Obsessing About Results Is Your Enemy

This is the secret to lasting motivation

When David Goggins learned about the death of an acquaintance operative team, he decided to raise funds for the deceased soldiers’ families.

He thought joining an ultramarathon — races that go beyond the usual 42-kilometer marathon — would be a great way to do that. So he applied to the Badwater 135; a 135-mile race under extreme heat and elevation.

But Badwater’s Race Director held a strict requirement: All runners must have previously completed a 100-mile race or more to qualify — which Goggins didn’t.

At first, Goggins asked if he could have the requirement waived. He worked as a SEAL and he got a letter of recommendation attesting to his endurance as an athlete.

But the Race Director wouldn’t have it. Instead, he suggested that Goggins run a 24-hour ultra in San Diego. “Go run one hundred miles [in it] and get back to me,” the RD said.

The San Diego race was 3 days away. And though Goggins was untrained, he went for it.

For the first few miles, Goggins felt good in the race. His pace was fast. He was even in fifth place when he reached mile 25. But by mile 27, he was starting to feel the pain. He has only run one marathon prior (26 miles). And his lack of…