I’m a strong believer in the MAF Approach to the endurance training. I apply the heart rate training principles to both running and cycling. I wrote about maf method in two article series - Part 1 and Part 2
I’m 41 year old, and my MAF range is 134-144bpm. I’ve been training consistently with this method for 1+ year, and my MAF Pace has slowly come down from 8:40min/km to 6:40min/km. This is a saving of 2min per km. In a half marathon distance, this is a saving of 40min.
In today’s blog, I want to share my recent progress.
Let me give an example of 2 runs I did
The elevation was similar. Amritsar was a colder weather, which is easier for the running. Still Delhi run was far easier
| SuperSikh Half Marathon @ Amritsar (Winters) | Weekend Easy MAF Run @ Delhi (Summers) | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Jan 28, 2018 6:53 AM | Apr 14, 2019 6:28 AM |
| Distance | 20.78 km | 21.12 km |
| Time | 2.26.57 | 2.23.42 |
| Avg Pace | 7:04 min/km | 6:48 min/km |
| Moving Time | 2.26.20 | 2.22.29 |
| Min Elev | 225m | 170m |
| Max Elev | 235m | 194m |
| Avg HR | 162bpm | 135bpm |
| Max HR | 185bpm | 145bpm |
| Avg Temperature | 9.2 Deg | 29.1 Deg |
For similar pace, my Heart Rate was lower by 27 beats. This is huge saving.
Most of my runs are easy MAF Run. I do introduce speedwork closer to the race, but that is never more than once a week. Best thing about MAF Runs is that it needs zero recovery, as it is done in a very comfortable heart zone. And as Heart rate is so controlled, the form doesn’t drop. In 2 years of regular training, I had zero injury.
The journey continues.