Welcome to the Get Fit Guys quick and dirty tips to get moving and shape up. My name is Brock Armstrong, and I'm the Get Fit Guy.

Years ago, I trained for and raced the Chicago Marathon, and when I say that I trained, I mean that I trained hard.

I worked with my coaches, Tanya Jones, and Ludmila Corkugina for months.

I watched my diet under the guidance of nutritionist Lauren Gjano.

I also kept a log of my training using an online tool called Training Peaks,

and I was dedicated to the goal of running a qualifying time that would allow me to race in the

2012 Boston Marathon. But, alas, when race day came, I failed to reach my goal. Pretty much from

the first 5K of that 42.2 kilometer journey, I felt kind of flat and low energy. Months before, I had visualized

the way that I would feel, and when the day arrived, I didn't have that spring in my stride at all.

Yes, I managed to complete the marathon, but my time was nowhere near what I'd trained for and

what I needed for a

BQ or Boston qualifier. Then, about three weeks later, I turned things around, and I ran the

Hamilton Marathon with a spring in my stride that actually allowed me to come darn close to

nailing my Boston qualifying time. So what was different?

Why was I able to come so much closer to achieving my goal then, but not in Chicago?

Well, that is where my training log and my ability to view failure as a learning tool

came into play.

Or, as I like to call the combination of those two things,

acquiring the data of failure. All right, with the stage set, let's start with logging your training.

Now, as I mentioned, I kept a training log during my training period and throughout most of my athletic

career, in fact. There are many reasons why I did this and why I suggest that you also do it.

Training logs are a useful strategy no matter whether your goal is losing weight, gaining muscle,

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