MAF Test #1 and Planning 2015 Races

MAF Test #1

Today I did my first MAF test. I previously blogged about my testing plan and you can read up on the details here.

Results:

Mile Number	Time: 2 January 2015
1	12:50
2	13:14
3	13:34
4	13:42

Wow, those numbers are slow - but that is the point I think. Now that I know where I am starting, I can look for improvements next month.

I made a graph too - but it is admittedly a bit boring to look at with only one series of data, so I'll save it for next month when I have two series of data.

So for now, I will stay the course, slow, slogging rogs on the treadmill with the hope that I will make some progress in my mile splits next month. 

Planning 2015 "races" 

I decided this fall that 2015 I would run my first half marathon and have one picked out for September (not a coincidence that I turn 40 in September). In the past month, I have gone from running 1 half marathon this year to considering one in the spring too. 

The race I am considering is the Twin Lights Half Marathon in Gloucester, MA. It is a newer race that consistently gets great reviews from other runners and the course is quite scenic - along the cost of Cape Anne.  The course is full of rolling hills though. Hills aren't my favorite.

The timing of this race also fits perfectly as a goal race for the Another Mother Runner half marathon challenge that starts later this month. I have about 2 weeks to decide so I can join the challenge group and register before the fee increases.

Other than that deliberation, I am planning on the half in September and a few 10Ks and 5Ks along the way - most are picked out but a few need to be chosen so they fit into my training programs.  


On a personal note, today is my last vacation of day of winter break and I am looking forward to lunch with my husband while the kids play with Grammie! Horray for the little things!
Kim

MAF Test Planning

It is time to check-in regarding my first MAF test. I have been doing all of my runs the past month with the goal of keeping my heart rate below 141 (180-my age). At first, I really struggled to keep my HR around 145, but after a few weeks, I found it easier to run jog with my HR around 141. Now I can pretty much run jog rog three miles without my HR going above 141.  

I plan to do my first official MAF test on 1/1/15. I will be running on the treadmill so today I did a trial run of the process I will use for my MAF tests. This is the approach that I have decided to adopt.

Warm-up/Cool Down

I plan to do a walk, slow rog warm up for about 15 minutes on the day of my MAF test, but for today, I did my standard 5 minute walk warm-up. I have started using separate "sessions" on the treadmill for my warm-up and cool-down minutes so I can more easily compare my runs at a glance.

I will cool down with a 10-15 minute walk.

MAF Test Process

Start a goal mileage "session" on the TM for 4 miles at a pace of 5 MPH. 

When my heart rate creeps up to 142, reduce the speed by 0.1-0.2 MPH until I need to take a 1-min walk break to get my HR down. 

Once the 1 minute walk break is over, resume rogging at 5 MPH until my HR creeps up to 142 and repeat the process of reducing the speed until it is time to walk again. 

As I improve, I will need to increase my starting pace for these tests as well. I can rog a few miles with no walk breaks at 4.5 MPH - that wasn't the case when I started this journey. So as this improvement continues, I'll use my regular runs to gauge when it is time to increase my starting pace above 5 MPH. 

Processing The Data

The treadmill I am using has iFIT so all of my workout stats are stored in the cloud which is really convenient. iFIT is horrible for analyzing data. Thanks to google and the iFIT help forums, I found an app that converts the data to a file format compatible for loading up to Garmin Connect. 

I will convert the file, upload to Garmin connect and then mine my splits which I will graph in Excel. 

Other Data

I am also going to track the number of walk breaks I take per mile at each pace during all of my runs including my MAF tests. I am expecting the number of walk breaks at a given pace to decrease over the next three months as well.

I think of this as more of a qualitative way to judge my progress - and a good indicator of progress between MAF tests. I am looking forward to when I can run several miles at 5.5 MPH with my HR below 141 without having to take any walk breaks. Why that number? I see that pace becoming comfortable for weekly long slow runs this spring/summer that would allow me keep up with the running club and have some company for my runs. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.


Have you done a MAF test on the treadmill? What process have you used?

Onward with the data crunching! Kim

Happy Mitochondria

The Birthday Present

In September, my lovely husband gave me a Garmin 110 and a heart rate monitor for my birthday. I dove right into using my Garmin but waited a couple of weeks to strap on the heart rate monitor. I had done some preliminary research on heart rate zones and performed some lazy calculations to identify where I thought my training zones would be. When I went out for my first run with the monitor I was shocked at the data. Running at my normal pace, my HR was in the mid 170s and even small hills on my regular route pushed me into the 180s. 

I am not fast, and most of the time I do my 3-4 runs/week between 9-9:30 minutes/mile. Quickly I found that to get my heart rate into the 160s, I had to run between 10-11 minute miles and to stay in the 150s - yep  12 minute miles. WHAT?!

Let's Make Some Happy Mitochondria

By early November, I had done some additional research, listened to podcasts and started following bloggers who use low heart rate training. I also noticed that the slower I ran, the less things ached and hurt. I wasn't as tired after a long run. 

My research brought me to the hypothesis* that I need to slow down and build a stronger aerobic base. I have decided that for now, I am going to test this hypothesis following the advise of Phil Maffetone and am currently reading his book: The Big Book of Endurance Training.

What has drawn me to this methodology is:

Easy to to use heart-rate formula (180-age)
There are many ways to calculate your target heart rate zones including going into a lab for testing. I'm not a serious athlete and don't really have time for extensive testing. Simplicity works for me. Read more about the maximum aerobic heart rate calculation.

Staying healthy and injury free 
I have been running regularly for almost three years and have been to PT twice and have found myself nursing sore feet, Achilles, hip flexors, burn-out, lingering sickness. 

Not feeling so tired after long runs

If I am going to train for a half marathon (or two) this year, that means several weekend mornings where I am away from my family for 2+ hours. That is a lot of time for a working mom and it is a no go if I am tired, sore, cranky for the rest of the day. 

Getting a bit faster

I'm not expecting (or trying) to BQ - but it would be nice to run a sub 54 minute 10K and sub 2 hour half marathon. 

There are other benefits to this approach - but for me, the ones listed above are my motivating factors. If interested in learning more, you could listen to this podcast, read this article, this one or talk to your doctor. 

What could possibly get in my way? 

• pride: I need to go how slow to keep my HR below 141?
• time: It currently takes me about 82 minutes to run 6 miles - longer runs = more time commitment than usual. This should get better over time - but is a bit discouraging now.
• boredom: I like instant gratification and equate copious amounts of sweat and being out of breath to having a good workout. I need some reconditioning. 

Running the Maffetone way requires some patience. Results don't occur over night and long runs just became a bit more time consuming. I do my best to make time for my fitness with the limited allotment of hours my schedule affords me and there isn't much more time to squeeze without sacrificing more sleep (or family harmony). 

I also have a theory that this approach will better complement my yoga practice. The good I am trying to do for my body during my studio and home practice sessions is often undone by these sustained, anaerobic efforts. I am not sure how to measure gains in this area quantitatively but I will definitely be mindful of this in the coming months.

There is more to Maffetone training than I am listing here. At this time, I am not adopting it 100% (cutting sugar/carbs - not happening!). I may not reap all of the rewards, but I am committing to keeping my HR below 141 for the next 4 months and I'm confident that I will reap the rewards of fewer injuries and  ROI in the form faster recovery and fewer injuries. 

What's Next:

I started pay serious attention to my heart rate in late November and decided to give myself a month to get used to running with a max heart rate of 141. I will do my first Maximum Aerobic Function (MAF) test on 1/1/15 and then around the first of the month following that.

Currently I'm doing about 80% of my runs on the treadmill and that likely won't change until March or April. As such, I'm still working out the best way to do my MAF tests.

I am going to take this 1 month at a time. (It was really hard to write that)

There may be a half marathon on my calendar for mid-May. Because of that "maybe" I would like to add some inclines/hills and intervals but I'm really not sure when I will be able to do that and keep my heart rate below 141.

I will be documenting my progress and how this approach affects my running and overall fitness and posting my monthly MAF tests here on RFG.


Wish me luck! Kim



* I am not a doctor or nurse and I do not have a degree in exercise physiology, I am not a licensed trainer or coach. I have zero qualifications to give advice or tell others what to do with their bodies. I do try to be a vigilant observer of my body's needs and love to read up on ways to stay fit and challenge myself.