There is a simple question that offers plenty of clear answers:
What makes trail running so appealing?
What makes trail running so appealing?
Which answers come to mind for you? For me it is being present in nature, moving through open terrain, sharing the trail with fellow runners, soaking up natural spectacles, and savoring emotional moments. On the trails of the Grossglockner Ultra-Trail or the Pitz Alpine Trail you gaze across hundreds of peaks rising above 3,000 meters. Watching the sun rise or set in the mountains still gives me goosebumps, and of course there is also the thrill of proving yourself.
The photo captures what trail running means to me: movement, nature, friendship, emotions. Thanks for the shot, David!
And what about work?
Work joy feels similar: immersing yourself in a task, knowing you contributed something valuable to the current project, sensing how every step gets you closer to the bigger picture, and exchanging ideas with people who may turn from colleagues or partners into friends. At Smarter Business Solutions we not only strive to make SharePoint lovable for our clients, we also work on creating a meaningful environment for ourselves.
But let’s be honest: as beautiful as those rewards are, reality usually looks different.
Mental training in everyday life
My favorite training loop is a hill behind the house: 500 meters long with 111 meters of climb. The majesty of the high Alps is far away, and when day turns into night I do not get a golden farewell ray on my skin. Knowing that one of Central Europe’s major gas pipelines runs under my feet might be economically relevant, but as an athlete I do not care. When I trudge up and down there (everyone is welcome to join me), I forge body and mind and toughen up for the beautiful assignments ahead. Images from the Hochkoenigman or Mozart100 pop into my head, I think about the UTMB and its trails, and I look forward to racing there again soon. Another lap done, another hundred meters climbed.
No kitschy sunset or breathtaking alpine panorama — this is what reality looks like for a “flatlander” like me: 111 meters up, 111 meters down. My record so far is 100 reps in a single weekend (11,111 meters of elevation). That is mental training at its best.
Lessons for our careers
We also need goals in our jobs, because they give meaning to what we do today. Whoever puts in the work will make mistakes — that is true in sports and in business — and I gratefully accept setbacks. Only through them do we learn how to solve our tasks better.
Trail and error, trial and error in problem solving, is not always the most charming path, but the gods put sweat before victory. I think of a caterpillar and say: before the beauty comes the awkward stage.
Knowing what we are working toward — and accepting every sacrifice and mistake along the way — is simply smarter.