Half Days and Honest Emails
Hamish describes his first term back in the classroom at half capacity: the email he sent colleagues, the lessons he could not finish, and the afternoon naps that saved him.
From the Letterbox to the Parkrun
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Show notes
From the Letterbox to the Parkrun
Carol Ngata had a stroke at 52 and could not walk unaided for three months. Two years later she finished a five kilometre parkrun in Brisbane. In this episode she describes every stage in between, including the two months when she went backwards.
- The letterbox as the first finish line
- Measuring progress in minutes, not distance
- The setback in month eight and what the physio said
- Walking with a group and why it mattered more than the walking
Hamish and Carol talk about the fear of being watched while you are slow, and how it faded.
Transcript
Welcome back to The Slow Lane Back. I am Hamish Thorne. My guest today is Carol Ngata, who had a stroke at 52 and spent three months unable to walk without help. Two years later she crossed the finish line of a five kilometre parkrun in Brisbane. I wanted the whole story, not the highlights, so Carol takes us through every stage. The letterbox as the first goal. Counting progress in minutes rather than metres. The two months in the middle when she went backwards and what her physio said about it. And the walking group that she says mattered more than the walking. We also talk about the fear of being watched while you are slow, something I felt every day on the way to my classroom. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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