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.