hi

i read the maffetone method a few years ago and have recently decided to give it a go. ive been running around 10years (5k, 10k, Half marathon) and doing triathlon (sprint and standard) around 5 years, ive been mountain bike racing 1 year, making progress each race.

 

i have stamina but do not seem to progress run speed wise. my pace per mile is similar whether its 5k or a half marathon. i decribe myself as carthorse rather than race horse and am interested to try the maffetone method. i cant do much running tho at MAF and would like to check advice. i have read the FAQ and like the idea of specifically searching out downhill runs to run a little faster or longer. my resting pulse is 55, my previous run zone 140-150

 

i set my MAF at 122 and set my heart rate monitor to beep lower than 112 and higher than 122 to keep me in check

180-52-8 why minus 8? well i struggled with this.

 

yes ive been exercising regularly, yes ive been making progress in terms of stamina and endurance and bike efficiency but not running speed. i had injury in the first few years of running but not in the last 5years. do i add for any of this or leave it neutral? i decided to leave it neutral

 

yes i have had the odd few weeks off here and there and yes i have bouts of low mood at times but this shifts after a week or so without medicines and i generally get back going again easily. do i really need to deduct for this? i decided to deduct a 3

 

ive just had carpal tunnel operations so possibly minus 10, but these were under local anaesthetic not general so i am unclear what i should deduct for this. i decided to deduct a 5

 

im now on week 3 having done 2 MAF tests before i started, one with a measured run/walk and the other a timed session on an exercise bike and ill be interested to see how my training has affected these although know i may have to be patient for another 2 months.

 

the thing is tho, do i really have to subtract for having had a local anaesthetic? dr maf says deduct 10 for 'any operation'. does he mean general anaesthetic? can i add that 5 back? do i have to subtract another 5? if not now, how do i know when to do so?

 

I agree with C-R, don't make the MAF HR number too complicated. Use the 128-130 for a few weeks and see if you are progressing in your run paces, stamina and MAF tests. If you are regressing, lower your MAF HR until you start to see some progression.

 

I read that you did a MAF test on your bike. I'm not exactly sure the bike is a good method for performing a MAF test. Running, jogging and walking are weight bearing activities and affect your HR much more then riding a bicycle or swimming. If you delve into HR zone training, you will see that most will tell you that HR zones for your bike training are lower then running HR zones because of the weight bearing issue. I haven't nailed the zones down yet as I am currently riding my bike on our roller trainer and will start competing in Du and Triathlons this coming year, but I know they are lower then my HR zones for running and need to do some more research..

 

My MAF HR happens to coincide with 60% of my HRR (202-50=152x0.60=91+52=141) and that puts me at the upper limit of Zone 1 (50-60% HRR) and the lower limit of Zone 2 (60-70% HRR). I would like to get my biking HR zones figured out and stay in Zone 1 while base training. I'm not at all sure if I need to, but any loss in my MAF base training would not be worth the extra mph's I would get at a higher HR on the trainer.

 

I would also suggest bumping up your upper HR limit warning alarm. I have mine set at 5 beats above my MAF because it seems like my garmin can throw out a HR with a 5 beat swing a second and the constant beeping drives you crazy. I also turn off the lower limit because I find that I look at my HR often enough and have become accustom to the paces that a lower limit warning is only annoying and of no use. It also became a PITA when you do you warm up and warm down walks.

ok, ive put some stuff up. much of this has been walking. im off work now until christmas after my hand ops.

 

initially i was walking with hands supported and biking with hands on chest. im ok now for gentle running and next week i hope to put in a swim. however, i intend to maintain lots of walking miles whilst i cant do much with my hands!!

oh!! i didnt realise i had an option about going public! it took me long enough to work out how to enter duration of activity! how do i make the graph show my walks, runs and bike sessions?

 

ive just had a diabolical ''run'' i barely managed to do more than walk so really it was more of a quick march. unfortunately i have too many variables to take into consideration to understand quite why. it may have been

 

a) 3 large glasses of wine i consumed last night

b) really windy tough conditions and mud, in places flood!

c) that i was carrying a pint of water, money, phone and an extra micro layer in a camel back wheras i dont usually carry anything

d) a more restrictive sports bra

 

im working on mainly c) and d) although i guess its a combination of all of them. up until now ive been wearing a less restrictive bra which i usually only cycle in. its been easier for my hands to put it on. now that i have good mobility and reasonable strengh in my hands i decided to squash my boobs flat as i usually do for running. hmm, i may have to test that one out. i always run in very restrictive bras as i hate my boobs jumping around but it is my breathing not my leg strentgh that stops me going faster and if this is contributing to my slow runs i may have to rethink

thanks willie, that makes sense, perhaps ill up my beep to 125.

 

with the 4 weeks thing i was just going on the maf method book advice.

 

im itching to do my 4 weekly test a few days early, ill be away from home 2-3days around the day its due and i know my training, eating will be irregular so either i do it late after a few days irregularity or tomorrow just could show me the result of my last months efforts

 

i know, i know, i should  leave the cross country races but its a free, local, friendly, mid afternoon, club league, i cant usually do them cos im at work so its hard to be off work and not do one. grrr

its ok, ive seen enough progress to stick with what i am doing. in my run test i have made a 5% improvement and in my bike a 9% improvement so both are good. ill now redo my baselines tomorrow using the slightly higher zone with my lo beep 118 and my high 125 to cater for keeping under 128. i see you guys do a 3 x1mile test instaed of one longer run. ill choose a shorter route and do it 3 times. ill have to have my polar watch on one hand and my forerunner on the other tho to take split times!! my polar is very basic and my forerunner a 205 with no HR capacity!

There are Lydiard books to read - "Running with Lydiard" is probably the most accessible. However, if you want a more technical view of what Lydiard was on about and why, then I would recommend "Healthy, Intelligent Training" by Keith Livingstone.  It's an exposition of Lydiard's principles (with a focus on the middle distances), but without the complete focus on the intuitive, instinctual bent that can sometimes make Lydiard so frustrating.  For instance, Livingstone makes some effort to explain what Lydiard meant by a  "7/8" run by reference to heart rate.   You can check Linvingstone's web page here:

 

http://hitsystem.com.au/

 

Bear in mind, though, that Maffetone would probably say that if you are not experiencing progress with his method then  you're insufficently moderating the physical, chemical, and mental stressors in your life.  Perhaps a MAF that's calculated improperly (read: too high), perhaps diet, perhaps lack of quality recovery, perhaps emotional stress.  Maybe you need a short period of anaerobic training to break a plateau, but regular MAF tests should quickly reveal if that's the case.  If you try training anaerobically and your MAF tests don't improve, then you don't need it and there's something else going on.  "The Method" isn't really about exercise or performance so much as it is about health in a holistic sense with better health comes better performance, but health always comes first.