Just checking.....

by Jax
(South Africa)

Hi

I have been doing MAF training for almost 2 months and my times seem to be getting worse, not better. I am very happy to keep plodding along for 6 months to test it out fully, but I just wondered if it is normal to get worse before getting better? Or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks

Nicole's reply:
Hi Jax, thanks for your question.

Don't worry as it can be quite normal to find the first few months frustrating and with little or no progress. Your body and mind could well be adapting to a new way of running. Also 2 months is still early into your MAF training and you need to give it 4-6 months at least. It took me at least 6 months to see progress.

A few things to consider:
* Make sure that your heart rate monitor is accurate and correctly positioned. Wrist HR rate monitors can be a bit more temperamental compared to HR chest straps.
* Are you doing monthly MAF tests? Sometimes you think you are not improving when in fact you are.
* I don't know how many hours a week that you are MAF training but people often see the most progress when they can do 7 hours or more. Equally don't overdo it as you can still over-train with MAF training.
* Check if there are any stresses in your life which might be hindering progress, such as poor sleep, diet, illness.
* Don't obsess about watching your heart rate at every step. Just relax into your run and go with the flow.

My advice would be to give it more time, do regular MAF tests and then reassess after 4 months. I hope that helps.