The Best Defenses Against Sports Injuries And Business Challenges Are Your Mind And Your Heart

You’ve got to have ‘cojones’ to be an athlete for a lifetime, or a businessman in small town America, because there is always an injury or some misguided rule, respectively, working to take you down, so stay the course and do your best for the benefit of everyone in your life. – when things seem impossible, don’t give up, THINK AND LEARN!

Hi folks,

Watson and Crick’s original article describing the DNA double helix.

The world is always changing, and I’ve seen a few such changes. Take the article shown on the right (click for detail) and the poster below, who would have believed it in 1952. The race was on to unscramble the genetic code, involving the world’s best scientists back then. Now we have kids making ‘Lego’ models of the double helix. Then came computers and all the rest (I wonder what is next – if I knew I could make my fortune).

The world moves on (to quote ‘The Gunslinger‘ by Steven King), and you had best move with it if you want to stay in the game of life. This applies to science, business and sports, or safe exercise for better health for that matter. As a scientist, I noticed that the best ideas of my colleagues were first met with derision, then slow acceptance, and finally accolades. Your body is a bit like this, just try running – first soreness migrates around different muscle groups (stop they say!), but then your body warms up to the idea with eventual acceptance, and finally the endorphins kick in and you have a great time. Business seems to be like this, too, given the latest shenanigans around, Chez Ollie, our lovely little grocery store in Carrboro!

Who would have believed this back in 1953, kids learning about the double helix? Then came the next big breakthrough, the polymerase chain reaction, but that’s another story.

People ask me more and more how to fix some sports or training injury. Others, often guys in their late 50s and early 60s, will tell me how they used to run, but they had to stop because of knee or ankle injuries. Recently, a real runner, Chez Ollie wrote the following comment on his Facebook Page, which caused me to feel sad:

“First proper session complete after turning my ankle at the end of July (on Olympic opening day no less!). 5*1k at a very easy pace. I’m not sure how many more injury comebacks I can take!! I intend to investigate coaching when I’m back in Croydon.”

Deb overcame her challenges by bringing her autistic son, Rory (who she loves to death), to the USA for assistance that was not available in her home country. Long way to come on your own with a young autistic son – I’m impressed (obviously).

I’ve been there, feeling as though I’ll never run again, such as when I returned home from my second knee surgery. The challenge appeared to be overwhelming. Instead of stopping, fortunately, I decided to study the mechanics of running, explored Chi Running and Feldenkrais, worked to develop a much reduced impact during my running stride, and eventually I was back in business, completing marathons (including Boston) and undertaking Ironman races, in combination with a year-long heavy training load.

Meg, a force behind Johnny’s in Carrboro, considering and photographing produce for our store at the Raleigh Farmer’s Market NC USA – running this store is constant work.

Maybe I was lucky, who knows, but I had to apply my mind to the problem, seek help, take advice selectively, and work it out. My mind was my best defense against further running-induced injuries and my heart kept me in the game, and I sure hope that is all behind me. Eternal vigilance, in the form of massage, stretching, and training in movement, is the key – it’s all about developing a solid sense of body awareness.

When it comes to business there are parallels. One has to be aware of the nature of one’s business community or niche, be it my online efforts (Old Dogs in Training LLC) or our local grocery story and coffee shop, Johnny’s, the forces ranged against you, and the dream that took you into it in the first place – and I sure love Johnny’s in Carrboro.

Live the dream, Matthew, by solving your own biomechanical puzzle – there’s a solution. Maybe it is not about what you are doing, but how you are doing it and why?

We each have to work these things out for ourselves, but I hope that Matthew enjoys running (or some other sport) for the rest of his life.

-k @FitOldDog