luck with your new career, i hope it brings you plenty of joy and success.
All the best
Andy
Thanks Charles!! Look forward to catching up at the relays once Simon has got over his injury problems.
Sp8y 2010-02-09 11:17:46Wayne, the privilege has been all mine, to have been surrounded by so many great and supportive people is very humbling, but scary isn't it? Eight years since I first ran 1.46 and 20 years since I turned up at our local track!! I'm back home Thursday week, so shall have to go for a beer on Friday the 19th-put it in the diary!!
Speak to you later.
Thanks
Isn`t it just typical. That last blog was your best. Good luck with your new career Sp8ty and thanks for supporting RunnersLife. What about downhill skiing?
Charles 2010-02-09 10:50:09Thanks
Neil,
Wayne 2010-02-09 10:08:25What a privilege it has been for me to have followed your career at such close range for so many years. Close enough to know that there aren't many more determined people in life than you. It has all been so exciting to have been on the Speaight bandwagon.
Is it really almost eight years since I got the call from you to say that you'd broken 1:47.00 in Ireland!!!
My best wishes to you in your future endeavours.
Thank you!
Wayne