MAF Test - Month 4

The past month has been one of experimentation as I tried to figure out why I wasn't seeing great results with Maffetone, despite my belief in the system itself. As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to focus more on my diet and also try to get in at least 6 hours of running per week, as there seemed to be a correlation between hours logged and progress (or regress). I also toyed with a low-carb diet (after reading The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance) but gave it up after a week; it just seemed counter-intuitive.

Anyway, after a 101-mile month (almost 26 hours of running), I saw some improvement. Here are my stats from the beginning until today:

Sports Complex (5km) at 121-131bpm:

	October 31	November 30	January 5	January 31	March 3
Kilometer 1	8:19	8:10	8:04	8:28	8:42
Kilometer 2	8:45	8:49	8:26	9:01	8:33
Kilometer 3	9:26	8:44	8:51	9:05	8:38
Kilometer 4	9:23	8:55	9:13	9:12	8:53
Kilometer 5	9:34	9:00	9:20	9:18	9:04
	45:26	43:38	43:54	45:03	43:51
Pace (min/mi)	14:37	14:03	14:08	14:31	14:08

So I'm gonna stick with Maffetone for most or all of this month to see if I see more improvement next month. I have a trail race in mid-April so I may be a little bit undertrained for it in terms of hills. But I should be okay for endurance!

MAF Test - Month 3

I didn't do a great job eating right this month, but I still hoped for a better MAF Test. It was not to be! Here are my splits:

Sports Complex (5km) at 121-131bpm:

	October 31	November 30	January 5	January 31
Kilometer 1	8:19	8:10	8:04	8:28
Kilometer 2	8:45	8:49	8:26	9:01
Kilometer 3	9:26	8:44	8:51	9:05
Kilometer 4	9:23	8:55	9:13	9:12
Kilometer 5	9:34	9:00	9:20	9:18
	45:26	43:38	43:54	45:03
Pace (min/mi)	14:37	14:03	14:08	14:31

I was really puzzled about this. I could have expected to have stayed the same, but to regress? I really don't know.

But I have just stumbled upon the concept of Metabolic Efficiency Training (MET), which more or less uses the same aerobic training principles as Maffetone but with a greater emphasis on eating right in order to maximize burning fat as fuel. This is one area I have completely ignored. So this month I am going to be mostly free of grains (bread, rice, and noodles) and sugars, and we'll see if that has any effect. The MET people also recommend at least 6 hours a week of MET training, whereas I rarely get over 5 hours a week. In fact as I look at my training, I see a correlation. In November, I ran 22.5 hours and saw much improvement. In December I ran 19 hours and regressed. And then in January I ran just under 16 hours and regressed further. Could that be it?

All in all, I am not all that discouraged with my results (although I'd gladly take a faster pace!), because I'm running more than I ever have, with no injury or soreness. Not a bad way to spend the off-season, regardless of my improvement or lack thereof.