Sold on Failure

As a certified running coach I highly promote failure. I'm sure you did a double take when reading that line, am I right? I am not talking about failure in the sense of, "we all learn from failing." I am meaning failure as in, "run until you feel like you can't anymore."
I, as well as the rest of the RunUrban coaches are proponets of interval training. We have seen major results from this type of workout even in the beginner athlete. Not only does speedwork done in the form of intervals test your VO2max (your lungs) it reminds you that you have another gear. This is the type of thing we do with our two day a week Speed & Form sessions. For example, we may ask our athletes to due 12 400's w/ a rest of 1:15 to 1:30 at a pace we figured out from a time trial. When done correctly this type of workout feels easy for the first 3-5 but on the 6th one you usually feel the lactic acid burn in your body and a shortness of breath.
How many of us have seen marathoners who train only with long mileage all the time? Any given day they can go for 10 miles at an 8 minute pace and then another day step on the track for a one mile race but still only run 8 minute pace. Not that 8 minute pace is bad. But not being able to break that barrier and run a faster pace is not good for further development.
When Todd and I were at the USAT&F Olympic Track & Field coaching summit a few months back, a well known and credible coach who has trained multiple olympians was quoted as saying, "We recently realized that we were being beaten by the rest of the field because we were trainer runners and not athletes." Meaning, that the coach realized that they were teaching them to run but not be athletic. Athletic being agile, strong, quick on the toes. Plyometrics is a good place to start to build a well rounded athlete. But when asked by a fellow coach what is the fastest and best way to train someone to become a well rounded athlete he replied, "speed and form training, being able to not only run the miles but being able to run repeat 400's at a fast clip. In the international field our athletes have been keeping up with the rest of the world for most of the race but then we get dusted in the final laps. The Kenyans and Ethiopians are able to pull off a sub 55 bell lap in the longer races. We can't compete if our athletes cannot perform at high speeds in the big races." He then went on to play video of Bernard Lagat winning the 1500 M at the World Championships. He pounded into our brains how fast Lagat ran his last 300 of that race and how the race was won in milliseconds.
Now, I know most of us are not looking into being future Olympians but it has been proven that speed work keeps you sharp and makes you a better athlete, and thus a better runner. That is why at Urban we tout speedwork that pushes you to your limits, and towards failure. Along with speed we also critique running form because there is such thing as proper form. There is a science to it; having the proper form means you are getting the most distance out of your energy through fluid forward movement. This all may sound a little eccentric or grossly difficult but it really isn't and it can be a lot of fun. As coaches, during this last ten week Speed and Form session we have taken a lot of enjoyment out of seeing our athletes improve in leaps and bounds by supplementing their weekly routines with intervals and tempo runs. Mason, one of our athletes, recently mentioned how he is running his long runs a little faster without noticing right away because it felt easier. Don't believe me? Come give it a try.
We also have a marathon program starting on May 1st which is worth its weight in gold. You will get advice from top coaches like I have just provided plus access to that coach via email and the two speed session a week. So if you are looking to qualify for Boston or just to complete your first marathon come and join us. You won't be disappointed.