No, I'm not running with Wendler. He just happens to hopefully be the closest I will ever get to the devil.
This is about my new take on running. If it's something I want to be good at, it's something I need to embrace. That said, running to the point of pounding myself into the ground does not sound fun.
I have been experimenting with different conditioning. The last two months have been pretty aggressive three times a week on the airdyne. I have noticed I am becoming increasingly sore for my strength training as a result. Most of these sessions have me getting up into zone three and four heart rates, sometimes even touching into five. If you don't know what that is, it's basically pushing my conditioning where I'm at a minimum of panting and a maximum of whimpering.
Hard to believe in retrospect that I'm having difficulty recovering. While in communication with the coach I touch base with, he sent me a youtube video from a guy who works with bigger runners. While digging through his work I saw something called MAF training. It's basically all zone two training.
It suggests that you have to run slow to get fast. By constantly keeping your heart rate in the zone he prescribes (basically 180-age for the top and 10 beats below for the bottom) you will slowly get faster over time. The huge benefit is that it shouldn't impede my strength/hypertrophy training. That said, Dr. Maffetone from whom this theory comes suggests no anaerobic training while building your aerobic base. Sorry, not sorry, there's no way I'm taking off four months from weights. I'll follow the motto of "Don't let perfection be the enemy of good enough" for that one.
My goals are pretty simple, to feel good, look good, and be healthy. I have achieved these goals over time. I never rushed my strength or weight loss. To not rush my aerobic fitness fits that pattern of success pretty well.
Right now I'm establishing an initial run time/distance within the prescribed heart rate zone. I will check back with you all in a few months to give you an update on how it's going. And for those of you interested in slowly bringing up your aerobic conditioning go do some digging on MAF training.
