I haven't seen this topic addressed so my apologies if this is duplicate. Many people have max HR's that exceed what the standard formulas tell you...not as many have max HR's that are substantially less than the formula. I fit this category. When I began corresponding with Jesse, Jimmy, et al it was clear that the Maffetone formula wasn't going to work for me. The Maffetone formula puts me at 148bpm. My avg marathon HR is only 153. Running by Maff would make for an intense training program! Through trial and error, and reading the Hadd article, I decided on a training HR of 125 which is about 70% of max HR. Not that anybody cares, just thought I'd throw this out there in case there were new members in the same situation. Maffetone/Hadd/low HR training, whatever you call it, has been very successful for me. It has allowed me to complete my first couple ultras far more competitively than I ever thought possible. If there is one piece of advice I can give it is to consider this a permanent change in training philosophy. If you go into it thinking it's a quick fix, 12-week thing you might as well not bother...you'll just be frustrated. Again, this is only my opinion, but a majority of miles should always be at the low-HR intensity. Once your base is strong you can mix in the higher intensity stuff without negatively impacting that base, but you always need to build and repair that aerobic base to prevent problems. Best of luck! AH

Great ultra reports. Way to go on that 2nd place at Superior. p.s. I'm liking this forum. it's easier for me to follow different posts and respond to them. --Jimmy

For sure any formula is not good for everyone...it just so happens that with a max of 186 and resting of 50, my MAF of 140 is about 65%. Pretty close! I actually like training in that zone anyway! One thing you can do is read Stu Mittleman's "Slow Burn". In there he helps you recognize what that perfect aerobic training pace should feel like to help you wean off of the monitor. Like I've said in many of my posts, I no longer wear my monitor....but then again I've been running for 32 years, mostly in a low HR state. Steve