Here's a chart I pulled off of one of the blogs I follow. It shows the effects of training according to the MAF theory. The basic idea is that focused training at an aerobic HR allows you to develop efficiency at that output, increasing speed. Most athletes train at harder intensities improving speed and power, but neglecting aerobic endurance base.
MAF Test
Today I adjusted the screen on my Garmin not to show pace. I paid close attention to my heart rate and didn't let it get over about 160. I have a pretty good resting HR of 51 and can really crank up my heart rate to just a few beats shy of 200. Not too proud of how slow I actually had to go to make this work:
| Mile | HR | Pace |
| 1 | 144 | 10:25 |
| 2 | 155 | 9:03 |
| 3 | 158 | 9:11 |
| 4 | 160 | 9:26 |
| 5 | 159 | 9:50 |
The first mile was a warm up, then my pace steadily slowed over the next four miles. I plan on doing this test again in about 4 weeks to track progress. Sure would be rad to get my pace down to 7:30 with a heart rate of 160 like that guy from the graph.
1 comment
Jojo that's a pretty rad and geeked out test you did. It's interesting to see how you had to progressively slow your pace down to stay where you needed to be. In my not so vast experience of HR studies and aerobic training, there are about one bajillion thongs that can influence your HR. You coulda been tired that day, maybe you were wiggin out on some caffeine, or stress, fatigue, heart ache... Anyways, it will be super interesting to see where you'll be in a little further into your training. I bet you'll improve fast seeing that you already know your body responds well to the type of training you're doing.
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