I had also run the 9. Twickenham 10K but some low-life had stolen the medals. It was all over the local press down there and the whole incident left a very bad taste in my mouth. I had also run my first virtual race, the Virtual Half Mary organised through Twitter but was awaiting the arrival of that medal from the US too.

I had not cancelled any race, I had finished every race I had competed in and was progressing. From zero to 2 halves in a week, 10K times getting faster and faster, and with a full 2013 calendar, I was going great runs.

I then developed the Flu, for the first time in my life and it knocked me on my ass. So I was bed-ridden for Christmas week and up through my Birthday (29th) and into the New Year, now had no instant gratification (bling) from the previous two races and was feeling very low in my private life too. Running should have been the thing that I loved and was keeping me going, but it stopped being that and started being something else I wasn’t doing.

• I missed the LES HUTTON 10 MILER (Dartford) in January because I was sick still.
• I missed the BROMLEY 10K because I was sick too.
• I missed the GUNNERSBURY 10K.

It wasn’t until the 10. Tunbridge Wells Half that I started running again, without training, and completed it, then the 11. Paris half a week later.

Things got back on track, I ran in 12. Charlotte North Carolina around a NASCAR arena (1/2), and 13. New Orleans 6 days later (10K), then came back to the UK and ran the 14. Rock n Roll half in Edinburgh before finally completing a year running and starting the next with my favourite race, the 15. BUPA London 10K.

I have run 6 races since, 16. Torbay Half, 17. York 10K, 18. Orange Appeal 10K, 19. Regents Park10K, 20. Bushy Park Half, and the 21. London Zoo 10K however, I didn’t go to:

• Shakespeare Half
• Luxembourg Night Marathon
• Bacchus Half Marathon
• Richmond Park 10K
• Thames Path Half Marathon
• Berlin Marathon

21 races, but it is the 9 I have missed that really get me down. My gym too, I moved house and now have a Fitness First Black Label gym at the end of my street, but it is hot, and crammed with city wankers, and there is no AC. So I do not train at the gym anymore, only on the road.

So, my original plan, when I took all this running malarkey up, was to run a marathon in 18 months. I had booked Berlin specifically because it was the 40th running, in my 40th year.  It would have been 18 months from the first Bupa London 10K I ever run and would have shown me I had made massive improvement. This was it, the pinnacle. And I bottled it. I could have probably run it, I would have been ok, but with lack of training and a lot of niggles, it made sense not to. I saw a guy the night after the race, he could barely walk, retired after 4 miles, and his year is shot. I do not want that. Not that this is an excuse. I am a failure. And this proved it to me. I have barely run since.

JostRunning and their virtual medals were supposed to give me the shot in the arm I needed but the Oktoberfest medals haven’t even been sent out. So now I have lost interest in them and their fantastic bling because they are unreliable.

What else can I do?

I have the Great South Run in 2 weeks but presently have a bit of a tickle in my chest with the change in weather. I also am in the US running the Walt Disney World Wine and Dine half in November, then Movember again but that is it for the year. And I am not enamored with anything.

Next year I had decided to fall in love with running again. I am presently booked on:

• The deferred LES HUTTON 10 MILER I missed this year
• Longleat 10K
• Rome Half
• Milan Marathon
• London 10K (as always)
• Rock and Roll Half Dublin
• Bournemouth Half

In summary I have fallen out of love with running a second time. I am not training, I have races planned but am not looking forward to them really. I am hoping the Great South Run will give me the shot in the arm I need. I really do. As this funk about running sucks.