MAF / Floris Gierman method · Day 1 = May 7, 2026 · Race day = Sun Nov 15, 2026 · Streak preserved (no rest day)
Operating principles — quoting Floris directly
"Increase your training volume by 10% per week max. Don't do three hours one week, six hours the next week. Take a step back week every fourth week of about 30 to 40 percent drop in volume. Train consistent and be patient." — Floris, Zone 2 Training video
"Some athletes respond well at three hours a week, almost at six, and others at ten. This is so highly individualized that is something you have to experiment with yourself."
- HR cap = 147 bpm (180 − 33, no adjustment). Train inside 137–147 for every run unless flagged Tempo / MP / Intervals.
- If HR creeps over 147 — slow down, even to a walk. Hills early on = walk them.
- Streak preserved via Mon & Fri 10-min easy shuffles — Maffetone explicitly recommends 1-2 rest days/week. Streak community uses 10-min slow jogs (USRSA streak minimum = 1 mile) as functional rest while keeping the streak intact.
- Step-back week every 4th week, 30–40% volume drop (Floris's exact prescription). Marked with a dark left bar.
- Long run capped at 2.5 hr. Maffetone: no extra aerobic adaptation past ~2 hr.
- Quality sessions (Tuesdays from Aug 18) = 15 min WU + main + 10 min CD.
Daily structure — Floris's published recreational schedule + streak-friendly rest equivalents
Floris's recommended week (Running Breakthroughs, 2026): "About 4-5 hours per week. Mon rest. Tue 30-45 min Z2. Wed quality 45-60 min. Thu 45 min recovery. Fri rest. Sat long 60-90 min. Sun 45-60 min easy." Mon/Fri rest replaced with 10-min slow jogs to keep the streak alive while still functioning as recovery (Maffetone explicitly recommends rest days; 10-min easy jog satisfies the streak minimum).
- Mon 10 / Tue 50 / Wed 30 / Thu 50 / Fri 10 / Sat 45 + Sunday long. Mon/Fri = slow jogs (HR ~110-125, well below MAF), pure recovery.
- Peak base: ~5.75 hr/week (195 min weekdays + 150 long). Inside Floris's "almost at six" band.
- Step-back: ~3.8 hr/week (Mon/Fri stay at 10, other days drop to 30, long run drops to 90 → 33% drop).
- Long run is the trainable variable — grows from 75 → 150 min across base.