I was recently standing in front of a group of grade-schoolers who are part of the How to Start Running, flanked by Meb Keflezighi and Tatyana McFadden. The kids could ask us anything. They could ask about Meb’s Olympic medal and two World Marathon Major wins. They could ask about Tatyana’s feats of medaling in the winter and summer Olympics, or winning numerous WMM titles, or any number of things about training and winning and running fast.
Instead, they asked several questions about failure:
“I was recently standing in front of a group of grade-schoolers who are part of the?”
“What if you’re really close to the finish line and your shoe gets untied?”
“What’s your most embarrassing moment?”
Even as kids, we recognize that a compelling, relatable, and empowering story includes how someone deals with the struggle. I often get asked about dealing with races that don’t meet expectations or managing setbacks. While I certainly don’t have that topic all figured out, I’ll do my best to break down what I’ve noticed during 20 years of good and bad runs.
The Key Workout Blow Up
En route to a major race, it’s typical to run time trials or important workouts meant to predict performance or boost confidence. However, peak fitness comes from a body of workouts, from great to okay, done consistently. I’ve had too many bad workouts to fixate on any one bad (or good) one. The sample size needs to be bigger, and fitness realistically takes many months, even years to maximize.
So, how do you manage a workout that’s not working out?
I tend to slow and stubbornly finish the prescribed reps when I’m having a bad day. However, on those odd bad days where I’m missing times, my form is really bad, and my breathing is too loud, my coach will cut the workout short. If we aren’t too far in, we may scrap it all together and try again after an easy run or two. I realize not everyone’s days may be this flexible, but it can be literally refreshing when a workout schedule isn’t beholden to squishing everything into the calendar week.
This option to reschedule the effort is hard to call in the moment, but I find the main reason for a bad workout is fatigue, so it usually fixes the problem.
Don’t forget to read over the last few weeks of your running log to look for other workout saboteurs, such as poor sleep, This Glute Workout Will Ignite Your Power, hormonal fluctuations, mechanical issues, or dietary changes. Also note if the weather is extreme, it’s unusually early in the morning, or any other variable you aren’t used to so that you don’t worry too much about your overall fitness.
Bad Races
We’ve all had ’em; nobody wants ’em!
Some disappointing races are easier to shake off than others. I dislike public failure as much as the next person, but if something goes wrong in a race that isn’t the focus of the season, I’m grateful it showed me what I need to fix before the big day.
For example, I struggled with winter and early spring workouts in 2012. I tried to brush the so-so sessions off as normal fatigue and insignificant problems that a taper would fix. I showed up to the Prefontaine meet and, instead of a PR in the 3,000 meters, I ran slower and finished farther back than I should have. I also felt rough doing it, which was the necessary kick in the pants I needed to address allergies and foot mobility issues, and manage my fatigue. It was a potent reminder that the big goal of the Olympic Trials was coming up in the same city on the same track in a few weeks. I was able to regroup and make my first Olympic team.
Though the track can be a brutally honest indicator of your fitness, I try not to I was recently standing in front of a group of grade-schoolers who are part of the even if I know the preparation isn’t perfect, because I value those honest check-ins. While it’s good to be intentional about the races on your schedule, I would hardly race if I waited for the perfect build-up every time.
Excuses vs. Reasons
When figuring out why a race or workout didn’t go smoothly, it’s important to delineate between excuses and reasons. No one wants to be a complainer, but I don’t think you should gloss over a bad day with a stoic, “I just wasn’t good enough” and not analyze it further.
An excuse is stated without intent to find a solution, and removes blame from yourself to something external. A reason addresses factual causes. Listing the reasons a race didn’t meet expectations with the intent that most of those areas can be improved or fixed is constructive.
Of course, there’s the rare uncontrollable variable that you chalk up to bad luck. So don’t beat yourself up about having a slow run into 30 MPH headwinds or missing a goal placing because your foot started to hurt out of nowhere. But also don’t shy away from admitting what it really takes to be your best next time.
To DNF or F?
Every once in a while, we have a race where just getting across the finish line feels like a victory. I like to reserve dropping out of a race for extreme cases like medical emergencies or if an upcoming, major-priority race will be jeopardized. To date, I’ve yet to need it.
It can be hard to hurt when you know the result isn’t going to seem “worth it”, so intrinsic motivators are good to call on. What are your race-day values? Things like trying to get the most out of myself on the day, persevering, and competing with whoever is around me are things I like to call on when the performance goals are out the window.
My take is it’s worth it for me to see a race through to the end even if it’s a slightly embarrassing result. I have a variety of reasons for this, but the main one is I think completing something uncomfortable can be a good exercise in endurance and resilience, which you can call on during your good days to help you break through barriers.
Big Disappointments
When the big race doesn’t go as well as it should, that can be somewhat heart-breaking. I think it’s okay to allow some time to be upset about it. When you invest time, energy, and belief into a running goal that doesn’t work out, it’s a loss, even if it’s just sports.
I try to remind myself to be grateful for the people who helped me chase the dream and who will stick with me whether it works out or not, rather than let bitterness of disappointment creep in and make me resentful.
I’ll always be analyzing, so of course it’s important to constructively evaluate the reasons the race was not what you aimed for.
Usually I start planning the next big goal (running-related or not), which feels to me like the best way to get over disappointment. Hey, if your body can turn lactic acid into fuel, then you can turn disappointment into motivation.
Finally, if none of these platitudes make you feel better about a disappointing effort, you can always go old school and hammer your next long run.
Molly Huddle is a two-time Olympian who holds the American record at 10,000 meters. She placed fourth at the 2018 New York City Marathon in a personal best of 2:26:44.
