StacyI make no apologies for my liberal use of smiley icons. http://www.BlakeHillHouse.com
I know I'm not supposed to overthink this, but moving beyond just putting my shoes on and going out the door has caused a slight brain freeze. I figured out my Maff HR by subtracting my age from 180 and then subtracting 5. I ended up with 150. Yesterday, on the treadmill I ran at mostly 130-138. Not sure why I got it in my head that 130 was then number, but I did. So, what is my range for my workout. Jimmyb mentioned on the slow twitchers thread that I should increase volume by 5% or so each week (?). What does this mean Jimmyb? (I'll share my girly music next time too!) And do I understand aerobic intervals to be highs and lows not exceeding my Maff hr at this time? Is there a written "plan" like when I did Hal's 1/2 program that fits within the low HR training plan? IE: Assume all within low HR range: Mon - rest Tues - 3.5 miles Wed - 2 miles Thurs - 3.5 miles Fri - rest Sat - 4.5 miles Sun - 6 miles This closely mirrors what happens in my life these days.
So, do you think I could essentially "plug in" my low HR training to any training plan? At this time, I don't intend to run 100 miles at a time so there is a point where I won't be adding more mileage. Increasing now does make sense because I'm working up to another 1/2 at the end of March. Your suggested 5% increase is similar to Hal's beginning 1/2 program where the mileage increases each week typically on the days you mentioned. I have to admit though, last time, I didn't bother with things like recovery runs, tempo, speedwork, or similar. I just followed the increases as suggested treading water for several weeks since I had the baby. I took a 12 week training program and stretched it into 6 months just to make sure I was training safe and feeling good. I guess at this time though, I'm only supposed to be base building right? I understand that I am not supposed to exceed my MAFF max Hr, so any "speedwork" or "tempo" runs I speak of please assume that I am running within those guidelines. Would it make sense to do two speedwork sessions within the week while increasing? I think my current aerobic fitness is reasonable. It's not remarkable in any way so there is plenty of work to do. I'm just trying to tweak a training plan. Having it all laid out for me helps to motivate me and it's easier for me to keep track of.
If you truly decide to do the Maffetone method, then just follow what it says in the book, commit, don't whine, and see what happens. If you choose to modify it, then do that. Whatever. It's your journey. --Jimmy
Tougher than most, dumber than the rest. "You can not count the miles until you feel them" TVZ
I just ordered two Mafftone books from Amazon to pound...er massage my brain. The recommended book was unavailable, but I hope the two I ordered will have the same information. What you wrote definitely wasn't too painful. I'm thick-skinned. Not intending to whine, but seriously, having a baby has killed any ability of mine to read and retain information. It improves over time, but sleeplessness messes with the brain big-time. Please be patient with me. I'm smarter than I type. All of my races have been personal except for one. Baby shuffling didn't work so well last year. My last runs that I considered "races" and logged as such were: 9/22 5K - 26:44 10/14 10K - 58:22 11/11 1/2 marathon - 2:08:37 12/8 5K - 26:20