Daniels' Running Formula

I'm not a very good runner, so I can't say that this is all you need. This book explains the fundamentals of training, the "why" behind your workouts. It also has useful tables for finding the right intensity for yourself. It has training plans for several distances in the back. It covers how to take planned breaks, and how to return from those breaks and get back into training. I'm trying to think of what else I'm forgetting, but I have very few questions about my training after reading this book. It's mostly running. If you're looking for information on strength training, stretching, or nurtrition, you might get a smudge of it in this book, but not much more.

The 2nd edition added some point system that I haven't tried using. It just looked more complicated than I needed. I'd rather just understand the different workout intensities and their purposed and then follow the Daniels' phase layout of a training plan.

I think the 2nd edition also has updated tables for doing tempo runs of different lengths. I think the 1st edition only had tempos of 20 minutes.

The other thing that I've recently noticed was missing was a good description of strides. There are a lot of different opinions on strides out there, and since I'm incorporating them more into my workouts lately, it would be good to see Daniels cover them in the depth that he covers other workouts. Especially since his training plans include them.

Oh well, I think this is the best distance running book I've read. Unlike Martin and Coe, I think this presents the material in a way that it is easier to read and use as a reference. In fact, I couldn't even wade very far into Martin and Coe, so if you found their book to be a little too much, this might be the perfect book for you.

I recommend this book as THE first book for every running to read. It has it's shortcomings, but if you just know what's in this book, you probably know 90% of everything you'll ever need.

This book is not a running schedule "take one and call me in the morning". In fact, he takes a very flexible approach. E.g., in the weekly planners which are geared towards racing, he merely indicates the "quality" days one should and may do, to fit in with the current phase of the chosen training program. It is important to read through the book to gain an understanding of the different aspects of the training, and how it achieves what you want to do [even if you gloss over the numbers during the aerobic profile section]. With most people's schedules, it is good to know how to chose priorities. And for people who are just trying to achieve a fitness level, he has chapters devoted to that.

The casual scanner skipping to the "important parts" can miss some important points. With all the discussions on tempos, max oxygen consumption [VO2], and speed reps, you could be oblivious to his premise that easy aerobic running is the all-important base of your training. Also some of his tenets such as "specificity of training" are tempered later by his encouragement of cross-training.

All-in-all, an excellent book for fitness, competition, and coaches [who may and do adapt his principles according to their preferences].

This was great. So good to get back to the basics of true athletic performance. Daniels does a great job at taking this as far as many professional even care to go. He spells out all the physical and mental preparations necessary for a great outcome. The areas of science are good to understand why it is necessary to do more than just run constantly and he makes that very evident.

This is a very good book, I'm probably going to buy it.

John Blakely

Jack Daniel's writes a good book. Good to read, even better to use ongoing as a reference. Technical enough but still readable by the novice.

Inspirational. I prefer to borrow books rather than own them but this is one you want to own.

This is by far one of the best books on running in print. It is written technically enough so the reader can understand the physiology of running, but written in such a way so that a person familiar with fitness doesn't need a degree in physiology to understand it. This simply must be on the bookshelf of any runner who wants to not only improve their running but also understand how they are improving.