About to go into Phase II of Jack Daniels’ 1500-3000 60mpw training plan - any tips?

Note: this is for the 3rd edition. The training plan can be found on pages 172 and 173 (186 and 187 of the PDF): https://onesixtwo.club/scv/src/1573263250329.pdf

Seems like 4:27 and 9:47 are both a big step up from a 16:27 on (what people are saying was) a fast course. So:

1) When following Daniels, which does seem tough but not unreasonable, base your training paces--as he says--on current race performances, rather than your goal times. Give yourself a progression!

2) Get sleep. Go to bed and wake up about the same time every day, weekends included. Get away from screens (computer, phone, TV) at least half an hour before you go to bed; and go to bed 30-60 minutes earlier than you're used to. Recovery is going to be key for you to handle those workouts and make the jumps that you're targeting.

You're showing good planning and organization and I think you have a genuine shot at those school records. Best of luck this spring!

The main thing to keep in mind is that it's only a guideline. You will need to adjust something along the way, and that's OK. You can be very successful even if you don't run every workout.

You should not feel like you've emptied the tank on every workout. If you do, then your paces are too fast.

I think the long runs are too long in phases 3, 4. I don't think you need a 90-120 minute long run once you start really racing. He says "lesser of 25%, etc.", but if you're running 60 mpw, that's still 15 miles. I don't think you need to run that long that often during the last 6-8 weeks of the season.

Bullet the Blue Sky wrote:

The main thing to keep in mind is that it's only a guideline. You will need to adjust something along the way, and that's OK. You can be very successful even if you don't run every workout.

You should not feel like you've emptied the tank on every workout. If you do, then your paces are too fast.

I think the long runs are too long in phases 3, 4. I don't think you need a 90-120 minute long run once you start really racing. He says "lesser of 25%, etc.", but if you're running 60 mpw, that's still 15 miles. I don't think you need to run that long that often during the last 6-8 weeks of the season.

Thanks for the input. I actually think long runs are great for me, mainly just for the mental resilience they build. I’ll keep that in mind though

lease wrote:

Seems like 4:27 and 9:47 are both a big step up from a 16:27 on (what people are saying was) a fast course. So:

1) When following Daniels, which does seem tough but not unreasonable, base your training paces--as he says--on current race performances, rather than your goal times. Give yourself a progression!

2) Get sleep. Go to bed and wake up about the same time every day, weekends included. Get away from screens (computer, phone, TV) at least half an hour before you go to bed; and go to bed 30-60 minutes earlier than you're used to. Recovery is going to be key for you to handle those workouts and make the jumps that you're targeting.

You're showing good planning and organization and I think you have a genuine shot at those school records. Best of luck this spring!

Thanks. A consistent sleep schedule is very difficult for me, but I still try to be better about getting at least 7 hours every day

landon wrote:

Thanks. A consistent sleep schedule is very difficult for me, but I still try to be better about getting at least 7 hours every day

It's different for everyone, but if you're doing 60 mpw with the hardest workouts you've ever done, you should probably be getting at least 8-9 hours of sleep every night. Also, try to drink protein after every run within 30 minutes of your finish. My team drank chocolate milk after we finished a run, and it helps a ton with recovery.

Recovering well is one of those things that you don't realize how big of a difference it makes until you've done it for a while. Other than that, eat well, hydrate, and enjoy the grind :)

Peach Pit wrote:

landon wrote:

Thanks. A consistent sleep schedule is very difficult for me, but I still try to be better about getting at least 7 hours every day

It's different for everyone, but if you're doing 60 mpw with the hardest workouts you've ever done, you should probably be getting at least 8-9 hours of sleep every night. Also, try to drink protein after every run within 30 minutes of your finish. My team drank chocolate milk after we finished a run, and it helps a ton with recovery.

Recovering well is one of those things that you don't realize how big of a difference it makes until you've done it for a while. Other than that, eat well, hydrate, and enjoy the grind :)

Haha 8-9 hours is pretty much impossible with my sleep schedule, but I appreciate the wise words. Drink protein after every run? I usually just do whatever after easy runs, but I do tend to drink protein after workouts.