From Dr. Jack Daniels

Triathlon Forum
1

A few months ago here I asked about reducing run times and received replies from many suggesting me to read Dr. Jack Daniel’s book, “Daniel’s Running Formula.” Let me go ahead right now and pre-empt the comedians who think this man is connected to the Whiskey Company in Tennessee. He’s not.

So, I weighed through all of his pedantic, empirically valid statistics about lactase levels and blood work, predicting run times, and so on, and I’m thinking this is like all of my heart rate monitor books, where’s the beef? I was about to put the book down. What I don’t need anymore of is science?

Finally, I knew I had the right book, on page 230, when he said, the following, and I quote:

“Another way of looking at a race is to stay with your competitors until you can’t stay with them any longer, then pass them, It’s worth a try…”

This is what I will henceforth call, a “Page 230 Move.”

You are busted and blown out. It’s mile 16. You are on your last legs. The glycogen stores are closed. You are coughing up blood. You want to be medivacked out. You see delusions and appartions of dead family members on the road. Hold on a minute. Wait. Stop. What was that you read in Daniel’s book on page 230? Yes. Yes. Yes.

You just thought you were “blowed up.” The only way to get out of this awful mess, we hate to report, is either to quit, or do a Daniel’s “Page 230 Move,” which is: "Pass everybody. It’s worth a try. "

After the race is over, you’ve set a PR. Your competitors are asked about your race, and they say: “I thought I had him, he sounded like a wounded hound caught in a barbed wire fence, but then he pulled that “Page 230 Move,” from Daniel’s book, and he was gone. I told everyone in the lead pack, hey, he’s pulling a page 230 move, he’s pulling a page 230 move, don’t let him get away with it…but no one listened, and he smashed us.”

2

Let me go ahead right now and pre-empt the comedians who think this man is connected to the Whiskey Company in Tennessee. He’s not.

I think Mr. Jack Daniels is a much better inspiration to bust your ass…i’d rather have him meet me @ the finish line :wink:

that said, going balls out once you’ve already blown up…i don’t see how it can work…since to blow up, you’re already give it everything you’ve got…?

3

I’m a big Daniels fan, and I’m glad for you that you read through the book. I switched my running program over to a Daniels structure about last October, and within a few months, everything changed.

That quote is about exceeding your mental limitations. I still have physical limits like anybody else, but my mental limits are not as limiting as I once thought they were.

About halfway up the first big climb on the run at WTH, folks were walking all around me and I thought, “Well, this is about the point I always start walking too…” But, I started running again, pushed through the doubt and rolled through the next 7 miles.

A “Page 230” move. I love it.

4

His book is written for pure runners and racers, not necessarily triathletes. And alot of it is focused on training for 5k, 10k, etc…

We teach our cross-country runners the same thing. When you want to quit or slow down, put on a deliberate 50 stride push and then see how you feel. It helps if you do fartlek runs to train for this.

It might not sound like good advice if racing based on HR, but if racing on feel it definetly works. And if just trying to survive it helps also. It brings everything back to the fact that racing is mostly mental toughness. That is, if you’ve done the training.

5

I’ve used that on my races and teach that to my athletes. When you feel tired or you feel you can’t stay with a group, first try to push the pace. It works!

6

Darn. . .I though we were going to talk about a new twist on Hashing. . .JD shots at every course mark. . .last man running. . .

7

You just thought you were “blowed up.” The only way to get out of this awful mess, we hate to report, is either to quit, or do a Daniel’s “Page 230 Move,” which is: "Pass everybody. It’s worth a try. "

This works! In my best triathlon performace ever (a 1/2IM), I got to the 10 mile point of the run and I was toast! I was out of energy and aching all over. So I walked for a bit and was contemplating just walking it in from there. But then I heard footsteps from behind. Now I had worked hard the entire race. I had moved up to 4th during the bike and was still running in 4th and I decided there was no way I was going to give up 4th place. So I went with the guy. He was running a bit faster than I had been but I managed to stay with him. With about 1.5 miles to go, we caught and passed the guy who had been running in 3rd and up ahead I spotted 2nd. I said to my pacer, “Is that 2nd?”. No response. We caught and blew by 2nd with about 400m to go and I’m getting ready to dig in for the final sprint with this guy when he all of a sudden turns off to start his 2nd lap of the 2-lap run course :slight_smile:

8

…So I went with the guy. He was running a bit faster than I had been but I managed to stay with him. With about 1.5 miles to go, we caught and passed the guy who had been running in 3rd and up ahead I spotted 2nd. I said to my pacer, “Is that 2nd?”. No response. We caught and blew by 2nd with about 400m to go and I’m getting ready to dig in for the final sprint with this guy when he all of a sudden turns off to start his 2nd lap of the 2-lap run course :slight_smile:
Now that must have been a sweet mixture of relief, gratitude, and disgust!