How often to Run at MAF

by Janet Skelton
(Dubai, UAE )

After a 56 years of hating running I am starting to us MAF training. How often and how long should I be running for?

Nicole's response:
Hi Janet, thanks for your question and welcome to the world of running! I don’t think that Phil Maffetone has ever said what exact time people should run for, but I have heard people mention 7 hours a week as being the magic number for seeing good progress. However don't get sucked into thinking that you need to run 7 hours a week as many see progress with less hours.
The main thing to remember is that you want to run the time and distance that you are capable of so that you don’t get disillusioned or worse still, injured. If you are just starting, begin with something like 15 mins warm up, 5 - 15 mins at MAF pace and then 15 mins cool down. Perhaps run 3 times a week at first and over time increase it to 4 or 5 if you can. Gradually build up from there making sure that every 3 - 4 weeks you have a lesser week. Best of luck!