There is always an instinct to reflect back on the past year and set goals for the next year. I for one have set several goals last January but have not been great at accomplishing them. I like the idea of setting goals. But setting goals also come with making sacrifices and the level of sacrifices is, at times, dictated by conditions around me that I have no control over. That or I just lose interest or get distracted, never really serious about it in the first place.
So results…
- Social – Blog twice a month (adequately blogged in 2025). Write a letter to a friend once a month (wrote 4 letters).
- Physical – Lose 7 kg in 8 weeks (Goal 50 kg). Maintain 50 kg. (Didn’t achieve goal but maintained 55 kg throughout the year).
- Running – Run 100 miles a month (nope). Tokyo Marathon (4 hours 30 min, nope). Edinburgh Marathon (4 hours 20 mins, nope). The Great South Run (almost 2 hours). Portsmouth Coastal Marathon (4 hours 15 mins, didn’t run).
However, something I was pleased about was that I wanted to read a book each month. I got to 8 this year!
In my tiny corner of the internet, I reflect on being a mum, being a Clinical Oncology Trainee, and being an amateur runner. So breaking things down based on these categories seems logical.
As a Mum…
Wins include that my children are alive and survived the year! Yay! But also that they continue to do well in school (Xavier has learned how to read!), with almost perfect attendance, never late, and we haven’t been late in picking them up from Afterschool Club (penalty of getting kicked out). They’ve not had any serious illnesses but Xavier ran into a pole and ended up with a wound on the eyebrow line – only requiring glue from the Minor Injury Unit.
As a family, we were fortunate enough to take 3 trips – got lucky that David and I were granted annual leave together. So we went to Lake Bohinj, met my best friends in Corfu, and Dubrovnik. It is quite nice that the kids are at an age where we no longer need buggies!
We were also fortunate enough that my mum has come to stay with us for a few months to help at home, help look after the kids, and open presents on Christmas morning!
The biggest challenge is now about to unravel… when my mum goes back to New York at the end of January. Breakfast Club drop offs, Afterschool pick-ups, and overall childcare is going to be a logistical nightmare with me in Southampton and David in Brighton for rotations.
As a Clinical Oncology Trainee…
My biggest challenge this past year (which I have yet to overcome) was not passing my FRCR Part 1 – particularly the Physics exam. I have failed it 3 times and there’s no hiding that it is disappointing, especially having failed by 1 mark at the last attempt. This has set me back with training and knocked my confidence a great deal. Although I know I am a safe pair of hands when looking after patients, not passing FRCR Part 1 means I have yet to progress to the next level of training and still unable to prescribe palliative radiotherapy independently, which is frustrating. However, revisiting Radiotherapy Physics again has allowed me to further appreciate this craft and the work that Clinical Oncologists do.
This year, I also moved from the Queen Alexandra Hospital to University Hospital Southampton. Change is hard but I also know that change and new opportunities lead to new knowledge and growth. Being out of my comfort zone is where I am challenged, apply my skills, and learn new skills. So it is bittersweet but it is still an overall win.
For wins… First, is the growing success of the Acute Oncology Day, which I have built from scratch and has been well-appreciated by healthcare professionals within the Wessex Deanery. Second, is getting the Fellowship Post at the Melanoma Institute Australia (another drive to really pass the exams this year).
As an Amateur Runner…
Challenges in running this year. I have not ran nor trained well enough this year to achieve any time goals. I have been overly ambitious in desires to be faster AND passing exams at the same time. And I have learned that in my current state, I do not have the capacity to accomplish both. By mentally and physically trying to do both, I achieved poor results in both… 5-hour marathons and failed exams.
World Marathon Majors-wise – I did not get places at the Sydney Marathon 2026 and Cape Town Marathon 2026. I think these were blessings in disguise, so I can focus on exams.
Wins in running this year. I finally ran the Tokyo Marathon (which was the first World Marathon Majors I got into but had to defer) and I finally ran the Edinburgh Marathon (which was the first marathon I ever signed up to but had to skip because I could’t travel). We also resumed the Great South Run, after the 2024 cancellation. The kids had also ran their first Great South Run Mini so that was one proud moment!
Also… I have always wanted to run around the whole of Portsmouth and also the whole of Langstone Harbour.
And quite possibly the best run this year was running around Lake Bohinj.
In sum…
In life, I love a good challenge and always wanna achieve maximum benefit. I think I have the tendency to try and see how far I can push things, desperate to find out where my limits lie. I have the tendency to keep going and sometimes losing insight. This past year, not only did get a glimpse of that threshold, I actually went beyond it. And predictably, suffered the consequences. I have always thought that if I’m no longer enjoying something, then I’ve gone too far. I have learned lessons, which no one else could ever have taught me.
So in the coming year, an intangible life goal is I need to work on maximising benefit but staying one step (or five steps) away from my limit. I need to learn how to focus on one thing and doing that one thing really well, rather than produce mediocre results.
Ah yes, and a tangible, achievable goal is work on healthy sleep habits – bed by 10 pm, 7 hours sleep, up at 5 am. With the help of David’s Christmas present… a mini Roberts bedside radio so I can listen to Radio 3 Unwind before bed and be woken up by it.
Reach for the Seven Stars 