I've recently taken a new job, way too much stress and not enough time to go running anymore..........think I'm gonna' hand my notice in and head for the hills. Anyone else put running and the fell runners way of life first?
Printable View
I've recently taken a new job, way too much stress and not enough time to go running anymore..........think I'm gonna' hand my notice in and head for the hills. Anyone else put running and the fell runners way of life first?
Whats a fell runners way of life ?Quote:
Originally Posted by One life live it!
I dunno Daz but I'd love to hear ideas from people who've packed in City life or changed career or moved to the country or whatever.
I live in London, have a well-paid job which isn't too stressful, and I don't mind it sometimes but I'd move to the Peak or the Lakes (or neighbouring country) or somewhere like the Brecons at the drop of a hat.
As a web editor / financial journalist I could maybe look at working freelance from home but I know for a fact times are hard for that sort of thing. I'm just coming up against a brick wall when I start trying to think of a new job in a new place - could I take the ML course and set up as a walking / running guide in the Lakes? Sounds great but I bet it's not that easy - i.e., a hundred outfits all offering a similar thing.
I am nearly 40 and a big career change can be difficult at that stage.
On the downside, I don't own a London house to sell for loads of cash, on the upside I don't have any debts and I do have some money in the bank ...
Placing more emphasis on being outside than stuck in an office and realising whats more imporant if you know what i mean?
To be honest fellrunners come from all backgroundsQuote:
Originally Posted by One life live it!
I can understand the sitting in an office thing. I couldnt do it on a regular basis. Doing my paperwork now and its hell. Im like a bird in a cage for a few hours.
I travel around a lot and dont mind travelling. So its not to bad for me.
Lots of people who know me down here think Im a hobo. I have a large ( Fellrunning van) As they call it. I even eat my dinner in it most days, brewing up and cooking soup etc etc.
So I do try and live the life.
As to whats inportant, YES
If you are single then its a bit easier as the risk isnt so much if you decide to move to nearer the fells. Financially its hard as life gets harder. Just to stand still and pay our way even if its cheap and simple is going to become very expensive. This country will end up like Norway with regards to cost of living.
For a lot I think its a catch 22.
you're going to struggle if it was your only income. I live and work in the Lakes and have thought about boosting my income by leading walking groups/ fell running courses. But problem is there is only a finite number wanting this and there are many centres offering similar. Plus most of your work will dry up in the winter unless you offer yourself to the outdoor ed centres.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZootHornRollo
So to give an idea
To have a bit of a fellrunners way of life
My Vauxhall Vivaro Hi Roof Lwbase van = £ 12,800 + vat
Insurance = £ 600.00
Full tank of fuel = £ 105.00
Would it be cheaper than buying a house in the Lakes. God knows.?
And can everyone kip in a van on a regular basis. It dont bother me.
Its a good thread though
Fellmincer, Do you know of any welding engineer jobs that are going in the Lakes
Everyone I ask seems to say there are no jobs.
I understand that us fellrunners come from many different backgrounds, but on a personal point I think spending more of my time outside is more important that a fancy wage packet and a climbing the career ladder. As for the cost of living, your right...it's way to expensive, even to live cheaply. I was in Norway over Christmas...£8 a pint!!
Why can't it be much more simple?? Catch 22 is a tough place to be in!
To be honest I think there is a very fine balancing line between too much stress and not enough but obviously it depends on what industry you are working in and your tolerance thereof!
I've worked in some fairly pressurised environments where the workload was pretty relentless and long hours were expected as the norm whilst not exactly conducive to quality training with a bit of thought and ingenuity I still managed to get quite a bit of training done much to the amazement of many people.
Sometimes simple changes can stop you from climbing the walls, can you run or cycle in to work, can you stretch out your lunch times to get sessions in that sort of thing.
I'm almost at the other end of the spectrum nowadays where there is very little stress which whilst it allows alot of good quality training, work is not exactly what I'd call challenging or rewarding.
Have you thought about talking to your line manager and explaining the situation? Any decent manager would try and accomodate your issues/concerns as best they can.
It goes without saying if you do decide to jack it in and look for another job its worth asking about the departments work/life balance and company's culture at the interview stage.
Hope some of the above helps!
Just reading back of the numerous replies which have sprung up whilst I've been typing my post.
Like others say what is a fell runners way of life? I come from a climbing background and its just the same, same utopian ideas. Wouldn't it be great to get out all the time with very few constraints put on time etc.
Sure sounds good, but but for alot of people it simply doesn't work they need structure i.e forced windows of time in which to commit to training or it simply doesn't happen. Then you have other issues such as limited funds due to lack of work etc so you can't just go off on a nice jaunt with your mates etc.
It really depends on what sort of person you are, maybe you just need to try it. That will pretty much be dictated by circumstances.
Don't get me wrong it does sounds attractive in some respects but I can see the drawbacks as well.
Personally more flexibility would be a reasonable compromise for the next few years, shortening my work hours is my first stop (9 day fortnight or similar) once the mortgage is paid off in 5 years then I'll probably look to set up by myself.
Interesting question
I spent some time working in the City. Typical hours were 9am til 8pm, with some work most weekends. They paid me a lot, but I had no time to spend it. I ate takeways in the office most nights and was getting fat.
One weekend I was back 'home' up north. My brother bullied me into doing a fell race. It nearly killed me but I realised that I was wasting my 20s and I needed to get out. 9 months later I started a job in Leeds. I took a pay cut but the cost of living is so much cheaper, it pretty much evened out.
I've been up here nearly 6 years, now live on the edge of the Dales and have never been fitter or happier.
If you're single and planning to stay that way, I'd say Go For It. When you have family, mortgages, career etc etc, its hard to get some in. Then, when your family have moved on, the mortgage is paid and career topped out, you are too wrecked to do it properly anymore! Trust me, I know this!
It's not so much giving up work completley but sacraficing careers/big wage for a simpler way of life that allows you to spend more time outside. In the big scheme of things is it worth it?
climbing the career ladder V's more time outside............??
Interesting thread. There's an element of homostasis in the issue. I stopped working at 42 years of age after 22 years in the infantry and send my wife out to work, she's now done 19 years in the Army.
I have no great need or desire to work, but if I did, I know it would cost me money to get a job what with kit, a more reliable car, maybe buying more convenience food, maybe paying for a cleaner etc and then going through the whole rigmarole each time we move house on posting (roughly every 2 years) At the moment I can service the car, cook all our meals from scratch, do the house-keeping, scour the shops and charity shops for bargains, bake bread, brew beer at 21p a pint, make and mend things, all of which I find very satisfying.
As for running, I imagined I'd be able to take it more seriously and do full-time training, but in fact I haven't, even though I have the time. There's always something else to be done and I've realised, too, that I run for pleasure and relaxation, rather than all out and competitively.
I suppose you can be either cash rich and time poor or vice versa, it's very difficult to be rich in both, and at a certain age you may decide that time rich is preferable.
me tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Wheeze
I worked silly hours in the bad old days
112 hour weeks on the opencast sites. 6am till 6pm on the machines then welding till 10pm
Work was totally My Life but I look back and yes I earnt serious money and have enough but my body has paid the price.
Lying under a gas pipeline welding for 12 hrs a day. No more.
Fri afternoons Im done
We took the decision to move north to the Lakes when Iwas in my 40s and as a family we have never looked back, we had a large drop in Salary but the quality of life we have had over the last twenty odd years has by far and away cancelled out, the supposed advantages of being a big earner, but then we are folk that would prefer spending the evenings walking/running around say Kentmere, rather than sat in front of a dirty great Plasma TV with a laptop on our knees checking that our investments are working to further enhance our pile of cash that we can`t take with us when we die.
OK if we had stayed down south we would very probably have been retired now, but we very much doubt that we would have the health and fitness that we have now, and it`s a fact that we would have lost 20+ years of what has largely been a very active and pleasant life experience for us.
It really doe`s depend what you want out of life if the materialism thing is what float`s your boat then unless you are lucky with finding a well payed job, or prepared to commute for one (defeats the object really) then it may be better to settle for what you have, the old proverb ANOTHER MANS GRASS ALWAYS LOOKS GREENER can often be true.
Good luck whatever you choose to do
Hi ZHR,Quote:
Originally Posted by ZootHornRollo
My wife and I were on the "London Treadmill" for 8 years before we escaped to the Peak District 3 years ago. I'm a freelance writer (health, fitness, adventure sports and travel) and have found that lots of mags have been cutting back on staffers and giving out more work to freelancers. I was managing a personal training studio in Mayfair and doing stupid hours. My wife was working as a radio producer for the BBC... she now does freelance radio work and has set-up her own business making designer baby/children's clothes www.peakprincess.co.uk (sorry about the blatant plug... I'll have Auntie Social on my back!)
Anyhow the biggest calculation/mind-shift we made was working out how much we needed to live as opposed to how much we wanted.... doing that is incredibly liberating. You then have to be willing to diversify and take on anything.... the variety is a lot of fun and it's amazing how many doors start to open once you take the plunge.
I thought about the ML route myself but it's a very congested market. I'll probably get round to doing it to add an additional string to my bow but wouldn't rely on it.
GO FOR IT!
Thanks Nikalas and MikeH, BL, and all - great replies and food for thought.
I'm very lucky in that I get to run to work and back almost every day and mine isn't a long-hours' job or stressful, although I am bored, which brings its own form of stress.
Compared to many people I know down here I have a good quality of life - low outgoings, no stressful commute. But of course I still manage to spend like a loonie, not least on trips up north to get to the hills.
Just seems a bit daft being down here to earn this money so I can use it to get up there! Although there is something to be said for all those train journeys - they are relaxing and I read a lot and there's a pleasing sense of transition I get - it's like going on holiday every month.
But I just know London and this job isn't for me any more, been here too long. Shoulda done summat about it four years ago to be honest.
The biggest obstacle is not having a house to sell. Not getting in the property market in my 20s / 30s was a big mistake in retrospect. It shouldn't have to be that way, but in the modern UK it just is.
PS Daz H: I have been thinking of buying a campervan recently, exactly as you say - but with petrol prices as they are ... it's going to cost me £5,000 for secondhand T4 or similar, god knows what on tax and insurance, and then probably £100 petrol to the Lakes and back.
Off-peak return on the train is £80 - cheaper if you book in advance. OK, maybe a room on top if I can't be bothered camping, but still ....
I worked out once that if I sold the stupid house that I don't need and bought something for cash with the equity, sold my car and worked at my local Tesco stacking shelves, I'd still have the same disposable income as I have now, but without the 56 mile round trip every day and without the expectation of being paid £11.76 for a days work on a Sunday. (That's not a joke by the way!)
What was it I read somewhere?? Working to earn money to buy shit I don't need...
I keep thinking about moving, and with no ties, no family, no commitments I'm one of the people mentioned above that should be able to move at the drop of a hat. I'm still not sure it's the easy decision it seems to be?
A little off topic but i run my T3 Camper Van on LPG and @ around 55-60p a litre it makes it affordable
I've really started something here!! Reading the thred makes me feel better about my decisions. I guess I could afford to change jobs and get rid of my silly commute to work. I could forget about the money and fancy job title. That way I would have more free time to spend with family and friends and be happy doing what I want to do. I'm not alone in making the choices in life that I 'think' are the right ones, when in fact there not totally the choices you acctually want to make. Think I'd rather look back over my time here and be happy knowing i'd spent it enjoying our fantastic landscapes rather that paying 40% tax for the privalidge!!
The ML route is an option, but could you do it day in day out?
I'm not sure I could.
I'm getting close to leaving academia for similar reasons (we have no annual targets just more productivity; boss told me to go home at 7pm last night as I looked knackered; said come in first thing to catch up..Friday I worked from when I got into work from a transatlantic flight late morning and worked til 8pm), annual appraisal later on today so it could be soon...
But a lot of ML work can be quite boring. We've been running a business part time for 3 summers now and it's been good to pick and chose work, we've done paid marshalling work (wouldn't again); 3 peaks work (often not fun), guided runs (great fun, basically paid training) and kids groups (most enjoyable aspect for me). But I'm not sure I could do it day in day out, it can be quite tiring, you can't just hide out in your office when you aren't being sociable, when you guide you end up being their manager/mother/guide/social worker/care worker all roled into one.
Worth getting though, if more fell runners had it we wouldn't need such strict kit lists...:-)
I work 20 hours a week at Shipley College for peanuts. However, the time it allows me to spend with my children & on the fells is priceless. It's a stress free job in the sports department that allows me to concentrate on the important things in my life. So long as I can afford a new pair of
Inov-8's every 4 months I'm happy.
Cracking thread One life! I'm out long hours Mon - Fri but am lucky to live on the edge of the Dales. My problem is long haul business travel. It sounds glamorous flying to Capetown, Shanghai or Saigon but it plays havoc with training and every time I get off a plane every muscle seems tight and sore. Good luck with your quest :)
thanks Iain, very interesting, I can understand that.Quote:
Originally Posted by IainR
on a similar tac, I'd be concerned about compromising what I really like doing by making it into a job - i.e., do I want my time in the hills to be spent doing things that I might not necessarily be enjoying for the sake of a few quid.
I think 'doing what you love' as a job is great if it is say a creative line of work. I'd love to be a carpenter if I thought I'd be any good.
But taking something that you enjoy doing as a sport or hobby or relaxation and turning that into a job is a bit more risky.
At the moment running comes first even in exam time but come university time im not to sure. Lucky for me i guess that my course and sport will be the same though
Get some compression tights DT! I made a vow to myself when I was 16 that I would always live in beautiful places, that, to me then, was THE most important thing. And I have. For me the work has always followed and I've done loads of different jobs from washing up at Zeffs in Ambleside (eventually running the place, many years ago) instructing, carpentry, writing, fireman, yacht delivery etc etc. Am now based in Lakes having retrained as a psychologist running my own business. I do believe that we only get one life and we have to live it accoding to what we love doing. It's fear that keeps us stuck yet, paradoxically let's us feel most alive. I've taken risks knowing that whatever happens I'll sort it, and I always have. Though my biggest fear would be on my death bed saying I wish I'd....
Fascinating thread this, thanks for starting it.
ZHR,
maybe the answer is a similar job somewhere else. If you've got the experience then a move should be possible even in the current economic climate.
Edinburgh is good. I can run or cycle to work, run up a mountain in my lunch break (or on the way to/from work), I can cycle over the Pentlands straight from work, I can run out to the hills if I want or drive out in 15 minutes. 30 to 60 minutes scenic drive into the Border hills, 2 hours to the North Lakes, 90 minutes to Northumberland, 80 minutes to the Southern Highlands, 2.5 hours to Speyside or Deeside.
I'm similar, lived in a nice part of sheffield, on the edge of the peak, Glasgow, edge of the Highlands, Wellington, NZ, lovely city, now Nant Peris. Where we are now is stunning but all those places have left me spoilt now. When I look for jobs I right off 90% straight away because I just couldn't live there..Quote:
Originally Posted by duncs
I think your right, as long as you can afford to do the things you like then happiness awaits. Keeping life simple is probably the best way to start. Lots of home cooking, growing your own veg. spending time with family and of course.....lots of time running, walking, kayaking and breathing in lots of fresh air! I also agree that you do have to be brave and shake of the stupid expectations that life in 2010 throws at us.
My biggest fear to would be having regrets......
Does it matter what car you drove? or how many bedrooms you have?
You have to factor in the cost of not staying in B&Bs. I always used to kip in my lazer tent but it gets a bit tiresome when its raining all the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZootHornRollo
Kitted out campervans are ridiculous but then again you may get 20yrs use out of one.
I have probably slept in my van nearly ten times this year and I cant fault it. Having the high roof is def the way to go. You can stand up and get dressed.
Also the option of starting the engine and getting warmed up. Brilliant for BG support.
After a race I put the table up and sit in the chair with a bit of comfort.
We have one now, so good for getting ready, cuppa afterwards, but the main thing is they are just much more dog friendly, and you can leave the dogs in the van with all the windows open, curtains shut, when iyou wouldn't leave them in a car.Quote:
Originally Posted by daz h
I'm surprised no one pointed an accusational finger in my direction yet, I certainly get enough (jealous) ribbing.
I'd worked in London, Manchester, Brighton, Staines, Leeds etc
I dropped out of my high mileage/time job just after my daughter was born, My wife had a better paid job and did shorter hours so it meant I could look after my daughter, do the shopping etc, once she started school (My Daughter;)) I had abit of time so started taking my outdoor quals(i'd been an outdoorsey person all my life)
I became a sailing instructor and followed that with Senior Instructor, SPA and ML, the only one I'm really missing is the canoe/Open boat Instructor but I have neither the time or inclination now to do this.
Like IainR I spend time walking the hills, rafting, climbing etc mostly with kids but trying to move more in to adult work. I enjoy emparting my knowledge of the hills etc. Work isn't constant though and School groups have dropped off slightly over the last two due to the recession. May June, July and Sept busy but winter is always quiet (I sometimes work for Snow and rock as I'm also a trained ski tech and boot fitter). Something to consider though if you do want to get in to this game is you have to go out what ever the weather or what ever the group(and there are some horrific ones)
Fortuanately we owe money to no one and my wife still has a good job.
I think thats why my performance peaks around early Dec and May as I have more time to train.
Although at present I'm casting my net for more regular work(part time you understand) any one have any offers??
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurboTom
Tom, I messed up some of my A levels as spent all my study time cragging. theres always time later for running, get those exams passed first. you'll be glad you did later.
It's not just about re-training in the outdoor industry. More excepting the fact that some things are more important than others and that changing careers and taking a pay cut is well worth it if it means more time outside, and havingther guts to do it!!
wow i am pretty stuck by my own fear
growing up pretty skint has made me really risk averse - so my calculations into what i need to live on include saving for a rainy day.
now i have a well paying job, but spend 2hours a day commuting (being out of the house 11/12 hours a day)
i don't have a fancy car or flat screen tv - but we have made the lifestyle choice of buying a house (unfortunately for us at the peak) - so we are probably in negative equity (maybe break even if we were lucky) - it would feel particularly hard to write off that money invested now. i chose to live in sheffield (although work is in derby) for better access to peak, proximity of friends and for number of climbing walls for winter.
so could i ask my employer about working part time? well i work in macho engineering company so its hard enough being taken seriously as a woman. also i know if i do want to have kids in the next few years that maternity pay is based on hours/money you were on when you left. i get the train to work and use a season ticket so would lose this commuting economy if working part time.
for me my job is ok and has pros and cons, the biggest con being the time it takes out of my life - i honestly don't have a dream vocation/ burnig desire to do a specific dream job - i wish i did as it looks like a route to hapiness - so for me working pays the bills (including the mortgage) and its very hard to see how to change that, even though i feel like i don't have enough time to live.
same here ratfinkQuote:
Originally Posted by ratfink
But I feel like I went wrong somewhere in my 20s where I just failed to really think and identify properly what would really make me happy and go for it. Instead I settled for something that I thought would be interesting and not too stressful - publishing / journalism as it turned out. And then because my jobs have been too comfortable, failed to make a decision to change things in my 30s.
I have university mates who admittedly have worked a lot harder than me and put up with more stress (law, the City) but they are at least financially totally sorted. Part of me wishes I'd just gone down that route and gone for the dollar. If you're not going to be totally happy with your job, then you may as well be rich from it!
I wouldn't say I'm 'unhappy', but I do have doubts as to the future, like 1) I've left it too late to change things and 2) do not have the security of property or a decent pension behind me.
ZHR - Playing devils advocate there is another way to look at things that not having a house is probably something in your favour certainly if you were serious about upping sticks!
true Mike and thanks for that. But if I had bought in London the 1990s, or even 7-8 years ago, I'd be sat on enough of a profit to sell up and move almost anywhere I wanted.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeH
Life's full of 'if's though innit - no point dwelling on them.
'One life live it', sorry if I've hijacked your thread a bit.