Maffetone 3 months results

[Robbi]

Hi folks,

Well after three months of Maf running I've finally returned to 'normal' pace and have some results. You can judge for yourselves to what extent Maffetone can take credit.

So, first the numbers:

I've increased distance by 100% over the last three months, from a long run of 8km to a long run of 16km. I would push in a race to get to 10k when I began.

My Maffetone pace at 133BPM has dropped from just over 8min/km to 7:30/km over that time.

My 10k pace before I started Maffetone was about 5:50/km. Since I've returned to paced running my 10k pace has dropped as follows: 7:39/km, 7:11/km, 6:47/km, 6:16/km, 5:38/km, 5:28/km over successive runs with a couple of long runs in between. This is clearly as a result of regaining muscle conditioning for speed, and I feel I will bottom out soon, but maybe gain another 15 sec or so.

My average heart rate for a pre-maf run was about 170. My average heart rate for my last two runs was about 170 as well. My LSD heart rate is about 156 post-maf and about 164 pre-maf.

Now the subjective experience:

My recovery is much improved over my pre-maf condition. I have completely eliminated fuelling (pre and during) for 10km or less, where I would feel nauseated and ill if I didn't eat something before and drink Gatorade during a 10km run. I suffer no negative aftereffects whereas before I wouldn't really catch up with myself for a couple of hours, feeling just a bit weak and drained. I think the fuelling is the biggest difference, it is very evident to me that my body's fat metabolism has improved significantly.

Overall:

Well, it's not a slamdunk. But overall dropping about 20+ secs off my 10k pace with no speedwork at all for 3 months is actually pretty impressive. Doing so feeling significantly better physically is even more so to me. So, all in all certainly not a waste of time, but who knows where three months of regular training would have left me?

I guess we'll see in three months .

 

[migangelo]

good job. impressive. don't forget to do your maf tests and watch for when you need to cycle to the next phase. i ignored exiting my anaerobic phase and blew the base i built. twice.

i also learned this morning Maf says don't workout for too long of a period or you basically over train. great. i did that this summer too with my 2+ hour runs all the time. no wonder i didn't get results i expected. why is something that should be simple so damn difficult at times? argh!

 

[Antonio Madriñán]

Very good job, it has been steady and has gift

 

[jldeleon]

i also learned this morning Maf says don't workout for too long of a period or you basically over train. great. i did that this summer too with my 2+ hour runs all the time. no wonder i didn't get results i expected. why is something that should be simple so damn difficult at times? argh!

Oops!!! That explains a lot. But the question is, how long is "too long"?

 

[migangelo]

he says 45 min to an hour is a good enough work out. more than that can be more than your body needs which is what i did. explains why my fat level increased and my stamina stayed flat.

 

[Robbi]

Interesting...I didn't push as hard as you, but still had regular 2hr runs (how can you not at that pace? ). I did notice a pretty radical difference between truly rested runs (say after a week off for the holidays) and in-training runs. Rested = MUCH better performance.

Now I have to figure out what training program to go after. I want to knock that 5:30 10k pace down by a minute and get back to my shod pace of yore. It's gonna take some work and rest getting it right.

 

[ElyDave]

Sounds like a great improvement Robbi, a real case study showing that MAF does work.

I think I did something like 4 months as my first aerobic base building period, with NOTHING greater than my MAF HR of 148. At the end of that I knocked 1 min 40 off my 10k PB. That's off no speed work.

Currently doing another short base building period, before I start training for a summer ultra. Before I had a virus I was doing 4:50-5:05/km, currently back around 5:15-5:20 while I recover.

From late March I'll be throwing in one speed session a week and also progressively increasing my long run up to 5 hours about 4 weeks before the race.

 

[migangelo]

Maf covers everything. it's not only aerobic work. you can stick with it, just do it properly.

 

[Dave Flickinger]

Wow, nice to see a post on Maffetone. I read the book "In Fitness and In Health" by Maffetone back around 2003 and have been running and eating by this method ever since. At first, I bought a heart-rate monitor and never went over my max aerobic heartrate. Over that first summer, my pace went from 8 min miles to 7 min miles at the same heartrate. Eventually I didn't need the heartrate monitor since he could just know without it. As a marathoner, this has come in handy, as my energy lasts a lot longer, both during and after the run. With this training (and eating), my body burns a higher percentage of fat (compared to carbs) when I run (and don't run), which means I can last longer and feel better during the marathons. I have continued to follow this type of training now for years, even before starting barefoot running 6 months ago. If you haven't tried eating Maffetone-style, be sure to try it too. Nothing changed my energy levels more cutting out the crap, cutting down on carbs and eating healthier. As a marathoner, I of course still eat carbs. But I eat healthier ones, and I don't overdo the total amount. In fact, I have 3 eggs for breakfast every morning, and I think much clearer in the morning now, and my cholesterol levels are still perfect.

 

[jldeleon]

"A" post on Maffetone? LOL! There are several. Use the "search" function and find out just how many... It is even under a thread that has the "M-word" in it's title.

 

[BFwillie_g]

Nice summary, Robbi, thanks for taking the time to write it up. As I understand it, you're now going to train 3 months to hit a PR in the 10k? Have you got a race lined up? Will you continue training according to your HR?

 

[pilotrunner]

I had great results using Maffetone last year. Fewer niggles and ended up with nearly 30 minutes off my barefoot marathon time (ran a 4:30 last year).

We'll see how it goes this year.

I am a year older, after all...

Cheers to all.

 

[rik]

Great Report thanks for taking the time to help us see your experience

 

[Robbi]

Nice summary, Robbi, thanks for taking the time to write it up. As I understand it, you're now going to train 3 months to hit a PR in the 10k? Have you got a race lined up? Will you continue training according to your HR?

No particular race lined up, I just want to see how the next three months go non-maffetone, to contrast against it. I'm kinda going by feel right now, which I may change.

PR for 10k in shoes a few years ago was 44 mins...I have a ways to go .

 

[happysongbird]

Your report was very interesting to read, as I am just starting to try this method (don't have a HR monitor yet, but have been running easier). Everyone's stories here are encouraging. I know that I really enjoyed running more relaxed this last week, but I wasn't ready for that earlier for whatever reason.

I am only 1/2 way through the book, but based on comments here, I have to wonder how one would train for a marathon if the training is never "supposed" to be more than an hour? Also, I thought it was interesting the parallels to my swimming in my Fastlane pool that I noticed. I had to moderate my pace and amount of training due to getting sea sick and working with the current, yet I did better in the swim than last year where I was swimming harder and longer. Of course, I still regularly swam the supposed time of the swim portion, but I cut my swim workout time drastically. I will listen to the MAF book more on my kindle "text-to-speech" while I can peaches today!

 

[migangelo]

most workouts should be about an hour is what it says. you have your long run once a week. he himself works out two hours a day. you have to build to it and just don't over do it. like i did.

 

[Tristan]

I ought to try his method again, I just find it too hard to stick to any one particular 'schedule', and well my HRM isnt working anymore. Not to mention sticking to both a workout schedule and diet. But I think it would help in the distance department which is where my endurance is lacking. Not to mention lowering ones heartrate should be better for your health, and my family has had a long list of heart problems.