Running

Has the speed work affected the MAF pace?

I'll let you know how they feel once I've done some hard intervals in them 👍 I've liked most of the the Sauconys I've had previously. Fast twitch x2 and virattas not so keen on my type A's and never tried the kinevaras. What Nikes didn't you get on with and why? I've got some peg 36, 4% fly knits and alphaflys at the moment to compare these to. I personally don't get on with the very narrow mid foot, high arch, high stack combo on the carbon plated Nikes and they do feel wierd but they are fast. I think I'll do some b2b long intervals on the treadmill at a set pace vs average HR to see if there's a difference. The Sauconys already feel more natural on foot just trying them on and walking about compared to the Nikes.

Potentially although it’s a bit hard to separate..

MAF pace increased at the end of December, towards the end of a build of volume up from 60k weeks up to 80+k weeks, the drop down again has coincided with the increase of speed work, but that’s also timed with better eating, no alcohol and resulting better sleep and weight loss.

Generally avg pace trended nicely down with increasing MAF runs and volume, from June to December.

Further to the conversation around foam rolling: any gadget heads on here use a massage gun? If so - gimmick or good?

Yep, when I met Mrs Y she had this old monster mains powered beast which did my legs the world of good when my commute changed to Tottenham - > Kingston. I still use it if I'm tight after weights/running.
Recently I've bought a modern rechargeable one for each of the sisters in-law and my dad and they're all using them regularly and reporting good things back.

Good to know. Thanks. Did you get the affordable minis for the in-laws? I wouldn’t spend more than 100 quid but see no point if it’s gonna blow a gasket on day 3

I picked up the cheap Bodymax ones which retail at £60 (but I get extra cheap through work) knowing that if it did just fall apart I can swap/refund no worries, but so far so good. Wouldn't see a reason to go up to the £100 Taurus one so far. Had a play with the Powerplate Pulse which is £250ish and it was obviously better made... If you're a PT / Physio or just like nicer things then probably worth the extra spend.

Top tips. Cheers

I pulled the trigger (so to speak) on an Aldom (no - me either) one. Will see how I get on.

Last night I learnt the hard way about pace setting. Finished work grabbed kit and started running. I even knew I was running too fast but it felt so good to push myself. Then once I’d done the first mile of the 5 mile run I started to tire and then the rest of the run was hard work.

I have been there all this week.

Tuesday was spectacularly "oh fuck this". I walked the last 2 km home because I wasn't running in any sense of the word.

It sounds like cycling to work was your base and you topped off with running.
As others have said, it doesn't take much to offset your hard work.
I'd put a lot more into the fact you've picked up again, you've got a schedule and you're sticking to it. The pattern looks good, mix the intensity up and I think you'll see some positive changes.

I was going to recommend "core and pressups" but seeing as I don't take my own prescriptions there it's a bit hypocritical of me.

I’ve been doing lots of kettlebell swings recently which seems to have helped put the power down but also really helped with keeping the core stable and not wasting energy by being hunched over.

Garmin is taunting me. Specifically aimed to keep my run today in my "Low Aerobic" zone (under 158bpm) and averaged 152bpm for a 5k. I think I had about 20 seconds at 158bpm or above in total (highest was 162bpm) and it's classed the run as "Tempo" and therefore "High Aerobic".

My garmin tells me I'm superior. It's clearly a pack of lies.

Mine told me I’d broken records yesterday 8:30 mile, so depressing.

I tried to run a 6 minute-something mile last night, failed miserably despite my Garmin making similar, erroneous claims.

Are you sure about that 158hr suggest by MAF calculation that you are 22?

Under that calculation 158bpm is firmly in the “grey zone” of not actually doing very much for fitness and increasing risk of injury...

Interestingly until recently I thought my garmin predictions were bobbins, but since doing MAF based runs, it’s not far off, today it reckons I can sneak under 18 for a 5k (slightly dubious) but more realistically 1:25 for a half marathon I’m doing a fresh one in 2 weeks so it’ll be really interesting to see how close I am.

Never used a Garmin, this a standard thing if you start logging runs on their platform is is it a specific watch model/track you whole life on the platform thingy?

It’s a long time feature.. called “race predictor” it’s existed on my last 3 garmins I think...

Mine updated slightly after every run...

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My race predictor seems to have decided I have no staying power past HM

5k: 18:28 (pretty accurate having just run a 18:32)
10k: 39:25
HM: 1:31:39 (last one was about 1.27)
Mara: 3:29:59 - wut? nearly a 30min drop off pace between half and full?

It's not MAF calculation, it's experience. That 180-age MAF formula just wouldn't work for me at the moment, I'm too heavy and not fit enough. I'm 44, BMI>30 and so 136bpm would be a slow jog around 7:45/km. No point doing that when I can comfortably hold a conversation doing 6:30/km at ~150bpm.

150bpm is gentle/easy for me. 160bpm is tempo. 170bpm is getting there and 180bpm is pretty much the max I've managed for a 5k. (These are averages, not maximums.)

Talk me through this MAF stuff.
S l O O O W LY

(or a decent link summary would be ace)

Weird mine is...
5k 19mins
10k 41 mins
hm 1:33
mara 3:27

my race predictor is always well over a minute quicker than what i can get anywhere near for a 5km. So I guess a +5% margin of error. I like it's optimism though. It's even foolish enough to think I can run a marathon too.

Garmin should add the option to do 'calibration runs' to set it. But at least it's relative to itself.