"So you're basically telling me to slow down?" " Whats the point in that?" " I want to get fast!" "Ok, I'll try it so if you're insisting on it."  " I thought the whole point of exercise/running was to go hard or go home?" "I'm getting passed by oul wans on the bypass!" " At this rate, I'll never finish the race" " This is the most frustrating thing ever" "Feck this, at that heart rate you gave me I am walking!!"  "This is complete BS, I want to get fast, quick!!"  "Thanks but no thanks Ian, I'm going with a different Coach"  The above statements are texts and comments I have received since I began properly coaching athletes using the Maffetone Method in 2016. I was one of those athletes who was always looking for a shortcut to any kind of success, be it a PB in a race, or a podium finish. I would have looked for the 'easiest' route to that success and never have actually been prepared to listen to the correct advice. So it's no great surprise that I just ended up injured with a serious Achilles problem and achieving zero success. Basically, I trained far too hard, too much of the time. I never let my body recover properly. I never went for good deep tissue sports massages, even though I preach to everyone of the importance of them! I believed that I should be stressing my cardiovascular system, my skeletal system, and my muscular system out as much as possible and then I'd be able to compete better in races. I failed to consider that the body is very delicate and if it is not in balance there is going to be only one outcome, injury and burnout.I was getting very frustrated with my lack of progress. One day a few years ago, one of my regular clients for Physical Therapy, Dermot Logue, called up for a sports massage. Dermot has ran the Dublin Marathon in 2 hours and 46 minutes. He's like a Northern Irish Haile Gebre Selasse. (He also scored against FC Barcelona for Derry City Youths back in the '90s!) I took this opportunity to quiz Dermot on how he is so fast and seems to be getting faster as he gets older. I was very impressed on his recent 10km win in Clonmel in 35 or 36mins. I presumed he does a crazy amount of speedwork as he was relatively new to running. I knew he took it up only a few years previously, so I asked him what his secret was. His reply: " There is no secret." Dermot had/has adheres to the maffetone method of training which basically means you very rarely train above your Maximum Aerobic Threshold. Music to my ears!! So no more crazy sprinting up tickincor?I studied and researched everything I could on Maffetone over the next few weeks and my eyes were truly opened up to how people should train. Long term health has got to be the number one priority behind exercise. Success in PB's and Podiums will happen, but only with patience!The idea behind Maffetone is to train at a certain heart rate (rarely go beyond this) depending on your age and experience. It all links up very well with the Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. You need patience but if you commit to it, the results are fantastic. You teach the body to become more proficient at using fat as an energy source, and you are not putting your heart, joints, and muscles under pressure. You get to train more often as you are never wrecked from over training. Training becomes more fun and by default, you get fitter and stronger and faster. I strictly stick with the principle of LESS IS MORE. 90% of your training should be at a very lower intensity (Z1/Z2), especially in the Base Phase of training.You must listen to your body and this is where Maffetone comes up trumps.Longevity in endurance sports must be a priority for us. None of us want to be limping around in 15 years time.You can't argue with a 2:46 Marathon Runner!!As an example, after I recovered from my injury, I ran diligently at 145BPM about 3 to 4 times per week. My initial pace was approx 5:45 per km at that heart rate. 5 months later it was down to 4:45 per km at the same heart rate. Now it is between 4:20 and 4:35 per km, depending on how well rested I am.Bike: In November 2017 @ 75RPM @ 145BPM, I was producing power of approx 200watts.3 months later sticking rigidly to Maffetone, for the same RPM and heart rate, I am producing 250 watts, a 25% increase :)  Whats the one common denominator here? 95% of the time sticking well below my MAFFETONE HEART RATE!!!Don't take my word for it, just ask many of the athletes who I coach who have stuck with it and not thrown in the towel!!!I'm very excited by what the lads in my groups are going to achieve this year. We're seeing major progress already and it's only March!At the moment there is a group going to the Manchester Marathon, Limerick Half Marathon, individuals doing the Challenge Half Iron Distance World Championships in Slovakia, Ironman Italy, and in May/June we will be starting our Half Iron Distance and Dublin Marathon group training again. Bring it on!My goals for the year:1) The wedding and honeymoon (obviously!)2) Tribesman Half Iron Distance 3) The Lost Sheep Half Iron Distance National Champs4) Dublin MarathonThanks for reading again, keep aerobic,  and I hope to see you (running easy!) on the bypass over the next few months.