My Austin International Half Marathon 2026 is done. It was my worst race ever (25 minutes off my personal best), but also my best. Let me explain. I’m coming back from an injury.
I can go out and run the half-marathon distance almost any time – at least before now.
How I Got Here – Injury
Last year, I had a medical procedure, which knocked me out of all kinds of exercises. I took about 5 months off from running, and when I started back, I could only manage 1 or 2 miles at a very slow jog.
When your body is used to performing at a certain level, you lose that fitness very quickly. The trauma to your body is not compatible with running, especially as we age.
The Running Magazine says it takes about 10 days of no running to start losing fitness, and your VO2 max starts to decline sharply.
According to Harvard Medical School, V02 Max is the best indicator of your cardiovascular and aerobic endurance. It refers to the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise.
A higher VO2 max means your heart and lungs are more efficient at supplying oxygen-rich blood to you.
As I reflect on my recovery journey from injury to this point, I see many parallels with finances, especially at the intersection with immigration.
Mental Resiliency Key To Recovery
Coming back from any injury, even with the best medical care, calls for a deep belief in yourself, a positive mindset, and a willingness to push yourself just a little bit. It calls for seeing an opportunity where others see a problem.
Running this race today was an opportunity for a new baseline – it can only get better from here, so let’s figure out what that baseline is.
Stepping up to the starting line, I totally believed I could finish the race (I have done it before), but knew it was going to be ugly (and yes, it was). Think different miles at different paces, a positive split, bad form, etc.
The race is a point-to-point, meaning you need to reach the finish line to ride the bus back to the starting line for your car. Sure, you can stop at any point and call an Uber or a friend, but in my mind, that wasn’t an option for me (I had mentally taken it off the table) – so I had to finish the race.
The Immigrant Mindset
Mental resilience is what allows you to rebound from failure or loss. I liken this to the immigrant mindset – the super power that allow foreign born families/individuals to succeed in this country, in spite of all the challenges that come up.
You need it now more than ever to keep pursuing your version of the American dream.
Resilience, adaptability, resources, and faith are what this is all about. They are the perfect combination to build wealth in the US.
Pick One Specific Goal – Easier To Hit
My goal today was not a specific time, but simply to finish. It allowed me to do more of what I’ll describe below.
It’s the same with your finances; pick one financial goal and work on that at a time. When I work with ongoing clients, we agree on all the goals at the start. When it comes to execution, we focus on one goal at a time.
It allows clients to look back and see what we’ve achieved at any point, reducing the overwhelm of too many tasks at once. Try it with your finances, and your chances of success will be much higher.
Having A Plan A, B, C, And Maybe D
This was going to be a hard race, anyway I looked at it. The last time I ran over 13 miles was in Feb of 2025.
My usual (previous) plan (steady pace, one foot in front of the other) relies on being well-trained, some technical podcasts, and knowing I’m in great physical shape. Today, this was not going to work. I had to change things up radically.
My goal was to finish, even if it meant walking the last two or three miles ( I didn’t).
So, I went to plan C – my running coach would not have been very happy with me.
Go out hard the first 4, or 5 miles (it was cold, and the adrenaline will make you go fast), and then coast the rest of the way.
Focus on running the current mile. Normally, I break the race into 5K sections, but today I focused on each mile, which allowed me experiment with each mile. And walk the drink stations.
I swapped out my nerdy tax-and-finances podcasts for two of my favorite comedians, Trevor Noah and John Oliver. Trevor had John on his podcast as a guest. The two are brilliant, make you think differently, and laugh as well. They are both immigrants and bring in their own immigrant experiences into the shows. I caught myself laughing out loud at some sections, which was fantastic, especially if it was a hill. Somehow, that allowed me to keep digging deep – and I had to dig deep to make it happen (Can’t wait to see race pictures).
The lesson here is very simple: if your financial plan is not working, be willing to try out different things.
Last week, I spoke to a prospect who’s been handling his finances on his own. His words, “I have done all I can, but I don’t feel like I’m making any progress; I need a new plan.” For him, this might be Plan B – hiring a cross-border planner.
For foreign nationals on work visas, coasting is not an option with your finances. You want an intentional plan that includes your immigration situation and addresses all possibilities.
Read More: The Complexity Of Cross-Border Financial Planning
You need a plan A, B, C, and maybe D. Think about how you’ll stay in this country, and if things aren’t working, leaving is a possibility as well. The key thing is to have an alternate plan and know when to activate it.
If you think you might have to leave the country, have a plan – use our The Complete U.S. Departure Checklist For Foreign Nationals On Work Visas checklist, or find a cross-border planner like Elgon or a cross-border CPA to help you plan for the transition.
This also means being on the lookout and pursuing every opportunity to improve your skill sets and your life.
Read More: Building Financial Resilience: Invest In Yourself
Build A Community Around You
The African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” Is the best summary of this section.
My breakfast club buddies (we run together and have breakfast after the run on Saturdays) have played a huge role in my getting to this point. I owe them so much, and will be forever grateful, that they are in my life.
It’s so much better doing life with them.
It started with them supporting my family and me when I was out, but it became vital when I started walking/jogging, etc. A couple of other ways they showed up for me.
When I could walk but not run, they constantly reached out and encouraged me to still come to breakfast with them.
On non-running days, somebody would ping me about a short neighbourhood walk.
One of our weekly runs starts from my house. Like clockwork, they kept showing up at 6:30 AM, and one of them would walk with me when I couldn’t run.
When I started slow jogs, I could only go so far; someone would stay with me at that pace for a while. The saying is “it’s always better to run with a friend”.
And if need be, they would go out and run at their usual pace, then come back for me – this was great because it allowed us to run some of it together while also giving them extra mileage.
In today’s race, a few of them couldn’t run, but they still showed up for the team at different mile points and provided transport back home. And cheered us wildly at the finish line. To come back from an injury – lean on your village, your people.
Community Of Cross-Border Planners
This same principle translates very well into the financial planning space.
I have surrounded myself with a big community of cross-border planners, cross-border tax professionals, estate planning lawyers who understand the intricacies of being foreign-born, immigration lawyers, and insurance people who understand work visas.
These are relationships I have cultivated very intentionally over the last couple of years.
“Your network is your net worth” is how I look at this issue. I cannot know everything there is to know about cross-border planning, but I tell my clients/prospects that if they give me some time, I’ll find the right resource for them.
In a recent client survey, numerous clients mentioned that I seem to have every type of professional in my network, and they don’t need to vet them because I have already vetted them.
I also pay it back by educating other planners about the specific issues in the cross-border space through free webinars, speaking at conferences, or simply offering to be a resource.
You want to do the same: find a community/communities that understand what you are looking for, have your best interests at heart, and can help you on your financial journey. You want both moral and practical support.
Before acting on the financial information, though, please verify with a professional to ensure it fits your situation.
After today, I’m excited for the next race!
More Resources
Running is a big part of my life; it’s part of my social life, it’s calming, and it gives me space to meditate, pray, write blog posts in my head, and contemplate life. So it’s no surprise that I find a lot of common ground with financial planning. A few other running-related blog posts.
Investing Mistakes Lessons from Marathon Racing
Money Lessons Solidified After Running 13.1 Miles
How Elgon Financial Advisors Can Help You With Your Finances
Cross-border financial planning becomes more complex when your immigration status is taken into account. And if you are foreign-born, there is no other way to look at it.
What works for your friend next to you is most likely not going to work for you. If you are new to the country, considering leaving the US, or you are looking to build wealth long-term in the US, we’d be very happy to walk this journey with you.
As a fee-only Fiduciary advisor, our interests are aligned with yours, and everything we do is geared towards your interests.
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Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information and illustration purposes only. Nothing contained in the material constitutes tax advice, a recommendation for the purchase or sale of any security, investment advisory services, or legal advice. I encourage you to consult a financial planner, accountant, and/or legal counsel for advice specific to your situation. Reproduction of this material is prohibited without written permission from Jane Mepham and all rights are reserved. Read the full disclaimer here.
