Are you wondering if it is worth sticking to your aerobic heart rate training zone? Are you getting frustrated that you are having to run slower than you usually do?

These FAQs will help you to further understand the pros and cons of an aerobic block of training.

This article on creating an Annual Training Plan will also help you to understand why an aerobic block of training is beneficial, and how to fit it into your running calendar.

How strictly do you have to stick to the MATHR in training?

According to Dr Maffetone, you should never go over this MATHR number. This means a lot of you will be needing to walk up most, if not every, hill when you are training. You might even have to walk on the flats on a hot day if your aerobic system doesn’t work well.

Personally, I think there is a little bit of “room for error” and it is more realistic to aim to keep your average HR for a run below the MATHR number.

Using my 144HR example. During a 10km hilly trail run my HR might be 135bpm on the flats, but might climb to 160bpm on the hills if I was to run continuously. To keep my HR in the correct zone on average, I would, in this case, run up a hill until my HR reached 150bpm, then start walking, and when my HR was back down to 135 – 138bpm I would start running again. This way I should manage to keep my average HR for the entire run at just under 144.

Does all of your training have to be aerobic?

The purpose of the base training phase is to develop your aerobic system to make you stronger and more efficient, so that the transition to the harder, race-specific training block is an easy one.

For this reason, almost all of the Base Training Phase will be aerobic, and during this 12 week period I would hope that you can feel enough benefits that you want to stick to it. It can be an amazing eye opener for some runners to realise how much better their body feels, how much quicker they recover from training, and how much more consistently they can run, when they train aerobically.

There will be some accelerations and Fartleks included in the training plan which will help to add some training variety and also help you to maintain some leg speed.

Why do you need to record the temperature and humidity?

In order for the MAF test to be accurate, you should ideally perform it under the same conditions. This includes the climatic conditions. Depending on the time of the year this can be very difficult, especially as you head into summer.

Warmer weather and increased humidity will elevate your heart rate, so if changes in weather conditions are unavoidable between tests, then you need to factor this into your results.

Should you perform the MAF test if you have a cold or flu or other illness?

No. Wait until you feel well again. When you are ill your heart rate is generally elevated which will have a significant effect on the results.

What are the negative impacts of doing a little bit of anaerobic training each week in base training? ( i.e. spin or HIIT class or hill reps or hard runs?)

The major benefit of training your aerobic system is to develop more endurance, become more efficient at burning fat (which can be a major benefit in endurance events), developing stronger muscles, tendons and bones, all whilst staying healthy and strong. Aerobic training does not create the same levels of impact and fatigue as anaerobic training which makes it easier to build up your running volume with less risk of injuries occurring.

Every time you do an anaerobic training session you interfere with your body’s aerobic adaptation process, and therefore you reduce your fat burning, compromise your immune system, create more fatigue, and put your body at slightly more risk of injury.

Once you have built a strong aerobic base, your body will become robust enough to withstand and benefit from the short blocks of anaerobic training which occur in the lead up to the race.

You will not develop your aerobic system to its full potential if you consistently perform anaerobic sessions.

Can I do any other races during this base training block?

You can. But you will be compromising your aerobic development. If you have other races booked in I would strongly suggest that you treat them like a “fun run”. If you are completely disciplined and dedicated to your aerobic development then stick to your MATHR during the race. If you can’t resist the temptation (which realistically most of you probably can’t) then try to run at around an 80% effort, with enough left in the tank to be able to go for a 10km “cool down” straight after the race if someone asked you to.

(For the purpose of clarity: Don’t actually do the 10km cool down, just be capable of doing it post race).

Can I do my regular Pilates/Yoga/Stretching classes instead of the Body Maintenance each week?

I would suggest replacing only one of the sessions with your class each week. The exercises in the base program are very run-specific so you will get a huge amount of benefit out of doing them consistently and regularly. It all comes down to your main priority. If your main priority is your class, then of course you can choose to do that, but it may compromise your UTA race result or your ability to get through all of the running training injury-free.

Should I work on my cadence whilst focusing on my aerobic heart rate?

One repercussion of increasing your cadence is that it also increases your heart rate. So if you are new to either aerobic training and/or running technique it can be a very difficult combination. My suggestion would be to spend the first 2 – 3 weeks sticking strictly to the MATHR, then very gradually start increasing your cadence by a few steps at a time. e.g. from 165 steps/minute up to 168 steps/minute. Give yourself some time to adapt to the higher cadence and then aim for a further increase as your MATHR allows.

How important is the warm up when we do the Maximum Aerobic Function (MAF) test? What difference does it make?

At the end of the warm up your heart rate should be at your MATHR level – otherwise your first couple of km’s of the MAF test become your warm up which has a significant effect on the results. It is very important to warm up properly.

What other factors influence my heart rate when I train?

The biggest factors which will effect your heart rate, and therefore your ability to train aerobically are:

  • External stresses (work stress for example)
  • Lack of sleep
  • Poor diet
  • Alchohol
  • Caffeine
  • Illness (colds and flus)

If you are having a really busy week at work and it is causing excessive stress, it will elevate your heart rate. During these stressful weeks, don’t perform a MAF test. Do it once life is back under control.

Accept the simple fact that not everything is going to be under your full control all of the time. A bad night’s sleep, or a poor diet for a day or two will affect your heart rate, so you might have to train slower as a result. This doesn’t mean you are losing fitness. It just means that external factors are effecting your body.

Can I go higher than my MAF number if I have been running for a while?
A lot of people have the feeling that their MAF number should be higher than what the formula calculates. I think that the formula is quite conservative, but I think this is deliberate, as you are much better training at 10 beats under your true MAF number than 2 beats over it, in order to get the aerobic endurance and health benefits.
Hundreds of people have followed this program and when asked, almost everyone said they would not have gone as slow as their MAF number had they not been using a HRM, BUT they all felt that the program has been hugely beneficial for their health, energy levels, injury status, and race results.
You could get a lactate test done to find out your exact number if you really wanted to, but there will be more good than harm sticking to your MAF heart rate during your base training.
I don’t honestly know how I can stick to the plan if I am having to walk on most runs to stay under my MATHR.

That is a choice only you can make. In my opinion, if you have to walk to stay under your MATHR, then you are one of the people who will gain the most benefit from doing it. You will not lose fitness, and you will not compromise your UTA preparation in the slightest, by training slowly during this 12 week plan. At the very least try to stick with the aerobic training for 5 weeks until we do the second MAF test. At that point if you feel like your brain can’t cope (your brain is the issue because your body will be loving it) then you can speed up again and give the heart rate training a miss.

Could my heart rate monitor be the problem?

Unfortunately this is possible. In my experience chest straps give by far the most reliable readings. The wrist optical sensors are fairly well recognised for not giving accurate readings. Changing the battery in a chest strap can make a difference to the reliability. There may be runs where the heart rate numbers seem to jump around quite a lot, or suddenly change from say 180bpm to 130bpm – this is likely a glitch with the technology, but if it happens regularly it would be worth consulting with your GP to organise an exercise stress test and make sure it isn’t your internal hardware that is at fault!

Can I use perceived effort instead of heart rate?

You can if you really feel like heart rate training is not for you. The main problem with perceived effort is that if you have always run “too fast” then you don’t actually know what “easy” means.

One thing you could try to test your perceived effort accuracy is to sing a song out loud while you run. Seriously. Loud enough for people to hear. If you are singing 6 – 8 words at a time between breaths then you will be somewhere close to your aerobic zone. Don’t cheat though. Singing in your head or under your breath is not the same as singing out loud!

Can I change some of the running / strength days around to fit around my other commitments?

During the base plan, because all of the runs are aerobic and not taxing on your body, you can swap the training days around to work best for you, BUT – try to keep a rest day after your long run day to help your recovery. This becomes more important further into the program as the long runs get longer.

I got slower in my second (or third) MAF test – does this mean the program isn’t working?

Developing an efficient aerobic system can take many months. Some people see an improvement in their MAF tests after 4 weeks, some people after 4 months, and some people might not see much improvement in the first 6 months. It depends on a lot of internal and external factors most (but not all) of which can be controlled.

The important thing is to monitor the general trend over several months, and not to worry if there is a blip where one month might be slower than the previous month.

Heart Rate is influenced by a number of factors including:

  • Your general health (if you have a cold/flu for example)
  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Diet – eating junk food will increase your heart rate
  • Stress
  • Sleep – If you have a bad nights sleep before a MAF test your HR will be higher
  • Temperature and humidty

Any combination of these factors might skew an individual MAF test and slow you down. If that is the case, don’t worry. Do another test a month later and try to control as many of these factors as you can.