How I used Agile principles to qualify for the 2019 Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc

"I thought I had more time" - those dreaded six words, said to me by my wife before she melted into my arms, have changed and defined our lives since 2012. Fortunately for us my wife's stroke didn't affect her in any significant way. Except for shaking us to our core and reminding us to embrace life everyday. We never really know how much time we have to make our dreams come true.

I picked up running during her recovery so I could stay fit and manage stress better. I remember not being able to run a mile without getting winded. However, I stuck with it and things got better over time. Before I knew it I was dreaming of running the UTMB, an incredibly hard and prestigious106 mile mountain ultra-marathon that boasts 10,000+ meters of gain and loss each.

The qualification process is very hard and lengthy (for most) and requires accumulating points (which expire) by running pre-approved races. For someone who wasn't a life long runner and had average natural athletic abilities I forecasted it would take me between 3 and 5 years to train and qualify. A very long roadmap indeed.

The goal was so crazy that at first very few believed it was something worth pursing or even within my reach. Except one person. My wife. BTW, I love the naysayers...they motivate me the most!

Between 2014 and 2018 I trained and ran the following qualifying mountain races:

2015:

• Georgia Death Race 68 miles - 5 points
• Kat’cina Mosa 100K - 5 points

2016:

• Georgia Death Race 68 miles - 5 points
• Fat Dog 120 miles - 6 points

2017:

• Cruel Jewel 100 miles - DNF (Did Not Finish)
• Twisted Branch 100K - DNF (Did Not Finish)
• Cloudsplitter 100 miles - 6 points

2018:

• Georgia Death Race 74 miles - 5 points
• The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miles - 4 points

In January of 2019 I was notified that I was finally accepted into the race. During these five years I held 3 different roles, got promoted, supported my wife's writing career, and together we raised our kids and got them into higher levels of education with noted academic achievements.

Below are some of the Agile principles I used to stay focused, train, and execute on my goal (Source: Wikipedia):

Welcome changing requirements, even in late development - When you are trying to accomplish something so monumental the roadmap is likely to require some alterations. The races I did to qualify had their own requirements that seemed to change too. On race day the course had to be changed due to environmental conditions. Things happen...one has to adapt without a lot of fuss.

Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted - Needless to say my motivation was very high. To ensure best thinking was employed at all stages of planning and execution I formed a team consisting of my wife, friends, and professionals, on whom I relied heavily. The team understood the objectives and the team never wavered. This was one of the most important part of my execution.

Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace - When the training events and the qualifying races are so gruelingly long, the strategy calls for consistent effort. You don't train and run ultras as series of high paced 5Ks. Managing energy levels, sleep, health, calories, entertainment, training goals, work goals, family goals...all had to be balanced week after week, year after year.

Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential - it really was. I couldn't afford to find time for it. I had to make time for it. I simplified my lifestyle to embrace this goal. Saying yes to this meant explicitly saying no to other things. I stuck to the basics and performed them consistently. My productivity was through the roof.

Regularly, the team reflects on how to become more effective, and adjusts accordingly - the retrospectives were very important. Self honesty, listening, encouragement, learning, and embracing the realities. When things went well we celebrated. When they didn't we learned from it, put in place corrections, and recovered from the setback. Nothing stood in the way...not even my unhelpful habits. The approach was to continuously learn and relentlessly pursue the objective.

As I find myself in a unique place in my life, I reflect on the key lessons I learned during the past 5 years. They still hold true for me.

Bold goals should scare you...a little:

• Do it NOW: There is no perfect time...
• Limitations are self-imposed: Learn to fail, take chances
• Things go wrong: Expect it; Be relentless.
• Finish STRONG: Give it all you got, then give more!

How about you? Have you applied work principles to play, or vice-versa, and find success?

#continuouslearning #agile #leadership #grit #teamwork