Have you suffered an injury in the past? How did you deal with it? Young athletes who play sports as a profession have an incentive to get back on the court, field, or diamond. Their mindset is to do whatever it takes to get back to their sport and profession as soon as possible. What about the everyday person that enjoys working out and playing their favorite sport on the weekends? AKA; “The Weekend Warrior”

When a majority of the population is not getting paid thousands or millions of dollars, how can you and I have the mindset to bounce back from an injury?

In this week’s blog/podcast I’m going to give you some quick pointers to get you back to running after you suffered an injury. I (Coach Tadris Parker) ruptured my patella tendon in my right knee in 2009. I have been able not only to return to running 5k’s but half marathons and start my running program for beginners. As a bonus, I was able to catch up and interview Matt Ayers. Matt also suffered a devastating knee injury and found that running has healing powers that he couldn’t imagine! 

For those of you that may want to read the quick pointers and go, this portion is for you. Let’s dive right into it. You’ve gone out there and played flag football, ran up and down the basketball court, or stepped off of a curb wrong in that special race. That’s when it happened; A torn ligament, a major sprain, a pulled hamstring, or worse a broken _(you name it) _. 

Many of your friends and family are telling you; 

“You are getting too old”

“You got to give up this sport, it’s too dangerous” 

“You can’t be out there risking injury, you got bills to pay” 

Statements like these urk me so much. Maybe it’s the “Don’t tell me what I can or cannot do” in me. If we think about each of those statements, it’s too risky not to get back out there. Oftentimes people listen to those statements and are afraid to go back and move the injured area. Perhaps the injury has caused them not to be able to perform combat sports again, so they give up doing anything. 

“You are getting too old”

Not doing anything or making an effort to rejoin the sport of your choice will age you faster than anything else. Getting back to play will keep you young and active no matter what your driver's license says. 

“You got to give up this sport, it’s too dangerous”

Like a fine wine, we get better with age. What does that mean? With the aging process, we become smarter and wiser. We can play the game from an intelligent standpoint. Think the game through by doing proper warm-ups, appropriate stretches before and after play. Using self-control helps you not to overextend yourself. Making each sport a safe and not dangerous activity to play. 

“You can’t be out there risking injury, you got bills to pay” 

This is simple, we can get Aflac for that. Let’s get back out there and have some fun. Next, I will discuss after your rehab from your injury, how you can add running back into your world. 

Every sport has one thing in common and that’s running. Ok, golf doesn’t count and even that has walking! 

How to start a run/walk practice after an injury;

1. Throw out all expectations. This is the start of your new journey. Avoid thinking and dwelling on what you used to be able to do. This is the new you and we must appreciate where we are today. With time and patience, we can be even better than what we used to be. 

2. Don’t run on flat tires. Make sure that you have proper running sneakers for running. Not old basketball, cross-training sneakers, or your old running shoes. Coming off of an injury, you want to make sure your body will be properly aligned. Wearing old or shoes not designed for running will cause back, legs, and feet issues down the road. I advise you to go to a specialty sneaker shop and have those professionals watch how you walk to get the best fit for you. 

3. Time over distance. Do not focus on how many miles you are covering coming off of an injury. Set out for 20-30 minutes of easy jogging. You would want to include a 5 to 10 minute warm-up and cool-down surrounding your running time. As the weeks of running with this rhythm starts to become easier, you can decide to move to 30-40 minutes. 

4. Beware of the endorphins. Wait, endorphins are a good thing, right? Yes, endorphins are the happy hormones experienced while running. These endorphins may cause you to want to do more than you are ready for at this time. Endorphins may also cause you to want to do more the next day. I advise you to take days off between running days. Less is more. My favorite running days are Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. 

5. Get your cross-training sneakers. Here is where you want to lace up your cross-training sneakers and hit the weights. Total body strength training is so important for overall health. Training your muscles will help create stronger bones increasing your bone density. Bone density is something we lose with age. Strength training helps us not become brittle as we age. We also get to strengthen those muscles around the injured area. It may have been due to weak muscles around the area that caused your injury to begin with. Now is the time to change all of that forever. 

6. Consider a run, walk, run method. I used to run half marathons non-stop or at least attempt to and be in pain by the time I reached the finish line. I would be in pain days after the event as well. I ruptured my patella tendon in 2009. Returned to 5k racing in 2012. Ran my first half marathon in 2014 with the help of a chiropractor who gave me belief that I could do it. I learned the run, walk, run method in October of 2015 and never looked back. I took 7 minutes off of my half marathon time the first time I used it. I was not in pain in mile 13 and I had energy afterwards to come home and run with my dog. I began teaching it to my members of our RunA5k program as well as experienced runners in 2018. This method has helped parents and those coming off of injuries to be able to do any race distance without knee pain, or shortness of breath. When I first began, I was a 9 minute per mile runner. In that race in which I took 7 minutes off of my previous best half marathon time, I ran 2 minutes on with a 30-second walk break the entire race. It was amazing. 

7. Sign up for your first event. Running is one of those sports that we can do with our mates, or children, our parents, a whole variety of competitors and non-competitors. Some race to be competitive while others race for personal achievement only. Running is the only sport in which I have never seen a teary-eyed retirement speech. Running is forever and I invite you to create memories with us by allowing me to help you bounce back from your injury. We have a local training program as well as online accountability coaching which will help you get back on the road again to the best version of yourself. 

One such member who I have had the privilege of helping bounce back is none-other than Matt Ayers. You’ve heard plenty from Matt’s family members like his wife Katie Ayers which we had on the podcast twice. His mother-in-law Marie Geary also has been on the show twice. Matt is stepping out of the shadows and is coming on to share his experience of taking up running after a devastating injury. 

Coach: Thanks for joining the show Matt. Let’s start off by telling everyone what kind of injury you faced and how old were you when suffering the injury?

Matt: I was 37 years old and I ruptured my left patella tendon.  I also fracture a small piece of my left knee cap off in the process.

Coach: Did you hear any of the aforementioned statements, like; You getting too old for basketball. It’s too dangerous or you got bills to pay. You can’t be out there playing basketball. 

Matt: Yes of course from many people.

Coach: How did those statements land for you?

Matt: A little sad because I do love to play the sport.

Coach: What was your first encounter with the Run To The Best You program? And at what point did you decide to give running a shot?

Matt: My wife Katie is a member of the group. I would go with her and ride my bike along with her. I have always been athletic and a runner and wanted to be able to run again with her at all the practices and events!

Coach: What do you do for a living?

Matt: I am the Director of Public Works at Galloway Township.

Coach: How long have you been in your profession?

Matt: This May will be 20 years!

Coach: Why is being in the best shape possible helps you in your line of work?

Matt: We work long hours during snow and ice events or natural disasters like hurricanes and or flooding events.  It is both mentally and physically exhausting.

Coach: You were always athletic growing up right? What happened?  

Matt: I am still athletic. I beat you in one on one in basketball. I still consider myself athletic!

Coach: Let’s put that into context a little bit. You beat me in basketball one on one during Covid where I was afraid to play and we barely played defense on one another. That would not have come close to happening if it wasn’t for Covid. Just saying. 

What was your wake up call? What made you get up one day and say I need to change my habits? Was it just the injury or other factors?

Matt: My pants were getting pretty tight, I was over  260lbs and was tired everyday at 2 or 3pm ready for a nap!

Coach: What At The Moment Are Your Healthy Habits? As a busy Director of Public Works what is your current exercise and running routine?

Matt: I have been a member of the group for a while but I have introduced a strength training routine at the gym 4 to 5 days a week over the last three month. The gym is making a big difference in how I feel and look. I try to go either 5am before work or as soon as I get off for about 30 minutes. I get two days of running in with the group on Tuesday and Thursday’s. I do get an additional day of running in on a gym day as I hit the treadmill before hitting the weights.

Coach: Matt, you would show up to training and as everyone would talk about how good they were with their eating, you would say that you had pizza for lunch. Still fast, but you knew in order to run your best you also would have to make adjustments with what you were eating. What changes did you make and what fired you up to make the change?

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Matt: Recently, I have been cutting the amount of carbs and sugar I eat weekly. Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy those foods just not every day for lunch and dinner. 

Coach: Are you still sticking with this way of eating and how do you feel? 

Matt: Yes, I have more energy and my clothes are fitting better.  I am going to need smaller waist pants. When I eat poorly I do feel the difference.

Coach: Wow, how much have you lost? 

Matt: 28 lbs since January

Coach: How does your family and friends enjoy this version of you?  

Matt: I am still the same old me. Not napping though when I get home! They tell me I look slim!

Coach: Besides the scale, what non-scale victories have you noticed along the way?

Matt: Pants are smaller, I have more energy, at 2pm-3pm not looking for that coffee to stay awake, heartburn is pretty much gone, not hungry all day, and running is much easier!

Coach:

Any special goals that you are working on at that moment?

Matt: I would like to get under 230lbs but most importantly be physically strong for all the different activities I do. Everything from basketball, skiing, swimming, running, and fishing. Summer is right around the corner!

Coach: Congratulations Matt on being down 28 pound and is primed for more. We are all routing for you! Thank you for being on the show, before we let you go........

WHAT can you say to our readers/listeners who may be ready to start their journey tomorrow? 

Matt Ayers

Just try it. Come out and meet people that you will make lifelong relationships. You Got This!

Are you looking to return to running after an injury and could use some guidance? Subscribe to our Online Accountability Program and I will personalize a schedule to help you bounce back today.

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