Road to Berlin Marathon #5 - Marathon Mindset: How to Stay Motivated

If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be training for the Berlin Marathon, I probably would have laughed. Not because I didn't dream of it, but because I hadn't even run more than 21 kilometers in one go. Marathon? That was a word reserved for elite runners or people who looked like they had it all figured out. Definitely not me… or so I thought.

Training started strong. I was buzzing from the high of having won a “Marathon Weekend Experience” with Norqain, hitting my runs, soaking in every kilometer. I was fully in, joining every run club I could, skipping weekend plans, and saying no to social events just to prioritize my long runs. I was building momentum, and honestly, I was loving it. But then, life did what it does. It threw a curveball. Two days after my birthday in early August, halfway through my training plan, I got injured.

Suddenly, everything paused. I was benched. I went from chasing kilometers to limping and not even being able to take stairs, while watching my run club friends log their long runs without me. My longest run at that point had been 25km, and here I was, hoping to somehow double that in Berlin in just a few weeks’ time. Motivation? It was slipping fast.

So how do you keep going when the odds feel stacked against you? Here’s what kept me anchored, and maybe it’ll help you too if you're chasing a big goal that suddenly feels impossible.

1. Your “Why” Will Always Be Stronger Than Your “What If”

At my lowest point, I stopped asking “What if I can’t finish?” and started asking, “Why did I start?”

My “why” wasn’t about hitting a perfect time. It wasn’t about proving anything to others. It was about doing something bold for myself. About honoring the chance I had been given. I hadn’t even signed up – I had been selected. That meant something.

So when I couldn't run, I reminded myself that even just starting this journey was already a win.

2. Celebrate the Small Wins (Especially on the Hard Days)

One of the hardest parts of this journey was that the pain never fully disappeared before race day. I didn’t have that magical “I’m back” run during training. Every run came with question marks. Every step was a bit of a gamble.

But here’s what kept me going: I told myself I would show up on race day and just run 3 to 5 kilometers. That was my mental safety net. But something shifted when I started running. I felt surprisingly good. I passed the 10K mark, the HM… and suddenly I was past the halfway point, still running, still moving.

That became my small win. Not a pain-free training run, but the decision to keep going, checkpoint by checkpoint, without quitting.

I learned to shift my mindset from “I’m behind” to “I’m still in this.” Small wins stack up. They might not look like what you expected, but they’re worth celebrating. Trust me.

3. Surround Yourself With Community – Even Virtually

Hardly training during recovery was tough, but I wasn’t really alone. Both friends and other runners sent me messages and shared their ups and downs too. I wasn’t the only one dealing with setbacks – and that helped a lot. Running might seem like a solo sport, but it never feels that way when you’re surrounded by a community. I went to run clubs every week, even when I wasn’t at my best (yes - supporting from the bicycle). Just being around other runners, hearing their stories, feeling the collective energy… helped me stay positive There’s so much strength in connection. Sometimes, the motivation you’re missing shows up in someone else’s words, pace, or presence.

I also took time to go back home for a while and went on a family trip to Sri Lanka. That time away, with the people who know me best, helped me reset mentally. It reminded me that life is bigger than one race, and sometimes stepping back is exactly what you need to come back stronger.

4. Adapt the Plan – Don’t Abandon It

When I got injured, I quickly realized I wasn’t going to follow the perfect training plan anymore. I never did that textbook 32K long run. I actually never ran close to marathon distance in training. My new goal? Simply to show up at the start line and see how far I could go, even if it meant stopping after a few kilometers.

Letting go of the “ideal plan” gave me freedom to listen to my body, take the pressure off, and trust my gut on race day. I didn’t have the perfect prep, but I was still ready to give it everything I had.

5. Visualize the Finish Line – Then Run Toward It

In the final weeks before Berlin, when my body still felt uncertain, I leaned hard into visualizing the finish line. I hadn’t done the long runs, I was still feeling pain, but I kept picturing myself running through the Brandenburg Gate. I imagined the cheers, the energy, the medal around my neck — the feeling of finishing.

That image became my fuel. When self-doubt crept in, I reminded myself why I was doing this — and how far I’d already come just by showing up. Some days, that vision was the only thing pulling me out the door. And on race day, it became real.

Final Thoughts

Training for the Berlin Marathon didn’t go the way I imagined. I didn’t sign up, I won a competition. I didn’t hit every milestone, I got injured halfway. I didn’t have a perfect comeback, I carried the pain all the way to the start line. And I definitely didn’t follow the textbook training plan.

But I showed up. I adapted. I leaned on my run clubs, my friends, my family. I found motivation in conversations, in community, in a trip to Sri Lanka that gave me space to breathe. I visualized the finish line even when I wasn’t sure I’d get there. And on race day, I told myself to just run 3 to 5 kilometers… but I never stopped.

Running a marathon isn’t just about kilometers logged, it’s about your mindset: reslience, flexibility, and showing up for yourself when it’s messy, imperfect, and uncertain.

So if you’re chasing a big goal and life gets in the way? Keep going. Adapt the plan. Celebrate the small wins. Lean on your people. And trust that you’re still moving forward, even if the path doesn’t look the way you thought it would.

You might just surprise yourself. I did.