At some point I need to work out how to update my blog page, because this has stopped being about my 'year of suffering', and will now just be random ramblings about current adventures/ climbing/ triathlon... Anyway...
It’s being an interesting first month in Chamonix; a very
stark contrast to the 60-70hr weeks I’ve been working in Paeds A&E over the
last 6 months. I’ve always been very
career-orientated, and after what seems like a constant treadmill of GCSEs >
A-levels > Med School > Foundation training > Specialty training, I
finally felt that I needed to take some time out. I’m almost halfway through my Emergency
Medicine training, and am very fortunate to have been allowed to take 6 months
off and have a job to return to in August.
This couldn’t have come at a better time, especially with
the stress of junior doctor contract imposition; the imposition was announced
the day after we arrived in Chamonix; I sat in the corridor (the only place we
can connect to Wi-Fi) and cried. Who
knows what the contract really means, especially for people like me on time-out
from training, but for now I’m focussed on enjoying this time out, and will
deal with the consequences when I get back.
Clearly I’ve been enjoying Chamonix too much, because I’m
now poorly with laryngitis; I suspect 24 days in a row of playing in the snow (plus
swimming and turbo-training) has pushed me too far; I really will learn the
importance of rest one day soon!!
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| Car loaded and ready to roll... |
So we arrived in Chamonix to heavy rain, and doubts about
winter; the valley looked very black!
Fortunately though, we woke in the morning to fresh snow. The morning was spent moving into our
apartment after a night on Heather’s sofa, before quickly getting out to play
with an afternoon of snow at Les Houches.
This included my first foray into off-piste, complete with tree-crashes!
We’ve quickly settled into Chamonix-life, with an incredibly
social group of ex-pats.
Since arriving
my skiing has improved no-end (although I am by no-means a good skier, and am
scared by anything remotely steep!).
You
just can’t beat a day of blue skis and powder!
With a head for numbers and rotas, my last rota continues to roll
through my head; “you’d be working nights now if you were still in the UK…”
Certainly I know where I’d rather be!
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| Italian coffee in Courmayeur... Mmmmm! |
Highlights since being out here include a day ski-touring
with Heather and Rosie, doing the Col du Cicle, and finally plucking up the
courage to ski the Vallee Blanche and realising I shouldn’t have been so scared
(I do have a rather irrational fear of crevasses and the snow arête down from
the Midi).
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| Skiing with the parent-in-laws (Mel & Ian) |
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| Girls go tour! (Photo- H Flo) |
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| Nervous on the snow arete :S |
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| Loving some powder on the VB |
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| So that's what I've been so scared about... meh! |
I also found out in mid-February that I have qualified for
the British age-group team for the long-distance European Championships this
summer in Poland (eeek!).
I just
scrapped onto the team with a qualifying time of 118% (the cut-off is
120%).
Fortunately I’ve joined the
swimming pool, and am managing to swim 3-4 times a week, as well as getting on
my turbo 2-3 times a week until the snow goes.
I figure skinning up-hill with have to do instead of running for
now.
My main aim in Poland is not to finish
last in my age group!
Thankfully, I have
Grafman in May (middle-distance), followed by Ironman France in June to help me
feel a bit more race-ready, before flying off to Poland in July for the biggie!
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| Beautiful sunset colours. |
Today is day 3.5 of rest for me (the few ski runs I
attempted on Monday had me spluttering and crying in pain), and I’m finally
starting to feel a bit better. Outside
the skies are blue, the sun is shining, and I can see para-gliders drifting down
to land. I'm dying to be better and be back outside playing! I haven’t yet gotten bored of
walking around the valley with my head angled upwards, gazing up at the
surrounding mountains. I feel very
privileged to be able to call the valley my home, for now at least! What a relief to have finally stepped off the medical treadmill for a while!
