Tirnan - makes complete sense. I subscribe to the "easy days easy, hard days hard" training approach. Some hard days are required to work ALL energy systems and improve VO2Max, lactate threshold, as well as other important aspects to running, such as running form, cadence, stride length, etc. Great to hear you'll mix it up.

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly! Even if one can naturally run fast without speedwork, they're never going to maximize there potential!

Your tips and feedback are Gold Tirnan, keep educating and congrats on your PR !

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Majors!!

I’ve recently been doing a lot of running during lockdown and Never really heard of this method! Definitely need some kind of structure. Love the information man!

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Tevin!

Thanks for the video, as a beginner considering his options I found it informative, I’m now going to go for the 80/20 approach rather than MAF!

This is a seriously great piece of analysis !!! Great work - I am about to change my approach...

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Matthew, how is it going?

That was very interesting Tirman. I change my training methods routinely anyway.

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, looks like it's working great for you!

Excellent content, very interesting

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you relax forever!

Everyone's different & it's good your trying something different & it's working for you Tirnan, maybe one day you'll try it again & it 'll be right at that point for you 👍🏃

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers determined, I think it's a case of going after the weaknesses isn't it? some times i feel like my legs just dont want to move particularly fast when i do all slow and they forget somewhat, so it's a good balancer for now

Great talk here, I like how you bring up the value of MAF for beginners. Yeah, I use MAF target rate to pace my recovery runs and the heart rate I like to come down to between hill sprints or fartleks when I’m doing speed work. But it’s definitely better, as you mentioned, to continue mixing it up and doing tempos, progression runs, long runs and specialized speed work.

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I think it definitely has its value, that’s probably why I didn’t improve so much from it, because I already done quite a few easy miles previously. I think HR data is still really valuable too, I’ve been doing 5km time trials lately and my average HR is getting much lower than usual on easy runs.

change of pace def keeps it more interesting! & you're able to improve and push yourself more!

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

100%!

Spot on! I used MAF exclusively for 8 months & yes is does exactly as it’s intended, build a stronger body by running in “zone 2” and gradually you see your “easy” pace getting quicker at the same HR. I went from 24:30 5k to 20:42 purely doing MAF, but that’s the benefits of “easy” running anyway. After 8 months or so I started adding interval sessions on indoor rower & one threshold run per week & my performance and strength went through the roof. I’m now a firm believer you have to add intensity to your training program to maximise your potential.

@TirnanHealy

Жыл бұрын

Agreed, how fast is your 5km time now?

@spinswimscream25

Жыл бұрын

@@TirnanHealy not broke that sub 20 yet, saying that I’ve not done a ‘all out’ time trial for a while, but I’ll get it eventually 👍Atm I’m enjoying building my weekly Mileage up, being consistent with my training. I’m also 9 weeks into strength training 2/3 x per week which I’m really enjoying the benefits from

Nice, interesting video!

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Mihai!

I'm with you on this. I switched from MAF to 80/20 in 2018 and never looked back. It seems that MAF works well for a lot of people, so no disrespect intended. For me, it was too frustrating and took the enjoyment out of running. Interestingly, since I've been doing 80/20, everything has improved. I can actually do an enjoyable easy run with my heart rate at or below what MAF would be. But I'm also able to run more aggressive paces for longer. For me, it's a no brainer. Thanks for sharing your story. Keep up the good work!

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly man, my easy runs lately have been way faster than normal, this is with doing 5km time trials and alternating mile repeats! Thanks for your comment Al

I think MAF is decent for 3-4 months for totally new runners. They often have no idea what "easy pace" means. I remember my former roommate telling me he would always run 'super easy' and when he got an HR monitor, he found out HR would be 170+ for the entire run! I know HR is unstable but that's 1000% not an easy run for pretty much anyone. I use HR as a 'sanity check' and try to keep the average around 140 for my easy runs, but its often +/- as much as 10BPM depending on temperature/humidity, fatigue, sleep, caffeine, terrain/elevation gain etc. so I don't sweat it.

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Certainly, I thinks that’s where it shines the strongest. The reason I didn’t improve much from it was probably because I already obtained most of the easy gains from easy miles. I started it after running a 3:44 marathon so it certainly wasn’t like starting from a beginning r level. I like reading HR data too, It’s funny your friend claimed he was going super easy, I know someone like that who would claim their 10km pb pace was easy too!

Time to get to the next level!

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Let's go!

Good Video , I would just say that MAF helps hone in on what Easy should be , certainly beneficial for Aerobic Base building. HR will be indicative of what Easy or recovery run looks like. I can say I’ve have gotten faster implementing MAF as well as my endurance. As I improved my aerobic capacity, I now add in variety in my runs and workouts then stick to MAF run on easy days. No doubt running fast is a skill that needs to be practiced and perfected but so is running slow. Great Video !!

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Great to hear you progressed, just shows what works can often be a very individual thing, thanks for checking it out Roman!

I have started running a little less than a year ago. I was overweight at first and gradually lost the weight. Initially I was running with a high HR until I noticed I was getting tired so I tried the MAF method for 2,5 months and I improved my HR quite a bit running slow. I've been training with a coach since April with a monthly program that includes strides, sprints, intervals and hill training and I have my first marathon in 1,5 month. I have really noticed my fitness going up incorporating tempo runs and all the high HR training however there are days that I feel really tired and I cannot always perform. If you consider that my "easy" runs are from 146-151 HR at a tempo of 5:30-5:45 per km I feel it's quite high. I was considering switching to MAF after my marathon as my main goal for next year is to be able and run at a 5:30/km with HR below 140bpm. Do you think it's wise to switch to MAF for this reason (for a certain period) or you would continue with a training plan like the one I have now?

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Solid, I’d say that would be a fine idea as MAF from my understanding is very similar to what a lot of training plans reference as “base building” which is initially mainly composed of lots of easy miles then as the training plan progresses more intensity and polarisation is added. I’m not a coach or a advanced runner I’m just sharing my experiences and opinions, I suggest going on to the Reddit forum “running” or “advanced running” and asking there, as there is a lot of very knowledgeable runners keen to answer questions like yours on there. Good luck 👍🏻

Your a smart man! We are all built different no one has the same heart size. No one has the same resting heart rate or max heart rate. It’s a bunch of horse hockey! Happy running!! Let’s get after it!

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly, and we respond to training differently to!

Good points. Some people get injured running high mileage slowly. Others get injured running speed sessions. My thoughts I think line up with yours. Knowing which type of runner your body is telling you it is is essential to knowing of MAF (or better yet, 1960s style Lydiard jogging by feel without scientizing your exercise) is right for you or more high interval type programs.

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly, I think people naturally tend to gravitate to what works best for them over time. Thanks for you insight man

Good video Tirnan, yeah I think Maf training can’t do any harm, doing it for a few months or more, in the long run is very good for you a lot less chance of getting injured, now that you’ve done MAF training, legs are stronger so should be able to handle more speed work now without injury, yep 80/20 training perfectly ok if ya want to make improvements I reckon, & it just makes running more enjoyable & fun adding a variety of workouts, thanks 🙏🏼 😀

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly Kiwi! Thanks for your insights!

Did you do MAF Tests to check on your progress when doing the MAF method? Curious what kind of progress you saw and whether or not your gains plateaued.

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

I didn't do strict MAF tests, I assessed my pace over many runs at varying intensities and efforts and based my results off that.

Heart rate is such an unstable thing aswell, this can depends on stress, tiredness even caffeine intake. SO it's a hard method to follow. I've never tried it and don't really intend too.

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

It certainly involves a lot of monitoring, I think getting off the caffeine would help a lot I just can’t be bothered with feeling tired and down for a few weeks

Agree with your points. The way some MAF youtubers talk about MAF would make it seem like it’s the holy grail of running but in reality all there doing is hindering there gains

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly, I think some KZreadrs see a lot of growth talking about the benefits because there is an audience excited to try it and looking for more positive affirmations (I was part of that audience.) Then like you say they double down on it and blow the whole thing out of proportion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Andy

Hey mate I am a huge huge fan of MAF but only if you want to build a solid base. I ran a sub 3 hour marathon after around 14 months of maf. But now I'm going for sub 2.45 I've switched to 80/20 to get those hard sessions.

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Running Crazy, what kind of volume where you using to achieve that time?

@vetirun2884

3 жыл бұрын

@@TirnanHealy believe it or not, my long run was never over 16 miles. and i averaged 45 miles a week. theres a video coming on this channel march 10th mate.

I find that slow heart training is good for not getting injured, but I absolutely agree with you. If you want to get faster, you have to have speed work in there.

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Justin

way outside my wheelhouse, thanks for the education!

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Any time Sarge!

I do a 90/10 approach. Mostly easy miles and one speed session a week just to mix things up.

@TirnanHealy

Жыл бұрын

Sounds like a really nice combo, is that because you enjoy it more, or see more improvements from it than other training styles?

Were you doing monthly MAF tests to track your progress? My understanding of the MAF method is that you move on to adding speed work and threshold runs once you’ve had two or more months without pace improvement in your MAF test. It’s not intended to be low hr running forever.

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

I wasn’t doing monthly tests as I was using the data from dozens of runs as the source of information. If my average HR/effort to pace wasn’t improving after 60 runs then it’s clear. The thing is I didn’t see any improvement at all from it, so the two months probably would have better been spent with more variety. I did do a lot of easy miles already in the past so I probably obtained most of the benefits that the MAF method claims to give.

I feel like people most the time miss the point of maf....and you nailed it talking about how good it was for beginners. i have not used maf for years but did in the army for about a 6 month span and the results were amazing. The one thing i needed was a stonger base so maf gave me that base and took me from 7 30 mile pace at 220 pounds down to 6 flat...... it helps people build a base but its not a forever thing for most people i believe

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

That’s a sweet time, is that for 1 mile pr or longer?

@seansudduth7882

2 жыл бұрын

@@TirnanHealy 2 mile pt test, i was doing hill sprints and timed runs as well but i was doing that for 3 years with little improvement but adding in MAF this lifetime sprinter was finally able to get a time to be proud of haha i think it was 12:03 to be fair... but still

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

@@seansudduth7882 Man 12:03 is really solid in my opinion, especially at 12:03!

@seansudduth7882

2 жыл бұрын

@@TirnanHealy its just my 2c but sprints and race pace splits were great but i was lacking a base...when i added in maf it really showed me how much i was lacking, was running at roughly 13 min mile paces when i started maf but cant find my log book on what i ended up at

hhmmm I will try this on my next half marathon, currently training on MAF

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

Good luck Kaiser

I think you are spot on with all your points! You mentioned that maf sounds good for beginners-that’s exactly what I thought too. I feel like running too slow, ie well below your usual pace, can actually hurt you because it creates comfort zones that are hard to break out of. As my drill sergeant always said “if you want to run faster-run faster.”

@TirnanHealy

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly! For beginners it’s ideal but the more we progress the more polarising things becomes more practical for the general population I believe

I got the impression MAF was for older and/or overweight runners....young fit guys and gals who can handle the speedwork should absolutely incorporate it in....

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

It’s mainly aimed at beginners and people who train too hard I think

I agree .. MAF takes you only so far .. eventually you need to mix it up !

@TirnanHealy

2 жыл бұрын

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