Mantras against all odds

Last year, among my routines were a daily cold shower and repeating two goals in the mirror.

“Make the most of your time!” was the first.

“UTMB top 10” was the second.

(c) David Wallmann. Nothing is as refreshing as a cold shower, except an ice-cold mountain stream!

We discussed using time meaningfully a few weeks ago. This mantra is very personal: everyone has their own idea of using time usefully, meaningfully or enjoyably.

“UTMB top 10”, on the other hand, was a clearly defined goal. I kept pursuing it even when the rational part of me was sure I could not achieve it. Too many trail running stars had entered late, leaving me a much smaller name in the field. A top-10 finish was unrealistic. Had I been forced to bet, I would have bet against myself. More setbacks and challenges followed. The Trail World Championships in May did not go particularly well. Time constraints forced me to change my training plan. Publicly, “officially”, a single-digit UTMB finish was no longer on the agenda. Yet I stuck with my morning routine. Had it already become unconscious?

We all know words influence actions. If I keep telling myself I cannot do something, I will never be able to. The more I repeat something, the more it becomes part of me, for better or worse.

Of course, it was mainly my body, not just my mind, that ran those 171 km with 10,000 metres of climbing. It had plenty of resistance to overcome. How can mantras come true when the result depends on external circumstances? If so many leading athletes had not withdrawn, I would not have reached the top 10. If my wife had advised me on the phone to stop rather than keep suffering, and I had listened, my name would have had a DNF beside it.

I do not know why I stuck for nine months with a mantra I did not fully believe, given all the factors involved. What I do know is that I finished ninth at the 2018 UTMB and achieved my goal.

I also know that, after the UTMB, I continued saying “Make the most of your time” in the mirror every day. This simple routine helps me focus afresh. In recent months, I have worked hard on a more compelling vision for my IT company. Everything we do centres on the user. Naturally, we have to earn money and operate as a commercially minded business; my employees and I need a monthly salary. But that should follow from wanting and doing the best for our customers.

Since registering for the 2019 UTMB, I have, of course, had a new mantra for my morning mirror ritual.

It is admittedly as ambitious as last year’s. But when dreams become reality through mantras and hard work, that is simply wonderful!