Injury: The Part of Being an Athlete very Few Really Talk About

September 11, 2026

We see so much content online about PBs, races, Hyrox events, new training programmes and all the other glorified stuff that comes with being active.

And honestly, I love it.

It’s great to see more people getting into fitness and sport, and an increasingly active generation of people who actually want to move, train and challenge themselves.

But there’s another side to being active that we don't talk about nearly as much.

Injury.

And if you’ve been into running, gym, swimming, cycling or any sport for long enough, chances are you’ve experienced it.

An injury can bring everything to a screeching halt.

One day you're training, feeling strong and watching your fitness improve. The next, you're wondering when you'll be able to do the simplest things without pain.

And that's when things get interesting.

Because an injury doesn't just test your body. It tests your mindset.

You basically have two choices

You can sit there thinking the world has conspired against you.

There goes all my fitness.

I've lost all my progress.

Why me?

Or you can accept that this is where you are right now and start doing the really boring stuff.

Rest.

Recover.

Rehab.

Mobility.

Strengthening your weak areas.

And then, slowly, start building yourself back up.

It's not exciting. There’s no PB to post. No race medal. No Strava screenshot that gets everyone excited.

But that's actually where a lot of the work happens.

Because the goal isn't just to get back.

The goal is to come back stronger.

Matlab gir ke uthna.

That's what I believe truly defines an athlete.

Not how you perform when everything is going perfectly, but what you do when things aren't going your way.

My own injury story

I encountered a Sciatica injury which put me out of running for a couple of months.

For anyone who hasn't experienced it, sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve—which runs from your lower back down through your leg towards your feet—gets irritated or compressed. There can be different reasons that cause Sciatica. Weakness around the core usually resulting in disc herniation causing the spinal discs to press against the nerve, poor movement or lifting mechanics, tight glutes, restricted hip mobility and other issues can all play a role. There are some other interesting non-conventional explanations around pain body too that have caught my attention of late (but will keep this for a later discussion and one that requires an open mind).

So, sciatica can cause pain, tingling, numbness or that horrible feeling of a nerve being constantly aggravated. The pain is usually felt in the glutes or hamstrings or calf muscles. Its like a guitar string under constant pressure with every other move you make playing the wrong kind of music in your legs.

Running is something I love, but when your legs start screaming at you with every impact, it's best to listen to your body. So I stopped running.

In my case, this is an old injury that has decided to come back and say hello! I'd had a slipped disc about 8–9 years ago. And I am proud that I overcame that phase of injury and became a much stronger version of myself. I intend to do the same this time around too.

And instead of stopping everything, I decided to find another way to stay active.

Enter swimming

I actually really enjoy swimming too, so this wasn't exactly a hardship.

And, being me, I couldn't just casually swim a few lengths and call it a day.

I decided to use the time away from running to get better at swimming.

I worked on my fitness, pushed myself and ended up hitting my season's best times in both the 50m Freestyle (37secs without Dive) and 500m Freestyle (9mins 54secs)

That was a nice reminder that fitness isn't just about one sport.

Just because you can't do the activity you love doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop being active altogether.

Sometimes you just need to find another way.

Then came the 10K

I'd signed up for a local 10K about two months earlier and had been really looking forward to it.

The plan was simple.

Run strong.

Except there was one small problem.

I hadn't been running.

I'd been off running for about two weeks into my injury before the race, and although the pain had eased considerably, I still wasn't sure how my body would react once I started putting impact through it again.

So I made myself a deal. Let's go have fun but ..

If I felt pain in the first few steps, I would walk away.

No ego.

No "I've paid for the race, so I have to finish."

No proving a point.

My body would decide.

Thankfully, those first few steps felt good.

So I kept going.

The first 5K went really well and I was feeling strong. But after that, the lack of running-specific endurance started catching up with me.

I took a couple of walk breaks, settled into a more manageable pace and eventually finished in around 48 minutes.

Was it the 41 minutes I had originally wanted when I signed up?

No.

But honestly, that wasn't the point anymore.

A month earlier, I wasn't even running.

And here I was, crossing the finish line of a 10K.

Sometimes progress doesn't look like a PB

I think that's probably the biggest thing I've taken away from this experience.

When you're used to measuring progress through faster times, heavier weights, longer distances or bigger events, it's easy to forget that progress can look very different at different stages for different people.

Sometimes progress is getting a good night's sleep.

Sometimes it's doing your rehab exercises when you'd rather be doing anything else.

Sometimes it's choosing not to run because your body isn't ready.

Sometimes it's swimming instead.

And sometimes, progress is simply putting one foot in front of the other and getting back to doing something you love.

So if you're currently dealing with an injury, don't let it take over your entire mindset.

Yes, it's frustrating.

Yes, you might lose some sport specific fitness.

And yes, there will probably be days when you wonder why you're even bothering with all the boring rehab stuff.

But keep showing up.

Find another activity if you can. Work on your mobility. Build your strength. Give your body the time it needs.

And when you're ready, start again.