The last few weeks have been interesting to say the least. While in the desert I had plenty of time to contemplate and take stock of my life and I came to some interesting conclusions. I am very lucky in so many ways and life really is great. For the last few years I have been working for a good international company in the healthcare sector where I rose quickly to well paid management position. On reflection I decided to make some changes and work is one of them. On my return from Namibia I found myself with a choice change job within the company or leave and chase down the dream. I applied for and accepted, a place at Medical School studying for a Masters degree in Exercise for Health which starts in October.
Why would I choose to become unemployed in the middle of a recession you may ask? Because life should be lived with passion and I firmly believe that chasing down my passion is the key to success and happiness. I was very good at my job but it was not my passion, yet I would often work very long hours and have to make all sorts of sacrifices for my work. So I reasoned that if I am to work long hours and do unpaid overtime I should at least be passionate about it. So I have a plan which will unfold over the next two years.
I’m a firm believer that everything comes to you at the right time and place and so it seems to be, my decision coincided with an organisational restructuring at work and eventually it worked out well for both the company and me. Although they tempted me with a couple of other positions I have stuck with my gut feel on this one and so as of the end of Aug I’m no longer in full time employment. One by one the pieces of the jigsaw have been falling into place my favourite customer in Ireland offered me work as a Radiographer part time and my former employer in London has done the same. Having decided to become a professional adventurer I found myself being offered a place to run in next year’s Marathon Des Sables and also to join a two man team to Row in the Woodvale Challenge 2011.
The Woodvale Challenge is the toughest rowing race in the world, it is a Rowing race some 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, so on the 4th Dec 2011 Thomas Crawford Fitzsimon and I will start rowing from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in a race we fully intend to win. We have a few challenges to overcome between now and then, firstly we need to raise £70,000 in corporate sponsorship (if any of you would like to sponsor us please let me know), Thomas has to learn to swim, we both need to learn to row, both have to pass Sea Survival courses, VHF Radio operator courses, Sea Navigation Courses and hopefully our day skipper qualification. Its a long road and full of challenge but we will get there.
The Marathon Des Sables is a self supporting 256Km seven day multi-stage race through the Sahara desert, I am lucky to secure a place as there is currently a two year waiting list for would be runners. I will be running for team Facing Africa and raising money to fight a terrible condition called NOMA. NOMA eats away at the faces of children causing horrific injuries from which the majority of sufferers die; those who don’t have their lives wrecked by the facial disfigurement and associated complications. Facing Africa raises money to send medical and surgical teams out to Africa to perform facial reconstruction on these children to give them back their lives.
I’m currently between Ireland and the UK which is playing havoc with my training program but I am back running and now starting to ramp up my training for the Marathon Des Sable in April. Its going to be quite a journey and I can promise some adventures along the way so keep checking back here for the latest.
