Daniels and VDOT: five intensities and a 24-week season
The five types of training
Daniels starts from goals: move more blood and oxygen to the muscles, use it better, raise VO₂max, shift lactate threshold to a faster speed, improve speed and lower the energy cost of running.1
| Type | Intensity described | What it is for (per the author) |
|---|---|---|
| E / L: easy and long | about 70% of VO₂max (75% of HRmax) | Recovery, cell and heart adaptations. Time matters more than pace. |
| MP: marathon pace | Marathon race pace, about 20–30 s/mile slower than threshold | Only for people preparing for a marathon. |
| T: threshold | about 88% of VO₂max, “comfortably hard” | Shift lactate threshold. Neither slower nor faster works as well. |
| I: intervals | At the velocity of VO₂max (98–100% of HRmax); each rep up to 5 minutes | Stimulate VO₂max without running all out. |
| R: repetitions | Faster than I, chosen from the race you are training for | Economy and speed, not VO₂max or threshold. |
Illustrative example from the author
Daniels suggests aiming at 98–100% of HRmax, not always 100%. If a runner reaches HRmax at 6:00 per mile (about 3:44 per km), then 5:50 or faster will also give it. But that is too fast for the purpose: no better results and more fatigue. Heart rate does not tell these paces apart: what matters is speed at VO₂max.1 Two runners with the same velocity at VO₂max have the same T and I paces, but different R if they train for races of different length.
VDOT
VDOT is an “adjusted” VO₂max, taken from a performance over one distance. With that value you read the paces for E/L, MP, T, I and R. The races used must have been run in similar conditions (terrain, wind, temperature, altitude). To predict the marathon, a 15 to 25 km race is better than a mile or a 5 km. Daniels writes not to try to beat the assigned paces: to train harder you must first earn a better race.2
A 24-week season
| Phase | Weeks | Content |
|---|---|---|
| FI: foundation and injury prevention | 1–6 | Easy running |
| IQ: initial quality | 7–12 | Repetitions (R): mechanics, economy, some speed |
| TQ: transition quality | 13–18 | The hardest phase: mostly long intervals |
| FQ: final quality | 19–24 | A fair amount of threshold, few or no R or I |
Four phases of six weeks, as the author writes. With less time, Daniels offers a priority system: with 6 weeks, 3 of FI and 3 of FQ; with 10 weeks, 3 of FI, 1 of IQ, 3 of TQ and 3 of FQ.3
“No man’s land”
For the author, the intensities between T and E (except MP), between I and T and between R and I are too easy or too hard for the goal: he calls them “quality-junk”. Every session should have a precise purpose.1
Limits
- These are 2000 articles written by the author, published on a coaches' site. The book Daniels' Running Formula is not among the sources of this sheet.
- This sheet does not reproduce the VDOT pace tables or give calculated paces: for those, use the original source.
- The source consulted describes the system without evaluating it as a whole in a controlled study. The VO₂max and HRmax percentages are the author's.
- It is a running method. It should not be applied to cycling, where the source says nothing: for the bike see the cycling sheets.
Related tool: Wolf Engine, paces and VDOT. It calculates paces from your race times with the Daniels and Gilbert formula (Oxygen Power, 1979), not with tables from this page.
Sources
- Jack Daniels, Running Training: Goals of Training (part 3), Coaches Education, 2000. coacheseducation.com. Read.
- Jack Daniels, Running Training: Determining your current level of fitness (part 4), 2000. coacheseducation.com. Read.
- Jack Daniels, Running Training: Setting Up A Season of Training (part 5), 2000. coacheseducation.com. Read.
Sources read on 29 October 2026.