When the Road to the Marathon Hits You Back
A painful injury, a quiet lesson in surrender, and a deeper reminder that setbacks are not the end. They are part of the path.
Dear Duniyawaalo (People of the World),
I was supposed to run 14 miles this week. Instead, I could barely walk.
Week 5 of my 2025 Chicago Marathon training had ended well. I had shown up for every run, every strength session. I had even made a tough but wise decision to postpone my long run due to the intense summer heat.
That took maturity. Knowing when to pause and not let pride dictate the plan.
The new plan was simple. Do the 14-mile run early in Week 6, then ease into a cutback week with a 10-miler on the weekend.
But life, as it often does, had other ideas.
The Injury I Did Not See Coming
My younger brother was visiting me from India. We took a short hiking trip to Starved Rock.
Just the two of us, cooking on a wood fire, hiking trails, and catching up under the stars. In many ways, it was food for the soul.
Then, on the last night at the cabin, I slipped barefoot on the wooden stairs and slammed my left big toe against the edge of a step.
A deep cut. Bruised skin.
I barely felt it at the time until my brother pointed out that I was bleeding. The pain came later.
I went to urgent care the next day. The doctor looked at me the way doctors look at runners, knowing we are stubborn. She told me what I did not want to hear.
No running for at least 2 weeks. Maybe more.
She gave me a Tetanus shot, antibiotics, and the hard truth.
What This Meant for My Training
This injury could not have come at a worse time.
I was just entering the most critical phase of base building and prepping for the 14, 16, and 18-mile long runs that would lead up to my Hidden Gem Half Marathon in early September. Those runs might now be off the table.
This is the kind of moment that makes runners spiral.
The kind that messes not just with your body, but your mind.
And I will be honest, I have not slept well since it happened.
Not because of the pain, but because of the anxiety.
What does this mean for the marathon?
Am I falling behind?
Did I lose my momentum?
But Here Is What I Know From Life, Not Just Running
Setbacks are not the end of the world.
They feel like it in the moment. But they are not.
Life does not wait for your training schedule. It shows up, uninvited, to test your flexibility.
Not just in muscles, but in mindset.
This was not the first curveball life has thrown at me. It will not be the last.
But what I have learned, over and over again, is this:
You cannot always control what happens. But you can always control how you respond.
And I am choosing to respond with presence, not panic.
I am shifting from performance to patience.
From momentum to mindfulness.
From panic to planning.
My Focus Now Is Simple
Even though I cannot run right now, I am staying engaged.
I will continue strength training. Focused on what I can do, not what I cannot.
I will fuel my body and mind with rest, recovery, and reflection.
I will slowly return to walking, then short runs, and only then attempt long runs, without ego.
2025 Chicago Marathon is still the goal.
But more than that, becoming the kind of person who handles adversity with grace is the real goal.
For Anyone Reading This…
Maybe you are not training for a marathon.
Maybe your setback looks different.
A missed opportunity. A health scare. A loss. A detour.
Whatever it is, you are not alone.
This is part of what we, in the mindfulness world, call the shared human experience.
You get to pause. You get to feel what you are feeling.
But then, you also get to choose how you rise from it.
Your setback is not the end.
It is part of your becoming.