From Injury to Endurance: Turn Your Setback into a Fitness Breakthrough
- Tushar Bhangale
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash
Many fitness stories begin with weight loss or chasing a personal record. Manoranjan’s story is different. He started with pain, a broken femur, and a strong will to not give up.
He wasn’t a beginner. He was already active, doing kickboxing and strength workouts. But something was missing. His body would soon make that very clear.
If you’re someone who trains but feels stuck or keeps getting injured, Manoranjan’s journey might show you a better way.
The Foundation - Before the Injury
Manoranjan wasn’t new to workouts. He trained regularly with kickboxing and gym sessions. His workouts were intense but focused more on strength and cardio bursts. He didn’t follow any structured endurance plan.
He ran many 10K and half-marathon events. But after every race, he felt extremely tired. Instead of finishing strong, he would feel worn out and drained throughout the day. This was not normal, but he thought it was just part of running.
Eventually, the signs caught up with him. He suffered an overuse injury that broke his femur into 2 pieces. Doctors told him to stop running altogether. For many people, that would have been the end of their running journey. But Manoranjan didn’t give up. He just needed the right path forward.
The Turning Point
Looking back, he realized several things were missing:
-No structured running or recovery plan
-No cycling experience
-No strength work that helped the running technique
-Wrong movement patterns
His body wasn’t prepared for the load he was putting on it.
The injury became his moment of learning. In July 2019, he joined a structured coaching program to prepare for a duathlon. This gave him direction and a fresh start.
The Structured Transformation Journey
He started with strength and mobility work to help his injured leg heal the right way. Running was added slowly and carefully post right movement restored at his hip via movement training. He focused on correct technique and cues while rebuilding. The biggest thing was he kept doing things patiently.
This changed the entire game. The first race after training, i.e, Ladakh Half Marathon in September 2019, was proof.
2018 (before coaching): 2 hours 45 minutes
2019 (after two months of structured training): 2 hours 31 minutes with a strong finish and full control.
He had already done this race before and remembered how broken he felt after it in 2018. But in 2019, he felt fresh after the race. That was his first big win, not just in timing but in how his body felt.
Earlier, he used to run without any understanding of how his body worked. He didn’t know what pace suited him, how much effort was too much, or when to stop pushing. This led to an overuse injury that broke his femur.
He was also completely new to cycling. In April 2019, his longest cycling ride was 0 km. That’s right, he had never done a proper cycling session. By October 2019, he cycled 52.8 km in just over 3 hours. He went from not knowing how to ride to building steady confidence. This is a big milestone for someone who hasn't cycled before.
Over time, his cycling fitness improved in a very measurable way. One of the most important fitness numbers in cycling is FTP, i.e, Functional Threshold Power.
Here’s how his FTP changed:
Dec 2019: 133 watts
Mar 2020: 157.9 watts
Jun 2020: 169.8 watts
Jul 2020: 178.7 watts
Sept 2020: 195.6 watts
Jan 2021 & Apr 2021: 205.2 watts
Earlier, he only wanted to finish races. Now, he has learned to listen to his body. He understood the difference between just exercising and actually training with a goal.
Each jump was slow but steady. There were no shortcuts. Just smart training and patience.
And it worked.
What Changed Physically
Now let's look at the data. Before training, Manoranjan ran a 10 km race in 59 minutes 29 seconds (June 2019). After consistent training, on 31 March 2021, he ran 10 km in 49 minutes 50 seconds, almost 10 minutes faster. But more importantly, he didn’t collapse after the run. He felt in control and energetic.
Now, many will say this can be done in a shorter span of time than he took. Yes, it can be for sure. But it is not about the rat race of chasing how fast you can go in a shorter duration. That's the way to break your body down. Rather, consider his case of a broken femur, and then training the right movement, and then coming back to it to finish stronger. And at the end, it's all about how you feel after the event. Achieving such goals in a shorter duration and spending a week at home resting doesn't mean anything.
Another major marker in running is Lactate Threshold (LT), the effort level at which your body starts to struggle.
Here’s how Manoranjan’s running LT improved:
Jan 2021: 4.51 min/km at heart rate 164 BPM
Aug 2021: 4.46 min/km at same heart rate
This means he became faster at the same effort level. His body could handle more work, more efficiently.
The femur issue is gone as we trained. Hip movement was no longer a problem. His body became more connected and efficient.
No more crashing after races. He could now finish events and feel good throughout the day, even after a half-marathon.
From zero background, he became confident in multi-hour rides.
What Changed Mentally
Today, Manoranjan doesn’t need a watch to tell him how fast he is running or how well he is doing. He learned to sense when something was off - cadence, posture, or fatigue. He didn’t need a watch to know his pace. He could adjust mid-run, just by listening to his body. He has built deep body awareness through training.
Earlier, it was all about speed. Now, it’s about doing things right. He focused on technique, not just pace. He started thinking long-term instead of chasing short-term results.
Lessons from the Journey
Manoranjan’s story is not about magical improvements. It is about understanding what went wrong, following the right plan, and building slowly over time.
From a broken femur and zero cycling experience to:
Strong finishes in half marathons
Feeling great after events
Big jumps in running and cycling performance
And the confidence to train and race without fear
This is the story of progress through patience, consistency, trusting the process, and proper guidance.
His story shows what’s possible when we stop guessing and start training with purpose. It’s a story about not quitting, even when everything seems to say you should.
He didn’t just recover, he rebuilt better. And that’s something many runners, cyclists, and fitness lovers can learn from.
If you’re facing setbacks, maybe this story can help you take the next right step, too.
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