The Importance of Failure

Failure is a dirty word to most people.

Tell someone they failed and it conjures up memories of 9^th grade algebra tests or not getting the part in the community playhouse version of Music Man. Failure usually results from not trying hard enough or not being good enough. It can leave you feeling empty, frustrated, angry with yourself or with the teacher who graded the exam or the director who didn’t appreciate your version of "Seventy-Six Trombones.”

Failure can make people give up or make them try harder.

Today’s theme is FAILURE is NOT BAD, FAILURE is ESSENTIAL.

Striving for failure is the best way to improve. In the technology field, engineers try their best to stress their software or networks to find the limits so they can focus on how to make them better. Scientists will test 100s of hypotheses that don’t pan out, all of which help lead them to the one hypothesis that can be supported by their experiments.

For some reason, in fitness, people want constant success. Unfortunately, lack of failure will hold you back.

We do a lot of circuit training in our boot camps and with our clients. Each station in the circuit is an exercise and the goal is to do as many reps of the exercise as you can in 40 seconds. It is pretty straight forward. Learn the movement, select the weight and go for it.

What is interesting to see is how different people approach the 40 seconds. A common question is “What weight should I use?” I give some guidance based on their current capabilities and then let them choose.

Some people choose a weight that will allow them to succeed. Success meaning being able to do the exercise for the full 40 seconds without stopping. Others choose a weight that will force them to fail. They can’t lift the weight continually for 40 seconds and have to stop early or rest in the middle and then continue.

And without question, the people who get the best results are the people who choose a weight that forces them to fail.

Failure is the best way to shine a light on your limitations. Reaching the point of failure will do two things:

-         show you what your maximum capacity is, and

-         guarantee that you are working your body to that maximum capacity

Once you know what you are currently capable of, you have a measurement tool for the next time. If you choose 15 lbs dumbbells (remember to put away your 5 lbs dumbbells) and have to stop after 35 seconds then the next time you have a goal to shoot for…get to 36 seconds.

The next time you workout remember to choose a weight that will force failure. It will help you in the long run. 

Paul, how do I increase the distance I can run?

"I have gotten myself into a running "hole," where 2 miles is really my limit. The good thing is that my average mile time has been decreasing, but I really want to start incrementally increasing my distance. Do you have any suggestions? I decided to suck it up and run 3 miles yesterday, but I was VERY tired from 2.5 to 3 miles. Let me know if you have any advice!" - from one of our Elevation Boot Campers


Increasing your distance is pretty simple. First off, make the increases gradually. Increasing from 2 miles to 3 miles won’t work very well. Think about increasing your longest run by a ¼ mile a week or ½ mile at the most. So next week plan to do a 2.25 or 2.5 miler. It sounds like 2.5 is doable now.   

Building Speed

Keep in mind that not every running workout needs to be a fixed distance at a steady pace. What I suggest for people who want to get faster is to pick a distance (let’s say a 5k) and alternate running a fast ½ mile with a slow ½ mile. The fast part is faster than your steady run pace and the slow part is slower than it. As you get used to it then you can switch to a fast ½ mile followed by a slow ¼ mile. Keep increasing the length of the fast part and decreasing the length of the slow part. Do this gradually over the course of a month or two. You’ll see your speed on your 5k improve. You can also do this based on time rather than distance, i.e. run fast for 2 minutes then slow for 2 minutes working your way up to fast for 3 minutes and slow for 1 minute.

Example Speed Building Plan:

Week 1 – Alternate fast ½ mile with a slow ½ mile

Week 2 – Alternate fast ¾ mile with a slow ½ mile

Week 3 – Alternate fast ¾ mile with a slow ¼ mile

Week 4 – Alternate fast 1 mile with a slow ½ mile

Week 5 – Alternate fast 1 mile with a slow ¼ mile

Week 6 – Go for your best 5k time

Week 7 – Set a new goal speed and start all over.

Building Distance

The principles of building speed also apply to people who want to increase their distance as well. Pick a fixed distance (let’s say 4 miles). Run one mile then walk ¼ mile, run another mile then walk another 1/4. Repeat that pattern until you reach 4 miles. As you improve, lengthen the run portion to 1.5 miles. Gradually work up to a 2 mile run followed by a ¼ mile walk and then a 2 mile run. Then just eliminate the walk altogether and you’re at 4 miles.

Example Distance Building Plan:

Week 1 - Run 1 mile, walk ¼ mile, run 1 mile, walk ¼ mile….repeat to 4 miles

Week 2 – Run 1.5 miles, walk ¼ mile, run 1.5 miles, walk ¼ mile, run 1 mile

Week 3 – Run 2 miles, walk ¼ mile, run 2 miles

Week 4 – Run 2 miles, jog ¼ mile, run 2 miles

Week 5 – Run 4 miles

Week 6 – Set a new goal distance and create a pattern based on this format.

Distance and speed improvements occur gradually, but using this philosophy is the best way to guarantee progress. Remember, these are just guidelines. It is best to understand the principles and adjust the distances based on what your body can handle and what your goals are.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz

Active Personal Fitness

www.ActivePersonalFitness.com

267.626.7478 

Get Your 8 Seconds Back

Saturday afternoon I watched the last hour of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Qualifier. It’s pretty simple, be one of the top 3 male or female finishers and you qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team and compete at the London Games.

I’ll admit, watching a marathon is a bit boring but the storylines were compelling and tactics were interesting. Plus, I have incredible respect for the amount of hard training that these competitors put in. To compete at that level you have to devote your life to your sport. The 26.2 mile race was done at about a 5:00 minute mile pace for the men and just over 5:00 minutes per mile for the women. Personally, I can’t run one mile at that pace so I’m in awe.

Many of the 6 qualifiers set personal best times for the marathon. The women’s winner, Shalane Flanagan, was running only her second marathon ever after a sucessful career running the 10,000 meters (just over 6 miles). The men’s winner, Meb Keflezighi, is a storied American distance runner who also set a personal best and could have set the event record but he chose (correctly, in my opinion) to grab an American flag and celebrate over the last half mile when he knew the race was won.

But this blog is not about the winners from Saturday. This blog is about 8 seconds. It’s about Dathan Ritzenhein. Dathan is known as “Ritz” and wears that name on his race bib.

Ritzenhein was a high school track legend. He carried that success through college and his professional career. In 2008, he finished 9^th at the Beijing Olympics in the marathon. He was the top American finisher.

Yesterday, at the U.S. Olympic Qualifier he finished 4^th. Nothing is worse than finishing fourth. No medal, no headlines, no Olympic team. Ritz was part of a group of 4 men that separated themselves from the field midway through the race. Around mile 20 he began to lose touch with the leaders. He quickly fell 45 seconds behind Meb, Ryan Hall and Abdi Abdirahman. But Ritz is a true pro. He kept running his race and began to make a move over the last 3 miles. Abdi had fallen back a little and the race for third was on.

Ritz kept closing the gap. 25 seconds behind. 15 seconds behind. 10 seconds behind. He kept coming strong. Abdi was hurting but still had that coveted third spot.

When Abdi crossed the finish line you could see Ritz about 100 meters back. Meb and Hall were already draped in American flags. Tears of joy were streaming down their face. Abdi joined them. The Olympic team was set. And 8 seconds later, Ritzenhein crossed the line. 8 seconds in a 26.2 mile race. That’s it.

I’ve been in that position before albeit on a much lower profile scale. You know a certain time will qualify you for an event, catching someone on the course will get you into the top 3, a goal you've set your sights on appears to be just out of reach, or you are 8 lbs toward that 10 lbs weight loss and you just can't seem to make it. I know what was running through Ritz’s mind. He was replaying every workout, every prep run, every training meal, every chance he had to go faster in training that may have given him the 8 seconds he needed.

We all have fitness goals. If you don’t, you should. Read this blog for tips. And sometimes we fall short of reaching them. That’s your 8 seconds.

Ritzenhein probably thought about workouts where he didn’t give it his all. Keep that in mind as you approach your next workout. Do you want to give away those 8 seconds and miss reaching your goal? Or do you want to grab more weight or stay on the treadmill another 10 minutes or add another workout to your week so that you don’t have to wonder what if?

Like I tell my Spinning class every Sunday morning. Your goals are reached through the work you do when no one is watching.

8 seconds.

Every second counts.