Training Overview #22 – To MAF or Not to MAF - Week of Nov 4 thru Nov 10, 2019

Lake Coeur d'Alene

Running Thoughts:
So for this week I thought I would talk briefly about what is a large part of my training – MAF.  Some time ago when I started this blog I wrote a post on MAF called MAF:What is it?  For today I want to mostly touch on some aspects of MAF I want to stress and then talk about how I apply MAF to my training.

As far as the main aspects of MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) as referred to in my previous article the three key lifestyle aspects of MAF are:

1. Diet & Nutrition: Eat real foods, find your optimal carbohydrate intake, and improve your balance of healthy fats.
2. Exercise: Train at the appropriate intensity to develop your fat-burning aerobic system, improve health and perform better.
3. Stress management: Assess your physical, biochemical, and mental-emotional stressors, and learn to manage them.

While you can take and work on any one of these aspects MAF is ideally meant to deal with all of them and works best when they are looked at holistically rather than as disparate parts.  Thus MAF is not just about heart rate even though it is often the most discussed aspect.  Instead working at the prescribed heart rate while also seeking to be fat adapted via a modification in diet and nutrition and then coupling this with reducing stress, which the first two aspects help with as well, will lead to healthy lifestyle.  Again, while heart rate is discussed and most often associated with MAF the three principles above work best as a whole.

Again, the article I wrote some time ago covers most of MAF but in a nut shell as far as training the basic idea is you take 180 minus your age then there are some additions or subtractions and that number is what you would do most of your training at.  The biggest complaint by most that look to take up training at MAF is that one has to slow down, often a lot, to keep the prescribed HR and right away people want to modify things.  What I normally tell people is that you have to just be patient as most people have woefully under developed aerobic systems and thus that is why they have to slow down so much.

My suggestion to most is to look to set aside 3 months to just run at MAF and get your aerobic system working as it should and not seek to find every reason you can to modify the HR number – the usual response from people trying this for the first time.  Keep in mind you will not stay at this pace for all workouts forever but need a good base before working in other workouts such as HIIT and intervals.  As with anything the success of your plan is linked to the base it is built on.  For those struggling with the pace I do offer the suggestion that you can probably ride some miles at MAF at a higher pace as most find riding easier to do at MAF.

For me I have been at this for such a long time I now run less often with my HRM but do use it from time to time to see where I am.  But even then I do work to equate a given HR with my Perceived Effort (PE) so that I can judge what my runs are comparably with regards to MAF without the need of a HRM.  I can now pretty much judge runs and rides not only by PE but also by how I feel with regards to fueling.  By this I mean if I can do a long ride or run and do so on less fueling I know I am burning fat for fuel and the MAF number you come up with is such that it should safely keep you in that area.  I have found, based on recording data on long rides and runs, that my fat burning area, also around my cross over point, is at about 130 HR or so.  If I had some testing done I could confirm this but s that is not viable for me I have to go with how I have come up with this.

One thing I have found with MAF is that as you age it is less accurate, or at least seems so.  I heard it said by one person as you get to 60, and past ,while using the MAF number is safe you may need to adjust since as you get older you may want to look more at your athletic age rather than chronological age and this seems to be true for me.  Based on MAF I would be at 120 - 125 but know that I can run or ride safely at 130-135 and it is not an issue.  This does not mean that I do not work to be under 130 to go even easier but that if I go as high as 135 I am good.  Here is where I have to stress that I have been at this for some time and have a pretty big base – 47+ years of it running and 39 years riding– so may be able to go at a number higher than say others who have a lower base.  I also need to stress I do tend to race and compete so do work at the edges where many do not need to be or want to be.  I readily admit that I play with the fringes of what is the most healthy and what is the best for performance and while I try and keep healthy and fast at times in looking for the edges I go too far and then have to reset,

So if you are in this for health and fitness, which I figure most are, and do not know where you are HR wise then start with your MAF number and work from there making sure to give it time and not just a cursory effort.  Commit to 3-6 months and yes it will be a slog and slow at times but know it will get better – well does for most that I know.  As I have already mentioned and spoken of in the past running and riding are, as with many endeavors, greatly reliant on a firm foundation, a well built base and MAF is the best way to build a base that will withstand the speed work and HIIT you may add later.

MAF, as is often assumed, is not just about going slow but going at a speed that best readies your body for more work.  I admit at times I run hard just because I feel I want to and to be truthful it is fun and is not training to be enjoyable.  This, to me is OK as long as you make sure this does not become the norm and is just an excursion that you take to keep things fresh and enjoyable.  If you follow through then things get tough, and by tough I mean slower than you are used to, remember a base is not built in a day and takes a diligent and patient effort to build a good one

So part of the title of this post was "To MAF or Not to MAF" and the truth is why would you not want to work in such a way to be the most healthy and not over do it.  At the bottom line to me that is the key to MAF - in that by working to build a good aerobic base and to be aware of how hard you train you work to minimize undue stress.  I did not say minimize stress as we need stress to get stronger and faster but within limits.  In the big picture many do a form of MAF in training by HR but the one difference here is that there is a focus on gaining the base required to improve and stay healthy as well as looking at all of what we do and not just the HR.  Give it a try and give it time.

Some good resources for  MAF training are the following:
- Maffetone Site
- Floris Gierman's Extramilest FB Group
- Floris Gierman's Extramilest YouTube Channel
- Maffetone Method FB Group

Running Overview:
Sort of a strange week as I am heading out for some travel and will not get to ride till December so this weeks rides were going to be the last rides for the month.  Fortunately Monday I got a good long ride in with a good climb.  It was a cold day to start of Monday but ended up warmer but pretty windy on the way home.  Due to schedule and weather I rode indoors on Wednesday and just got in some easy miles, well as easy as miles can be when on a trainer.

As far as running my foot is still sore but does tend to feel better as the run goes along but 7 miles is about my limit right now.  On Tuesday I went for a 5 miler with the goal of running easy and ended up running a good tempo run that felt pretty good based on Perceived Effort (PE).  Then on Thursday I ran an easy 7 miles in the cold and rain but felt comfortable – again I can tell 7 miles is the limit on my foot right now.  Once I got to Coeur d’Alene I ran on Saturday and ran at a good relaxed pace that was pretty much like Tuesday and faster than I intended to run but felt easy.  What I did get from the two faster runs was that when I run relaxed my foot does not feel too bad and my run is faster.  Both tempo paced runs felt good with regards to PE.  My foot was a little sore a little while after finishing the run Saturday so will take a couple days off and not run again till Tuesday.

Weekly Diet Notes;
Only diet aspects to touch on this week, due to travel and schedule, are that my carbs have been higher than I like or desire but all but one workout, the last one done in CDA, were done fasted.  I do notice that after having worked so long to gain metabolic flexibility I find I can snap back from a bad week fairly easily and it does not seem to hurt my fat burning as I still can do fasted runs and rides successfully.

Mondays 64 mile ride was done fasted and while I did initially feel a little hungry that passed as I think it was more mental than anything and just getting started in the cold morning air.  Once I got going the only fuel I had was waster with some SFuels- Train formula and that was it and felt fine for the entire ride.  Even did a couple faster runs fasted and did not feel any issues.  Fasted rides and runs are the best tool I have found to work on metabolic flexibility but it did take some time and transition but the effort was worth it as far as I am concerned.

Now that I have settled down a little for a few weeks I am hoping to eat better for the next 6 weeks while I am on the road.  This is not always easy but I just tale the mindset to do the best I can and my body will deal with the rest as it has been trained to do so.  To stress over eating while on travel really does not serve any purpose and in truth the stress of worry is probably worse than eating less than ideally.

Relive 'Started off Cold Ended Warmer and Windy'

Overview of Weeks Runs and Rides:
- Monday: Ride – 64.6 Miles
- Tuesday:  Run – 5.0 Miles
- Wednesday: Ride – 40.1 Miles
- Thursday:  Run – 7.0 Miles
- Friday: Rest Day (Travel)
- Saturday:  Run – 7.2 Miles
- Sunday:  Walk – Rest Day

Totals:
- Running Miles –  19.2 Miles
- Riding Miles – 104.6 Miles
- Total Time –  8:15 Hours

Conclusions and the Week Ahead:
As I cannot ride for the rest of the month of November I will work to slowly up my miles but nothing extreme and work to get my foot healed.  I had planned on starting to work on the Pose Method training and the Balanced Runner lessons this next week I think I am going to postpone it till I get to CA as where I am right now for 3 weeks and with my schedule it will be difficult and probably would be looking to set my self up for failure.  Waiting 3 weeks would be a wiser move and so will instead look to run easy 5 days s week and up my miles to 20, then 25 and then 30 miles.  That is the basic l plan and just hoping my foot will slowly get better so when I get to December I can be working to up my miles some more and add in riding so that when I get to January I am ready to hit it for getting ready for Boston and then Dirty Kanza.


As always if you have questions let me know in the comments below.


Last Week's Overview #21

Q & A With Mark Cucuzzella

Mark ( 2377 ) 2017 Boston

I want to thank Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, who is a fellow Dr Phil Maffetone enthusiast and has the website as well as being the founder and owner of Two River Treads,   walking and running store, for answering some questions I sent to him.  Being one of the admins at The Maffetone Method FB group I thought it would be nice to have his thoughts on a number of areas.  Mark, who also just competed the 2017 Boston Marathon in 2:56:03 at age 50, has run a sub 3:00 marathon a year for the last 30 years is an avid barefoot runner and all-around great source of information.
Natural Running Center

Mark will be presenting alongside Dr. Maffetone this weekend (April 26-29, 2017) at Healthy Running San Luis Obispo.  According to Mark you can still come! www.healthyrunning.org.  Also Dr. Maffetone shared Mark's story last year.

Now lets get into the interview:

Q: What is your regular diet?  Would you consider your diet LCHF or some version of it?

Definitely LCHF and flux between 50-100g of healthy carbs/ day (sometimes less).  May have an occasional day over this but rarely.  If you download the “real lists” on Real Meal Revolution I am pretty much green list with occasional dips into the orange for good quality fruit and legumes.  Bread and grains almost 100% gone other than a rare treat of thin crust homemade pizza where the wonderful toppings buffer the little bit of homemade crust (which is loaded with olive oil).

Q: What are your thoughts on MET (Metabolic Efficiency Training) and being fat adapted?  Do you think this works for shorter distances as well as long?

The key is about restoring your health, and then your workouts will go well either high intense or endurance.  So if you are insulin resistant (IR)/carb intolerant  you need to be fat adapted for your health.  Phil’s White Paper spells it out. I have some good friends crushing their Crossfit workouts once they figured out they were IR.

http://naturalrunningcenter.com/2017/03/07/burn-fat-health-performance-better-butter-burner/

Q: How do you fuel your training runs & races?  What are your thoughts on fasted runs?

For training it’s pretty much all fasted.  I going for long morning run I get up and have good coffee then go.  I’m never hungry or feel depleted during long runs anymore. For long races where performance (not adaptation) is the goal I have a low carb cocktail of UCAN, VESPA, and a packet of Keto OS.  If I can get it on the course I will use UCAN Hydrate (zero cal electrolyte) and Superstarch and a VESPA every couple hours. I think for fat adapted athletes there may be some benefit to a little exogenous ketone salt before the race.  Not much science yet on this and like every strategy we are all individuals who need individual self-assessments in training and racing

Q: What are your thoughts on Carbohydrate Intolerance/Insulin Resistance?  Do you think this is pretty regular occurrence in the general public or a person by person thing to figure out?  Also, how much of this do you think comes from how our food, in general, has been modified or processed?

I see this as the root cause of patients who have obesity, pre DM/DM, Fatty Liver, High Blood Pressure, Coronary Disease, and metabolic syndrome.  This is about 70% of the US population now.  Dr. Gerald Reaven who has published 800 papers should have won the Nobel Prize with the discovery of what he termed “Syndrome X” over ten years ago.  He outlined the cascade of nefarious pathways ignited by IR and hyperinsulinemia.  The foods that accelerate the slow steady march to IR are the sugar sweetened beverages (incl. juice), all process grains, added sugar products, and refined vegetable oils.

Dr. Tim Noakes explains it well in “The Real Meal Revolution” as well Gary Taubes in his 3 best selling books “Good Calories, Bad Calories”, “Why We Get Fat”, and “The Case Against Sugar”.  “New Atkins for a New You” by Drs Phinney, Volek, and Westman is another must read and was the book that sent Dr. Noakes down this rabbit hole.

People need to check their HgA1c, fasting glucose and insulin levels, and well as glucose and insulin levels after a load of glucose (called a glucose tolerance test).  This will give an individual an objective measure.  NMR Lipid Profile can also give you a IR score.

Q: When did you start running barefoot?  How long did it take you to adapt to running regularly barefoot?

Started full barefoot in 2011 when asked to speak on this topic at the Boston Marathon. I 2 months could go on 10 mile runs with no shoes on smooth pavement or grass.  This is not the norm.  I had been full on minimal with a focus on form for a solid 5 years at this point so was essentially there other than adapting the soles of the feet.

I presented this video at the Boston Conference as a demonstration that this was not academic theory, but something anyone could learn safely.

Q: How did you come about with your thoughts on form and barefoot running?

I was always geeked out about the biomechanics from a foundation of understanding the role of spring and fascia.  Dr. Irene Davis has enlightened me on the importance of the foot.  I would read something and then try to feel it while running.  South African Sports Chiropractor Dr. Lawrence Van Lingen has helped shaped my thought with his endless curiosity.  Jay Dicharry and Dr. Ray McClanahan also huge influencers who also treat runners.  I think the video we shot in 2012 for UVA Run Med Conference is still pretty spot on.

Q: What are your thoughts on cadence?  So many have issues, me included, when they try for 180 cadences when running slowly, especially when starting MAF.  Do you think that the 180 number might change as one gets taller?

The cadence is about how your foot functions.  If you have a springy foot like a child the 180 is natural.  If your foot behaves like a hacky sac then it is more difficult.  Just try jumping rope or hopping on one foot barefoot, you will get your answer. If you have hallux valgus your will never have a springy foot.  The foot will collapse and land with a “thud”.  Correct Toes from Dr. Ray have been my lifesaver since I have this condition.

Mark @ the JFK 50 Miler

Q:  With how low your HR was for the first 43 miles or so of the JFK 50, under 100, lots of people were wondering how long it took to get there.  Do you regularly train at your Maximum Aerobic Function (MAF)?  Do you use the standard 180-Age with some adjustments?  If so how long have you been training like this?  I know I have been running for many years so early on since Arthur Lydiard was influential some of my early training was probably at MAF but did not know it.  Do you train in cycles and when do you add speed work and how do you do that?

I started training with MAF HR in 2000 after reading a Maffetone article about Mark Allen.  Ran an amazingly comfortable 2:28 for 3rd place at the 2000 Marine Corps Marathon after about 4 months full MAF. Haven’t looked back since.  I rarely use HR in training now and breathe through the nose. This assures aerobic without needing technology.  I’m a Ludite by nature.  When I do put HRM on I am usually below 130 on an easy/moderate training run.  I keep a strong base year round and a couple months before a main marathon will dial in a longer and quicker 2 hour run to get a feel of race tempo.  This is not “hard”, it’s just a quicker gear. I do drills daily as shown here on these short videos.

Q:  I have seen you mention that you do strides daily, can you explain the reason and how many, how long and how fast they are?

I do strides as a form of neuromuscular training.  Lydiard called these “alactic sprints” The goal of training is to gain endurance and speed without running “hard”. I do 4 to 6 of maybe 50-80 yards on grass.  I aim for fast turnover as fast as I can go on the last couple.  Again they are so short this is not hard or acidotic.  When done all joints are mobilized and sets me up to recover optimally.  Just do not return to 6 hours of sitting after these sessions.

Q: Will wearing regular running shoes occasionally, and even on a more regular basis, impede progressing towards a more natural running form?

In my opinion yes.  Mix up the surfaces and paces of your runs but stay as minimal as possible for the proprioception and optimizing foot function.  If you need a lot of cushion to recover you are training too hard. Better to do easy runs and recovery ridiculously slow using the body as designed vs using an adaptation (structured and over-cushioned shoe). After several months/years your body will tell you what is best, and I’ve never seen anyone who starts down this path go back to the big bulky shoes.

Q: Do you train exclusively barefoot, or w/sandals, or do you wear conventional running shoes as well?

At this point almost all my running barefoot or sandals (with Injinji socks if cold).  Hard to explain but there is a feeling of freedom in the sandals.  I have thin sandals for smooth terrain and thicker ones for trails.  Weather proof  Vibrams are great in the snow. Now that it is spring weather the shoes are coming off again.  For runners entering the space a firm level training shoe with some protection is a good entry in and may be the ideal long term place to be.  At Two Rivers Treads we carry Newton, Altra, Topo, Merrell, ON, NB Minimus, Inov8 and some others which our customers really enjoy and I stand behind.  The lifestyle shoe is critically important and make this your covert foot strengthening system.  The brands VivoBarefoot, Lems, and OESH have some great minimal shoes for all occasions. Support small business and shop with us online!

Q:Are there plyometric or other drills and exercises you recommend to help injury prevention and if so how often?

I do light plyos almost daily as part of my runs. The whole routine of skips, plyos, burpees, mountain climbers, and short sprints is a 10 minute investment for the present and the future. The drills shown on prior question are all a form of plyometric. Episode 3 on this page also has some good light plyos.  Doing them with my kids!

Q:Along those same lines, do you advocate foam rolling or any other work to relieve tight calves or hip flexors ?

I have a morning routine with a roller for quads and calves and movement exercises for hip mobility.  This needs to be individualized for each runner and has to be so simple that it becomes an ingrained habit.  When the coffee is brewing I’m on the ground with the dog doing my morning routine.  This is good attention time for my dog too. To her its 10 minutes of pure love as she gets some good belly rubs.  I do not roll aggressively, just easy massage with breathing.  Your muscles should feel supple between your fingers, a cue your fascia is healthy.  Healthy diet and not overtraining is more important than rolling in my opinion.  It’s best not to create damage in the first place!

Q: Lastly for those of us in our more “mature” years how has your training changed as you have gotten older? What percentage of your training is spent on preventative maintenance and prehab to maintain flexibility and joint mobility? While you have touched on some extra drills and exercises are there any things you have found specific to people as they age that you recommend?

Great question.  It used to be 100% run, rush, pile in lots of quick carbs, and get back to work.  My mileage maxed out at about 70-80 miles per week in college and later in my 20 and 30’s when I was running faster marathons and getting close to Olympic Trails standard.  I wish I knew half of what I do now as I was trying to run the Trials standard of 2:22.  Managed 2:24 twice but always hurt myself in the process.

Now it is about 70% running and 30% strength, drills, and mobility.  Total running volume now at most is 50-60 miles a week in a 2 month marathon build.  Like many overextended people, I have learned the hard way to make sleep more of a priority.  Engaging and helping those in my community find health through better diet and easy aerobic activity also keeps me honest to the principles and makes me want to go to work every day.  When we get older it’s about “purpose” , not one’s individual goal of a PR in some race.  I think I have found my purpose through communities like this one following the principles of my good friend and mentor Dr. Phil Maffetone who to me is truly “Yoda”.  So keep passing it forward.

Thanks again to Mark for his answers and I encourage everyone to go to his website the Natural Running Center and this post is also up on his site as well.

OFM – MET – LCHF: What’s It All Mean

I am not going to try and cover a full explanation of all the acronyms in the title but do

hope to shed some light on them as best I can and spur your interest to look into the subject more in depth on your own.

First what are they:

• OFM – Optimized Fat Metabolism
• MET – Metabolic Efficiency Training
• LCHF – Low Carb High Fat 

And one added one that I already wrote on here – What is MAF?

• MAF – Maximum Aerobic Function

First let me say that these all work together and need to be seen as such.  It is also important to see how working towards, say OFM, may look different for each person as while there may be some universal principles one can apply in general as we are all different in various ways how the above apply to an individual may differ.

I will start by trying to show how these work together.  To begin with it is important to know where you want to go and then you can set a path to get there.  That is where OFM comes into play, as it is an outcome to achieve.  This outcome can actually be part of a bigger goal, and it should be, such as being having a goal of longevity in running and good health or maybe being able to run longer and even faster.  With all of these top end goals OFM is a way to get there.

As an aside - OFM is not new, the acronym and name be, as the idea that one's running can benefit from burning fat has been known for some time.  When I began to run marathons back in the late 70's I read about how to help burn fat early in a race you could take caffeine pills.  Caffeine was supposed to help with the fat burning so we took No-Doze to try and minimize the affects of the other ingredients in the coffee on our system.  Looking back the problem with this was that this was also when "Carboloading" was the rage and thus we probably negated much of what the caffeine was to accomplish by stuffing our faces with carbohydrates as many of us did for the days before a race.  The point though is that the use of fat a fuel is not a new idea but maybe is now being seen more as a main source rather than being used simply to delay the onset of crashing due to low carbohydrate supplies.

Next, would come MET as a way to achieve OFM via a training plan that helps one best use fat and thus have an efficient metabolism.  I hope you see how we in truth need to separate out these terms to see how they work together holistically.  Thus, we have gotten to where, as part of the bigger picture, we want to best OFM and to do so we need to employ MET.

Then we get to the methods used to train, the tools we use.  One tool I use is MAF and as I have written on this before I will not spend much of time here.  Basically one of the benefits of MAF, aside from building a great aerobic base and minimizing the damage of running too hard is that it also helps one train their body to burn fat.  So in this case MAF is a great tool to use in ones MET to reach the goal of OFM.

Lastly, well lastly in the case of this short article, is LCHF which is yet another tool to reach OFM.  Is it the only tool, no, but it is in my opinion an important place to look into.  Let me add here that for me LCHF actually is probably better seen as being – Lower Carb – Higher Fat.  I use the terms “lower” and “higher” since if you do much reading you will find that LCHF can range from being in Ketosis to simply being much lower than the average person, or in this case, athlete.  Even within the LCHF realm there is a lot of conversation about what is the right amount of carbs for a person and if Ketosis is a place to be long term or if it is best achieved periodically.  One thing I would like to add here just to be clear;  I am convinced if you have an insulin resistance problem or other health issue related to sugar LCHF is very likely the answer.  For others of us LCHF is an excellent tool to help get to where we want to be with OFM by reducing ones carbohydrate intake and thus helping to move to better utilization of fat as an energy source.

While I think LCHF is a great tool you do need to see what works best for you as in my case I found if I am too low on carbs it does not have the affect I am looking for.  That said I am very low compared to most other runners I know.   

Most that I talk to about  going LCHF struggle with the idea of reducing carbs and this probably stems from all the indoctrination we have all had over the years that "High Carb” is important and especially for athletes.   For those that struggle I advise a couple things:

First is to take the Maffetone Two Week Test (TWT – sorry to add another acronym).  This is an extreme low card regimen for two weeks that is followed by strategically adding back carbs so one can see if they do have a particular issue with carbs or if maybe it is just some carbs that cause issues.  This is not really a diet but a means to find out what how your body reacts and deals with carbohydrates.  I found that in general I can handle carbs but if I get too much bread, for instance, it gives me intestinal issues, such as gas – sorry had to share that.  You may find other issues but it is a great tool to use to help dial in your eating habits. If you are interested in trying the TWT you can get info at the link at the start of the paragraph or here.

The second thing I suggest, if one just does not want to deal with lowering carbs yet, is to at the least work to eliminate as many processed foods as you can and work to eating real foods.   One affect of this will be that you will end up lowering your carb intake and the carbs you will be getting rid of are empty ones, ones you do not want as it is.  This will get you down the road to better health and will even more than likely help with your fat metabolism work.

I did not want this too be a long drawn out article but one that lets you see that as we learn things we have to realize where they fit in the scheme of things.  Such as OFM being a goal, actually part of a larger goal, with MET being a plan to get there and something like MAF and/or LCHF being tools to use to accomplish those goals.  When you see it as a continuum you can possibly not get so overwhelmed by the info out there.  Bottom line seek first better health and then you will see your running improve.  It may take time but most good things do.

Some other resources:

• What is OFM
• Success with OFM
• Metabolic Efficiency Training (MET) by Bob Seebohar
• Metabolic Efficiency – Becoming a “Better-Butter-Burner” by Sunny Blende, Sports Nutritionist
• Bob Seebohar and Dina Griffin: Metabolic Efficiency (Not Just ‘Low Carb’) for Optimal Sports Performance, What the Research Really Says, and More
• Tim Noakes and the Case for Low Carb
• Dr. Peter Brukner and LCHF
• The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance by Volek and Phinney

MAF: What is it?

If you have seen my Strava data you often see that a run of mine was an MAF run.  While I have Maximum Aerobic Function, what does that mean.  MAF is dealt with in this article by Phil Maffetone:  Want Speed? Slow Down but in essence is the heart rate at which you build your aerobic capacity and your body burns fat most effectively.  Thus, training regularly at MAF allows one to build a great aerobic base and train ones body to use fat as a fuel over the carbohydrates it desires when one runs faster.  Of course there is more to the fat burning side of things than just HR but it is part of it.  More on diet in a future post.
added in the past what the acronym  stands for,

MAF training for those who have been around a while, as I have,  is not really a new concept but is a modernized version of principles others such as Arthur Lydiard put forth many years ago.  Phil Maffetone on his website talks much about this method of training and you can read the basics of the method here:  MAF Methodology & in The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing

As Phil states on his site MAF deals with three key lifestyle aspects:

1. Diet & Nutrition: Eat real foods, find your optimal carbohydrate intake, and improve your balance of healthy fats.
2. Exercise: Train at the appropriate intensity to develop your fat-burning aerobic system, improve health and perform better.
3. Stress management: Assess your physical, biochemical, and mental-emotional stressors, and learn to manage them.

What makes MAF different than just being about Heart Rate training is that the focus is on health and not simply just getting faster and being able to run farther.  While I do believe that via MAF you can do both that is not its focus.  So often in running we sacrifice health for the sport and while that may bring short-term pleasure, I say might; it is not prime for long term health.  Let me add that I do understand why many who are competitive may see this method being for the slower runner since you will indeed run slower, at last to begin with, or for Ultra-Runners let me share that this is not so.  As a personal anecdote, since I have taken up this method of training my 5K has come down and other than a couple ankle injuries from trails rather than from over training I have been injury free and for sure am less fatigued than I usually am with my faster is better method I usually trained with.  Might my times have gone down with my old method, sure, but usually what happened is that they went down then I crashed and burned either with an injury or a bad cold brought on by over training at too high an intensity.

As another proof, if it is needed, of the efficacy of MAF for even the faster among us Phil Maffetone coached Mark Allen, interview with Mark Allen, who was one of the best triathletes of his time, maybe of all time, and did so using the MAF principles.  Yes Mark Allen was fit and fast when he met up with Phil but the change in training allowed Mark to do what most others could not do and that was to have longevity in the sport - and at a high level.

MAF is not a get fast quick method and it is not necessary a run slow to get fast plan, as speed work is allowed, but a holistic approach that looks to health in the midst of training.  Thus, while I think you could run better just using the MAF heart Rate formula I do think you benefit the most by also working to adapt ones diet as well since the MAF pace is ideal for being a fat adapted athlete.

OK, all that but what is MAF?  Well first, as it relates to running and pace, it is that the majority of training is done at a pace that equates to 180 minus your age as a baseline.  There are some additions and subtractions you can do such as:

1. If you have or are recovering from a major illness (heart disease, any operation or hospital stay, etc.) or are on any regular medication, subtract an additional 10.
2. If you are injured, have regressed in training or competition, get more than two colds or bouts of flu per year, have allergies or asthma, or if you have been inconsistent or are just getting back into training, subtract an additional 5.
3. If you have been training consistently (at least four times weekly) for up to two years without any of the problems just mentioned, keep the number (180–age) the same
4. If you have been training for more than two years without any of the problems listed above, and have made progress in competition without injury, add 5.

If you are older, 65 or above, elsewhere it talks of adding another 5 beats.  Based on this and the math involved I figure that once you turn 60 you can keep your HR pace the same till 66, unless you need to make adjustments based on the above criteria.  Here is a link to the 180 Formula

As far as training this means that, if I use myself as an example, I run all my MAF runs at 128 (180-57+5) or slower.  Thus on hills, into a headwind or later in runs it does mean slowing down to maintain the desired HR.  What I personally do is to set my watch to alarm at 126 so I get a warning to slow down before I am already over.  And if I do go over I slow down right away, if you have to walk to get it down then do so.

What about speed work and races?  Well, here is how I deal with the speed work part of things:

I try and do 3 months of MAF only  running, unless I have a race then I do not run at MAF but I try and keep that at no more than 1 race a month.  Then I do 3-4 months, depends of what race I am doing, at MAF except for 2 days a week of non-MAF and also any races I may do at non-MAF. For speed work I basically do two days a week where I do not use my HR monitor, but have it on to see how I did. On those days I do a number of types of runs: harder trail runs, tempo runs of 3-6 miles with every now and then a longer one from 10-13, longer intervals like 3-4 X 2miles with mile rest, and fartlek. I do shorter intervals once in a while but not as much.

While many that do MAF run for time I still like to track mileage.  In doing this I also run mileage in 5-6 week cycles with higher millage for 4 weeks, presently about 50 miles,  then run 1-2 weeks at lower miles and all at MAF or if I do speed work it will be shorter stuff, presently around 30 miles a week in this section.

Once I have done this 6 month, or so, cycle I repeat it or adjust for a particular race.  I my case this year, into next, I will start in November doing only MAF for 4 months as I have a 50 miler in March and do not feel I need much in the way of speed work except what I may get in a race or two..

The above is how I organize my MAF training  but things may work differently for you based on goals and the base you come into MAF with. I have been running for 43+ years so have a pretty good base .  If you are newer to running you may want to just stay at MAF for 6 months, even up to a year to build that base as it is critical to being injury free and being a healthy runner.

Keep in mind when you start this it will seem slow, for most people, and the initial inclination after a week is that you want to stop.  My encouragement is to persevere.  Perseverance is a trait being lost in our microwave culture but it is critical to MAF and in truth is critical to all of life.  How long it takes for the light to come on varies for everyone as it can be as soon as three months to more than a year, again all contingent on your past training experience, level of fitness, health. and other areas

Another part of the MAF method is diet and I think this is as important a part as the HR training and will talk on this in a later post.  That said, one can begin MAF training without making the jump to a changed diet even though, again, I think a modified diet for most would be very beneficial.

As I have already mentioned, can one run faster with other methods, yes.  Could someone even run using the “faster and farther” mentality and have longevity, yes again.  But I would say longevity is not very common among those that burn the running candle at both ends.

I am sure this does not answer all your questions on MAF, probably just created more, so I encourage you to read the supplied links to Phil Mafetone’s articles.  But also do your own investigation by searching out: MAF, Maximum Aerobic Function, Mark Allen and others.  If you are on Facebook I am one of  the Admins on a Maffetone Method FB page so you can ask to join and we have a pinned post with many resources.  Another good resource is Mark Sisson’s new book Primal Endurance.

Also, here are some good Podcast sources that have talks on MAF and realted subjects:

• Phil Maffetone Podcasts
• Endurance Planet
• Primal Endurance Podcast