Sunday, April 20, 2008

The Little Engine

Most of us were raised on the book "The Little Engine That Could" by Mary Pipher. The whole "I think I can, I think I can..." mantra comes from that story of a little train pushing itself up a major hill. It's all about believing in yourself in all that.

So here I am, a few days out from my injury with a foot that looks as ugly as it feels (and I"m feeling it through the good pain stuff too). But I've spent the last couple of days with my foot up thinking, "What's next?"

Well, first it's seeing my orthopedist to get a full assessment. Once I have that, it will be a lot easier to to figure out my plans. Until then we have a few things: The first is coaching Mr. Pi.

That's right, I'm coaching Mr. Pi again. He's doing the Runner's World 5 weeks to a 5k program for gym credit. I picked up a Nike+ Sport Band to help him record his info. He'll also be keeping an online log with notes and writing up a short report ... all for gym credit.

He's really excited about the whole thing - which is nice. Who knows what will happen with him.

So for a couple of weeks while I wait for the swelling and bruising to reduce, I'll be advising and watching Pi. As soon as I can bear weight again, I'm going to start building time on the glider (no stress on the knees/ankle/etc.) so I don't lose fitness capacity. As soon as I have the word, I'll start in on a walk to run plan and build up with the goal of the BAA 1/2 this fall.

This is a set back, not an ending. All I need to remember is "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....."

3 comments:

Paula Villanova said...

5 weeks to 5K is a great concept, and like anything else, just needs dedication and follow through. Just ask me, I have a heck of a time sticking with any goal...I did, however use this for the basis of my running a few years ago (I used Cool Running's "Couch to 5K" version) and it was either just the right time for me or it made enough sense that I knew it was achievable. Best of luck.

Tampa Zephyr said...

Hey, pika, I didn't see an email address, so I'm replying to your post on my blog here. I'm a high school English teacher (Land O' Lakes, FL). Thanks for the Atkins comment; it made my morning. :)

TZ aka Dave

Nini said...

Hey there! Hope the ankle's healing nicely!

A couple of times when I've come back from injury I've done couch to 5K again myself, just to avoid re-injury... it keeps me from the whole trap of too much too soon... just a thought...