This plan is a tough program intended for elite or highly trained athletes with a goal marathon time of 2:10 or less. That is, when a specific system of the body is stressed, that system will most see the training effect (Principle 1). The next 8 weeks have two quality workouts specified, with the recommendation to run 5 days/week, and the last week is a taper. Daniels offers a few guidelines and tables on how to adjust training when coming back from a planned (or unplanned) break. The second time I read the book, I took my time and use a note pad for the bits most relevant to me and it gave me all I needed to make a programme for myself.

Jack Daniels is a cornerstone manual for this kind of training but if you really want to keep fit take up weight training as well :). The plans have three quality workouts for most of their length; a long run and two R interval sessions. Daniels uses tabulated VO2max values as the basis for determining fitness, which is then used to determine an individual’s training intensities.The five weeks plan gives five weeks that can be repeated and there are three 18 week programs; two by distance and one by time. Definitely not a book for quick fix junkies of programmes which are big on amazing gains and promises which are unrealistic. I'm genuinely happy about the knowledge I gained from this book, yet I would only recommend this book to people who take running seriously and are eager to improve their performance. A better approach is to find something good to refer to, such as “Sorry you weren’t feeling great today, but your arm carriage looked like what you’ve been working toward.

The Initial Ramp (mileage increase/week from start to 16) is non-existent for all but the lowest mileage runners.

Aerobic capacity defined as the maximal amount of oxygen your body can take in and use during vigorous exercise.

The 'Elite' plan is one of the few I've seen that focuses on high performing runners who are prepared to put in a lot of effort. Easy pace running (E) is described as “free from trouble or pain” and makes up the bulk of training time-wise. Measuring how much stress a training routine puts on the body is an important aspect of any training plan.Of all his accomplishments, Daniels is most proud of his two daughters and being married to his wife, Nancy.