When I was first introduced to the Daniels Running Formula a decade ago by my friend and 1996 Olympic Trials qualifier, Dave Nelson, I knew we were looking at a completely new approach to training. It quickly led me to a fifteen-minute marathon PR, so I was anxious to apply it to the kids I coach at South-Doyle. I had a new secret weapon and couldn’t wait to try it out.
As luck would have it, one of the most talented female runners I’ve ever coached, Caroline Peyton, entered our school that year as part of the biggest freshman groups we’ve ever had join our team. Coach Daniels says the five most important factors in an athlete’s success are ability, motivation, opportunity, direction, and luck. It seemed like we had all those in spades that year providing a perfect crucible for experimentation.
After a season of implementing a regime of intervals including threshold pace designed to increase the threshold where oxygen debt is reached and lactate is produced and repetition pace to facilitate speed form, we had our first female state qualifier and highest region finish in school history. I know that ability, motivation, and opportunity had more to do with any of this than my direction, but I was still ahead of luck. Spring lead to more school records in the 3200, 1600, 800, and 4x800 making me a true believer.
I have used the Daniels Formula almost exclusively for ten years now and continually tinker with my implementation of it. I took a chance last year with a first year runner, Rachel Wooliver, who I’d been projected as a 6:15 miler based on her pre-season workouts, but had opened with a couple of 6:35’s by slowing her workouts to the paces associated with 6:35. She promptly ran a 6:13 next time out. This really wasn’t a risky move at all, except that it was counter-intuitive to the athlete, who happened to be a National Merit Commended Scholar. She eventually ran 5:55 by the end of spring and 20:24 at Footlocker. My mantra for 2008 was, “Let me make you faster, by asking you to train slower.” This was fueled by my understanding of Daniels and bolstered by my summer reading of Bowerman and the Men of Oregon.
When the second edition of the book came out with chapters on the 800 and cross country, I was really excited. Our prodigal son, Jarrad Read, had returned to the team after a year of wandering in the wilderness of soccer to claim the half mile glory he had left behind with a third place section finish during his sophomore year. He would be the perfect candidate for me to explore the training plans Daniels laid out for the 800. We followed them with the same precision and flexibility that lead to earlier successes in the longer distances only to find he was more competitive in the 3200 that year. I’ve learned to stay the course and to always dance with who brought you, so we stuck with the 800 workouts even as he qualified for state in the 3200, continuing to PR and re-set the school record.
Turns out that state champions Andrew Bumbalough and Sean Keveran, as well as, NTN qualifiers Oak Ridge High School also use the Daniels formula meaning my secret weapon is not a secret at all. I never really believed it was, but I wasn’t quick to share it with colleagues in the beginning. I was less mature then, so I’m trying to make up for that omission now. Dave Milner, who coached the Brentwood distance squad lately, ran for Coach Daniels in college and my “run slower to run faster” mantra was borrowed from Oak Ridge Coach Allen Etheridge if I’m completely honest.
When I first starting thinking about who I’d like to see here, Jack Daniels, PhD was my first choice. It seemed like a stretch in the beginning, but an email later, it was a done deal. It almost seemed too easy, but has helped teach me to not aim too low. I got my first copy of Dr. Daniels book autographed when he spoke here as a guest of the exercise physiology department at UT. That was ten years ago and I didn’t understand his formula like I think I do now. I still have many questions to ask him though and look forward to getting the chance to ask him about the technique he has used in aiding runners from Jim Ryun to Anthony Familglietti. Fam has told me that Jack is excited to be coming to Knoxville. We’re pretty happy to have him here.
Jack Daniels, PhD will speak on training at Oak Ridge High School on Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 advance, $15 door, $5 students.