Daniels' Running Formula

by Jack Daniels

These ingredients are, in their order of importance, inherent ability, intrinsic motivation, opportunity, and direction.

strengthening itself. The human body is very good at adapting to a variety of stresses, but it takes a fair amount of time for the body to fully react to some types of stress (e.g., it takes months for muscle fibers to fully adjust

All training sessions have at least three of these four components: workload, intensity, and frequency.

It is not a good idea to change more than one of the training variables.

Remember to always try to achieve the greatest possible benefit from the least amount of training rather than getting the greatest possible benefit from the hardest training possible.

When increasing the training stress, always stay at a chosen degree of stress for 4 to 6 weeks before making changes.

Of all the runners evaluated, only one took fewer than 180 steps per minute. Turnover was well over 200 per minute in the 800 and sometimes in the 1,500, but from the 3,000 (a women’s event in the 1984 Olympics) through the marathon, the rate was quite similar and only stride length was reduced as the race distance became longer.

stride rate around 180 steps per minute

In particular, if you are experiencing calf or shin discomfort, try to concentrate on a mid- or rear-foot landing technique for a few weeks and see if that solves your problem.

Go for 180 steps a minute and learn to roll over the ground with as little effort as possible, and running should be much more enjoyable and leave you more injury free. I sometimes tell runners they should imagine they are running over a field of raw eggs and their goal is to not break any of them; be light on your feet and comfortable in your landing.

Most accomplished runners breathe with a 2-2 rhythm, especially when running fairly hard, because it is comfortable and allows a sizable amount of air to be breathed in and out of the lungs. I strongly recommend using a 2-2 rhythm during practice and in competition, at least during the first two-thirds of middle-distance races, as I explain later in the chapter. You may be able to breathe at a slower rate when running slowly, but it is usually better to use that good 2-2 rhythm even in easy runs, and in threshold, interval, and repetition workouts, so it becomes natural.

In summary, E runs help build resistance to injury, strengthen the heart muscle, improve the delivery of blood, and promote some useful characteristics of the muscle fibers that will help you run at your best. In addition, increasing the duration of E runs (and it’s much easier to increase mileage or duration of your runs if they are easy) is a good boost for your confidence that you can last a long time if you so desire. Never overlook the mental side of the training you are doing.

The primary purpose of R (repetition) training is to improve anaerobic power, speed, and economy of running.