Rehabilitation for a ruptured Achilles is a long process. Everyone told me this, the doctors, physiotherapists and friends who had ruptured their Achilles. Perhaps one of the longest required for an injury. My doctor told me it could take as long as 24 months to recover. If I was lucky as short as six, but generally around 12. A calculation in my head determined that there was a possibility I could race next season. Immediacy I cemented this as my goal. Without this, rehab for the sake of rehab would be tough. So there it was, I would learn to run again.

Saturday morning passed quite quickly. For the third time in six weeks I was down in the operating theatres. I was a regular now. The operation was over before I knew it. Again waking up unsure of what had happened. Again I came crashing back to reality in no time at all.

When I got to hospital, I was put on a drip. Antibiotics were pumped through my body. For the entire night and day, I waited restlessly for the second operation. There was nothing else for me to think about. I just had to wait. Finally at about 7.30pm I was prepped for surgery. This time was much harder. I'd been waiting for this all day.

My leg was in a plaster cast for two weeks. When it came off my ankle was incredibly stiff. I could barely move it and my heal wouldn't touch the ground. I wondered if I would I ever get my foot flat on the ground again? The orthotist fitted me with a boot. My heal had to be chocked up about 5cm because it was so stiff. Gradually I would learn to move my ankle and remove the chunks of foam from under my heal, stretching it back to the ground.