AFTER a frustrating season on the sidelines with a foot injury, Jared Polec says his recovery is progressing well and is looking forward to a major milestone in the process – returning to running.

Polec has not played since the Round 5 Showdown win over the Crows having been sidelined with a stress fracture in the navicular bone.

“The bone takes the pressure through the foot and is not a very good bone to break as it has the lowest blood supply going through it so it’s a really slow healing process,” Polec said on FIVEaa.

Polec, 22, visited specialists in Sydney and Melbourne to get the best treatment, and has diligently followed what has been asked of him.

He is now looking forward to starting running in the coming weeks, but in the meantime Polec will continue to study the midfield and take in as much as he can from the coaches while he is on the sideline, while also giving himself time away from the club.

“I try to keep away from it all as well, get a bit of a mental rest because it can be exhausting when you’re injured and are doing sweatbox sessions all the time so it’s good to get away.”