Last time I spoke I was pretty much in an ideal place, exactly where I wanted to be ahead of the track season, and thinking that I would be doing nothing other than winning races and setting PBs.

Things, however, have not gone anywhere near to plan. As we speak, the season has been dreadful. I found a deficiency back in the early stages of the season and to this day I’m still waiting for things to improve. It is the most frustrating period of my career by a long, long way. Every race – from my first outing at Trafford, to my most recent run at Solihull – has gone exactly the same way.

I am putting myself in the perfect position, feeling like I am cruising through to 600m, then, for some reason, I have about as much finishing speed as an asthmatic ant carrying heavy shopping (yes Blackadder did need me for the main humour side of all their scripts). I am finishing every race without any real fatigue, which, again, is very, very annoying.

On the whole, training has been quite good. I am running times as good as, if not better than, before, although it is fairly evident that the endurance side is still suffering and has not returned to its usual state. I am hopeful this will come back sooner rather than later, and I’m optimistic that I can still salvage a PB in either the 800m or 1500m before the season is out.

It’s hard not to be disappointed though, when I had to stay at home and watch some really great performances by the guys and girls on the GB team at the European U23s, knowing that, all being well, I should have been there myself. Luckily I have a great group of people close to me who don’t allow me to get too disheartened.

The one positive thing to take out of all the bad is that it has happened this year and not next. I am still as optimistic and confident in my own ability as ever, and this bad patch is only going to serve in making me 110 per cent determined to be on that start line for the London Olympic Games.

The saying “it’s not about how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get back up” is something I am trying to use as a motivational tool. I knew at some point in my career I would have a bad patch – I’m not going to lie, it feels about as good as David Haye’s little toe. But my goal of being the best middle distance athlete in the world will never change. It’s up to me to make that happen, and I will do everything within my power to give myself the best chance.

On a lifestyle note, I have decided to acquire a little puppy into my wolf pack. She is a 10-week old Basset hound puppy, named Fergie (the only way I could relate a female name to Manchester United without too many eyebrows raised… erm… I hope?!)

She is very cute and attracts a lot of attention on our daily walks, so I tend to walk her until she literally just says “No more”. She is not very trained in the house aspect at the moment, which does leave me waking up to more dirty protests than an episode of Strangeways, but is always available on a quiet night in to offer her cuddles of love.

I hope the next time we speak I am flying with and without wings, and not offering an overly depressing piece of mind. Violins aside, I am going to try and kick some derriere for the remainder of 2011 and be in an ideal place for 2012.