Talking of which I'm starting this blog on high. It's been three months since I collapsed on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge and my subsequent TIA. So why the high? Well despite my appointment running two hours behind schedule on Friday (it was worth the wait) I've been given the all clear.
All my tests, of which there have been many, have come back negative. According my consultant I'm in reasonably good shape for a man of my age. There's no furring of my arteries and I have a strong and healthy heart and there are no abnormalities in my brain. Although I know one or two people who might question the last point. That's a huge relief. I can remember my father dying of a combined stroke and heart attack and having to give him CRP while waiting for the ambulance. That's not something I want to put my children through if I can help it.
The interesting thing that all this has thrown up for me is that the psychological impact can be far more significant than the physical. I know people who are still struggling to regain their confidence and independence three years after a TIA.
Looking back I think the main psychological impact for me is that it feels like my life has been on hold for the last three months while waiting for the results. My gym routines collapsed and I've only done one walk since my ill-fated attempt to set a new personal best for the Yorkshire Three Peaks.
So I guess my 'mission' for 2016 is to take my consultants advice to heart. 'Have a good blow out over Christmas, then get back to the gym, get fit, and keep on enjoying the things you do like hill-walking'. Assuming that goes to plan I also need to come up with an insane challenge, to throw down a marker against the ageing process and let the world know I will not “gentle into that good night".
Putting my Yorkshire Three Peaks demons to rest and hopefully bagging that sub-ten-hour time is one thing to aim for. Apparently no one has officially claimed a time for doing it twice back-to-back, 48 miles and 10,400ft of ascent in under 24 hours. While the Ennerdale Horseshoe one of the Lakes Districts epics (25 miles and 10,000ft of ascent) is also on my bucket-list. So I definitely fell some midsummer madness coming on, perhaps to raise money for an appropriate charity.
On the writing front, in a discussion of zombie moves with work colleagues, we identified what we believe is a gap in the market, Soviet era zombies. We've already got the outline of a plot worthy of a Hollywood worth pitch, so I guess that's something I might also be putting some time and effort into over the coming months.