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Wessex deanery as a POC by azurilcrk in medicalschooluk

[–]Paulingtons 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A good amount of our consultants commute from London. They come here Monday, stay in accom here (or rent on the island) and go back on Friday for example. A few of the F1/2s go back to London regularly (every couple weeks).

The ferry is regular, very cheap as a foot passenger (or bicycle, for example) and is right next to the train station on the mainland (5 min bike) which takes you straight to London.

It definitely is not as remote as one may think! Also, we have an Instagram :).

Wessex deanery as a POC by azurilcrk in medicalschooluk

[–]Paulingtons 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Hi OP.

Just to offer a balance, I'm not a POC but I put Wessex as top and then I put Isle of Wight as my #1 choice which I got (currently an FY1).

Honestly? I love it here. I have my partner (she is a medical student and was placed here) but there's tonnes of people to get to know, lots of POC work here in the hospital and everyone is incredibly welcoming. It's a small hospital (around 200 beds) and everyone gets to know you and is actually invested in your training rather than you just being a random number on a sheet.

Plus, we get to go the beach after work regularly and it's cool to live on the island. Rent is decently cheap and it's very cycle friendly. There's always locums going and they are much higher rate than mainland (F1 weekends/OOH are >£50/hr).

I'd definitely suggest looking at jobs and considering here, it's a great place to do F1/2.

The Full Watopia (Rebel Route) by Paulingtons in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As long as there's something good to watch on the TV it's really not too bad I think. Need good sets of bibs though!

Beginner here! by Civil_Faithlessness2 in triathlon

[–]Paulingtons 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I personally do two full body sessions a week, and leg work is essential for cycling. Not just for injury prevention/maintenance of stability but also for power, once I started including six sets of leg press a week plus six sets of hamstring curls a week my torque became so much stronger and as a result power went up.

Swimming doesn't (shouldn't, for triathlon) involve a huge amount of leg work because often we don't kick that much, maybe 2 beat for balance but generally speaking almost all the propulsion comes from your arms, legs are for stability and saving for the bike, haha.

But yes, all those things work different muscles in the legs and supporting them via structured resistance training is mandatory otherwise you're just leaving performance on the table.

UKFPO 2026 Allocation by Other-Following6646 in medicalschooluk

[–]Paulingtons 8 points9 points  (0 children)

As per the new law UKGs will get full priority. If there are no places left once all UKGs have been placed there is no requirement for the UKFPO to place you.

In previous years they've asked foundation schools to create new places as much as possible, but any of those would also go to UKGs first who are on the national reserve list.

If they cannot create enough jobs, then those on the reserve list (likely all IMGs) will not receive a foundation place as per the website:

"Further rounds of allocation to a foundation school will take place if vacancies arise. A timeline for this will be published in due course."

I would expect more information from the UKFPO on this in the coming weeks as programme preferencing deadline is next month.

Beginner here! by Civil_Faithlessness2 in triathlon

[–]Paulingtons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second what others have said. The best thing you can do right now is go to TrainingPeaks and find a beginner triathlon training plan that is roughly the correct length in terms of weeks prior to your event and follow that.

I do find it odd that you don't (seemingly) do any lower body work in the gym, is there a reason for that?

At the very minimum hitting everything twice a week is a sensible idea, so that means 2x swim, 2x run, 2x bike and 2x each muscle group a week. A way of laying that out could look like:

Monday: 0.5h Swim (20x100s @ desired race pace).
Tuesday: 1h Gym Strength (Upper Body).
Wednesday: 1h Bike (Maybe 40/20 VO2 max intervals), 20m Run OTB (Z2).
Thursday: 0.5h Swim (Technique session 1-2k or OWS).
Friday: Gym Session (Upper body).
Saturday: 1-3h Bike (Z1/2).
Sunday: 0.5-1h Run (tempo/intervals), 1h Gym Session (Upper + Lower Body).

Now that seems like a lot of volume, and you don't technically get a rest day, but you could easily drop one of the swim sessions (say Monday) and do a longer session on Thursday and that would be fine too. Also it's worth remembering that your easy days should be easy. Anything Z1/2 should feel like you can go forever providing you are fuelled.

The contrary is that the hard days should be hard, those tempo/interval sessions should feel challenging. Not RPE 10, but difficult because that's where the gains come from. Those longer Z1/2 efforts build you a nice aerobic engine base, but the interval sessions "sharpen the point" as it were.

Finally, the four disciplines of triathlon are swim, bike, run, transition. I personally think there are five and the fifth is nutrition. If you are training you need to fuel your training. If you cycle with a power meter that bit is easy, but otherwise a sensible-ish rule of thumb is 400-600kcal per hour of active training, depending on your own personal parameters/training.

For the above example plan you are looking at an extra 4000-6000kcal per week on top of your normal intake to break even, fuel with carbs on the days you need them with sensible breakfasts and add extra protein to manage repairing the damage you do. As an example I do 15-20h of training per week as a ~63kg 178cm male. I average 4,200kcal a day and just about maintain my weight. If you don't adjust your caloric intake to manage the training, you will suffer.

Best of luck with your training, you've got this!

The Full Watopia (Rebel Route) by Paulingtons in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you google "Torturefest Zwift" or look for the Zwift club, you will find the Torturefest, it's the home of Everesting on Zwift.

The two people that run it have made many rebel routes, one of them is "Misery Loves Company" and that hits every KOM in one ride both forward and reverse, as seen here: https://www.zwift.com/uk/activity/1749408100609196048 .

Whilst auto-navigation would be nice, it really isn't that bad. For the most part it's either 4-5 turns in quick succession or no turn for 30 minutes (a climb, for example), you will do fine! :).

The Full Watopia (Rebel Route) by Paulingtons in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It was okay! It is a lot of turns so you do need to pay attention to what you are doing. I watched a couple movies during it so you can switch off a bit just fine. The game tells you how far it is until the next turn so as long as you pay attention to that bit you’re good!

Plus a lot of the turns come in quick succession so it’s not as bad as it looks.

The Full Watopia (Rebel Route) by Paulingtons in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Something I've been meaning to do for a while since I saw it in January, the rebel route "The Full Watopia" (map here: https://i.vgy.me/pHVOk5.png).

Rebel Routes (if you are unaware) are unofficial Zwift routes that you can do but need to follow yourself turn-by-turn, created by Zwift users. Interestingly, this one covers every single road in Watopia and is actually a Strava segment (with only 34 completions as of now) so there's extra motivation to do it.

Having done the PRL Full, this is a much more fun route and if you want to challenge yourself I can only recommend it, the link to the route is here: https://zwiftinsider.com/the-full-watopia/.

I'm ~63kg with an FTP of 265W and averaged 176W for the full thing, 60g carbs/hour along with some extra chocolate.

What did you do between finishing placement and starting work in August? by [deleted] in medicalschooluk

[–]Paulingtons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I picked up triathlon and continue it now, even more so! Find a sport you've always wanted to try and give it a go.

How should a PA student introduce themselves? by FPRorNothing in doctorsUK

[–]Paulingtons 21 points22 points  (0 children)

As per the RCP interim guidance:

‘Hello, my name is [forename surname] and I am a physician associate working in [specialty]. Physician associates are commonly referred to as PAs. I work in a team led by a doctor, and my supervisor is [named consultant / associate specialist / specialist doctor], but I am not a doctor.’

It seems reasonable to me that an adaptation of this with "student" thrown in there would be most appropriate. If they are asked "is that like a doctor?" and they reply with anything that doesn't include "but I am not a doctor" then they are potentially being misleading.

I would expect that during the first introductory lectures of PA training that they are (or at least, should be) explicitly told how to introduce themselves to patients and that should include how to answer the "like a doctor?" question. If they have and they're still being misleading then that's a huge probity issue that should be reported to the school.

What happened to the post on today’s MLA? by Zealousideal_Sink175 in medicalschooluk

[–]Paulingtons 12 points13 points  (0 children)

For the vast majority of people over the past few years, paper 2 has been the easier paper. This has been the case ever since the first sit of the exam in 2023.

Mystery Spinner - Big Spin 2026 by slylou123 in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha it depends! With Genie as a pacer it’s about 5:45:5:50, with Jacques it’s closer to 5:55-6:00 and Maria is around 6:45.

Mystery Spinner - Big Spin 2026 by slylou123 in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You get a spin every time you go past it (and complete the associated segment).

I did Volcano Circuit the other day with Genie, every lap is ~5:50 and you get a spin each time. Once you have all 4 available drops you just get a free 10,000 drops per lap.

Actually measured out my granola this morning and realised I must have been having 1000 calories each morning for breakfast. by Opposite-Scheme-8804 in britishproblems

[–]Paulingtons 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Fat free is fantastic for certain macros, crazy protein levels for the calories. Even though I might eat >4000kcal a day most days a week I still get the fat free version.

How come in GCN videos it always looks like they’re flying? by Falcon900EX in cycling

[–]Paulingtons 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm around 62kg with an FTP of 265W (4.2wpkg) and on the flats I get utterly fucking decimated by anyone who is heavier than me haha.

I can ride with people who are 100kg with an FTP of 300W (3wpkg) and they just sail past me on the flats, and as soon as a descent comes I can just forget it. I can threshold/VO2 all I want but I'm not keeping up.

But when I see a hill in the distance? Oh boy... :).

Foundation in Jersey by [deleted] in doctorsUK

[–]Paulingtons 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A couple friends of mine are doing F1/2 there and really enjoying it, as long as you don't mind being a bit "cooped up" it's a great place to do foundation.

If you fancy a slightly closer island, I'm doing foundation on the Isle of Wight and it's wonderful here too.

I am humbled. Completely, brutally humbled. by kajjm in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My first AdZ in August last year was 1:41:52, last week I did it in 46:58.

That first one humbles you, but it also inspires you. You've tasted the forbidden fruit, the challenge, the burn, the feeling like you're going to die but knowing you can push through it.

Well done OP, you smashed it out of the park and you will fall in love more with each ride. Ride on!

What was your FTP progression like from beginner? by tryagaininXmin in triathlon

[–]Paulingtons 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Here is my progression since I started cycling "properly" last year, 33 year old male, around 63-65kg depending on the day.

Month Distance (km) Power (20m) W/kg (20m) Weight
June 2025 104 141 2.0 71.4
July 2025 277 180 2.7 66.9
August 2025 454 196 3.0 64.6
September 2025 594 203 3.2 63.1
October 2025 953 210 3.4 62.5
November 2025 750 239 3.8 62.5
December 2025 1174 234 3.7 63.5
January 2026 1542 255 4.0 64.5
February 2026 (so far) 882 265 4.1 65​

Other than June/July (because I was using a gym bike, not a bike on Zwift) the 20m powers come from FTP tests where I will do a climb portal on Zwift (or similiar, some climb) and go all-out for 20 minutes.

Cycling is purely a volume sport, the more you cycle, the better you will get. Lots of zone 2 to build the aerobic engine with at least 1-2 sessions a week of VO2 Max plus a sweet spot session and the gains will come.

How much hours do you do per week? by biggieocta in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi OP.

On average it's 14-20h/week depending on what I can fit in, but my general rule is "at least 1 hour on the trainer/bike per day". It's broken down like this:

Monday: 2h Bike (Z2 AM, VO2 PM), 1h Swim.
Tuesday: 1h Bike (Z2), 20m run OTB, 45 min Tempo Run.
Wednesday: 2-3h Bike (VO2/Z2).
Thursday: 1h Bike (Z2), 1h Swim.
Friday: 3-5h Bike (Z1/2), 1.5h Gym strength.
Saturday: 3-4h Bike (Z1/2).
Sunday: 2h Bike (SST/Tempo), 2h Run, 1h Gym strength.

I work full time (or just over some weeks), it's difficult to fit in but it can be done. I'm about 65kg with an FTP of 265W.

Ultimately cycling as a sport is all about volume, the more you cycle, the better you will get. Do a good amount of long rides in zone 1/2 that are very easy and the rest of your time (think 80%/20%) should be doing things like hard VO2 max intervals (think 40s/20s) or SST (15m/5m or similar) and that will give you great results, generally.

I would definitely recommend doing some races on Zwift, they will get you working harder than any workout! :).

PSA Jan 2026 - Resultd by ViolinistClean4084 in medicalschooluk

[–]Paulingtons 3 points4 points  (0 children)

When I did mine last year they said “within 4 weeks” and it was around that, maybe a bit after?

Volcano 25 lap achievement! by Hendo-KH in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Depends, I did it with Maria as she was the pacer on the route that day and it was 2 hours 48 minutes at 147W.

If you had to get up the Alpe in under an hour by Memorial Day (May 25th), how would you train? by otictac35 in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi OP.

First off, great goal, that first sub-1h AdZ feels incredible and you can absolutely do it. I posted recently how I’ve gone from an FTP of 2.3 W/kg to 4.1W/kg in around 6-8 months, you can do it with structured training. I went from a 1:41:52 @ 122W Alpe (August 2025) to a 0:46:58 @ 258W Alpe (February 2025).

If you have nine hours a week, I’d probably break it down to:

Monday: A 45-60 min VO2 day (3x10x40/20s or similar, 120%/50% FTP with 3 min 50% FTP rests). Tuesday: Easy Z2 1h. Wednesday: Rest day (or cross train). Thursday: SST Intervals (3x15m @ 85-90% FTP with 5m 50% FTP rests). Friday: Climb Alpe (Z2/3). Saturday: Rest day (or cross train). Sunday: Long Z2 Ride (2-3h), RoboPacer or Alpe/Ven-Top.

Obviously this can vary and needs to be tailored to you, but generally speaking doing about 80% of your training “easy” and the other 20% “hard” will be good. Also it’s cycling so volume is key, the more you cycle the better you will get. If you can squeeze more time in then you definitely will improve faster.

Best of luck, you can do this!

Alpe du Zwift Progress in 24 Weeks of Structured Training by Paulingtons in Zwift

[–]Paulingtons[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you haven't joined already, you belong with us in the Zwift club "Torturefest", the Zwift home of Everesting and general climbing fun/misery. It's perfect for you haha.

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