Jack Daniels’ Phase II

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Sometimes picking up the pace in a race feels better than staying with the same pace; always try speeding up before you drop back from a tough pace

Coach Jack Daniels

In the mid-90s, editor-in-chief of Runner’s World magazine Amby Burfoot called coach Jack Daniels the “world’s best running coach.” Burfoot, an accomplished marathoner from the late-60s and early-70s, believed so strongly that he “plastered” the phrase on the cover of the magazine.

In 2009, Burfoot posted on the Runner World blog a point-by-point account of why he believes so strongly in Daniels‘ coaching abilities. If you are not familiar with Daniels, take a moment to read the post.

As I mentioned in the post on Fast but Not Hard drills, Daniels’ Running Formula was the first full-length running book I read when I first started. I implemented his program for several seasons. And I enjoyed it tremendously.

The way Daniels lays out the principles of training and simplifies the concepts down to specific pace ranges and workouts is impressive. If you’re interested in learning more about the nuts-and-bolts of running, Daniels’ Running Formula is a great place to start.

What we are going to focus on today is Phase II of Daniels training programs.

To give some context, in Daniels‘ programs:

  • Phase I is aerobic development. Runners build a volume of “easy” runs plus include Strides at the end of several workouts per week. Similar to the Running Base Building Program I outlined.
  • Phase II is a transition phase from the mostly-aerobic work of Phase I into the more taxing training involved in Phase III.
  • Phase III is the most challenging pre-competition phase. Training includes more demanding anaerobic work specific to the target event.
  • Phase IV is the competition phase. Runners race hard and include workouts less demanding than Phase III to maintain the fitness they developed.

One way Daniels organizes Phase II is to include two key workouts per weeks with all other runs at easy pace to achieve your weekly mileage target. One workout he calls R-pace workouts and the other workout alternates between a T-pace workout and an M-pace workout. Briefly, R-pace is a fast pace similar to your Strides pace, T-Pace is the fastest pace you can hold for 60min, M-pace is your marathon pace. Let’s explore this more.

Jack Daniels’ Reps

Daniels has something he calls Repetition Training or Reps or R for short. Reps are similar to Strides. But the duration is longer: both the Rep itself is longer, AND the recovery is more prolonged. The longer recovery is the critical piece. Daniels suggests a complete recovery in between reps during Phase II.

Reps are meant to engage the anaerobic metabolism and develop economy of movement while providing enough rest to ensure each Rep is done with proper technique and promote the ability to run relaxed.

Daniels suggests a pace roughly equal to your 1500m or Mile race pace. So a pace you should be able to hold for 4-5 minutes NON-STOP (in which case it would be VERY hard). So these are nowhere near Sprints. They are roughly the same as your Strides pace.

Another way to compute the pace would to take your 5km race pace and subtract 8-10s per 400m. For example, a 20min 5k runner runs 400m in 96s (4:00/km) at 5k-pace. So the Rep pace would become 86-88s (about 3:38/km).

Sample Rep Workouts

Below are three sample Rep workouts from Daniels’ Running Formula. A 10-15min warm-up would precede each workout. I’d also suggest you include 5 Strides at the end of the warm-up. And a 10-15min cool-down comes afters. Warm-up and cool-down would be at an easy pace.

  • 200m R, 200m Recovery
  • 200m R, 200m Recovery
  • 400m R, 400m Recovery
  • Repeat 5 times
  • 400m R, 400m Recovery
  • Repeat 10 times
  • 4 x (200m R, 200m Recovery)
  • 2 x (400m R, 400m Recovery)
  • 800m R, 800m Recovery
  • 2 x (400m R, 400m Recovery)
  • 4 x (200m R, 200m Recovery)

Two crucial points that Daniels mentions in the book that are not evident when looking at the workouts: total volume of Reps and recovery distances/durations.

Rep Recovery Distance or Duration

However, don’t let the precise distances specified for the recovery fool you. It is just a ballpark estimate. In Daniels‘ own words:

The recovery activty and time for Reps are not so structured. The type and amount of recovery between each workbout is determine subjectively. Simply put, you recover until you feel you can perform the next run as well as you did the previous one.

Coach Jack Daniels

The length of the recovery may be longer or shorter than 200m, 400m or 800m. Typically your rest period will need to be two to four times the duration of the Rep. So if you run a 1min Rep, you may need up to 4min to be adequately recovered before the next Rep and that’s ok. The recovery can be a light jog, a walk or a mix of the two. Just make sure that you feel recovered before you start the next Rep.

Lastly, decreasing the recovery time does NOT lead to a better workout in this phase of training. Always maintain adequate recovery so that each Rep is run as well as the previous one.

Total Volume of Reps

Each of the sample workouts has a total volume of 4000m at R pace. Daniels repeatedly mentions:

The sum of R pace should be no more than 5% of the weekly mileage

Coach Jack Daniels

The 5% upper limit provides a margin of safety to avoid spending too much running time at anaerobic paces, especially in this training block. Remember that Phase II is a transition phase, so you don’t want to hammer yourself with anaerobic work, you want to build into it slowly.

When you do the math, you’d need to be running 80km or 50miles per week to complete 4000m of Reps. If we implement the 5% upper limit to different running volumes we obtain:

  • 30km = 1500m of R
  • 40km = 2000m of R
  • 50km = 2500m of R
  • 60km = 3000m of R
  • 70km = 3500m of R
  • >80km = 4000m of R

So you would decrease the total number of sets or repetitions to respect the upper limit.

Jack Daniels’ T-Pace and M-Pace

M-pace is your marathon pace. T-Pace is your “threshold” pace, the fastest pace you can hold for 60min non-stop. For elite runners, T-Pace is their half-marathon pace. For recreational runners, it is typically somewhere between 12k and 16k race pace.

You can think, Reps as a progression on Strides. And in Phase II it makes sense to progress the Strides you did during Phase I or your Running Base Building Program. M-pace and T-Pace are also progressions but from the other side of the speed spectrum. M-Pace as a progression on Easy pace or Base Pace and T-Pace as a progression on M-Pace.

To determine your T-Pace and M-Pace you can use Daniels’ Running Calculator that I have embedded below. Enter a recent race result, and your suggested paces will appear under the “Training” tab

During Phase II, for your second workout, you would alternate between an M-Pace run and a T-Pace run.

M-Pace Workout

The goal of your M-Pace workout is to build-up to 60min at M-Pace. One hour may be too much for you.

  • If your Long run in Phase I or during your Running Base Building Program reached around 90min, then 60min is a good target – but build-up to it.
  • If not, then don’t get hung up running at M-Pace for 60min. Gradually progress the duration instead.

Here is a simple progression:

  1. 10min Easy. 20min M. 10min Easy
  2. 10min Easy. 30min M. 10min Easy
  3. 10min Easy. 40min M. 10min Easy
  4. 10min Easy. 50min M. 10min Easy
  5. 10min Easy. 60min M. 10min Easy

If your long run was 90min or more, start at level 3 and build to 5. But if your long run was 60min or less, start at level 1.

T-Pace Workout

There are two types of T-Pace workouts in Daniels program: Tempo Runs and Cruise Intervals

Tempo Runs are straightforward. Warm-Up for 10-15min. Run at T-Pace for 20min (plus-or-minus a few minutes). Cool-down as long as you like. Done!

Cruise Intervals are intervals run at T-Pace with short recoveries in between. There are several advantages to Cruise Intervals. First, you can complete more total volume at T, about 25-30min total time. Second, you can look forward to the short rest periods. Third, the training effect remains the same as long as the recoveries are adequate short. The rule-of-thumb is 1min recovery for every 5min of T-Pace.

However, during Cruise Intervals, be sure to stick to T-Pace. Don’t let the allure of the recovery periods be motivation to run faster. That defeats the intended purpose. The faster intervals will come in the next phase of training.

Structure your Cruise Intervals to be similar to the following progression:

  1. 5 x 5min 1 min recovery between.
  2. 10min, 2min recovery, 3 x 5min 1 min recovery between.
  3. 2 x 10min 2min recovery between, 2 x 5min 1 min recovery between.
  4. 15min, 3min recovery, 10min, 2min recovery, 5min
  5. 3 x 10min 2min recovery between
  6. 2 x 15min 3min recovery between

To convert the time values into distances, divide 5min by your T-Pace in minutes and round to the nearest simple number. Then do the same for 10min and 15min. For the swift math brains, resist the urge to multiply the 5min distance by 2 to get your 10min distance and multiply by 3 to get your 15min distance. Multiplication overemphasizes any rounding that you did when calculating the 5min distance.

For example, a 20min 5k runner has a T-Pace of 4:16/km and 4:16 is 4.4 min, so:

  • 5min divided by 4.4 is 1.171875, so let’s round it 1.2km.
  • 10min divided by 4.4 is 2.2727, so let’s round to 2.2km.
  • 15min divided by 4.4 is 3.409, so let’s round to 3.4km.

Hence the workouts above become:

  1. 5 x 1.2km 1 min recovery between.
  2. 2.2km, 2min recovery, 3 x 1.2km 1 min recovery between.
  3. 2 x 2.2km 2min recovery between, 2 x 1.2km 1 min recovery between.
  4. 3.4km, 3min recovery, 2.2km, 2min recovery, 1.2km
  5. 3 x 2.2km 2min recovery between
  6. 2 x 3.4km 3min recovery between

Sample Phase II Programs

Now let’s put the pieces together and construct a Jack Daniels style Phase II program. I’ll use a two-week cycle to include the three workout types: Repetitions, T-Pace and M-Pace. Below is an example of five-days-a-week and six-days-a-week training.

Choose all the specific workouts from the lists above. Start at the proper level and progress to the next level from one week to the next. Make sure you respect the guidelines for the total volume of running at R-pace!

Five-days-a-week Program

  1. Medium Easy Run
  2. Repetition workout
  3. Rest Day
  4. M-Pace workout
  5. Shorter Easy Run with 5-10 Strides or 10min Diagonals at the end
  6. Longer Easy Run
  7. Rest day
  8. Medium Easy Run
  9. Repetition workout
  10. Rest Day
  11. T-Pace workout: Tempo Run or Cruise Intervals
  12. Shorter Easy Run with 5-10 Strides or 10min Diagonals at the end
  13. Longer Easy Run
  14. Rest day

Six-days-a-week Program

  1. Medium Easy Run
  2. Repetition workout
  3. Shorter Easy Run
  4. M-Pace workout
  5. Shorter Easy Run with 5-10 Strides or 10min Diagonals at the end
  6. Longer Easy Run
  7. Rest day
  8. Medium Easy Run
  9. Repetition workout
  10. Shorter Easy Run
  11. T-Pace workout: Tempo Run or Cruise Intervals
  12. Short Easy Run with 5-10 Strides or 10min Diagonals at the end
  13. Longer Easy Run
  14. Rest day

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