Notes on running: The power of resilience

(excerpt from Running the Sahara - a diary from the desert and beyond, published on 20th December, 2019)

Pain comes and goes, but success lasts, and so too does giving up. As I would never give up a race because of mental or physical pain – within limits, of course – just as I would not give up on any situation in life as long as there is a chance, however slim, that it will succeed. And one trait that repeatedly helps me overcome misfortunes and mastering every-day challenges is my resilience. My initial awakening to the power of resilience was some years ago at a two-day workshop facilitated by my long-time mentor Karsten Drath. I learned a lot about my traits and how to train my habits at the workshop. Over time, my resilience increased, making me able to counterbalance extraordinary and challenging situations with actions based on my skills and resources.

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Running can be an excellent training field to alter undesired habits and further develop positive ones. “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation,” as Aristotle said. Being able to react to a particular situation with the right habit has definitely helped me to cope better with problems in running as well as day-to-day life. I have established my own methods to tackle, survive, and even triumph in unexpected situations. Counting stones and trees or focusing on the plants around me while detecting the order of the leaves (I’m fascinated by the Fibonacci sequence) and their individual characteristics are some examples from running. I engage myself mentally in something outside the immediate troubling and disturbing situation to keep my mind focused. It helps me to win back the energy and mental conviction that a given goal is still achievable.