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Yeah, only during my base periods though, which typically last 12-16 weeks. When I first started triathlon, someone gave me a copy of Mike Piggs training software which has a built in MAF test. My first year I used this software and then just started doing my own training programs, but have always kept the 5 mile MAF test cause I liked to see the progress.
I have last years numbers in excel, 05' in Polar, and 04' in Pigg. I have been meaning to get them all over to excel anyways. I'll post them when I get them compiled. It's pretty interesting. I recall my first year starting at ~9:30 minute miles and ending at ~8:45. I think 05' I started around ~8:30 and finished at ~ 8:00. Last year I started at ~7:55 and ended at ~7:40. This year has been particularly good. I switched my training program over to a high frequency running program. 7 days of run. 1 LR varying terrain/surface each week, 1 negative incline, 1 postive incline, 1 right at AT, 1 active recovery, 1 water running and 1 brick. For the MAF I just swap the AT Run.
It's been invaluable as far I am concerned. I know Paulo mentions Hydration etc.. etc.., but I do actually preprare slightly for an MAF test. If I do not prepare for example being dehydrated, well that will reflect in the test. Hell I think I got a good enough feel for this test that I think I can determine quite a lot regarding impact from hydration, nutrition, sleep, overtraining, and even differences in shoes.
That's pretty awesome that it has worked so well and so consistently for you for so long. The fact that you are improving year over year as well as within each season is a great thing to see in the tests. It looks like you are not following a Maffetone protocol (ie. all runs below your MAF heart rate) with your training this season. Did you follow one in past seasons?
I'm not a huge believer in the Maffetone system but I definitely see the value of the tests themselves. You have obviously used them to great effect as a tracking tool for the past few seasons. I think in a perfect world, the data point that *I* would want would be 5k or 10k pace. It would certainly be impossible (for me, at least) to run a max effort 5k or 10k every two weeks. Have you found a good correlation between your MAF test paces and your race paces? I would think that especially given the training that you are doing - that is, well rounded, a range of intensities, terrains, and distances - an improvement in your MAF test pace *should* correlate with an improvement in other paces. Have you found that to be the case?