I’ve been running since 2008. Before that, I used to be a 2-pack-a-day smoker, and an enthusiastic drinker. Now I run a 17:25 5K and a 3:13 marathon. I’m going to get faster.
Work
- MAF Fitness Founding Coach.
- Product Director at MAF Fitness.
Publications
- Maffetone PB, Rivera-Dominguez I, Laursen PB. Overfat and Underfat: New terms and Definitions Long Overdue. Front Public Health. 2017;4:279. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2016.00279
- Maffetone PB, Rivera-Dominguez I, Laursen PB. Overfat Adults and Children in Developed Countries: The public health importance of identifying excess body fat. Front Public Health. 2017. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2017.00190
- Maffetone PB, Malcata, R, Rivera-Dominguez I, Laursen PB. The Boston Marathon versus the World marathon Majors. PLoS One. 2017;12(9): e0184024. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0184024
Education
- Graduated from Reed College with a B.A. in Linguistics, with an emphasis on psycholinguistics, statistical methods, and experimental design.
- Pose Method certified Level I Sports Technique Specialist and Level I certified Running Technique Specialist.
- FMS (Functional Movement Screen) certified Level 1 and 2.
- Attended workshops on Systems Thinking, facilitated by scholars from the MIT Sloan School of Management
- Attended a systems thinking workshop at MIT held by The Sloan School’s L-Lab.
Awards
- Commendation for Academic Excellence, Reed College.
- Undergraduate Research Grant, Reed College.
- Presidential Scholarship, Pacific University.
- Academic scholarship, Prescott College.
Other Experience
- Used systems thinking extensively in both theoretical and practical applications in the domain of sustainability and politico-socio-economic design.
- Lectured on the practical applications of biomechanics to running training in La Paz, Mexico, BCS.
running in systems 
Ivan hello…I live in Macedonia,Skopje and I am following MAF for a few months…I have read every single article on MAF site and I have noticed some problems in my health as you say…I have constant sinusitis (or allergies ?) although I (thought) have been in excellent form climbing the mountains, sport climbing, running etc….I read that you had the same problem so I am interested how did you solve that problem…it really bothers me a lot and I can’t make progress in MAF test while running, most probably because of that….thanks for answering in advance
I am 45, and I am desperate finding the cure…please help
p.s. since 01july2016 I went LCHF because at the end of Jun I had sinusitits and low back pain at the same out of nowhere
thanks for your time
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btw I would like to spread MAF principles here in my country but first I must face and solve my health problems….my activities are running, alpinism, sport climbing and mountaineering. Also maybe this isn’t a proper place for my question but I cannot delete it….I apologize for that
best regards
Blagoj
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Blagoj:
No, by all means! I can’t give you any concrete advice, of course, but I did mention some of the mechanisms that might be contributing to your conditions.
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Blagoj:
Thanks for commenting. Sinusitis and other allergies are a pretty complex problem to solve. I don’t know a lot about them in depth simply because they are issues with a vast amounts of medical ins and outs, but I can speak from experience. (This is just my personal experience, and my view on the research. This should not be construed as medical advice):
In my case, I’ve found that particular foods make me more sensitive to sinusitis and hay fever: cacao, gluten, dairy, refined sugar, and to a lesser extent, tomato. These are the foods I am allergic to—you may be allergic or have aversive responses to things that are not foods at all.
What I would do in your case (which is what I did in mine) is consult with a nutritionist or another specialist to find the mechanism for your allergies/sinusitis.
Allergies and sinusitis are influenced by stress, since a prolonged stress response plays havoc on immune function. Making and inventory of as many environmental stressors as possible and removing them may also help deal with your symptoms.
What’s really done it for me is controlling these symptoms while simultaneously strengthening the aerobic system for a relatively long period of time. As I become more resilient to stress, it takes increasingly greater levels of allergens to trigger a full blown allergic response.
PS. Low back pain “out of nowhere” (rather than because of some developing muscle imbalance) is typical of heavy lifestyle stress (such as work stress). Whatever caused it might have also been the mechanism behind your sinusitis.
In any case, take inventory of possible stressors (as well as various possible allergens) and go to a variety of specialists with your best guess as to what might be happening. A lot of doctors (and even nutritionists) might shoot you down. Find someone who is willing to explore the matter further with you and incorporate your perspective.
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Thanks a lot Ivan on your answer….However, I will continue strengthening my aerobic system with MAF running, see what will happen under LCHF (I already feel better and recent sinusitis is gone), most probably I am also allergic to gluten and cereals too and I will decrease all anaerobic (weight, kettlebell…) training and alpine climbing for a while cause it’s stressful. In two months I will make another MAF test to see what is going on….and btw one more question if I am not bothering you….On the last MAF test my last five kilometers were almost equal…from 07:25; 07:30; 07:31; 07:27; 07:33 while the first km was 06:15. What does it say to you?
thanks in advance….if you ever visit Macedonia I work at the airport, so contact me…you are welcome here 🙂
Blagoj
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p.s. I have already tried with the local doctors….it’s no use, they can’t help 😉
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