Starting MAF

by Raj Banerji
(India)

Hi. Am a 53 year old from India. Been running for over 15 years and just came across this method of running. I prefer trail runs, the last one where one ascended almost 4,000 metres ( in Manali, https://www.thehellrace.com/trail-race/solang-skyultra/) over a 60 km stretch.
Am a slow runner, averaging 6.30 mins to a km (unsure of conversion in miles).
I wish to start the MAF method and would appreciate any advise.
Tnx

Nicole's reply
Hi Raj, thanks for your question.

Whatever the terrain you run on and whatever the elevation climbed, your MAF heart rate caluclation will be the same. Since you prefer trails and will be doing some climbing, you will find that your pace is going to be slower than if you were running on a flat road. That is fine. Just make sure you have calculated your MAF heart rate correctly and that you stick to it and that every 4-6 weeks you do a MAF test to see any changes.

As a suggestion, make sure that you always do your MAF test on the same course and preferably in the same conditions (temperature/time of day), so that you can compare like with like. Best of luck!