YMMV wrote:
2:20 is expected, but 29:59 surprises me, if it was off tri training.
First, something some do not understand, is that what you THINK is MAFFETONE training actually corresponds to the base period of it. After the base is built, MAFFETONE recommends adding some "anaerobic work" (~15-20% of the total).
Second, in 2002 Paula RADCLIFFE ran 30:01 in 10000m in August, and later the same year 2:17:12 in marathon.
From JONE's paper (link in my previous post) you learn that Paula was running most of her training in the 3:20-3:40/km range in 2003.
The 3:20/km corresponds to 5:20/mile, and was a pace at or a bit below her aerobic threshold (if we take it as LT1 = the speed above which blood lactate rises above base level, and use figure 8 of the paper to estimate it), so by running a lot in the 3:20-3:40 range you can consider she was actually doing a training compatible with MAFFETONE guidelines (most likely without being aware of it of course).
Besides, her MAF pace of 5:20/mile or a bit lower seems to match reported ALLEN's MAF pace at his best (5:15-20), and thus could probably have expected Mark ALLEN to also run a 2:17-15 marathon as his PB, IF he had focused on this event at his best, and trained specifically for it.
Why ALLEN did not achieve 2:15-17 can have many reasons, maybe he tried it too late (after retirement from ironman and a year off), and/or did not train specific enough for the event.
However, in the general case, following MAFFETONE's guidelines CAN be compatible with specific marathon training, if you choose your "anaerobic" part of training wisely, as Paula's achievements and training has shown.