It's been a funny few weeks... lots of things are happening, and I think I just need to step back a bit and work out whats best for me.
First off, the knee has not sorted itself out. I went for a run last Monday, and at 6 miles it started to seize again. This is the longest-lasting injury I've had, so I've taken drastic measures (for me) and sought out medical advice. well, to be more specific, I have registered with my GP and coerced him into a referral to a Sports Physio, which my medical insurance are happy to pay for. I have the first consultation on Tuesday. As of right now I'm not sure I will be running the Grim, which is going to really frustrate me, however, I have to be careful to make sure I am fully fit for the Tough Guy and Reading Half next year.
So instead of running I've been pushing forward with the swimming. I have now finished my course of lessons, and now have targeted myself to get up to swimming 1km non-stop. My current record is 500m, which is up a fair step from 8 weeks ago, when 2 lengths would destroy me. More and more I'm realising it's as much about being comfortable in the water and technique as strength and power.
The big thing floating about right now, however, is my job, or more precisely, the potential loss of it. My company announced a series of redundancies about a month ago, and as of today we were advised of some of the specifics. My team of 18 is losing 4, and as of today I am officially "At Risk". I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this...it's all very new and very strange, and quite apart from myself it does rather kill off the office atmosphere. I've been at the company for 11 years, and my understanding is that a redundancy package would be fairly impressive... I have to be honest, there is a part of me willing to take it and move on. Quite aside from the mercenary temptation, there is a fair argument that the place is turning into a career dead-end. Six months ago I was in a good position to push for promotion, however now that is simply not a realistic possibility...redundancies and promotions do not easily share a bed in business.
I have a couple of weeks to think about it...as I have officially been told I'm under threat I will automatically get a quote about the redundancy package, and I suspect my next move will very much be dictated by how large it is. I have to be impressively selfish, and determine the best course of action for me. Take the money, or stay in the box?
Comments
Sad to hear your knee is fubar but yay to the swimming. How many lengths is 500m? Is it 20? That sounds like a lot. Joint things can be made worse by continually hammering
As for work. Sounds like you're in a similar position to Baron (except you live next to the M4 corridoor). Think of the amount of mortgage you could pay off with a big chunkola of cash. It must be really scarey, after ten years, to approach something new but a change is as good as a holiday. It was weird leaving university after 8 but then every few years everything and everyone changed, so it wasn't that odd.
20 lengths is indeed 500 metres. My initial goal is to do a kilometre, and then move upto the mile (64 lengths). The knee is actually feeling better, but there is still a feling of pressre on the one side, and given i'm not paying for it I'd prefer to go cautiously.
I think a lot of things hinge on what the redundancy quote comes through as... There is a fair bit of uncertainty about various criteria (age being a key one), and also I need to get a handle on the current job market.