Have a break, have a kitkat.

It's time to take a break from running for a number of reasons. Mainly because my aching body with a knackered Achilles, the worst of a number of niggles, is forcing me too. I also think because of the injuries I have lost that spark and motivation with a tell tale sign of not even getting nervous at recent races.

It was probably always going to end badly and should have stopped after the AAA's track to sort things out properly but when I started the year the plan was to train hard, do some distance stuff in spring, sharpen up in the summer and then be flying in the autumn. The first two sections went to plan but the razors edge is a very fine line and the last couple of months I have felt like I have been playing catch up and not really getting on top of things. I spent all of August on the grass trying to get through sessions (injury) didn't hit any of the times in training in September and raced shockingly in October.

I am not in really bad shape but when you can't run flat out it gets really frustrating and Sunday summed it up jogging over the line chatting to Matt Barnes in the Birmingham Half Marathon. I couldn't go faster because as soon as I force the pace (especially on hills and turns) my Achilles starts to tighten and gets pretty sore especially on takeoff....and pulling my left calf on Thursday didn't help matters.

At the current time the feeling is hard to describe, it's not nice but I am old enough to know this is the cycle of running and although I am not going to mope around that doesn't mean I don't care as much as the next guy, but you have to put it in to perspective and I have had my best year ever with personal bests in 5k, 10k, 8mile, 10mile and Half Marathon along with winning races, qualifying for my first track champs and getting in some great training that will help me next year.

Ok, so no one likes to go out on a whimper or end the year in terrible style but I put myself on the line for the team last week and myself on the weekend and I got beaten...well, smashedto be honest, but that's running and more importantly, sport.

I would like to say at this point though that before you think that the coach should of stepped in I take full blame for this because I didn't tell him how bad it was and when I did the 10xmile 2 days after Swansea 10k he actually thought it was better to do an easier run. I also changed sessions like this week where I was trying to hit times in training to regain some confidence when he thought it was better to ease back and go slower, including not doing Cardiff Half last weekend after the relays.....moral of this paragraph is do what the coach says when he has got you into great shape over the previous 14months.

So first day off and not sure how long I will last before I start to jog (injury dependant of course) but I Know there won't be any racing or sessions until at least December and probably no racing until next year. I am off to Lewys's holloween party Saturday so I will enjoy a few white russians and a 'Hayley' breakfast on Sunday rather than a 20miler!

Lastly, thanks to all the runners who got in touch yesterday who understand the frustrations and to Pollard who listened to me moaning for about 20minutes last night and that was just about the X-Factor result!

Simx