After a serious knee injury in 2011, Leslie Djhone defied all the odds to get back into competitions. Find out how he motivated himself through many painful months of recovery to get there.
Since 2003, French 400m runner Leslie Djhone has appeared in the final of every major championship.
But in 2011, after winning gold on both the 400 metres and the 4x400 metres relay at the European Indoor Championships in Paris, he suffered the worst setback of his career.
A patellar tendon rupture left him facing a long and painful road to recovery.
But undeterred, he kept sight of his goal to get himself back on track.
Whether you’re struggling to maintain your motivation, trying to reach a new goal or simply can’t get off the couch to start running again, there are plenty of ways to kick-start your training.
Setting a goal to motivate you
The key for Leslie was to motivate himself all over again.
So he set himself a goal. This was what kept him going, even when the road to recovery seemed endless.
“London was my primary goal,” he says. “I had been waiting to take part for 4 years and, following my injury, my motivation is even greater.
“What got me out of bed in the morning was my goal. In order to bounce back after an injury you have to set yourself a challenge and keep goinguntil you've reached your goal.
“The support of my friends and family and my equipment supplier obviously also helps me to maintain my motivation.”
See our top tips on setting your goals
Find out how marathon runner Viktor Röthlin sets his goals
Set some milestones along the way
With a long-term goal the trick is to break it up into manageable chunks or milestones.
So no matter how much work you have to do to reach the end, there are small victories and achievements at every step.
“I set milestones for myself,” says Leslie. “Checkpoints so that I can move on to the next goal.
“Creating several stages, creating a to-do list, allows you to maintain this increased motivation throughout your training. As soon as you lose sight of the steps towards your goal, your motivation will drop.”
Whether it’s through injury or plain and simple lack of motivation, there are plenty of ways to get yourself out of the rut.
But the most important thing is to maintain your focus.
“Ask yourself the question: how can I reach my goal? By following the stages or steps that you have set yourself until D-day,” says Leslie.
See our top tips on getting out of a running rut
The final hurdle
For Leslie, his road to recovery ended in the ultimate disappointment as he found out he wouldn’t be on the plane to London.
But his technique still came through. He was fit and ready to step up if the call came.
And whatever the future holds, it was his drive and motivation to reach his goal through some of the toughest times of his career that got Leslie back into training and running again.
Inspired?
You can set yourself a goal on My ASICS and get a training plan tailored to suit you.
With milestones along the way and a dashboard to track your progress, it will help motivate you to reach your goals.
