Interval cravings and one month with MAF and low-intensity training
I have always been the kind of person who has lived according to the motto that the harder a training session is, the better. I am probably not the only one who’s almost addicted to that nice feeling of tiredness and the endorphine kick that comes with a tough interval session. Of course I’ve been doing plenty of low-intensive sessions as well, but I have always thought that I need to do a lot of intervals in order for my training to have a positive effect on performance.
Now, in January 2020, I am finally starting to feel that I can increase my training load again
After a period (about 2 years) of burnout, being on sick leave, and an ACL tear with subsequent surgery, I can honestly say that my training lately hasn’t been particularly structured or hard. My health has been my priority — as it should be. This has led to the (painful) fact that I am not in the same great shape that I once was in. My body can simply not handle the same amounts or intensity of training that it has before. Now, in January 2020, I am finally starting to feel that I can increase my training load again — but I am smart enough to understand that I can’t just continue where I left off and think that my body will be able to handle it.
This picture was shot last summer in the very north of Sweden, when we were doing some recon runs for our upcoming Arctic Trail Camp. I still had to be careful when running, due to my knee injury.
I need to take a step back, rethink. Start from square one. Or maybe square two — because after all, I do already fulfill the basic requirements for being able to get strong and fit again. But the last thing I want right now is to overtrain or get injured again. I want to be able to run for the rest of my life, not just another couple of years. At the same time I want to feel strong, but in order for that to happen I need to start training more sustainably, listen to my body even more and give it the recovery that it needs. Because it’s in recovery and rest that the body is strengthened. Not during the training session itself.
Anyhow. However much I love my thousand meter sprints, I have recently thrown myself into an entirely new and unknown experiment to see if I can become a better ultrarunner without sacrificing my health. I never thought I would say this but — here we go.
I have started training according to the MAF method.
Could the MAF method be the solution to an injury-free ultrarunning career? I had no choice but to try, I’m sick of not being able to run and train as much as I want to!
MAF stands for Maximum Aerobic Function and is a training philosophy that was developed by Phil Maffetone. In summary, the method is a sort of pulse-based, low-intensive training where the purpose is to increase one’s levels of endurance within the aerobic zone of training. That means no more HIIT for me… Maffetone’s own favorite expression seems to be “Want speed? Slow down!”. Something that sounds pretty paradoxical in my ears, and probably in the ears of many other people as well. But shame on those who are prejudiced before they have even tried it out. And I don’t really have anything to lose.
I’ve been training according to the MAF method for a month now, and the plan is to try it out for some time to see how I develop as a runner. Of course, I am also continuously logging all my training sessions. Keeping a training diary like this is also entirely new for me — previously I’ve always been too lazy to keep one. But now I log everything I do, every day. I can already feel that this is a great thing to be able to track my progress, and to make sure that I also get enough recovery.
“I think there are way too many people out there who start with running, but they run way too fast and intensively in comparison to what their bodies can handle.”
Every other week, I do a so called MAF test. The same day, around the same time. For me it’s Saturdays after breakfast - one month of running in my MAF pulse zone, including warmup and cool-down. And guess what! I can tell you that with my second MAF test, I could already see progress. My average pace in the same pulse zone had improved with half a minute (!) per kilometer in only two week’s time. And my body felt energized. I am convinced that MAF really is training that is kind to your body. Perfect for the ultrarunner who wants to be able to log many kilometers or miles in a sustainable manner. I think there are way too many people out there who start with running, but they run way too fast and intensively in comparison to what their bodies can handle. And then you forget that you need a sort of “base shape” to start from. I am thinking that this base shape is something that MAF will give me. And once that base shape has been solidified, I can start adding more intense sessions to my training schedule.
I miss my hard interval sessions! But I need to get my ultrarunning back on track, so that’s why I’ll give the MAF method a serious chance. Who knows, it might be the road to a healthy and sustainable ultrarunning training for me too!
But I am going to be honest with you. I have interval cravings almost every day. I don’t get the same nice feeling of tiredness from training low-intensity. But with a good conscience I can tell you that the intervals and I have said so long for some time, and I am repeatedly trying to convince myself that it is for my own good. In due time I am sure that we will have the grandest of reunions again, my beloved interval sessions and I.
/Jënni
Jënni Jalonen, ultrarunning coach at Ultrarunning Academy
Jënni Jalonen is one of our ultrarunning coaches at Ultrarunning Academy. Jënni is not only an experienced running coach fiercely passionate about ultrarunning — she is also a true nature person at heart. She spends as much time outdoors as she possibly can, either running on a technical forest trail, solo camping in the woods, or crossing a glacier on her way to a mountain summit in the Alps.
Read more about the MAF method www.philmaffetone.com
The MAF method is the foundation of all of our coaching programs. The next start of our coaching program “10 months to ultra” is 1st of March, please read more and sign up here https://ultrarunningacademy.com/10-months-to-ultra
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