Bank Holiday Madness!

May bank holidays! A time to kick back, relax, have a beer in the sun, a walk in the park, or as a friend and I thought, a ride to Southend from London through the beautiful Essex countryside. 

From Mile End to the seaside in Southend it is a nice, fairly easy 50 miles with plenty of undulating quiet roads to navigate. After negotiating Stratford, we were heading towards Romford via the scenic Gants Hill route (Don't worry, you don't actually have to cycle through Romford). Harold hill is the next target which takes you into the nicest part of the route, through Brentwood. This is a new route for me and I was pleasantly surprised to find such nice country cycling roads less than an hour from my front door. After leaving Brentwood and heading through Billericay, wide open roads continued through the villages that mark the way towards Wickford. However, it was in Billericay that I witnessed something that I am still struggling to understand. 

I was cycling about 5 meters behind my fellow cyclist when a white van came shooting past. It veered over to the left deliberately towards my friend, coming within inches of his handlebars. I genuinely thought at that point that the van driver was attempting to knock him off. However, what came next was astonishing. The passenger in the white van swung what appeared to be a phone charger by the wire and smashed it down onto the helmet of my fellow cyclist. It shattered across the road as he came to a halt while the van carried on. We stopped for about 5 minutes to take in what had happened. Thankfully, no damage was done, but unfortunately, we didn't see the registration number, or company on the van. We continued on to Southend, but to be honest, I didn't enjoy the rest of the ride. I felt sick!

Aggression towards cyclists is constantly in the news. Recently, Emma Way, a 20 year old tweeted about knocking a cyclist off his bike! Not only did she fail to stop, she boasted about her dangerous activity online. Her stupidity landed her in hot water not too long after however. She is training to be a tax advisor (not sure for how long now) which is even more disappointing because she obviously doesn't realise that road tax does not pay for the roads, it pays for vehicle emissions. We all have a right to use our roads without intimidation and bullying. 

I still don't know how I feel about what happened. I don't know what provoked the actions of the white van man and his accomplice. I don't know if either of them have stopped and thought about what they did, why they did it, or if they ever will. I don't think so. However, we will be back on our bikes, and so will all the other victims of road rage. Hopefully in time, these sorts of incidents will become a thing of the past.

Ironwoman

I have just finished a 4 week stint in Obstetrics (birth) and Gynaecology (dealing with the consequences of birth) and couldn't help but draw comparisons to Ironman racing. For a long time now, I have been anxiously excited about my upcoming Ironman Wales race. Why the anxiety? Well it is probably because it will involve experiencing things that I will never have felt before! Extreme exhaustion, new levels of pain, metal fatigue, elation (if successful), and a barrage of other emotions I am sure I will encounter. But, what is the worst that can happen? I quit? Unlikely but who knows? I die? Extremely unlikely but nevertheless possible (there have been two unfortunate deaths this year).

So how does having a baby have parallels with racing an Ironman:

1) You plan to do it - You make a sensible decision that is well thought through! Or you end up inadvertently signing up while pissed.

2) You build up to the big day for 9 months - Its a long slog preparing for that big day, and give a few weeks here or there, takes approximately 9 months in total. There are regular tests along the way to make sure everything is going according to plan. You become demanding, eat strange foods, think the world revolves around you, and moan about how hard it is.

3) The big day comes - 12 hours of pain ensue! It starts off fairly gentle, however, after you have broken the water section, comes the long cycle! Then you are into the home straight, a punishing marathon before the crowning glory!

         

4) A lifetime of bragging - As the memories of the pain of that day become a distant memory, what you have left is priceless! 

5) Possibly some residual injuries - Most people get through unscathed, however a few have battle scars for life (which may be surgically correctable).

However, my month in Obs and Gynae has put a sense of perspective on what I am trying to do:

To all the woman who allowed me to be part of their big day on the labour ward, and in fact to any woman that has been through a pregnancy, I take my hat off to you! However, weighing up the options, I would take an Ironman race any day over that!

Why the Ironman will help me to become a Neurosurgeon!

I started medical school 4 years ago, and I only have one more to go now. There was a time when I thought becoming a Doctor was impossible. How would I go from being a college student, to being a medical student, and navigating my way through to the other side? Well I have nearly done it. It has been hard, but it has been fun, and I have learnt a lot about myself and what type of person I want to be. I also knew quite quickly that I wanted to be a neurosurgeon eventually. This again seemed like an impossible task upon first considering it. However, what I have learnt is that if you want something, you have to learn how to make it happen, not just wish for it to happen. So how does this relate to the Ironman?

When I decided to enter my first triathlon last spring, I obviously spent time navigating the internet for information about races. I entered an Olympic distance race set to be held at Dorney Lake in September. Although I was excited about training for and competing in this race, I couldn't help but be captivated by the Ironman videos I had seen online.

I deliberated for a few weeks, researched the races, but eventually couldn't resist! I wanted to take on this challenge. Test myself to the limits. Hear the words "You are an Ironman" as you cross the finish line. So I signed up!

For me personally, my reasons for wanting to complete the Ironman were uniquely diverse. I wanted the health benefits that would come with being in the physical condition that would be required to complete the race. I wanted to experience the atmosphere captured in the videos and stories about Ironman races. But most importantly, I wanted to test myself mentally. I wanted to experience commitment to something difficult, out of my comfort zone, requiring new skills and unfamiliar territory. The prospect of finishing an Ironman race has certainly ensured this.

When people ask what type of doctor I want to be, and I say "A neurosurgeon", I get the same response as when I tell people I am doing an Ironman, "Wow, I couldn't do that". Why, because things seem impossible if we don't have a plan for how we wish to achieve them. Neurosurgery requires dedication and commitment,  meticulous planning and execution, a drive to do things perfectly, and a desire to produce a result that is not down to chance. For me, preparing for the Ironman encompasses all of this, and success will give me the confidence to pursue my academic dream.

To my knowledge, there is only one neurosurgeon who competes in Ironman Triathlons and his name is Dr Joseph Maroon. He still operates 3 days a week, and has completed over 70 triathlons, of which 7 were Ironman races, and guess what, he is 70 years young. He has even written a book entitled "The longevity factor: How Resveratrol and red wine activate genes for a longer and healthier life". Well I can't get better than that for inspiration! At least there is someone else in the world as crazy as me.

4 months to my Ironman Wales dream...

I had a massive attack of negative thoughts! How am I ever going to complete the Ironman? I have only ever done one triathlon, an olympic distance race last year.  I am starting to think that the appeal of Ironman status may have over ridden the stupidity of the idea. Why has the doubt started creeping in?

Possibly because I am starting to believe the comments I keep getting from friends and family, that this is crazy. Swimming in the sea for over an hour, not easy at the best of times, especially with 1500 other flailing arms and legs. A 112 mile bike ride! Also not easy, but certainly achievable. But a marathon to finish the day! This is the part that causes suggestions of insanity, and has started to stop me falling asleep as easily as I used to. I am going to tell you about my Ironman Wales journey, so read on, and feel free to post advice, suggestions, or encouragement in the comments below!

Watch this amazing motivational video by Ben Walton to see what it's all about.