“There was a guy in a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup costume and my goal was to not get beat by that guy and that guy totally beat me by – a lot” – Kofuzi
Mike Ko, aka Kofuzi (IG|YouTube) is in his own words “a non-elite road runner who vlogs about marathons, half marathons and being a non-elite”.
In our recent conversation, Kofuzi shares:
- his journey with MAF low heart rate training.
- how he dealt with the frustrations of having to slow down initially from 7:30 min / mile (4:39 min / km) on regular runs to 11:00 – 11:30 min / mile (7:08 min/km) at MAF.
- running progress he noticed over time.
- the world of vlogging.
- his favorite training and racing tools.
- family life and adjustments made around the current Coronavirus.
Apologies for parts of this interview with poor audio & video quality. Unfortunately Zoom and Skype had some glitches which seems more common these days, but we made it work.
Hope you enjoy this conversation with Kofuzi!
There are no sponsors for this podcast. If you are looking for a running training program, focused on low heart rate training and some higher intensity workouts, check out my online training program. Right now is a great time for base building especially when you’re running mostly solo. It is also important to focus on lowering your stress levels, the right nutrition, rest / recovery / sleep and maximizing your immune system. This is not only for marathoners. More info at www.extramilest.com/marathon
What was your favorite quote or takeaway from this episode? I would love to hear from you in the comments on YouTube.
Watch this full interview on YouTube.
Listen to the conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher or your other favorite podcast platform.
- Stream by clicking here
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
- Watch the video on YouTube
Find Kofuzi here:
Links and tools mentioned:
- Hal Higdon training plan
- Jeffrey Silver – Extramilest interview
- Low heart rate training – after 100miles (Kofuzi video)
- MAF Training – after 250 miles (Kofuzi video)
- MAF Training – after 500 miles (Kofuzi video)
- MAF Training – after 838 miles (Kofuzi video)
- MAF Training – after 1000 miles (Kofuzi video)
- Maffetone – Extramilest resources
- Polar Vantage V
- Polar Flow
- Suunto heart rate belts
- Polar heart rate sensors
Show notes:
- Kofuzi’s background / bringing up the rear / pole vault [3:40]
- Couch to marathon! done that, thanks and… stop [6:30]
- Getting back into running [10:35]
- Changing-up training / new marathon goals [13:50]
- Training on Nike Team / endurance vs speed work [16:25]
- Jeffrey Silver, Dr. Phil Maffetone [18:40]
- First 100 miles of low HR training [19:50]
- Optical HR monitor vs chest HR strap [22:15]
- The motivation to keep trying / new goals [23:40]
- Progress in low HR training [25:30]
- To the present [28:00]
- MAF formula [31:45]
- Sleep and stress as factors to training and running [33:00]
- Training volume [34:25]
- More on sleep – as a recovery tool [36:15]
- Making it all happen – parenting, training, creating content [41:10]
- Current context of Coronavirus [44:05]
- Running tools (watch, heart rate monitor) [47:10]
- HR training in relation to physical and weather conditions [50:55]
- Needing the bathroom [52:10]
- Training adjustments relating to cancelled events [54:15]
- Ways to boost immune system in current health climate [57:40]
- Run more! Base building [59:50]
As a long time (44 yrs) long distance road runner with over 94,xxx miles and counting I don’t understand why Kofuzi runs with his back to traffic. Please tell him that if he runs facing traffic he will get to see who is about to run him over. Tell him if he wants to keep road running, run smarter. Thanks. Nick