Are you seeking more information about Jack Daniels vdot? If so, welcome to RunDreamAchieve. I am glad you have made it here. I was very fortunate to have a conversation with Brian Rosetti, founder of the VDOT02 platform. It provides online coaches the opportunity to interact with their athletes easily. In addition, connects with runners Strava and your Garmin watch as well.
What I love most about the platform is it provides updated Jack Daniels vdot scores as you get fitter. Your vdot scores are calculated based off of your current race performances.
So, the faster you run your vdot scores for your respective training paces change accordingly. I also like the fact that I can easily interact with my athletes via the vdot02 coaching platform.
In addition, can see how the athletes that I coach handled the workout. So, it helps me as the coach to see what changes need to be made if the athlete is struggling. In addition, my athletes can leave comments within the vdot02 dashboard and I can respond to their messages.
What is VDOT Jack Daniels?
Your Jack Daniels vdot is an overall measure of where your cardiovascular fitness is currently at. Once you sign up for RunDreamAchieve coaching you will be assigned a score based off of your current fitness. You can even compare your VDOT score from a recent 10 mile result to one of your friends score who just ran a marathon.
So, you training is extremely personalized based on your current fitness. Your VDOT scores are based off of your vo2 max or maximum oxygen uptake. We run between 95 to 105% of our maximum heart rate at these intensities. VDOT was coined by Dr. Jack Daniels, one of if not the best distance running coach in the world.
I have been very fortunate to have been coached or mentored by 3 of the top distances coaches. All 3 were admirers and friends of Dr. Daniels. We as athletes have to have an understanding of how fast we can run based on what we can sustain. VDOT scores makes it very easy for athletes to know what pace they need to run at, at each specific intensity.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIVATE, MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITYHeart Rate Examples
I am a big believer in heart rate monitor training. In fact, have used them since I was a freshman in college. So, over 30 years of competing, they have been a component of my racing success. I regularly use the Garmin 245 and highly recommend it. It helps me to follow the paces I need to run at based on my Jack Daniels vdot scores.
Below are the prescribed heart rate zones Dr. Jack Daniels prescribes. The example below is for an athlete that has a max heart rate of 170 beats per minute. Of course, you can adjust these heart rate beats per minute to match your current max heart rate.
- Easy: 65-74% of max HR or around 110-125BPM
- Marathon (moderate effort): 75-84% of max HR or around 127-142BPM
- Threshold: 85-89% of max HR or around 144-149BPM
- Interval: 95-100% of max HR or around 161-170BPM
- Fast Repetitions: 105% of max HR or around 178BPM
How to Get Your Max Heart Rate
There are numerous ways to calculate your maximum heart rate. One of the most common is to subtract your age from 220. Of course, the accuracy of this is not the best solution. An additional ways to calculate your max heart rate is to get a vo2 max stress test. Below is a picture taken of me undergoing a vo2 max stress test at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
You do need to be in great shape in order to undergo one of these tests. I would not suggest getting a vo2 max physiological stress test done unless you have trained well for it. Dr. Randy Wilbur (standing behind me), one of the world's top exercise physiologists, tested me.
An additional way you can get your maximum heart rate is to do an all out 400m or 800m on the track. Run as fast as you can and immediately check your heart rate at the end of the repetition. Vo2 max is your body's maximum oxygen carrying capacity and maximum effort.
The faster we run the more oxygen is required. Naturally, we have to stop to take short breaks between our track and road intervals. The reason is we simply can't clear lactic acid faster than it is building up. The hydrogen ion component of lactic acid temporarily shuts down muscle functioning. So, we have to stop, allow for the lactic acid accumulation to decrease before we can start again.
Is VDOT the Same as VO2 Max?
Yes. VDOT was coined by Dr. Jack Daniels. So, your Jack Daniels vdot scores are all based off of where your current physiological fitness stands. The VDOT02 coaching platform created by Brian Rosetti with updates your VDOT scores with each race you compete in. I also regularly use the VDOT calculator to help my athletes with their training. So, your intensity of your runs are going to be based off of your VDOT scores.
Naturally, when unfit, your scores will be lower based on your initial race result. My athletes feel the VDOT02 platform helps them adjust paces easily each time they upload their race result. Again, the VDOT02 platform easily connects the workouts I create for my athletes with their Garmin. Also, they can share their workouts on Strava with the platform as well.
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSESWhat Does VDOT Mean?
Your VDOT is basically the maximum amount of oxygen you can successfully transport throughout the body in a minute of all out effort. VDOT is short for v-dot-02-max. As mentioned above, there are various ways to calculate your maximum heart rate. The VDOT02 coaching platform can help athletes and coaches easily calculate each athlete's VDOT scores. It is done by the athlete submitting their current race times.
The platform then easily calculates and provides the athlete with their training paces. For example, if your current 10K time is 50 minutes your VDOT will be 40. Of course, the faster you race the higher your Jack Daniels vdot score is going to be. The best part about this is you base your training intensities off of your VDOT score. So, it really takes the guesswork out of your preparation.
What is Lactate Threshold
Lactate threshold is running between 85 to 89 percent of your maximum heart rate. So, although intense, we can run for longer periods of time as opposed to running at vo2 max effort. Again, vo2 max is running between 95 to 105% of our maximum heart rate. The key tactic with running at these extreme paces is it will help us recruit more fast twitch muscle fibers.
The more of these we can recruit the more economical (efficient) we will run. In addition, the less we will slow down and maintain race pace longer. More importantly, the less likely we will hit the so-called “wall”. Of course, if you run too much of your mileage at too easy of an effort your chances of success diminish. The reason being is you simply have not trained the energy systems of the body adequately.
The world's top runners run between 35 to 40 percent of their weekly mileage at or below their anaerobic threshold. Our lactate threshold is the point where lactic acid begins to rise to higher levels. Naturally, the faster we run the more oxygen is going to be required.
How Long Should I Train for My Races?
I would recommend a minimum of 16 weeks and preferably 20 to 24 weeks. I have created training plans here at RunDreamAchieve based on these durations. Of course, some athletes would much rather train for 8 to 12 weeks. So, created plans based on the needs of athletes seeking a shorter training build up. I base my training methodology of of Dr. Jack Daniels. In addition, three other of my mentors, all of which are some of the best coaches in the world.
- Dr. Joe Vigil, world-renowned exercise physiologist and Olympic distance coach
- Jack Hazen – my collegiate coach, considered one of the best distance coaches in the world and 2012 USA Olympic Games men's and women's distance coach
- Lisa Rainsberger – my coach while with the US Army World Class Athlete Program and 1985 Boston Marathon champion
The VDOT02 coaching platform makes it simple for athletes and coaches to get the best out of their training experience. Thanks to the professionalism of Brian Rosetti, founder of the VDOT02 platform, my athletes have the best chances of success. I get to use my training and expertise with endurance sport and accurately help them make massive gains in their racing. My athletes can easily download the VDOT calculator app on their phones. In addition, can access the training plans I create from their devices as well.
Training Intensities
- Easy effort – 69 to 83 percent of lactate threshold effort. Easy, aerobic running are used for recovery between hard workouts. We run at these intensities during long runs, easy days and during warm-up and cool-downs. Training at these intensities are vital to ensure we adapt to the harder, anaerobic workouts that we are doing.
- Marathon effort – 84 to 94 percent of lactate threshold effort. I have my athletes run at this intensity for more strategic, faster and varied paced long runs. We sometimes sprinkle in efforts at threshold effort during these faster runs as well. I used this tactic to lower my marathon PR from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. It has worked for my athletes as well. For example, one of my athletes went from a 3:46 to 2:58 for the marathon, respectfully.
- Threshold effort – 95 to 105 percent of lactate threshold effort. Threshold effort is where you really start to stress the energy systems of the body. The goal of running at these intensities and faster is to help improve the athlete's lactate tolerance. Again, we want to slow down less than our competition. In addition, sustain goal race pace from start to finish of our races. Anaerobic threshold should feel “comfortably hard” but not so hard you have to stop. We usually can run several minutes and up to around an hour at this effort, when fit.
Additional Intensities to Keep in Mind
- Interval effort – 106 percent of lactate threshold effort. The best way to drop substantial time off of your current personal best is training at vo2 max effort. Again, the more time you drop off of your current PR the higher your VDOT scores will go. We can usually run for around a few minutes up to around 10 to 12 minutes at this effort. Examples of these types of workouts are repeat miles, kilometers or 2-mile reps on the track or roads.
- Fast Interval Efforts – 106 percent of lactate threshold effort. Training at these speeds demands total mental and physical focus. We can usually only run for a few seconds to only a few minutes at these intensities. Furthermore, this form of training recruits more fast twitch muscle fibers due to the explosiveness of the activity and intensity. You should not spend more than around 5 to 8 percent of your weekly mileage at this intensity.
How to Be a Stronger Runner
Consider our online monthly coaching community which is built on the VDOT02 platform. My athletes continue to make significant gains in their fitness following their Jack Daniels vdot scores. In addition, can easily view their updated training intensities as their race performances improve. My top recommendation is to focus on running easy and relaxed for 4 weeks first.
Again, our goal is to use leverage. I want you thinking “How can I get better results by doing less”. Higher mileage is not a guarantee you are going to set a new personal best. Quality training is what matters most, not the volume. Of course, running consistent easy mileage will certainly build fitness and help you to burn fat. That being said, if you run too easy too often all you will be is a superior, long slow distance runner.
I am sure you have a race goal in mind and a specific race time you are training for. If, not then do your best just to be consistent and patient with yourself in training. Remember, the body always adapts. It usually takes between 3 to 4 weeks for the body to adapt to any stress load being placed on it. So, be patient with yourself and you will start to see significant gains in your fitness.
Closing Thoughts
I'd love to keep in touch with you. Make sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I create new training videos there each week to help runners such as yourself make massive fitness gains. Also, don't neglect mental training. The vast majority of runners only focus on physical preparation and bypass this altogether.
The world's top runners focus on and use them both routinely. I did throughout my racing career and credit it to helping me to break the 2:20 marathon barrier. So, start taking 10 to 15 minutes daily and visualize yourself running confident and getting across the finish line in your goal time. Also, running relaxed and passing people.
I hope that this post has been helpful to you. I have done my best to create resources here to help you drop significant time off of your current personal best. You can click on any of the green buttons on this post to learn more about our training plans, running courses and monthly coaching. I look forward to hearing how these resources have helped you gain confidence and get a new personal best.
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