Rich Storey, STONZ Vice President shares his recent experience of training and completing the ‘longest day’ as part of the 2022 Coast to Coast whilst still working and studying.
This year I was fortunate enough to compete in and complete the Coast to Coast one day multisport race. A bucket list event for me and something I couldn't have done without the solid support of friends and family. As it took me 10 hours or so per week training, doing it as a SET 4 trainee certainly raised some eyebrows. However, a wise person once said to me; "if you really want to do something, do it when you’re busy or risk not doing it at all", so, I bit the bullet and went for it. Here are my reflections:
All too early in the RMO journey it's common to feel the unrelenting vacuum of hospital life sucking up your spare time such that your identity as a person outside of work can be lost. Hospital demands, your ambition and your own caring nature are powerful forces that need to be kept in check. For me, committing to an activity that I have always wanted to do restored my sense of self and improved my work satisfaction. Consider your sports/arts/adventures/events etc carefully and if you feel that they have been lost along the way don't be afraid to put them back in.